Put a hold on spring will you.

The snow has materialised in some parts of the country, but as yet we've seen none in the village. However, grey skies have prevailed so photography has taken a back seat.

I have found the first nest of the year, a Blackbirds. Sitting on eggs too. I thought that it was early but a check of my books showed it isnt. I hope the weather improves before the eggs hatch. I'm surprised there is enough food around.

Right, photos, what have I got to show you? Not a great deal unfortunately. A couple of trips to the pit at Christleton have produced the usual suspects. Not very thrilling I know but here they are.

Cormorant:

I have to confess that the middle pic was taken by my brother, Alan, using my kit. I processed it along with mine hence the water mark.

Coots:

and Mallard:

There are a shed loads of Black Headed Gulls, so I spent a little while on them.

and finally a Dunnock searching through the undergrowth.

Lets hope for a better week ahead.

More snow, apparently.

So, weather forecasters say more snow and much colder temperatures, bummer. Can't believe that in March last year I was walking the dog in a tee-shirt and trousers.

I had a trip to Burton Mere and managed to add a Water rail to my yearly list, I had to hang sideways over a fence and shoot almost into the sun but I got a couple of half decent shots.

also managed a Siskin or two and Goldfinch.

I then went to Park Gate Marsh higher up the Dee estuary for a supposed High tide but it wasn't high enough to push stuff near to the crowd of birders and photographers, but highlights were a Peregrine seen a long way out, a Hen Harrier even further out and a Merlin that chased something right over our heads then turned and chased it away from us again, that was really special.

Back home a day or so later I caught the buzzard that has been hanging around the village in what was known locally as the Sand hole, until they built the new houses and now its called the Dell, its a big depression in the ground some 3-4 metres deep and 100 metres by about 50 metres. its grassed and tree lined.

I went there to specifically get Crocus but thankfully I was in the car coming back from a trip to Christleton having tried to get gulls in flight, so I had a big lens with me, this is still a large crop.

The Crocus were lovely.

Well, cold and bright I will be happy with, fingers crossed there are some photo opportunities this next week. Come back and see what I get.

A Mixed bag

A few random shots that haven't made my recent posts, and some Squirrel shots from this week.

This one is of the incoming tide at Thurstaston the other week, I quite liked it. 

This one was taken at Moore on the 18th Feb, I didn't spot it immediately when I took it but the Goose in the foreground is a Sub species of the Canada Goose, Much smaller and darker than the one behind.

I know that squirrels are pests, we've been there before but I still maintain they are very cute.

Final shot is of another big bird this one was low flying over Moore NR. A Pakistan International plane which hopefully my mate Glenn Bailes will identify for me and comment on here.

Finally, during my travels this week I bumped into a chap by the name of Steve Dolan. Steve is a Cheshire photographer who regularly contributes to Birdguides. I have often commented on his work. Steve has kindly offered to swap links and I will add his over the next day or two, but if you want to check out his work in the interim you can visit his website here: sdimages.co.uk or have a look at some of his recent Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers on BG.

Thanks for looking.

Duck and Hide.

I'm doing todays post whilst watching "Britains Natural world " on BBC2, Absolutely brilliant photography. I cannot wait for Spring and all it brings.

Two glorious days of reasonably bright sunshine and warmth had me out making the most of it. I'd been up to the hide monday and back home for lunch. After lunch I thought a trip to Moore Nature Reserve for a couple of hours was in order. Its about 20 miles away near Warrington, Chris G and I had been there photographing Red necked Grebe I think it was, some years ago. Its changed a little since then with more lakes and hides.

Species in residence at this time other than the usual were 2 Bitterns, A female Smew a pair of Goldeneye and in the trees of one particular part of the reserve a pair of Lesser Woodpeckers.

The afternoon was reasonably succesfull. I managed Gadwall, Little Grebe, and Coot.

I saw the Goldeneye in the distance but they weren't too obliging, The female came the closest.

It was a glorious two or so hours there.

The following day I returned earlier, the day had started heavy with fog and mist, I did get a very distant shot of the female Smew.



I sat for two hours waiting for the Bittern to appear but unfortunately it didn't show, Whilst i was waiting I was kept entertained watching the herons making their nests in their heronry I could see what appeared to be 3 pairs in the tree tops. I was also kept amused by the goings on of up to 4 Oystercatchers. one of which came reasonably close hunting along the edge of the lake.

followed closely by a Heron.

Back on the main Lapwing lake a little later in the day I managed the following:

Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Teal, and finally the male Goldeneye.

I also spent an hour or so walking up and down the area of road by the car park looking for the lesser spot which had been seen earlier, with no joy.

One thing I did observe which shows the danger of human waste was this Gull towing behind it a Tesco carrier bag.

it had been swimming around with it for ages. It was obviously caught around a leg.

The weather has turned colder and cloudier again so there's a bit of a lull at the moment.

Don't forget to click on the image for a larger version.

Small, Medium and Large Birds.

Not a great deal of photography done this week, but what I have done I've enjoyed, largely because the weather has not only been brighter but several degrees warmer.

The best few hours was spent at Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB Reserve. I managed to get the best shot of a Brambling I've had since I left the Forest of Dean, and added it to my yearly list. But what was even nicer was that I could sit down to do it and I got to chat to quite a few people who had no idea what they were looking for and who were delighted to see it when we did. I hope the RSPB's membership increased on that day. I also got another bird that I have not photographed out of the FOD, the Siskin.

I have started to dismantle the feeder station, I spent some time up there midweek and hardly anything was coming down, I don't know if it's a case of Sparrowhawk scare. I am going to do it slowly over a period of 2 -3 weeks. I have 4 seed feeders, 2 peanut feeders, a nyger feeder, A fat-ball feeder and 5 ground feeders (cut tree trunks) so I will remove one thing every few days. Weather permitting of course, if there is a change back to snow/frost I will delay it.

So lets see some shots, starting with Brambling,

and the Siskin,

and a rather sweet shot of a Goldfinch.



That covers the small birds. The medium is in the form of the following;

Yes a Jackdaw, one of four that were scratting around for tidbits under the seed feeders. They were'nt alone, the rats were present as always.

I also went to Frodsham Marsh today for the first time, and although I never took the lens out of the bag I did add Goldeneye and Common Sandpiper to the yearly list. Frodsham Marsh is an area between the market town of Frodsham and the site of Shell UK at Stanlow.It has often been the site of some great stuff but not today, not for me any way. Although I didn't cover it all by any means.

The big birds are two slightly different things, Both seen flying over the village this week.

A Royal Navy Sea king Helicopter.

Another Big Beluga Aircraft, I think I may have posted one before with its Airbus markings on it, but this one was bare. You can't really get the size of this thing from the photo but trust me its huge and slow.

It conveys parts of other aircraft to what was, and may still be, the Hawker Sidley site at Hawarden.

Since I started this post some 20 to 30 minutes ago I have been advised that there is more snow forecast over the next week or so. I really hope not. I want it to be Spring, Daffs are up, Snow drops are in flower and even some Crocus have started to flower in the village, surely that means it's Spring!!!!!

Come back soon won't you.