Wildlife in a Suburban Garden

Welcome to my Blog, follow the link below to my gallery of favourite images.

   

 
 
 Thanks for visiting.  I hope you enjoy your stay. Please email me or comment.  If I can help point you in the direction of any wildlife in my area then please just ask. To see the photos above in actual size, along with hundreds of others  catalogued by species visit my gallery by clicking here WILDLIFE GALLERY, 

Here is a list of photographic gear that I am currently using:

Pentax K7 body to a Sigma  150-500  6.3 APO DG  recently purchased  to replace my  water damaged Sigma  50-500  1:4-6.3 APO DG .  I  also use a PENTAX SMC DA* 200MM F4.0 ED(IF) SDM, good for close  work from  my  Chair Hide hide for example. Insects and close-ups  are with a Tamron SP AF90mm F2.8  Macro 1:1  My Tripod is a Manfrotto  055CXPRO3 and a Manfrotto  808RC4 head. The flash unit is a Metz 45 CL.4. I also use a Panasonic  HDC-TM300 Twin memory High Def camcorder.

Bird Hide

 I thought it would be interesting for you to see my hide which immediately gave me great views of Kingfishers, Ravens, Grey Heron, Little Egret and Buzzard.  As you can see it is quite inconspicuous and blends in to the local really well. It was a lot of work but really worth it, it's mine and I am proud of it!  The wildlife is getting used to it and it is part of the landscape as far as they are concerned. Who knows what fantastic sights are ahead of me? Today was good, Grey Wagtails again and Kingfishers. The highlight was the Egret which has absolutely no idea that I am there and consequently gives me some great photo opportunities.

Life is sweet for me at the moment. I am free to come and go as I please, I have a lovely wife who takes care of me, I am off to the USA in a month or so to visit my sister for five weeks, can't wait.  My main focus is my wildlife and my Brass Band, both equally as rewarding. If you are envious then don't be because I would swop it all to be 25 again! But here I am in my 60th year so I had better get on with things while I still can. So here is my offering for today, another couple of smashing close ups of the Little Egret.

Pretty soon I am going to get some shots of this lovely bird with a minnow or similar in his beak. I can pretty much get a portrait of him any time I like. I have become extremely fussy and any shot that is not 100% gets rejected. 

 

Water Pipit - Anthus spinoletta

 

 Water pipit have been a bit of a bogey bird for me over the years and I always seemed to miss them whenever they were seen here in Devon. I am glad to say that I have managed to put that to rest now because I have had really good sightings and taken photos of the bird that has been with us on the River Exe Estuary at the tiny little hamlet of Exton, literally only yards from the Commando Training Centre. There is a new wooden Boardwalk which is part of the Exe Estuary way. if you are local then you really must go, it is a real asset and quite an attractive feature. Water pipits are a nice little bird that I have always had trouble with. I had imagined that they are much more like Meadow Pipits than they actually are and here at Exton was the perfect opportunity to compare 3 different closely related species of "anthus" pipits. I can pass on some of the points that I found useful and you will too. The first thing to say is that Meadow Pipit are much more "stripy" on the back than Water who's backs are only only lightly marked. it is said that water are a bigger bird and they probably are but not significantly. The one I watched had a much  more upright stance than a Meadow and looked lighter in colour and as soon as I saw it I knew it was a Water Pipit. But undoubtedly the two quite significant features that were really obvious, at least in the birds here at Exton were, the  Meadows had quite bright fleshy coloured legs quite a contrast to the much darker legs in the Water, but it is worth mentioning that there was a hint of colour peeking through. Meadow Pipit legs are so flesh coloured that they almost look as though they are sore and suffering from being exposed to the cold which is not the case but that gives a good impression of what they are like. Water Pipits have a totally different face pattern with a very noticeable and obvious long white, perhaps off-white, eye stripe which is never there in such an obvious way in a Meadow. So, no eye stripe.... no Water Pipit, then look at the legs are they pink or dark?  Check the back pattern is it boldly or lightly marked, and that's pretty much it really. Confusion could be made with a Rock Pipit but they are a little darker and do not have such an obvious eye stripe. Much is made of wing bars in the Water Pipit but I have to say that it didn't come across that way to me.

Ringing Session

 It was a hard job when the clock  told me that it was just before 7 this morning and I dragged myself out of the cosiness of my bed, still in the dark. I stumbled down to the kettle and toast. "It better be good" I thought. So what was all this sacrifice about.........  bird ringing of course. There is something strange about people who want to get up and do things at first light, but that seems to be the nature of the beast. I kept reminding myself why I was doing it and if you don't know , I am trying to get myself licensed to ring and record the birds in my garden and the surrounding area. It's as though there is this really exclusive club, and the BTO require you to jump through as many hoops as they can before issuing you with a license. I can't think of any better way to control it though and good on them. The scheme is absolutely  fair and you cant jump the queue and circumnavigate the requirements no matter who you are or what you background and personal experience is. It rather pleases me to see RSPB wardens, employees and volunteers all jumping through the same hoops  along side me, and why shouldn't they. I have been going since a year last August and to be honest have learnt a tremendous amount from Ian who is a a mine of "very useful info". He has been ringing for 30 years and is still excited whenever he gets his nets up and starts to catch some birds. To have these birds there for you to study and observe in the hand is such a priviledge and to be honest a real joy. Today when I eventually got out to a site in East Devon, it was still quite early and a bit misty, my flask let me down and was only delivering me cold coffee.. bummer!!!!! That was the low point in an an otherwise great morning session. Birds captured, ringed, measured and recorded included 4 or 5 Marsh Tits and here is photo of a couple of them!

 

 

Alphin Brook

There is quite a lot to fit in today so without further ado, I had better get on with it. It started with a hint of disappointment and bad planning. I had arranged to go ringing as part of my training to obtain a BTO ringers license. Unfortunately when I got to the organised venue there was no sign of anyone. I hung around for ten minutes and then decided to come home. It turned out that they were there all along and I had not looked properly! Oh, never mind, it meant that I could get on with the rest of my day. I love Saturdays anyway, good sport and a nice relaxed  feel to the day by everyone you meet.

I went on down to my second hide to check it out and have a "look-see". Not really a lot going on except  a Grey Wagtail when I first arrived. I am pretty sure this a female and if so, the first female of the year.

 As I sat there I reflected on the great pictures taken yesterday and hoped that the Kingfisher would return, it really was a special sighting. She didn't,  but not to worry, if you put the time in, eventually you are rewarded. I did however, note that yet again there was no sight of the Buzzard who had been pretty much constantly here only days before. Suddenly to my left there was a noisy commotion. Crows were mobbing something in the trees to my left. After just a few seconds of this , out flew the Buzzard, followed by three crows who definitely didn't want the Buzzard in the vicinity and literally chased it away. Now I know why the Buzzard is not so noticeable.

Later in the afternoon I took up position in No1 hide hoping for the male Kingfisher. The Little Egret, resident at that end of the brook was patrolling up and down the bank sides and it wasn't long before he presented himself right in front of the camera.

It was after 4 when the male Kingfisher first showed himself. I always get a buzz whenever I see him and I pretty much know exactly what he is going to do now.  I have learnt almost every aspect of his behaviour.  I watched him fishing but he was  just a little bit too far upstream to get photos. He was scanning the water from about 3 foot above, perched on bank-side vegetation . I saw him dive and then return to his perch with nothing. I had him fixed in my viewfinder as all this went on. Suddenly, he wqsn't there any more, then I saw him.  He was flying downstream towards me, very quickly with the fish he had just caught! He zoomed in and landed on the nearest branch to me. It was getting a bit too dull for photography so I used the cameras flash and got a couple of half decent images.

 This is a shot just before he disappeared back up to his favourite place to catch. I think it is quite remarkable that as soon as he is successful, he will fly back to the perches in front of the hide, 50 yards or so.

 

Female Kingfisher - Alcedo athis

 Today's Kingfisher day  was one of those really special ones!  Because of vehicle problems which are not worth going into, I arrived at the No 2 hide just before 11 o'clock.  It was an unusually sunny day and very bright. As I walked to the area I had a feeling that things were going to be good, the sun added to the excitement because obviously, good light is such a necessary aspect of any photography. I sat and very little had happened by 1120.  I sighed with disappointment fearing  a repeat of yesterday's, almost birdless day. Suddenly,  shooting towards me........ a Kingfisher, head- on from upstream, and then she was gone as quickly as she had appeared.  My stomach complained with nervous excitement and I noted to myself how strange this felt, it's only a bird after all!!!  The minutes ticked by and still,   there was no sign of her. Then without a fanfare or any pre-sign, she was there, and so close!!!!! I had imagined what a spectacle and sight she would be if she ever landed on this Bullrush stem. The combination of sombre beige and the lovely background  looks like an oil canvas and is such a special backdrop. It was just so, so beautiful. My senses tingled, I really do love birds and wildlife in general. Who could fail to be mesmerised by a Kingfisher. So close now and so intimate was my encounter, it felt wrong, I almost felt like a voyeur. She stayed with me for what seemed seconds, but in fact it was about 2 minutes. I witnessed some interesting behaviour as she regurgitated a pellet which she expelled. Then she flitted to a branch overlooking the water to fish. I heard voices and so did she and then she was gone and I thanked her for sharing 3 minutes of her  life with me!

It was interesting that she was 'spooked" by the voices which she obviously associated with danger without seeing people. So here is a lesson for us all if we are walking....... keep quiet!  I meet people who endlessly tell me of fleeting glimpses they have had of Kingfishers. They describe how all they see are flashes as the bird shoots away. Well, today was real proof to me of just how quiet you need to be if you really want to see Kingfishers, other birds and wildlife in general.

 This is a really good chance for you to note the differences in male and female Kingfishers. I meet people constantly who are very keen to learn these interesting little facts to help them enjoy their wildlife experiences even more. Quite simple, Kingfishers are sexually dimorphic, that is to say, there is a difference between male and female. "Dimorphic" is a good word to learn and impress your friends with!  Anyway, male kingfishers have a solid black beak and the upper and lower mandibles are both black. In the female, as you can see above, the bottom mandible is orange to one degree or another. As the bird comes more and more in to breeding condition, this is is reflected in the extent and brightness of the orange. I would guess that our  'little girl"  is about to become a full adult and the male down stream will probably be her partner! I think he is a lucky boy, because she is stunning to my eyes!

 

So if the Kingfisher was our main course the next pictures are the dessert. Having sadly seen the Kingfisher disappear to somewhere less noisy, I sat for a while with a contented glow and a feeling of smug satisfaction, (interrupted I might say by the still annoying chatterers). I decided that I needed to rush home to have a look at my pictures on my mac. I stopped in my tracks because walking down the brook towards me was a Little Egret....... back in to the hide before it saw me. I waited for it to get nearer and nearer, and when it was almost upon me I got some crackers of him as well!

 
 

Patience required!

 

I know that Robins are lovely  birds and who isn't pleased to see one. This one pretty much saved the day today. I was sat in the hide by 8.30, so much potential. 10 Species  have been seen from number 2 hide and I was hoping for half of them to come and pose. For some really odd reason, today the only bird willing to even show himself was the Robin. Well, not strictly true because at exactly 1030 a Kingfisher flashed by and I was really hoping and half expecting her to return to the perches in front of me, but she didn't and even though I continued my wait for another hour.....yes a three hour session, I had nothing to show for it! But the more I look at this portrait the more I like it. I left half of the Rabbit last night and this morning it had gone. I find it hard to accept that a Fox would not take carrion and I would put my money on a fox being the culprit. Could make a good photo!

Kingfisher female

We had been promised rain for today so when I the day dawned and I could see that the Met Office (even though the national HQ is in Exeter), had got it wrong again, I quickly took the opportunity to go and see  what developments there had been. Would my Buzzard have eaten his, now small pieces of Rabbit, would the seed be gone and if so would I be able to find out who is responsible?

The answers to the questions was mixed. No Rabbit missing, but all the seed and peanuts had gone. I restocked with seed and got myself sorted in the hide. Water had gathered on the roof making a precarious situation which if not dealt with would perhaps have broken through and deluged me with a few gallons of smelly water.  I forced the roof up and made quite a commotion to force the water to spill out of the sides. I tell you this because basically I was making quite a noise and not being quiet in the least.  Image my surprise when there right in front was a Kingfisher. I had hoped for one from this hide, and was pretty sure that eventually one would show its self.  I had placed some nice enticing sticks along the waters edge and these had done the trick. It turned out to be a female, the first I have seen since last September. I don't think that she is in the original Kingfishers territory, that's the bird that I have featured on the blog so much. He is at the opposite end of the Brook about a mile away, or perhaps a little less. She was calling loudly which was different behaviour to the male, perhaps she was calling to announce her  presence to a prospective  mate, probably "my" male, at least I hope it would be him. So it looks as though there is going to be some breeding activity. This could turn out to be very interesting but also one fraught with difficulties and dilemmas. It is in fact against the law to photograph Kingfishers at the nest without a license so as soon as I think there is nesting activity going on I will have to vacate the area.

For those of you who haven't noticed, the difference between a female and male Kingfisher is in the beak. Females have an orange patch on the lower mandible. The light was coming from the wrong direction in the photo. This is causing me real problems from this hide. Haven't worked out what to do about that yet. As I sat there filming the Kingfisher, a heron wandered down the bank towards me and I took this great shot of him as well. So a pretty good day so far and it's only 12.30.

 

Redwing - Turdus illacus

Now that I am back home in Devon I immediately got back to work, that is, studying the birds and wildlife on my local patch, the Alphin Brook. I arrived back at 1630 yesterday afternoon and with only a bit of daylight left, I went to have a look at my two hides to check for any vandalism. I am very glad to report that they were both still intact and in fine fettle!  Number one hide..... the original,  positioned for the Kingfisher, was looking promising, the water level at the moment is very low and there are a lot of exposed muddy areas again. Good for Snipe....... please come back! Hide number 2 was fine, all the seed has gone from the feeding station as well as the Sprats, put out to attract the Heron and Egret.

I got up at dawn this morning and positioned myself in the Kingfisher hide. There was a lot of bird activity all around me, Grey Wagtails, Pied Wagtails, Mallard, Little Egret, Carrion Crow, Blackbirds, Black Headed Gull and a few Redwings who have turned to earth worms now that the berries have pretty much been finished up.

The Little Egret landed in front of me and I have no explanation as to why I didn't finish up with any really good shots of him, mainly I think, because I have set my self very high standards. I did take this very nice Redwing portrait, so the early morning was definitely not a waste. The Kingfisher was there but upstream, I saw him make a few dives. He didn't come close to me though. It seems that the birds are starting to form pairs now.  Both the Grey and Pied Wagtails were chasing around in pairs. For the Grey Wagtails this is a nice development as mostly through the winter, up until now, they have been solitary. The Pieds however, have tended to stay in "true" pairs all winter.

Just a little about Otters - Lutra lutra. It is a known fact that they  use the Alphin Brook as a route in and out of the City to connect with the River Exe. There has been a recent sighting very close to my hide. I am always half expecting to see one, or at least catch a glimpse. Also, a friend has told me of an encounter a couple of weeks ago on the Exeter Canal when a "dog" Otter emerged from the Brook a mile or so down stream, and then went across the iced up Canal to the opposite side.   Today I found my first positive tracks in a newly exposed muddy bank, literally 10 feet from the hide. I can hardly image how wonderful it would be to observe the animal that made those tracks and to know that it has been there in the last 48 hours or so is very encouraging and exciting. I would expect that the tracks were made in the hours of darkness, so I am looking for a miracle to see one during the day. 

Making the most of my wildlife opportunities!

I travelled up the M5, M6 and M1 yesterday from Exeter to Huddersfield. You can't imagine that this would give any wildlife watching opportunities whatsoever but, if you are as interested in wildlife as I am, even a trip like this can give you some interesting sightings. It is well known that Motorway verges are a wildlife haven and a good place to see Kestrel ( Falco tinnunculus). The grass verge habitat is a good environment for rodents, a favourite prey item for Kestrel, however, is it my imagination, or do you see fewer of them on the Motorway system now?  I always stop at Michael Wood Services not because the coffee's good but I have sometimes seen Common Gull amongst the "gang" of Black Headed Gulls. I didn't see any yesterday but I did enjoy getting close to the almost tame Rooks, such ugly birds! As I sat in the car drinking coffee I could see a pair of birds spiraling above a wood opposite. I took a photo even though they were quite a distance away and very high.  When I zoomed in on the picture they turned out to be a pair of Ravens. This was a  nice surprise and a good spot. 

Today, I went out to Scammendon Dam close by, on the edge of Saddleworth Moor. I always like to go to places that I am familiar with and then get to know them even better. As you may remember, I had seen a very special Short Eared Owl there in August so I am drawn back, again and again whenever I visit my son here in West Yorkshire. The weather today has been clear and bright but intensely cold in the watery sunshine. The light was good for photography when I first arrived but unfortunately there was very little sign of wildlife, and it was cold............ very cold!!! I wandered down to the reservoir through a path winding by a stream and through a copse to the vast expanse of water, It was really quite beautiful in a stark but definitely not drab way, even though the predominant colours were now browns and beiges. The trees reflected a golden brown on to the surface and caught the sun's almost orange reflections. In short, it was magical and I was loving it! Now, there was even a bird. A Carrion Crow arrived on to a dry stone wall in the distance, hardly exciting. Suddenly something scurried down the fence line, disappeared and almost as quickly appeared again, a Weasel, my first for a year os so. I stood still remembering that Stoats and Weasels are known to be inquisitive and will come back for a look at what they had seen, this is a good strategy to get a better look at this very quick little mammal. Unfortunately it didn't happen, and as quick as it had been there, now it was quiet as though it had never been there.

Out on the water, a small "raft" of Mallard were forlornly paddling around. Who'd be a duck in this weather? I had a look to see if there was any sign of the Great Northern Diver, reported at the start of the month. There was a distant shape that could have been him but too far to have any idea. On my walk back, now with the light dimming as dusk rapidly took control, I heard a high pitched and excited call, very close from the midst of a holly bush ................ a lovely little Goldcrest, there were two.

  This was a good find. Goldcrest, as a species, are known to have been decimated in the recent cold weather and the cold spells of last winter so I am particularly pleased to have seen them. How do they find enough to eat in these cold conditions, they will be eating microscopic insect life and their eggs and the like, all of which must surely be scarce in cold conditions.  As I stood there watching, a male Sparrowhawk zoomed past me and, had I not been there, I feel sure he would have gone for one of the Goldcrests. So from there being almost absolute silence  and seemingly no life whatsoever, some interesting wildlife showed its self.  I mentioned at the start that it's good to get to know a place well. It's amazing that this can apply to individual birds, particularly one's who hold a territory. I have seen a Kestrel in the same small area every time I have visited Scammendon. Today was no exception. I plan to return tomorrow when the sun is still shining in the late afternoon. Hopefully, from the car I will be able to get some decent Kestrel shots. 

Moorhen - Gallinula chloropus

 I don't suppose the report of a Moorhen on the Alphin Brook will create much of a stir but it was the first I have seen there this winter, another for the list. I think they are a very under-rated bird and extremely attractive when you are very close to them They can be very common in public parks and in canals where they are obviously very used to humans and lose a bit of their natural caution. However in a true wild environment they are much more wary. Again, this was another one of those examples where the hide was doing a good job because it pretty much came right up to it and was feeding only feet from me giving me really good views of the incredibly attractive beak which, as you can see is red and yellow. I have started to put out seed and peanuts because there are Woodpeckers in the trees nearby and I am hoping that I may be able to attract one down. When I arrived this afternoon most of the seed had gone and I was excited to see what has been eating it. After a while a Robin put in an appearance, sure he isn't responsible for eating lots of seed so the mystery remains. I am leaving for Yorkshire first thing tomorrow so I will not be there over the weekend to keep an eye on things.

It was just 1 minute past 8 this morning when a bright blue flash went past the hide and up-stream. I had to wait another 30 minutes before he came back and had a bit of a wash and brush up perched on the branch opposite. It was interesting because as he zoomed back towards me I was convinced he wasn't going to stop. He did, but I think it was an after thought and I watched him as he hovered, literally before choosing a newly placed branch which he obviously liked the look of.

 


After his preening and a good scratch, he looked up-stream and off he went. With the light still too dim for anything like a really good shot, yet again.

 

    

 

Blackcap - Sylvia atricapilla Devon

 

I glanced out of the window at lunchtime today and there, feeding on crumbs from a fat feeder, was a nice female Blackcap warbler. This is one of the Northern European birds that, instead of migrating to Southern Spain and North Africa, come and spend the winter in the UK. It is the first clear view of a female Blackcap this winter. It is one of those species which are sexually dimorphic, that is, visibly different. A good extreme example of this is the Eclectus Parrot from South East Asia where the Males a bright red and the female green. But I suppose the Blackcap is also a good example with females being brown with a brown head and the males grey with a black head.

In the afternoon, after spending an odious morning completing my Self assessment tax return, I went out to watch the Buzzard. I noticed that the water level on the brook has now gone down enough to let me in to my Kingfisher Hide and that will be tomorrows adventure...... check back for a Kingfisher photo ( I hope). Anyway, a good afternoon where patience was needed to eventually  get "Buzby" close and he obliged today but only when it was well past 4 and getting a little dark as the sun set. I really did think he was coming to get the Rabbit but what kind of bird of prey is it that prefers worms to rabbit flesh? He had definitely seen the Rabbit because he perched above it and looked intently, I was getting excited as he swooped down but decided against it and caught worms instead!!! Still, at least he was the nearest I have been to him.

 

 

Buzzard Flight sequence

 



As you may have heard me say if you know me well, or perhaps even from reading the Blog, I have been wanting to get up close to a Buzzard for ages.  At last, with a bit of careful thought and a considerable amount of effort, which has involved building a very natural looking hide, I have almost achieved it.    Today the weather was as miserably cold and overcast as you could get and yet I spent a great couple of hours in the hide trying for both Raven........ a no show today....... and eventually, after two hours, the Buzzard. Today was more about study than photography and I observed some interesting behaviour. He was up to his old "worm-eating" trick and I watched him for ages as he spotted the worms on the bank from the post in the pictures. In fact, in the sequence, he is just flying up from the bank after  eating on the ground.  He, or she, is a magnificent bird with a massive wingspan as you can see. At one point he was quite close as well but honestly, the light was so bad it was really frustrating. But what a taster for things to come. I have been working out a strategy for getting really close to him, watching where his favourite perches are and which posts he favours etc. When I have watched him for a few more days I will have been able to work out his routine and then I can make my move for that real good close up. In the mean time , I may just get lucky and he may settle close to  me. I am considering some other food delicacies that he may like better than rabbit. Frankly it's a big surprise that he has not made his move for the rabbit carcass, it doesn't make a lot of sense, it's not as if he doesn't see rabbits regularly.

 Here's a couple of shots from  a bit closer but still, with the fence and wire in the way, not as good as they will be when he is this close in good light.

  

Raven - Corvus corax

 
Today's wildlife encounter was a good one. I was sat in the new hide at around 8. The first thing I noticed was the light which to be honest is coming from the wrong direction at this time of the day, almost in your face. It was getting on for 9 and hardly anything had happened. Suddenly a big black bird landed close to the Rabbit and walked purposefully towards it. It was a shock to say the least and I didn't really expect it to be this easy to entice one down. They are massive birds, twice the size of a crow and bigger than a Buzzard. However,being jet black, it isn't easy to get a good photo unless the conditions are perfect. This is my first close-up encounter with a Raven. They are getting more and more common here in the West Country and obviously finding enough to eat around here, in the middle of the cito of Exeter. 

 If you are squeamish don't read on. 

The Rabbit corpse is obviously a big attraction to the crow-like birds because after a short time a Magpie came in as well and had a really good feast.

I hadn't imagined previously, how useful Ravens, Magpies and Carrion Crows are. They were not picking at the rabbit as you would imagine but taking massive pieces of meat and innards with real ease. It would not be long before they completely cleared it up I am sure. I should imagine that they were pleased with such a find. Peregrine Falcons are known to be attracted to a dead Rabbit, so who knows what could be next. The Buzzard, the bird that I am trying to attract  to me , stayed well away. Not for any particular reason I don't think, he just seemed to be finding something beneath the fence post he was perched on about 100 yards away. If you are a photographer you will know that Magpies are difficult to photograph because the stark black and white plumage makes it difficult for the cameras settings.

The weather at present (1336) s ridiculously dull and overcast. It would be hard to imagine a more dreary afternoon!

From the new hide

 

 

My first real session in the new hide this early afternoon was an amazing experience. I had wonderful views of the Buzzard who again was catching worms on his soil heap. I had only been inside and settled for a minute or so before he appeared, high in one of the trees to my left. I took a few photos of him in bright sunlight and got some lovely close ups. 

 
 

After a short while he came down and proceeded to catch worms. Such surprising behaviour, and as I have seen him feeding in this way on three seperate days, obviously his preferred prey. I have been baiting him with a dead rabbit for two days and he has not shown the slightest interest in it so far although I am hopeful. If I can get him to come and feed on this rabbit it is going to provide me with brilliant photo opportunities. He came and went to and from the heap several times and as he flew of I got the chance to take these in-flight shots. What is particularly exciting is the knowledge that he is sooner or later going to be much closer to me. So far, he has been on the far side of the heap and not smack in front. This is only coincidental and as he is perfectly happy with the hide, why wouldn't he be.......... it looks just like part of the natural fence line. 

I was very pleased to have  a Grey Heron fishing on the brook just down stream from me. Again, I am certain to get some good shots of this bird in the coming days. This bird was pretty oblivious to my presence as well.  

 

A Grey Wagtail was constantly in front of the hide and I took a few nice shots. I also heard a Green Sandpiper, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Wren, Carrion Crow and the usual small passerines. I am expecting the crows, at least, to come to the rabbit bait in due course. What is particularly exciting is the presence of mammal tracks in the mud by the stream, perhaps otter but more likely fox. I am not hopeful of seeing Otter but they are definitely in the brook and on the nearby canal and river.

   

Worm eating Buzzard - Buteo buteo

My new hide was finished today. It is  made from willow and elder branches woven around some stout support poles. It is tucked away nicely on the edge of a bramble patch and pretty much invisible I would say. The roof is camouflaged tarpaulin covered with dead leaves, dried grasses and sticks.  More dead leaves were pushed into, and behind the willow to disguise it. From the front there is a good view which looks down the banks of the brook and a grassy area to the left. I have placed a nice "Kingfisher" perch  protruding over the water. It all looks very picturesque and inviting. Will it work? Well I can say 100% that it does and the way I found out was quite an amusing little story.  I had just finished after spending an hour applying the final camouflage touches. I sat inside and cut a hole  for the  camera lens, poked it through and was just admiring my handy work. After a minute or so there was  the noise of various alarm calls particularly from a Blackbird. A quick glance through the lens showed me the Buzzard now perched in full view and quite close on a massive mound of earth just in front. It was obvious what he was doing, feeding on Earth worms.

This is the kind of Buzzard photo that I have been hoping for this last week or so. I have a little rule when it comes to bird photography. That is, if you can't see the whites of the eyes then you are not close enough! So this is getting a bit nearer to a picture worthwhile. When I look at this picture it excites me to know that I have just scratched the surface as far as Buzzard photos are concerned. I am pretty sure that I will get better and better pictures of Buzzards pretty soon. He is not worried about the hide, has no idea that I am there and is only, eventually going to get really close to me. I can't wait! 

The other thing I am  looking for in a photo  is a bit of activity, the subject actually involved in interesting behaviour. The next picture certainly qualifies for this. I watched him on this earth mound scurrying around and intently watching, then diving to grab something. With the lens zoomed on him I could see that he was pulling worms from the soil and the picture below shows him with one. At first you think that he must be desperate to be eating worms like this but only a little bit of internet surfing has given me some interesting facts. There is more protein in Earth worms than fresh chicken breast, beef steak or soya bean. He can catch them very easily and took three or four in  just a minute or two. This means that, as far as expending energy, Earth worms are a very good source of protein indeed.  

Buzzards are known to be very variable in plumage and it is relatively easy to identify individuals by their markings. Therefore, this one has been given a name to enable me to distinguish it from another one in the territory. I am calling him, or her Buzby. His chest marks  reminds me of a nice thrush with a lovely speckled breast.
  

Meadow Pipit, Alphin Brook

 

This pair of Meadow Pipits had me excited for a few seconds, I was hoping, in fact I always hope that they were going to be Water Pipit. This would have been a new species for the Brook area. But no. The  leg colour of MP's is fleshy pink, usually in WP's these are dark. The face pattern is different with a more noticeable supercillium, that is in laymans terms "eyestripe", in Water P.  Water P's are slightly larger and more like Rock Pipit. To be perfectly honest, they are a bit of a nightmare to tell apart but if you had them all together then there would be clear differences. The difficulty is that Water Pipit are quite a scarce, if not rare bird and I do not see them often enough to be really skilled at telling them apart. Safe to see that it is usual to err on the side of caution and assume that any Pipit with pink feet is going to be a Meadow....... hope this all makes sense. The Buzzard continues to be more approachable, I'm sure he recognises me now and considers me no threat. I am currently building a new hide smack in the middle of his territory which should get me very close to him. There is also possibility of Kingfisher and Little Egret in the new place, I have  seen all there. In addition there is a very nice Greater Spotted Woodpecker that I hope to get close to as well.

  This pied Wagtail was eating some quite large juicy looking grubs which he was getting from the surface of the recently puddled grass. I will be having a look to see if I can ascertain what these grubs are, I will need to find one first though, may not be easy.

Buteo buteo

 What an absolutely dreadful dreary, and now rainy day we have today......... English weather at it's worst.  A symphony of grey and brown and then more grey! I tried early on for some Kingfisher action, no luck...... I put out sprats to entice the Egrets closer to me...... no luck, so I came home, had breakfast and slobbed around for the rest of the morning! 

Eventually, after realising that even the garden Goldfinches looked dreary in this light, I went out for a walk to the opposite end of the brook, hopefully the Buzzard was going to be showing himself ..... or is it a girl? Well, it was there fortunately and it did interest me for an hour before the rain started to fall with those big heavy spots that soak you through in around 30 seconds. As soon as I arrived the Buzzard was in the air gliding and swooping from one of his favourite perches to the next. As I watched him it became obvious that he wasn't really worried, nor interested in me, instead he was peering intently at the ground and  in hunting mode. Firstly he was on the railings by the overflow, then on the Railway lights above the track and then, just as quickly in to a tree to my left then back to the pylon, never still for more than a minute or two. At the Rabbit warren I caught sight of a disappearing tail and he had seen it as well. I suspect that he feeds on these Rabbits whenever he gets the chance and as soon as I manage to get hold of a dead rabbit from a friend I will 'bait" him. His reward will be free rabbit and in return I get the photos I want.

Black Headed Gull - Larus ridibundus

Black Headed Gulls are not particularly noteworthy but if you were visiting from the other side of the Atlantic I am sure you would give them a second glance. In fact, they are quite attractive. They have an eclipse plumage and in the winter time look completely different than when in summer breeding plumage when they have an attractive chocolate coloured head.. For most of the time they do not show the dark head but instead have a hint of a smudge of dark behind the eyes. Other gulls in the UK with black heads could be  Little Gull or  Mediterranean but 99.9% of the time it will be a Black Headed. They are an "inland" gull and though found also at the coast, they are the UK's most numerous inland gull. This one was by my hide on the Alphin Brook today, one of a small group of a dozen or so that have been  here for the majority of the winter. They feed on anything they can find, I have no idea what they are finding to eat here but they forage in the large puddles and through the muddy grass left by flood water. They also take small particles of food from the surface of the brook and anything else that has been left around as rubbish. Gulls are often derided for rifling through rubbish but you could suggest that they do a good job of getting rid of edible rubbish which could attract more undesirables such as Ratus ratus, the Brown Rat...... nobodies favourite. I notice one article that I read describes them as kleptoparasitic. a posh Pseudo scinetific word for, "it steals food from other birds"!  It quite often breeds in colonies made up of both Terns and Gulls  and not only eats the young newly hatched Terns and eggs but also the food that the Terns have caught for their chicks...... that's the kleptoparasitic bit.  In return the Terns benefit from the protection from predators, both in terms of mobbing behaviour and alarms from the Gulls.

 

Kingfisher and Little Egret

 A cold, wet and dreary day with little to excite me except the Kingfisher from the hide this afternoon. He suddenly appeared in front and tried to land on the perch in the strong wind but comically, he missed and had to do a regain before he landed and ate his fish. This shot is not my best, slightly blurred with camera shake. It was "hand-held" because the camera was obscuring my vision out of the hide. I tried it this way as an experiment. I won't be doing it again because it was not successful. While I waited, the Egret again walked up the bank towards me and the free Sprat offerings. Unfortunately though, a Black Headed Gull had got to the fish first and very grateful he was I'm sure.

 

Little Egret - Egretta garzetta

Getting this close to a Little Egret is not the easiest thing in the world, but from the comfort  and security of a hide, pretty simple really. This morning I went as usual to my Kingfisher hide and sat completely hidden, under  my camo cover.  I was disappointed when the Kingfisher didn't perch in front of me today, just a couple of "fly- pasts'. The compensation though was the resident Little Egret. Yesterday I had bought some sprats from a local supermarket and when I came away at Dusk last evening I had left a  couple in the vicinity of my hide area. It was therefore, very exciting when I arrived at first light, to see that the sprats had been taken....... by who I wonder?  I think the Little Egret was the culprit. He walked deliberately up the bank towards me today, and when he got to me, now only 3 to 4 feet away, he had a really good look around for more free offerings. I had forgotten to bring more sprats out with me because, to be honest, I hadn't expected them to be eaten. Had I  scattered a few more then I am pretty certain he would have eaten them. So you can imagine that this is definitely on the agenda for later today and tomorrow.

I remember my first sighting of a Little Egret in the UK. It was in around 1992, and I remember being very excited. Now they are commonplace here in Devon and lots of other places on the South Coast and are spreading quickly further north. However, the RSPB website states that there are less than 200 breeding pairs in the UK which makes them still a scarce breeding bird really. There is a breeding colony locally so they are a bird that you can guarantee to see on any day here in Exeter.

Kingfisher photos in the flood!

 I had a brain wave today. A plan was hatched to continue with my quest for better Kingfisher photos. As well as photographing him, it's just great to see a Kingfisher and I have to confess that it gives me such an immense feeling of satisfaction and pleasure whenever he is there just a few feet from me. Today I almost laughed to myself because I kept repeating that phrase, "I love it when a plan comes together"!

Knowing that it was far too flooded to get in the hide, I remembered that when I had seen him yesterday he had flashed by with a fish and definitely made "Bee-line' for the branch by the hide. Unfortunately it was under water so he continued to the concrete area where he had the necessary hard surface needed to deal with his prey. Today, I planned to place another branch above the water line and literally sit under a camo cover with the camera focused on the branch and just see what happened. When I arrived, and don't forget this location is just a 2 minute drive from my house, his favourite branch had risen above the flood, the water had gone down  a foot or so. I got myself organised under the cover, sat on the mud on a ground sheet and focused in on the perch. Within minutes, honestly, there he was. I couldn't  see the perch except through the viewfinder of the camera and it was one of those magical moments when, one second all I could see was a branch and water and then suddenly, and without warning , now a Kingfisher, a fish, a branch and water. It is thrilling to say the least. The bird was only 6 feet in front of me in good light and beating the living daylights out of a stickleback. Real nature, real life and all so beautiful, and like I said, minutes from home.

 
 I took a few photos and hoped for the best which is not really the proper way to go about things. So, I calmed down, thought things through and adjusted the camera to the prevailing conditions. But there is only so much time before he finished his fish and flew off to find more. I waited for his return for half an hour, but decided that it wasn't going to happen. 

As I waited, a pair of Pied Wagtails - Motacilla alba yarellii were feeding to my left and got closer and closer and closer. I took lots of photos and one or two turned out to be really good. Again another example of the subterfuge of the hide/camo cover really working well.

Although much more common than the Grey Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea , I havn't really managed good photos of Pied Wagtails before but I think I did well today. In the picture below the "waggy" seems to have a liitle insect or spider, or perhaps a seed.

.
 

Little Egret on the Alphin Brook

We had a massive amount of rain last night and consequently the brook is again very high with flooded banks and fast flowing coloured water. But never the less, I want to keep tabs an things and with that in mind I walked the length to see what was about. All the usual inhabitants were at home including, now, a pair of Ravens. The Green Sandpiper flew up and over as well as the Buzzard who seems to be getting even more used to me. I saw the Kingfisher both on the walk down and on the way back and was very pleased to see him fly by  with a fish firmly in his beak. This proves that his plan "b" works well and he is catching fish even when the Brook is in flood. The highlight of the walk had to be this Little Egret. In actual fact there are two, at extreme ends of the brook. This one seems to be a little more approachable but I wouldn't ever call it tame.

In the garden this morning we had a Blackcap, a dozen or so Goldfinch and a single Coal Tit on the feeder.

Cormorant - Phalacrocorax carbo

  It's hardly been a day for any kind of photography , so dull and overcast making it extremely difficult. 

However I had a couple of Cormorant encounters today and one in particular is worth a mention. I went, at dawn, to my hide on the brook to try for more Kingfisher shots. The water level is still quite high and a bit murky and I suspect that the Kingfisher is having to use plan "B". I don't really know what that is but he seems to make it work.  I am not too concerned because when the level was high for 8 weeks continually he still managed to get enough prey. He appears to be roaming up and down a little bit more at the moment rather than being centred on my hide area. So there I am sat in the hide at around 8.30 and suddenly a Cormorant was  in front of me. He swam under water, up-stream for about 50 yards,dived and then suddenly, only seconds later, was literally right there only about 3 feet away. He must have been swimming incredibly fast.  It is always good when birds are that close. Firstly you get amazing views which are really special and secondly it is proof that your hide and the subterfuge is working well. When they are not aware of you their behaviour is very natural and is not influenced in any way by your presence. Later,I walked down the brook wanting to see what was about and hopefully to spot the Kingfisher. Glad to say that I did, so he is OK. I got as far as the river and looked around for the Goosander reported yesterday. I found it quite easily but I didn't get close enough for a photo good enough to post here. It was a shame because as I watched it in the distance a lady dog walker stood watching it from the bank only 15 feet away and it wasn't in the slightest bit concerned about her.

On the way back there was another Cormorant in the canal very close to the Double Locks pub yard. I took the photo's (above). Back on the Brook now, there was another one, probably the same individual from earlier and I suspect that when the water level is up, this is quite a good spot for him.

Getting back to the theme of the hide being  no threat to the bird life, they are obviously really used to it now. That is one of the advantages of leaving it in situ. It pretty much becomes part of the scene, and when you are inside it makes no odds whatsoever. Well, you can see that from this photo of a Little Egret, with the hide just behind.  He was catching lob worms in the mud that I had trampled very near to the entrance to the hide. 

 I almost forgot to mention the Buzzard who was a little bit more confiding today. Perhaps he is getting used to me because, as I explained yesterday, the eyesight of a Buzzard is phenomenal and he is always aware of you and that's for sure.

 

Buzzard - Buteo buteo

There are considerable wildlife photograph possibilities all around us but the real issue is how do we get close enough  to our subject to get that good photo. With the Kingfisher and Wagtails it is a simple matter of placing a hide in a likely place and eventually, with considerable patience you will get a result. You can load the odds in your favour as I did with the Kingfisher by learning about your subject and making sure you are in the right place when something happens.  Now, our Buzzard is a different matter entirely.  Birds of prey have amazingly good eyesight and once a Buzzard for example is aware of you, there is no way that you are going to get  near to him.  You need a strategy.  I have started the process of learning his behaviour and eventually I will build a hide to see if I can get near.  I am pretty sure that the main focus of his attention is the presence of Rabbits in his territory.  It is no coincidence that there is a rabbit warren smack in the middle of it.  I plan to "bait" him with a dead rabbit or two and hopefully he will become accustomed to these freebies and not be too concerned with me sat in a hide nearby.  I just need to find a good place to locate the hide, somewhere that will give me good light and away off the dog-walkers track. In the meantime, I got close enough to get this nice action shot today.  He was sat on a fence overlooking the brook and seemed to be happy that I wasn't too much of a threat.  I watched as he seemed to see something in the grass and swooped off his perch to try and get it. While he was down in the grass I made my move and rushed forward to get closer but he was not that easy to fool and flew up and away almost immediately and watched from the safety of a nearby tree. 

A walk up the brook and back towards home  gave me a good view of the Kingfisher and I was relieved to see him again. The water level is dropping quickly and I may be able to resume my Kingfisher watching from the hide by Saturday, I really hope so. I took another photo of the hide today so you can see how much the level as dropped in 24 hours.

Now to some really good news of photographic success. I have mentioned  before about the website Birdguides and their ongoing weekly competitions  for "Photo of the Week". There are around 1000 pictures uploaded each week and many are of an extremely high standard. As I have also said on many occasions it is my aim to win the photo of the week and this week was as near as I have been before because I one of my kingfisher pictures was judged to be amongst the  "notable" and in the running for this prestigious award.  Click on the links to see the amazing standard of the other pictures.

Here is my picture.

 

Long - tailed tit - Aegithalos caudatus

I had been wondering how to tell the story of  today and decided to just go through exactly as it happened. You may find it interesting or you may not. In truth it was a little frustrating but then you can't have a special day every day or it just wouldn't be special! 

It started at dawn. I climbed back in to bed after a peep outside and decided that it would be a bit dodgy out on the Brook. It was raining and when we have rain the water level is always too high for the hide. My judgement was exactly correct because later on in the morning when I went for a walk there i was extremely surprised to see just how high the water level was. The hide was literally all but submerged.

If you compare it to the other days shot of the brook and hide you can see how high the water had risen. That's the hide just peeping out of the water in the middle of the shot.

I had a walk down the brook to see if I could see the Kingfisher and I am glad to report that he was still there and I saw him several times. I had a view of him perched  under the Road bridge.

I just hope that with the water level as high as it is, he is managing to catch some fish. I expect so because when the water was up for at least 8 weeks he was still around when it receeded. He must, therefore, be able to catch when the water is high. My little walk was enjoyable and I was thrilled to see a Green Sandpiper at the lower end of the brook, proving that this species, (probably the bird I saw in September),is spending the winter here. 

I came home for a spot of lunch and took a photo from the upstairs window of the gardens first Long-tailed Tit of the year. (above)
Later,  thinking that I might see the Spotted Sandpiper that has been  at Topsham on the Exe since November, (I haven't seen it this year yet though), I went to see if there was any sign. No luck, but I took a few nice pictures of the river to show exactly where he is, or was, and what a lovely spot he has chosen to over-winter. Specifically, he was seen repeatedly on the mud to the right of the picture, but not today.

  

When I got home there was still time to take this really lovely Robin portrait of a bird that has decided to call our garden home. He was perched on the logs placed in front of my garden hide and even though I had almost had enough bird watching for one day, I decided to try and get a shot of him. I am rather glad that I did.

 

Sylvia atricapilla - Blackcap Warbler in the garden.

 

I am not giving up on my quest for a "special Kingfisher photo" so when the alarm went on my clock at 7, I didn't exactly leap out of bed. But I was up and out of the house in time to be at the hide ready and waiting before the Kingfisher put in his appearance at exactly 8.03! Far,far too early for anything like a photo, it is just too dim and dull on a January morning  9 minutes before the actual sunrise. As well as that it wasn't a good day for it either. It was very windy to say the least, the fabric of the hide was flapping wildly and even though this didn't appear to be putting him off, well it wasn't pleasant. He was perched behind me on another of his favourite perches, a dead dock stalk. It is not really in an area worth photographing, it's very dull and tucked under the bank. So I just watched him. He was in hunting mode for sure, scanning the water very intently. After a while something disturbed him and off he went down stream and he never did come back today. My hide continued to flap and by 9 I was back home eating breakfast and hoping that I am going to get more chances. In the early afternoon I went back with a 'repair kit", well a few cable ties. I re-attached the flapping tarp  and inserted a few more poles to anchor everything down a bit. I used washed up branches shoved in the mud behind to try and create a wind break and I am confident that a good job has been done. 

I thought that today was going to be a total write off wildlife wise, but in my world something always crops up. I have had half an apple suspended from my cotoneaster bush since well before Christmas and was beginning to wonder why it hadn't been touched. So yesterday I was pleased when I saw that something had been feeding on it and well and truly had a feast. I assumed it was a Redwing, so image my pleasure when at lunchtime, a lovely bold Blackcap was dining on this free offering. Of course I managed to get a photo from upstairs and as you can see above he is a splendid little bird, as fit as a fiddle and not suffering one little bit from the last 2 weeks of freezing temperatures. I wonder if he wishes he had continued on his migration this year and spent Christmas and New Year on the Costas like many of his contemporaries.

So why hadn't the apple been touched before? Here is my theory. The apple was by now very soft and smelling the way that slightly rotten fruit  does. I imagine that in this soft state it is more palatable and easier to eat. This is born out by the presence of other newer pieces of apple that are, as yet untouched. He definitely prefers the older,over ripe fruit. 

 

Water Pipit - Anthus spinoletta

Today has been another great birding day. Two new species for me in the shape of a Water Pipit and a Smew. The day started at my Kingfisher Hide where I took some nice pics in very difficult light. Then,on my return home I had a call from Dave Stone of Dave's Diaries (here) to tell me that the pair of Smew reported on the Exe were showing well at Topsham, you can see the pictures taken by Dave with his Digiscope by clicking on the link. I was pleased to see them and add this species to my life list. As we chatted,  a Treecreeper and Greater Spotted Woodpecker showed briefly, and  Robin tried very hard to get our attention very close to our left.

 

Then Andy  Bond, a friend of Dave's said that there had been a Water Pipit at the Recreation Ground in Topsham and I decided to tag along with him in the hope that I could see my bogey species for once and for all. To cut a long story short, it was eventually picked up through spotting scopes on the opposite bank and I had good views of it. Not near enough for a photo though. I also saw Barnacle Goose, Common Gull and a female Stonechat. As we stood watching the Water Pipit a pair of Teal were feeding quite close to us on the shore line. AsI talked about Teal the other day I thought you may need reminding of how attractive male Teal are.

 

So all in all very successful day. Back home and in the hide before dark and another chance to improve my Kingfisher photos. I am trying now to get some action shots, him coming in to land or diving. I have been practising but you need to get everything just right and so far we have not had good enough light. When it is I am confident of something a bit special....... watch this space. He  put in another appearance and I took yet more photos, better or worse?  You decide!

 

.

Also seen and photographed was the resident Grey Wagtail who was also singing from time to time, The Kingfisher is pretty much silent at the moment which I though quite striking. Now he is confident of his territory perhaps he doesn't have to call . Grey Wagtail are very impressive little birds and my observations have shown them to be very territorial particularly in the winter. I am looking forward to seeing if this male welcomes a female in to his space in the spring and goes on to breed here on the brook. It was interesting to note that as the temperature lifted just a little to above freezing, I noticed a few midges flying around. Not before time, I am sure that little birds like Wagtails and Wrens will welcome these insects, something to eat at last.

  

Long- tailed Tit - Aegithalos caudatus

 

I  am in the middle of a very satisfying and happy period of my life. The snowy weather may not suite many but it certainly does me! The bird life is pretty much constantly on the hunt for food and inevitably very obvious and noticeable. I rose just before  dawn yet again and went to see the Kingfisher which was very obliging as usual and in front of me with a massive minnow almost immediately.  He was almost too obliging because this all happened before it was really light enough to get anything like a decent photo, but I tried never the less.

You can even see in the photo that there is snow in the air. I returned home after just 40 minutes because I had a day of ringing training planned. 

There are a few ethical concerns about disturbance to birds in these abject conditions but I am assured by those that know better than me, that  it is still important to collect data from the bird population, particularly migratory species such as Fieldfare and Redwing.  It was a good days work with 80 birds processed from 12 species. Amongst them were 3 long- tailed Tits.  With most species, once in the hand, they can be sexed and aged from subtle differences in plumage but it is impossible to collect data such as age and sex from Long - tails as they are not in anyway sexually dimorphic and first winter birds are identical to adults. I am told that even the presence, or not, of a bright coloured orbital ring has no significance to age or sex. In short some have one and others don't. The bird above doesn't!

Having had such an intimate association with Redwings this winter it was really special to actually hold one, put a ring on it and take measurements. This was all undertaken as quickly as possible to limit the amount of time that it was prevented from feeding. It was dealt with in a space of 5 minutes from capture to release. After weighing it was discovered that it was lighter than was expected so it was a good indicator of the difficulty these birds are having in obtaining enough food. However the more commonly encountered species were very fat and in some cases "chunkier" than normal, as in this Greenfinch for example.

All in all another good day. I note, that back in the garden, now that most of the berries have been stripped from the cotoneaster tree, it was very quiet.I have put out fruit for the Thrush species because I am sure that once there are no berries left to eat in the district,  they will have to turn their attentions to something else.
   

Jack Snipe - Lymnocryptes minimus

Before I start to tell you about my very special day, I thought I ought to talk about my hide. As you can see from the photo below it is a very crude affair. It has been in position on the Alphin Brook for the last 10 weeks and in spite of originally hiding away amongst the reeds, covered as it was with vegetation to match the surroundings, it is now just a tarp rapped around 4 poles. The reeds and water plants have died back leaving it alone and conspicuous.  This does not appear to worry the wildlife which  totally ignores it, and once I am inside, me too!
.

You can also get a good impression here of the little watercourse which is so productive in terms of sightings and species. The branches protruding are rammed in to the bank and provide perches for the Kingfishers. A Grey Wagtail regularly uses these perches as well as a Wren - Troglodytes troglodytes. The little patch of dead grasses and mud just in front and to the left of the hide and opposite, is just inches wide. This is where I had my encounter with a Jack Snipe - Lymnocryptes minimus.

 As you can see........ what a smashing,delightful, unusual little bird!  The full account is interesting. I arrived at the hide at exactly 8 o'clock, a little later than the last few days but as it is too dark to  photograph before that anyway, it wasn't a problem. I sat for only a matter of minutes before the Kingfisher was there in front of me as usual and he returned repeatedly with prey. Things were interesting Kingfisher wise and my attention was distracted by him. Here he is again, that would distract anyone wouldn't it?

I became aware of an unfamiliar little noise behind me and had a quick look out of the side hole to see what it was. There in front of me was a splendid Drake Teal just deciding whether to run the       gauntlet past the hide. These birds are truly wild ducks, over-wintering from Northern Europe. They have inherited a very wary nature being the object of desire by just about every duck hunter in the Western World!  As I watched him, his partner had skimmed quickly past and I enjoyed  her now, took her picture and waited for him to join her.

 

He did eventually but I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a twitching, bobbing movement in front of me on the edge of the reeds sitting on the frozen mud........... I knew immediately what it was because the bobbing is diagnostic of a Jack Snipe. Their behaviour is so weird, they continually bend at the knees and bob as they move around and feed, very odd but diagnostic. I watched him and took lots of photos. In the meantime, the Teal had slipped by to join his mate and disappeared behind cover. My feet were starting to cause me real problems, so much so that I began to feel sick, they were that cold! But I took more and more photos. 

Then suddenly there was another, this time bigger and not so golden looking a good look at the head confirmed that this was a Snipe - Gallinago gallinago. I had been trying for photos, close-up of this species for ages and now here he was and a jack Snipe to compare him to.

Compare the head markings, the Jack snipe has a double stripe above the eye whereas the Snipe has a single one. Seen side by side the Snipe is larger with a longer beak. But the real clincher if you see them feeding is the Jack Snipe does that crazy insane bobbing up and down, continually!!!! 

Later on in the afternoon, a walk with my wife Jenny along the Brook revealed, at the far end, massive flocks of Fieldfare, a Lapwing, repeated sightings of "my" Kingfisher  and the best and closest look ever of the resident Buzzard....... I had no camera with me and he seemed to know it because I went within 10 feet of him! The birds, being hungry as they obviously are, are very tame and you can get very near to them, a photographers dream. I don't like seeing birds suffering but it is rather nice to  be around wildlife that is suddenly so confiding. 
     

Mistle Thrush - Turdus viscivorus (a garden first!)

 

I have already posted today but I do need to record the Mistle Thrush that came in to my garden this afternoon. Mistle Thrush is a garden first, and we have now had  5 of the UK's 6  species of  Thrush in the garden in the last 2 days. Along with the Fieldfare below, here at the same time,   they were both a delight to see.  The district here is pretty much alive with mixed flocks of Thrushes. From an upstairs window I watched them swooping and whirling around the gardens nearby in a search for berries. These flocks of hundreds have moved in off the nearby fields and local countryside to feast on the ornamental berries in Alphington gardens. I suspect that this is probably happening all over the country. If this weather persists there won't be a berry to be had anywhere. It is going to be interesting to see what happens then? As far as Fieldfare are concerned, we have had a few in the garden already this winter but never showing as clearly and boldly as this, an obvious sign of hunger and "food" stress. On that subject, late afternoon I almost stepped on a Pied Wagtail - Motacilla alba yarellii in the street. He was obviously in a bad way, not finding enough to eat in these really cold conditions and I doubt if he was going to make it through the very long cold night.

 

Finally today, just before the magnificence of the Kingfisher this morning I was pleased to see the the Grey Wagtail who has been with us for  the entire winter, or at least until January. As soon as dawn broke he was on the hunt for food, I sure hope he found enough to sustain him through the night. But apart from that his appearance certainly made for a pretty picture with his reflection in the ice and the frosty surroundings.

 

Kingfisher - (Alcedo athis) with Stickleback

This is rapidly turning in to one of the best weeks I have had for birds in the garden and round and about. This morning my Kingfisher experience was absolutely stunning. I climbed out of bed having to force myself a bit to be honest, it was warm and outside a quick peep out of the window in the pre-dawn light showed an icy cold  snow covered day. The thermometer was registering minus 6 now and it was a daunting prospect to face it. But I am so, so glad that I did.  I was cosy by the time I reached the hide, cosy and comfortable and as I viewed the the perch in front of me I couldn't help getting excited just at the thought of the bird landing there, if it did it was going to be,........ well just perfect.  Then here he was. I saw him zooming ever close from up stream and then he landed right there with a stickleback grasped safely in his beak. It was 8.28 when he landed and continued to beat the living daylights out of it. I snapped away as you do and was glad when he calmed down a bit and I could get a good shot without him moving too much.  It was still a little bit on the dim side and I wasn't getting the fastest shutter speeds. But I got this wonderful image...... by best ever picture yet, surely?

 

He ate his fish and immediately left and flew back upstream. I am  to know the behavior of these birds and I guessed correctly that he would be back. Within a minute he was, with yet another minnow. Even in the short time that he had been away the light had improved and I got some more good shots. The same pattern was repeated and he returned this time to a perch opposite, not so near but only 12 feet or so. The light was not so good there because of it being tucked away a bit under the bank but I still get a few photos this time with a minnow. In all he caught 5 fish in about 15 minutes. I worked out that if he eats 10 to 12 fish a day which is pretty much what the experts say, then that's 1500 fish since  I first saw him back in September. With that in mind it is easy to understand why they are so territorial, you would not want to share your precious fish with another Kingfisher that's for sure. One interesting fact about birds, particularly small species with a high metabolic rate is that you can't half feed a bird. If there is not enough food to go around then they will perish pretty quickly. It becomes obvious that our little brook is very precious to the local environment and it wouldn't take a lot to wipe out the fish stocks and consequently the Kingfisher that relies on them. Here he is with another Three Spined Stickleback - Gasterostreus aculeatus. A little bit of research has told me that the Stckleback, named of course because of the spines is not only well known throughout Western europe but also native to North America which is a big surprise to me.

 

In the next shot you can see how well positioned a Kingfishers eyes are as he looks straight in to the camera.

Meadow Pipit - Anthus pratensis

This morning at first light, with the thermometer touching minus 5 Celsius, I walked down to the nearby Alphin Brook in the hope of seeing and photographing the Kingfisher again. The water level has now gone down a few more inches and as I approached the hide I immediately disturbed a Snipe - Gallinago gallinago. Now that water has receded it has left mud and sludgy edges for birds like the Snipe to feed in. I took my place in the hide, poured my coffee, got comfortable and started the wait with the church clock chiming 7.30. As the light got better and better my feet got correspondingly colder and colder but apart from that, I was warm enough to remove my gloves and still feel comfortable.  After just a short while the little bird pictured above, a Meadow Pipit, flew in to view. I was hoping that it was going to be a water Pipit, my bogey bird I am afraid, but no, just the more common Meadow Pipit. I had to feel sorry for it as it searched frantically for something to start the day. He didn't seem to be very successful to be honest. It's feet, flesh pink as you can see,  looked as though they were cold but I doubt it has feeling in them. However it is just another of those diagnostic features that made this bird a Meadow Pipit and not a Water. Who'd be a pipit in this weather?

During my time in the Royal Marines I was lucky/unlucky enough to undertake arctic survival training in Arctic Norway. This has turned out to be useful as a few of the tips picked up there have been helpful to me. Always wear lots of different layers for example. Wear a good hat, 20+% of your body heat is lost through your head. As far as feet are concerned, make sure you have a good thick pair of woollen socks that are clean  and if recently washed, well rinsed. The clean fibres trap air which is warmed by your body heat and remains close to your skin. That's pretty much it really!

  

Anyway, to get back to the point, no Kingfisher this morning  unfortunately. Back in the garden and I took yet more Redwings, this time up very close to try for more detail. I hope you agree that this is my best Redwing photo yet. I have been posting my pictures on the web site Birdguides,it is pretty much the place for all the best bird photographs taken in the UK and updated constantly. The standard of the best pictures is extremely high.  I post my best photos when I think I have a good one but as yet, I have only once been nominated for photo of the week. Here is a link that picture of a Sand Martin pair taken last May.  It doesn't seem to matter how hard I try or how optimistic  I am, my photos almost always get lost in the crowd!  There are some absolutely fantastic photographers out there and I want to be amongst them. One day!!!!!!

 

In the late afternoon at around sunset, I walked back down to the brook for another  look. It had warmed just a bit but it was still hovering around freezing. At the hide, the Kingfisher was sitting on one of my perches smack in front, just 6 feet from the front opening.  There was a Little Egret only 10 feet or so down stream but really interestingly I disturbed yet another Snipe. I have been trying to get good photos, in fact any photos  of this species for quite a while, so given a bit of good fortune I think I might be lucky if I am persistent. There was a Grey Wagtail and the Meadow Pipit, so he did get enough breakfast after all.

My hide is simply 4 hardwood poles with a camouflage tarpaulin draped over them. There is a side entrance and a rough hole cut in the front. The tarp is fastened to the posts with cable ties. Inside there is a simple camping chair. The poles are hammered in to the soft muddy bank. It sounds pretty rough which it is, but it has survived for the last 10 weeks , for several of them completely submerged. At first I had it concealed by foliage and reeds but these have long since been washed away but nobody has taken any notice of it or tampered with it in any way which is a surprise.

Birds seen from this hide have included:

Kingfisher - male and female (Athis alcedo)

Grey Wagtail - male and female (Motacilla cinerea)

Green Sandpiper - Tringa ochropus

Snipe - Gallinago gallinago

Pied Wagtail - Motacilla alba yarelii

Grey Heron - Ardea cinerea

Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos

Meadow pipit -  Anthus pratensis 

Wren - Troglodytes troglodytes

I am intrigued as to what I will see next. I have in the past seen Redshank in the brook and I am told that little Grebe have also been seen but I think that the list above is quite impressive for a small drainage ditch which runs through a busy trading estate.

 

Kingfisher in a snow storm

It isn't often that we have snow here in Exeter, in fact 3 times in the last 25 years! As mentioned yesterday, I got up before dawn, dressed myself in everything warm that I possessed and made my way at first light to my hide in the nearby Alphin Brook. As I got myself ready with the snow gently falling I sat almost in the icy water and prepared for what I hoped would be a real treat. It was!!!!! I had to wait though, in fact until way after dawn when at around 8.30, there he was right in front of me. I quickly focused in on him the best that I could, hoping not to disturb him. Here are the results.

He is eating a Bullhead sometimes known as a Millers Thumb - Cottus gobia. The light was not too bad and I used my Pentax 200 lens so that I could get a satisfactory shutter speed.  Photos in the snow are a whole new world for me,but even though it could be better I am quite chuffed.

 

 Later on at 1715.

After posting the Kingfishers this morning I continued to watch the Redwings devouring the cotoneaster berries back at home in the back garden. Suddenly a Song Thrush arrived to join in. You might think that this is not a big event, but it certainly is here in Exeter. We rarely, if ever get Song Thrush - Turdus philomelos in the garden and I can hardly remember one in the back garden before, in 25 years, so I am really pleased to report it here today. Honestly, and I know I have said it before, but when I was a boy we saw Song Thrush pretty much as a daily occurrence. I don't know how commonly seen they are where you live but here, well, it's quite a garden event. The RSPB describes the Song Thrush as a familiar and popular bird whose numbers are seriously declining, (their words). I would say that this is a serious understatement and would really like to see them address this decline with some serious study.

 

 

Grey Seal - Halichoerus grypus

Several "big" events have taken place in the last two days, first of all there was the seal encounter as you can see from the photo above. The other big things.......My stash of Christmas beer has come to an end and the Christmas Tree has been put back in to the garden for another year. As well as that we have snow!!!!! 

So all in all some momentous events!  But first, the Seal! 

The story unfolded yesterday. I made an effort and left the  garden Redwings to get on with their cotoneaster berry feast, taking place now right in front of my kitchen window!  I dressed up like an Arctic explorer and went out to Turf, here the Ship Canal joins the estuary. There is a smashing little spot where the tide recedes to leave a sheltered mud flat close to the path and small boat landing for the Hotel.  Avocets, Redshanks, Grey Plover and Dunlin are pretty much constant occupants here and if you are tucked away and remain quiet you can get close. The sun was as bright as it is possible to be and even though it was freezing it was a glorious , glorious day!  I snapped away at Grey Plover and Dunlin and watched a Greenshank which didn't come close enough for a good photo, but it was wildlife watching at it's very best, nobody around and lots of birds. After a while I decided to move to the little inlet across the path. As I approached the water, now just in front of me, I stopped in my tracks..........  a massive seal was "humping" out of the water only 25 yards away. I dived to the grass...... in the icy wet...... what a hero, and crept forward. The seal went under the water and I made my move, rising and sprinting to the waters edge and then diving down again before it surfaced oblivious of me. I took a few photos before she eventually caught sight of me just as she began to haul out of the water. It amused me because the wading Redshank and Grey Plover had no idea what to make of this intruder and just kind of flapped away rather than fly in terror.  With that, she was gone, never to be seen again. As usual my photos are not as wonderful as I would  like. In Florida last year I had been feet from a Manatee and hadn't managed a decent shot and this was just the same kind of wonderful encounter. That's wildlife watching for you, I take my hat (and gloves) off to those experts who, when the chips are down and you need that instant shot, somehow manage to get it!

 

This is a female Grey Seal - Halichoerus grypus, and it is not the first I have seen in the Exe Estuary, but never this close.  Can you believe that translated,  the scientific name is "hooked-nosed sea pig". A seal is seen regularly, hauled out on the sand bank in the middle of the Estuary opposite Cockwood Harbour and I would suggest that it is the same animal.

I manged to take some really great photos of a Grey Plover - Pluvialis squatarola. In the USA called a Black Bellied Plover, but the same species. This bird is in it's winter plumage.

 I also managed some lovely shots of the equally lovely Avocet - Recurvirostra  avosetta. I didn't get as close as I would have liked even though I sat under a camo cover. I am prety sure that they were not disturbed by me, it was just that the feeding potential was better nearer the water line.
 In fact, there were two individuals moving around together and as there is such a dramatic difference in the markings of these two birds then I would suggest that it is a true pair. The one above is the male and the one below the female.

So, all in all a pretty good day out. Even more good news. The water level on my nearby Alphin Brook has dropped to a sensible level again. In the late afternoon I went to have a look to see if there was any sign of the Kingfisher. I am glad to say that within seconds of arriving  I caught  sight of him as well as Grey Wagtail. I repaired my hide which has been under water for weeks, I couldn't believe how well it has stood up to the weather, the brook has been flooded for at least 8 weeks.  I replaced the perches that were around about. Tomorrow if I can stand the cold,  I am going to return to see if I can get some photos of him. Should be good particularly if the weather is frosty and snowy, this will make for very photogenic pictures although it will be a bit cold with my feet in icy cold water....... can't wait.

Brambling - Fringilla montifringilla

The focus of several of my local "birding" friends is to see as many different species of birds as they can and basically add a tick for each new one seen, this is known as "twitching" and some of the most respected and knowledgeable birders I know would fit in to that category. Year lists are maintained and now that we are in to a new year I knew that they would be out and about starting their 2010 lists. I note that Dave Stone has already seen several "specials"  that I would be excited to see and having looked at his diary here, I really must get out and about a bit more. I really ought to go and get photos of the Bewicks and Whooper Swans on the River Axe for example. Anyway, my garden has been very interesting this last few days and I have been persistently trying to get even better shots of the Redwing that is attracted to feed on the garden cotoneaster.

As you can see from today's shot, he is still coming to feed in spite of the harassment from the resident pair of Blackbirds. Redwings are not dimorphic, that is males and females are alike and there is also a fair amount of variation in their plumage. But, I am guessing that this bird is a male as it has very red flanks and is strongly marked. The feeding Redwing is more wary of the Blackbird than he is of me and it doesn't take long before he arrives to chase him away.

 

I was  at home watching a bit of Football and, in between keeping a watch for Redwing activity and Blackcaps, they have been very wary this winter for some reason. I was very pleased when I received an email from a friend who lives nearby but in a more rural position. He told me that he was inundated with Bramblings! To be honest, I was doubtful that he was seeing Bramblings but I thought I ought to go and have a look. I arrived at the spot that he had mentioned and was immediately aware of a massive flock of finches and as I scanned them I was pretty sure that they were all Chaffinches. I was wrong,  amongst them was quite a fair amount of Bramblings

 

I took several photos of what I thought were Chaffinches and it wasn't until I had a look on the camera's review that I realised that amongst them were so many Bramblings. These are very interesting birds that arrive in the UK, also from Scandinavia every winter. Their numbers vary depending on the weather and availability of food in Europe. The ones that I saw today were feeding with the Chaffinches on stubble fields left by farmers. I believe that the fields are deliberately left like this as part of the Cirl Bunting project. Landowners are paid to set aside fields in the winter to try to encourage the Buntings to re-colonise areas here in Devon where they were formally, commonly seen.

Here is a photo of a female Chaffinch - Fringilla coelebs to show how you could easily overlook the odd Brambling amongst the Chaffinch flocks.

 

I would think it quite unlikely that we would get Branblings in the garden but not absolutely out of the question. We do have Chaffinches almost daily and it is possible that they could be accompanied by Bramblings from time to time. Fingers crossed as they are for Siskins, Waxwings and Redpolls!

This morning, earlier on, the sun was quite bright and as I have been trying to learn more and more about House Sparrows - Passer domesticus, I am always keen to get some photos of this species in the garden. They have declined by 90% over the last two decades in some parts of the country. There is no conclusive proof about the reasons for decline but it is a worrying trend that is reflected all over Europe.  House Sparrows mate fore life. They live in small colonies and there is always a dominant "alpha male" in each colony. He can be recognised by his 'badge", that is, his bib which is larger in the dominant bird. In our small colony, there are three males and you can easily recognise the "boss". This fellow (pictured) is one of the subordinate males. The young, when in the nest, are fed entirely on insects and this could be one reason for the decline in numbers? I would like to think that we have them in my garden because I use NO PESTICIDES or INSECTICIDES ever and haven't for the 25 years that we have lived here. Lots of insects and spiders are resident, could we be breaking the trend? House Sparrows have always been taken for granted but I am glad to say that this is no longer the case. For example, out of the few hundred birds that I have handled as part of my BTO ringing training we have not captured and therefore not ringed one. If I can find the nests of this small colony in the spring then I will be looking to get them ringed in an effort to keep track of them over the next few years.

   

There is so much to fit in and tomorrow I am going to Turf, on the Exe Estuary again to try for some better Avocet photos.

My favourite sightings of 2009

On the last day of 2009 I have been thinking back to some memorable wildlife events from this year. It would be a hard job to chose a winner because I have enjoyed some great moments this year. I think I would have to go with my Kingfisher encounters as the most memorable if forced to choose.  This was a turning point in my Wildlife watching life. Not just because it was lovely to see these most spectacular birds so close to home but it was extremely satisfying to get so near to them from my hide.  Read about them here. Then there was the day when a female put in an appearance and she was absolutely beautiful as you can see.

 

During this month I also had a lovely encounter with one of my favourite  Sandpipers the Green Sandpiper - Tringa Ochropus. Again, very rewarding because I planned how I was going to achieve success and with lots of patience and a bit of luck, eventually It came together.

  

This species can be hard to get near to so pretty much the only way I would have had success would be from a hide. 

Perhaps the Cuckoos that I watched in June would be right up there at the top of the list. On Dartmoor I had watched a female in the act of laying. I was quite a distance away and the next day I returned and positioned myself in a hide close to a lone conifer in the hope that one of the calling birds would perch. Well,  it was a success and pretty much, at the time, the most exciting wildlife event of the year. My bird turned out to be a female and she stayed in front of the lens for only 20 seconds or so but long enough to get this shot.

 

For the last couple of years I have been fortunate enough to bump in to Redstart and Whinchat on Dartmoor and I took photographs of both. The Redstart has to be one of Britains prettiest birds  particularly the male and I am always "blown away" by them.

 

In the garden we have had some crackers this year. Siskins were a big part of my focus in the beginning of 2009 and this winer, so far they are absent making last February's visits even more special.

This last couple of weeks we have had a regular visit from a small flock of Redwings - Turdus illacus and even today as I write this there is one feeding on cotoneaster berries very close to the kitchen window. definitely a highlight of the garden year.  For me the rules of photography are pretty clear and simple. Get as close as you can, from a hide, car or window etc. Be patient and hidden! The better the light the more chance you have of a good photo, set your camera to aperture priority and use small numbered apertures to achieve the fastest shutter speeds possible and use the ISO settings to achieve this. Anything over 800 ISO will be a grainy image but if you haven't managed to freeze the action you will pretty much have a blurry image. So all in all this image below is quite good. It was dull and almost all of the rules that I have just spoken of had to be stretched to the limit.

 

Happy Christmas and a PEACEFUL new year.

Welcome whoever you are and from wherever in the world you're from. A happy Christmas and a peaceful new year to you and those you love. Let's  be the custodians of our beautiful world and all the amazing wildlife in it.  In my world there is no politics, no  politicians, no religious zealots, no hatred and the divisions that this brings. We are all special  and we all have a right to breath fresh air and drink clean water.  I want to live in a world where people don't need to choose between eating or planting their last handful of grain.

The bird above is a European Robin- erithracus rubecula, in England a symbol of winter and Christmas. Robins live in close proximity to man. Almost every garden in an English winter will contain a Robin, either male or female. They are impossible to tell apart and both defend their territory in winter time.

They have inherited the behavior of following people around the garden particularly if digging or turning the soil. This is thought to descend from an age when Robins followed Wild Boar and livestock through woodland turning the soil as they rooted for roots and tubers. The Robins learned to forage on the worms and insects exposed. This  behavior is very endearing and makes them a favorite garden bird to all.

A snowy scene. a Pheasant on Marsden Moor today.

 

Goosander - Mergus merganser

I had a message this morning telling me about a couple of Goosanders on Chard Reservoir in Somerset, so in typical eccentric fashion, I climbed in to the car in spite of the weather  and went to see if I could see them. 

 

As I left Exeter and headed further east, the roads got a little bit more frosty and there was evidence of settled snow but nothing like the BBC would have us believe. So my decision to travel was well justified and became worthwhile as well because as soon as I reached the Reservoir I could see the birds that I had come to find. I settled myself on the foreshore with the sun at my back and sat under a cam cover in the hope that the birds would come close. As well as the Goosanders, there was also a few Tufted Duck and the usual dozen or so Great Crested Grebe. I had been hatching a plan to photograph them for ages, and this was my reason to travel. At least, I thought, if I can't get good shots of the Goosander then  I can concentrate on the Grebe. This is pretty much the way it turned out. But I have to say that even though the Ducks didn't come close I did get some really good shots in the distance that's true, but never the less very pleasing.

There was two Goosanders, both red heads and therefore either female, or possibly a female and sub adult male. At one point I saw them greet each other with a bit of head nodding so I would assume that one is a sub- adult male and the other a female. It was interesting to see them climb out of the water on to the ice. They were uncomfortable with this and kept falling and slipping so pretty quickly returned to the water.

   

I have to say that I am a fan of Great Crested Grebe and always enjoy seeing them. Today it was really cold as I sat under the cover but I think if I had  applied myself a bit more , eventually at least one of the Grebe would have drifted very close to me. As it was, one almost did and I took a few photos which I am really pleased with, again considering the distance. This first one is nice but it's a real shame about the noise on the image which gives it a grainy effect and slightly detracts. But you can see that in the summer with really good light, I am convinced that I will get some glorious images. 

  

Woodmouse- Apodymus sylvaticus

What dreary weather we had today, at least if we had some snow it would be something different and to be frank I am disappointed that we are about the only place in the UK without any! I t did try a little bit at around 2.30 and we had an "ice-sugar" dusting but not enough that it mattered. So, it was that dull that even if there had been anything of note in the garden, then it would have been almost useless trying to photograph it. So with that in mind I tried when I saw our scruffy hen Blackbird who is  on her own now that the continental Blackbirds have eaten all the berries and departed. I hadn't realised, but she has still got a bit of damage on her beak which you can just about see in the snap below.

 

During the day, I did see some redwings flying over and one did pause for a few minutes and I took a photo to give you a good idea of the dullness of the day.

The real highlight of the day though happened just as darkness began to fall and I decided to check on my small poultry flock of laying hens. Near the house I I have  suspended a coconut shell which is full, or was full, of suet and seeds. I disturbed something feeding on it as I walked past and assuming it was a bird went up to the bathroom to have a look to see if it came back and what it was?  Using the movie camera, I filmed a Woodmouse, cleverly and cheekily feeding on the suspended nut. I watched him as he climbed down the string and sat in the nut and had a really good feed. He looked well fed and healthy. I know we have mice under my bottom shed but it is the first time I have seen them actually feeding in the garden. I must say that it was a real treat that I enjoyed.

A glorious ringing session with Firecrest and Woodpeckers

 

 As promised here are the  photos from a glorious ringing session earlier today when our birds not only included two Greater Spotted Woodpecker - Dendrocopus major, but also a Marsh Tit and yet another fantastic first winter Female  Firecrest. These birds, as well as Greenfinch, Robin, Dunnock and both Blue and Great Tit all added up to a couple of great hours. My species tally now includes Firecrest.  As Dr Ian told me that it was my  bird to ring, I could hardly contain my excitement and that was after I had also ringed my first Greater Spotted Woodpecker.  I also managed to take some better photos than normal because the sun was shining brightly and as I always say, you need the sun and good light for good photos. The Woodpeckers were both male and both first winter birds. This can be ascertained in two ways. There is usually evidence of white on the primary wing tips and brown feathers on the wing coverts which are entirely black in adults. They really can peck by the way and if you are not cautious can easily draw blood whilst they are being released from the nets and then subsequently measured,  weighed and rung.

They have zygodactyl toes, that is two pointing forward and two pointing back. (Interestingly, Cuckkoo - Cuculus canorus,  also have these feet). One of the things that I found interesting about these Woodpeckers was the nictating eye cover which is very reptilian. The picture below clearly shows this feature which is of great importance to a bird such as this that basically uses the head and beak like a sledge hammer. I found this interesting "snippet".  

 "Studies in the 70’s with high speed photography revealed that the woodpecker hammers a tree at the rate of 16 or more times a second, or nearly 1,000 blows per minute (twice that of a machine gun), closing its eyes with each impact. It does this with an impact velocity of over 1900 feet per second or 1,300 mph, twice the speed of a bullet. This is 1200 times the force of gravity."

 So, you can see that you don't really want this beak chipping away at the back of your hand! Also of note are the bristles protruding over the nostrils at the top of the beak. This prevents chippings, sawdust and other debris from entering the cavity in much the same way that we have nasal hair.

So, now on to yet another Firecrest - Regulus ignicapillus,  the second in successive weeks. It would be hard to describe the beauty, delicacy and seeming fragility of this lovely little species.  As I held it in my hand it seemed so tiny, well it is Britain's smallest bird after all. Our host for today's ringing tells me that he regularly sees them in his garden centred around a Holly Tree and he guesses that they are feeding on aphids and white fly. Today's bird was a female, as was last weeks, and a first winter bird hatched in the spring. It's weight was a miniscule 5.6  gramms. 

  

I think it might be possible to eventually get a Firecrest in the garden. We have a Holly tree which they are known to have a preference for. I often think that we have more birds passing through that are noticed.

More Redwings

The Holly Tree has taken a real bashing and now is devoid devoid of every berry. It's almost the end of all the Thrush and Blackbird activity which is a real shame because it has been a good week with a lovely subject to watch and photograph. It hasn't been easy tough because the light, so crucial for good photography, has been difficult. While the tree was still heavily laden, I had cut off a few branches and placed them in the back garden stuck in to the cotoneaster hedge. I  hoped that I could encourage the Redwings to come and feed very close to the house. This didn't happen but I did mean that I had few berries left to entice some birds back in a good photographic spot.  With a trusty cable tie, I fastened the branches back in  to the tree, a bit odd I know, but it almost immediately worked and I took my best photos of Redwings in really good light. After a short while, they cleared those up as well and by the afternoon that was the end of it.  You can see all the best Redwing photos from this week  here

 

  

The other highlight today was a male Blackcap perched in the open in the apple tree for several minutes. I have rarely seen Blackcaps in the tree like this and this year it seems that they are not showing as well as last but there is plenty of time left.

Tomorrow I have another ringing session and I plan to take more photos to post. Who knows what we will catch, hopefully another Firecrest so check back soon to find out.  Then next week, if the weather holds I plan to have another go at the Avocets, Grey Plover, Redshanks and Dunlin at Turf before leaving on Wednesday for Yorkshire to spend Christmas.  So perhaps Twite, Short Eared Owl, Divers and what have you, are on the list of prospects.

Sexing Goldfinches - Carduelis carduelis

 

Telling the sex of Goldfinches is a necessary skill if you are going to keep accurate records both as a licensed  BTO ringer and also as a keen amateur ornithologist with a scientific approach to your hobby. The bird above, photographed from my garden hide earlier today, is a female. Generally, males have a more vibrant red mask on the head but this is not 100% accurate due to age condition and individual variation. However, one of the diagnostic features is the colour of the bristles protruding on to the beak, brown in a female and black in a male. At first glance I would have called this as a female  but a close up of the head shows the colour clearly especially when compared to a certain male (see below).

In addition, this bird can be aged as a "first winter' individual hatched this spring/summer. This is based on the colour of the wing coverts which are brown as well as black. An adult would have a complete set of black coverts

Now if you look at this photograph of a certain male you can clearly see the  difference.

The bristles protruding on to the beak a certainly black and it is a good example when you compare it to the female example above.

Interestingly, the white marks amongst the black mask are pin feathers and indicates that this bird is still undergoing a moult.   
 

Avocet - Recurvirostra avosetta

 

Something a little bit different today. I have taken even more photographs of Redwings this morning s and also an unusual visitor for the garden, a Song Thrush. In the past as common in gardens as a Blackbird but sadly we rarely if ever see them in my garden any more. But today when taking photos of the Redwings I focused my camera on what turned out to be the first Song Thrush in my garden for at least 10 years! With lovely sunny weather, but also bitterly cold I went out to Turf to have a look for Avocets and other waders. Eventually I managed to get close enough to one to get a photograph but they certainly are difficult to approach. 

 

Continental Blackbirds and other Thrushes.

 

Today we had just a glimpse of the sun and decent light at last, the first since Sunday. I was pleased to see that we were still being visited by the Redwings and Blackbirds. So with the prospect of some good photos I took my place in the comfort of the bedroom and almost immediately started taking photos. After a short while this Fieldfare appeared and posed for just a minute or two. The Redwings are very wary to say the least and at the first hint of anyone, or anything, they are off. However, Fieldfare are a significantly bigger bird and not as agile as the Redwings and therefore are always perched in a more open place. The Redwings seem to dive in to the tree and then disappear in to the depths of the foliage. It is probably a defence strategy against hawks.

I did get some nice photos of the Redwings as well but gradually the light got worse and eventually we had a spit of drizzly rain as well!

  

There has been lots of Blackbirds, mostly males and I am certain that they are not birds that I have seen in and around the garden before. They are very wary, just as skittish as the Redwings. As well as that, they are quite different to the birds I normally see. They have a different body shape and are dusky rather than black. The beaks are dark rather than completely yellow and they do not have a distinct eye ring in the way that our breeding population has. As they appeared and become noticeable at the same time as the Redwings then I am making the assumption that they migrated with them from Scandanavia or somewhere similar.

 

Fieldfare - Turdus pilaris

It's not often that I get the chance to photograph a new species for the garden but today saw one of those rare events . I am excited at the constant comings and goings in the Holly Tree in the font garden.  This is a great way to bird watch and photograph. Siting on the spare bed waiting for a new arrival in the tree is really relaxing and good fun. Coffee in one hand and sat in your slippers in the warm!  The only disadvantage is the procession of tradesmen going about their business. For example, the window cleaner has temporarily put pay to any  chance of a photo, hence I'm sat here writing the Blog.  Anyway, early morning we had a Fieldfare join the action and i was chuffed to snap off just one photo before he flew off, so it was a successful few seconds. If not the best photo I have ever taken, it's a new species for the gallery of garden birds which can be seen here by clicking on the link.

UPDATE LATER ON:

As the day wore on the light didn't improve but I kept trying for a better Redwing shot.  I used every trick that I knew including flash and I certainly got some images but there is still room for improvement.  As soon as the sun comes out again photos  will get better. No sight of any Blackcaps today but a brief glimpse yesterday also eating holly berries.

Here is one taken with Flash.

    

 

Redwing and Fieldfare in the Graden

Yesterday's Redwings have been back and today they were joined by a Fieldfare  and several 'strange" Blackbirds, that is, strangers who I haven't seen before. I have been trying for the last hour or so, to get a photo of the Redwings that I now know are feeding on the Holly Berries in my front garden and after setting up  a screen from a  front bedroom window, I finally managed a reasonable close up......... more to follow I think.

It is now late afternoon, early evening and this is an update. 

 I spent the majority of the daylight hours trying to get some good photos, not many hours in deepest December, (can you believe by 3 0'clock it was almost dark), and eventually after a lot of patience I achieved my aim. I am reasonably pleased but when we have a brighter day and if the Redwings are still around , I should get better.

As you can see, the focus of attention is the holly berries on a tree in my front garden. This is a really mature tree which is laden with the most berries that I have ever seen. I first noticed the Blackbirds in the tree at the end of last week and it now seems likely that the Redwings were there with them all along. Fieldfares are quite often in the same flock as Redwings so I am not surprised to see one as well.

With real patience, eventually one bird stayed perched and hidden, or so it thought, deep in the middle of the tree. It was directly in my sight with nothing to obstruct my view. By now the light was dimming fast and I had changed my lens to the Pentax 200 which can cope much, much better in low light conditions. however there is a play off (there always is), images always need to be cropped to fill the frame. Never the less, I am pleased with the results, Redwings are hard to get up and close to and this is a decent result!

 

Redwing - Turdus iliacus

I had a surprise today when after noticing lots of activity in the heavily berry laden  Holly Tree in the front garden, I looked out and there was a couple of Redwing in the apple tree!  If you live in a rural setting then this would hardly warrant a mention, but we are on the edge of the city of Exeter and Redwings are very infrequent in my garden. Only once previously, more than 10 years ago, did we have them (to the best of my knowledge). On that day we had a blanket of snow, in its self a notable rare event, and they were feeding with Fieldfare on  the berries from a Pyracantha bush.  This time  they stayed around for most of the day and I last saw them at around 3.15. They were nervously perched very high at the top of the tree and reacting to every other bird around,  then flying off to feed again before returning here and there to their new vantage point.

Here's  a quote from the RSPB web site: :

 "They roam across the UK's countryside, feeding in fields and hedgerows, rarely visiting gardens, except in the coldest weather when snow covers the fields". They are a winter visitor from Northern Europe, particularly Scandinavia. A few pairs do breed in Northern Scotland.

So you can understand why I  am taken aback to see them in the garden.  Firstly it is not cold enough for snow and secondly,  the hedgerows are laden with lots and lots of ripe fruit and berries.  so why are they here in our neighbourhood and more particularly my garden area?  I am not sure, but they are very welcome! I hope it is a precursor for more interesting visitors, Waxwing for example.

Redwing are Britain's smallest Thrush species being related to the Blackbird, Song Thrush and American Robin for example. 

Firecrest - Regulus ignicapillus

 

Today's adventure was ringing. A  mixture of interesting hands on bird experiences, intense learning and observations, coupled with  4 hours  in the company of  two of Devon's most experienced,knowledgeable  bird ringers/ornithologists. These men are  real scientists with University degrees in the subject.  What a privilege to have the opportunity to listen to people with an  intimate depth of knowledge about my favourite subject, and theirs!   What fascinates me is the way lots of theories, spoken of as  the oracle by "ordinary"bird  watchers, concerning sexing and identification, are blown out of the water when you are in the presence of real scientific ornithologists. Every detail of seemingly common birds  and some a little rarer and therefore special are discussed. Nothing is taken for granted and even birds that at first glance, even in the hand appear to be one sex can, and often do turn out to be the opposite on closer scientific examination. Willow Warblers end up as Chiffchaffs for example but not today as that would be very unusual in the depths of winter, (Chiffchaffs are known to over-winter in Devon however).

The highlight of today's 100+ ringed birds was this wonderfully special Firecrest. A lifetime event for me. I have seen them before on two other occasions  but never from 6 inches away!  This one is a female.

 

I had to post this as a reduced sized image because unfortunately the quality is not quite as sharp as it should be but well worth posting for you to have a look at now sporting her brand new ring.

I think it is worth mentioning that on the RSPB web site they mention that there are around 250 breeding pairs of Firecrest in the UK but their numbers for over-wintering birds is 0. I would suggest that this can't be accurate and the population of Firecrests seems to increase here in Devon in the winter. I would be grateful of any comments on this subject.
 

This is a Coal Tit from the same session.

 

  

A wonderful day in the garden.

I wouldn't ever say that I like the winter, it gets dark far too quickly for starters, but it does have it's pluses and they far outweigh the minus points. When it's cold our gardens are a haven for a bevy of beautiful birds! They don't come in all shapes and sizes but they are lovely when the sun shines. Today was a delight because we have had Coal Tits feeding in the garden for the first time in ages, they were here the other day but didn't stop to feed which was a disappointment for me.  I have a garden hide which is permanent if not a little bit "Heath Robinson". In front, as well as a nice feeder full of Sunflower Kernels is a collection of suitable photogenic perches and the birds settle on them while waiting their turn to feed. This gives good photo opportunities as you can see by this absolutely stunning Goldfinch. He, because I am sure he is a male, is in perfect feather after moulting in to a spanking new set after the rigours of his breeding season. By spring next year they will have started to wear just a little bit so this is pretty much the best he is going to look.

 

 This Robin is just about as stunning and if it was an avian beauty contest, I wonder who would win. This is a real Robin!   If you are reading this and you are a resident of the USA or Canada, your Robin is in actual fact a Thrush from the family "Turdus" . The early settlers saw your Robin with a redish breast and in their naivety named after the red breasted robins that they remembered from home.

 

I mentioned the Coal Tits earlier and I did manage a couple of half decent shots. I have an interesting trick to get close to one of my feeding stations. I have a camouflage cover from my old chair hide that has had so much use , it needs a new chair. So I removed the cover and I have found that if you stand stock still and drape the cover from head to toe, it still does the trick. Then with the camera protruding through the intended holes, well, as you can see by the image below, most birds are OK with it. In this way I can get really close and use my Pentax 200SDM lens which is a far superior piece of optical equipment than my Sigma 150-500.

 

As you can see, this Coal Tit - Parus ater, is wearing a close ring. I have nothing to do with this but would very much like to know where and when it was ringed. At least I am able to distinguish this bird from another that it was with because it was not wearing a ring, but for that I would have assumed it was the same bird. The image below was taken with my Sigma 50-500 from my "Bathroom" hide, that is, my bathroom window. I have to say that I do like the shot as it is quite artistic. It also shows very clearly one of the main diagnostic features of this species, the white patch on the back of the head.

 

finally here is a nice photo of the "heroine" Blackbird showing her badly mauled back feathers, she has been flirting around with a couple of male Blackbirds all day, as soon as the sun comes out blackbirds start to court each other, getting ready for spring even though there are weeks and weeks to go yet.

 

Beer and Birds!

Today was glorious! Bright constant sun until it set at around 3.45 but when it shone it was perfect. I decided to spend the afternoon out at Beer, my favourite place for scenery and birds, and with the prospect of Black Redstart as well, what more could you ask for. So if you are on my Blog now because of the title then I make no apologies except to say, get a real life and get out doors instead of looking for "dodgy" sites on your computer.

I am glad that this shot was successful because I had not been convinced about the the new 150-500 Sigma Lens was actually doing it's job very well but it seems OK.

I tried, as usual very hard to get some good images of Black Redstarts but they are not being very accommodating and will not let me get too close no matter how hard I try. It's is also very frustrating when they are perched in the open in a good photogenic spot, the resident Robin is a real nuisance and chases the Redstarts unmercifully. 

I watched as this Cormorant fished close inshore, hoping that he was going to appear with a nice fish and give me real photo opportunity but I was as disappointed as him when he kept repeatedly diving and returning to the surface with an empty beak. He kept trying and in the end he was too far off shore to give me a good image.

   

 

Real variety today, starting with the Topsham Spotted Sandpiper

  

I thought I would do something different with this image. Whilst experimenting in Photoshop, I discovered that by converting to Black and White, this image had a nice impact. It has been really hard because of the poor light and direction of the sun, to get good shots of the very accommodating Spotted Sandpiper at Topsham. As it is so close to home and one of the rarest birds currently here in the UK, then I would not be doing myself justice if I didn't try, and then try again, to get the very best shots possible. I have improved from the other day so I am quite pleased, but there is so much more that could be achieved.  It's perhaps worth mentioning if you are not familiar with Spotted Sandpiper that this is a very dainty little bird. it has been in the company of Pied Wagtails, a bird that I am sure we are all familiar with, and it is not really all that much bigger than that species. look for the Yellow legs and a hint of pink on the beak. In this sate of plumage there is also a hint of barred markings on the wing coverts. In flight it shows a noticeable wing bar. This bird is extremely easy to approach but the best course of action is to just stand still on the path in the middle of it's territory and eventually it will, sooner or later, be right in front of you as it feeds. It appears to spend most of it's time in the pursuit of food which it is obviously getting enough of or it would have moved on by now. It would be wrong to be constantly 'hounding' it as it is imperative that the bird finds food without frequent  disturbance from what is obviously a massively important activity for a small bird in the middle of winter when days are short and nights are long and cold.

 

Tomorrow, the weather is set to be bright and clear as soon as the day dawns so I am planning a trip at first light when the sun will be from another direction and this may do the trick. Before I went out in the early afternoon I spent a bit of time in the garden taking shots of everything that came within range. I was really waiting for the Blackcap to show, it was around because I had caught glimpses of it. When it does show I will be ready and waiting. I used the camo cover from my chair hide. I literally stood with it draped over me and with the lens protruding.  All the usual garden birds put in a show and were not in the least bit phased by the strange shape very close to them. The best has to be this Blut Tit.

.

 I didn't think I would be able to better my Collared Dove photos taken over the last couple of years but they are getting better and better and the brightly lit background and bright red eye make this one a bit out of the ordinary. 

Dunnocks are also a garden constant and this one seemed to be asking for his photo to be taken, another species with a stunning eye. The latin name is Prunella modularis as I have said before. They are very flirty and the males will have several females on the go at once. Today this one was chasing a female all day long, from time to time stopping to feed and sing as well. 

 

I had been a little worried that my kit wasn't working properly this last few days, it had seemed ages since I got a photo that I was really pleased with. I am therfore chuffed that I managed to get such a smashing picture of this female House Sparrow. I think that this picture is as good as it gets and if it was an exotic rare and colourful bird it would be a prize winner!

A Coal Tit graced the garden with it's presence today, the first for at least 2 months. This is in complete contrast to last year when they were pretty much the most common birds on the feeders. I am wondering if they faired badly this year as a breeding bird, or are we going to get them as the winter deepens?  Another bird that is a usual in the garden but so far this year we have hardly had them is the Chaffinch. Well today we had a couple on the lawn, both females which is not unusual as in the wintertime they are known to move around in same sex flocks.

In the summertime a hen Blackbird was attacked by a Sparrowhawk in the garden, there was a pile of feathers some with skin attached. Then a few days later I saw a pretty beaten-up bird with a very nasty injury on the beak area and the back. Eventually she seemed to recover and I saw her from time to time with her damaged back giving her feathers a unique ruffled appearance. I am glad to say that she is doing fine and still around, and today she  was on the lawn feeding on spilled sunflower seeds.