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.

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.

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 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.

Blackcap - Sylvia atricapilla Devon

To say that I was disappointed with yeterday's photos, see them here would be an understatement! I had some fantastic views of the 1st Winter Spotted Sandpiper at Topsham and fantastic opportunities for really top class photos and I blew it to be frank!. For some odd reason my camera had reverted it's self back to factory settings. That meant that I was shooting in JPEG and not RAW which is far better and always gives a superior image, at least that is the case with my Pentax D7. Quite why it "had a brainstorm" like it did and re-set it's self, well that's a mystery never to be solved. But, I just went on shooting blindly without checking my settings. If I had done I would have known that I was shooting at ISO 800, in RAW that is not a problem but in JPEG mode then it is more difficult, if not impossible to eradicate the resultant noise on the image. This explains the grainy quality of all of yesterdays shots. Murphy had a hand in proceedings that's for sure. There is one that is not too bad and I will have to content my self with that, but it could have and should have been so, so much better. Today is dismal with heavy rain and very overcast dull conditions, in spite of that we have had some Blackcaps in the garden, a male and female. The camera was getting just a 30/sec at ISO 800 so I tried the flash and took a few shots of the male just to record his presence. Again not a very good photo, well below the standard i usual try top achieve but in these dreadful, dreadful conditions the best I could get. We have had the usual Collared Doves, pretty much residents now, and a few Goldfinch, Blackbird and 2 Blue Tits.

Spotted Sandpiper Topsham Devon

Suddenly at around 1:45 the rain stopped and the sun came out as bright as a summers day. I quickly rushed to Topsham to try and get better Spotted Sandpiper photos in the bright and promising conditions, a window of opportunity I think you would call it. At first when I got there I was totally alone and this was just the chance I had been waiting for. I quickly spotted the bird which was a bonus and it continued to show really well for the hour or so that I was there. After a while Dave Stone and then Andy Bond arrived and we all had really good views and got great photos. I thought that these pic were going to be really special, perhaps they are or perhaps not. I will let you decide.

 

 


  

Spotted Sandpiper at Topsham and Starling in the garden.

  Here is another species that is in decline in the UK. Believe it or not I have hardly ever had the chance of a photo in my garden, they are not rare birds by any means but certainly not around in the vast numbers that I remember from my youth. They are taken for granted by most people and almost considered to be vermin by others, but I can appreciate the beauty of their markings which are iridescent and spangled and show much better in bright sunlight. The Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a good mimic and sometimes you can get a hint of where they have previously been by the odd sounds that they include in their rambling song. I have heard them using the calls of Curlews, what sounded like a squeaky gate and also the sounds of children playing in a distant playground! Today's weather is bright and sunny but I prefer not to go out and about on a sunny weekend day because the popular birding haunts are busy with working people making the best of their weekend off. So I have been keeping an eye on the garden in the hope of catching a glimpse of a Blackcap, and even better a photograph. No luck so far though, but when the Starling landed on one of the high conifers I grabbed the picture before it left again in a hurry. One of the the most amazing examples of bird behaviour that I have ever observed involved a Starling. I was sitting in my car waiting for my wife to return from the local shop and watching the Starlings on a rooftop. Suddenly a Carrion Crow landed next to the small flock. The Starlings didn't react at all, why would they? But perhaps they should have because the Crow casually sidled up to the nearest bird, grabbed it and proceeded to kill and eat it right there on the rooftop!

I went out this afternoon to Topsham to have another look for the Spotted Sandpiper, not that I haven't had good views of it before  but I really would like some better photos. The problem is getting reasonably close to it is proving hard. Almost every time that I have been, there has been other bird watchers and photographers present and it would be most unfair to try and get too close and chase it to the opposite bank. So for the time being this is the best that I can get.

Passion Flower - Passiflora caerulea

 

Passiflora caerulea, the common passion flower is very popular & widespread in UK and the rest of Europe. It prefers a South facing slightly sheltered dry spot with free-draining soil. It is easy to grow and even if taken back to the ground by a hard frost will usually come back again. Nevertheless it is best to protect it from frost for it's first year. The fruit are inedible when green but they may be eaten when they have ripened and turned orange - though they do not generally taste that great.  They are originate in Brazil. We have them in the garden and they are an impressive sight at this time of the year, well in to December and still in glorious flower this morning and I took this photo just a few minutes ago.

At sea off Beer, South Devon

Today's adventure was a bit special and today's entry is quite a departure from the usual, but indirectly it is still, of course, about wildlife in Devon!

 I have talked before about how I enjoy visiting Beer, the birds are good and the atmosphere and ambience is superb. Over the last few days I have made the acquaintance of the professional fishermen who work their boats from the small beach. They are very nice and friendly and have been really welcoming to me when they have seen me for the second and third time. I really admire the way that they are making a living from the bay with their small boats and a few nets, in just the way that people have been in England and all around the world for thousands of years. I was invited, well in actual fact I invited myself to go out with one of the fishermen, Jim, to haul in his 4 gill nets that he strings out in and around the bay just off Beer Head.  The nets, 100 yards long,  are laid between anchored buoys and left for 24 hours before they are hauled in. So at the crack of dawn I left home and travelled  to Beer to join the boat, which is relatively small at only 18 foot long or so. As we made our way out, the weather was gloriously sunny and the sea flat calm and there was a degree of anticipation and excitement in the air. Jim, the skipper, detoured a little to look at the sea birds on the cliffs and we chatted about birds and wildlife that he has seen over the years. He told me of a Basking Shark seen in the summer and of Porpoise seen in the spring months. We spotted a seal and waited for it reappear, it never did though! By now we had arrived at our first net and began to haul it in. To my utter surprise it was very fruitful and contained Bass after Bass, some quite sizeable at 3 to 4Ilbs with the odd one even larger. There was a Cod in the net which was a surprise to Jim as this net was quite close to the shore and had been placed to deliberately target Bass.

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This is one of the smaller fish, it was very hard to get a half decent photo because of the rocking of the boat so any action shots were a near impossibility. Anyway to cut a long story short we finished with well more than  50lb of Bass, several Cod, a large Dover Sole a big Grey Mullet and a 12lb Pollack. All this as well as 5 large boxes of Lesser Spotted Dogfish weighing a total of 250lb.......... yes that is 250lb! As a by catch we caught around 25lb of edible crab of eatable size, a real surprise to me as they were entangled in the nets and not deliberately fished for. At £2.50 per pound for crab that is quite a  worthwhile bonus.

Jim said that this was a slightly disappointing day as he was hoping for far more Sole and Cod, but it seemed pretty good to me and is a real indication of the richness of life off, and close to our shores.

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If you have visited the blog looking for bird pictures then of course I will not disappoint you. Here are a few pictures of Rock Pipits taken yesterday.

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Black Redstart - Phoenicurus ochruros (Beer)

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Beer is rapidly turning in to one of my favourite places both to visit and to bird watch. There is so much to see, again, both bird wise and generally. So with a free day I thought I would take a punt with the weather and head out there yet again to try my luck. It was really worth it and I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Black Redstarts were easy to see with an individual around the fishermens pots. Further along on the cliffs there was another 3. I arrived at around 11.15 and stayed until past 3, almost the entire day. I even enjoyed a nice dinner of Pie and Chips from the "chippy" in the main street, it doesn't get much better than that! The image. above is one of the Cliff birds. The one below obviously on the pots.

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It was one of those days when it almost all went right but when the light was perfect I couldn't get close enough to get really good shots. Then later in the afternoon there was a particularly accommodating bird on the pots but by then the light had faded. Hence the "grainy" images. I took lots of shots of Rock Pipits which I will post tomorrow but as I stood there getting some crackers of this species which I am quite fond of, a Redstart appeared just above me and peered down at me.

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Then it flew to the concrete path really close but not in the most photogenic of places unfortunately.

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Colour ringed Wagtail Moatacill - Alba (alba) or (yarellii)

  This afternoon, after a dreary wet morning it did momentarily brighten and I decided to go again for the Spotted Sandpiper. I really would like some better photos of this bird and as it is such a rarity for us and so close to home, it is worth a bit of effort. I expected there to be the usual "bun-fight" but holy of holies, I was alone, apart from a departing group of people who had been watching it a little earlier. This was a mixed group of interested, like minded people, at least 10 of them, moving around on an accompanied walk or something similar. I would have thought that a group as large as this is surely going to have a detrimental affect on any wildlife be it bird or what have you. This was certainly the case with the Spotted Sandpiper because they told me that it had flown up the river........ and it never did return today. I placed myself on the corner of a reed bed adjacent to the area which it seemed to favour the other day and I thought that, if it was going to return, this would be a good spot. A bit hit and miss but the end result, even in the bad light, would have been worth the gamble.

The next story concerns Pied Wagtails.  If you look at the image above of a Pied Wagtail - Motacill alba yarellii, you can see that it is sporting a collection of coloured plastic rings. This is very interesting and well worth some investigation. There are three places currently involved in colour ringing of Pied and White Wagtails, Slapton in South Devon, Abbotsbury in Dorset and a site in Scotland. Quite a degree of information has already been gathered from the scheme so far. Colour ringed birds have been reported in Iceland and France for example. There is a pink ring on the right leg of this bird which indicates that it was rung during this year. The rings on the left leg can be placed in a variety of combinations meaning that individuals can be tracked by their sightings. I have reported our bird to the chap responsible and await his reply. I am guessing that this bird was rung at Slapton but it could possible have been from Dorset, it will be interesting to see. I will certainly be taking more notice of Wagtails in the future to see if I can discover any more with rings. This is just an image of another Wagtail taken at the same time.

Now just a picture of a female Sparrow in the garden this morning. I was waiting in the back bedroom in the hope of the Blackcap showing and snapped off at all the comings and goings which included a nice Starling, Magpie, 14 Collared Doves and various Goldfinches. The sun momentarily came out and this hen Sparrow posed really nicely. 

 

I have arranged an unusual feeding set up with a feeder from the high window to a tree. This puts the feeder at eye level with me from the upstairs window and I am hoping that birds will come in to the tree before going down to feed, well I am pretty sure that is what will happen. It should give me some good photo opportunities.  Watch this space!

Garden Birds in Exeter

 

This morning we had the first female Blackcap Warbler in the garden. I caught sight of her from the the bathroom window and went to set up the camera in the adjacent room through a camo cover over the window. This allows me to see in to the nearby cotoneaster bush without the birds being "spooked" by my presence. I waited for a considerable time to see if I could photograph her but she didn't reappear unfortunately. While I was waiting we had a Greenfinch male, the first for quite some weeks, a Collared Dove....... one of the flock. House Sparrows of both sexes and a Dunnock. All are pictured above except the Greenfinch. Later on from a new hide construction in the garden I managed a few shots of Goldfinch on a very near feeder.

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I make no apologies for yet another Collared Dove image. They pretty much are the most regular birds in the garden at the moment and take advantage of the food on offer, waiting in the Apple Tree for an opportune moment to come and dine. Whenever I am sitting waiting for the garden celebs to show themselves, the Collareds are always in the background!I am pretty impressed with this image I have to be honest.

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The blog is in it's 25th month now and this is getting on for the 500th post. As time goes on it becomes more and more popular and my visitors come from 107 different countries now. It receives around 75 hits a day and lots of people call it one of their favourites. This includes a lady who calls herself Cherry Blossom Girl. She kindly told fellow forum members on a Forum called  "The Alternative Potting Shed" that the blog was one of her favourites and for this kind comment I thank you!

Finally, this afternoon I travelled out to Teignmouth Harbour for no particular reason except to take my ageing mother to somewhere where she could see the sea without getting out of the car. There is a very nice carpark which overlooks the Harbour mouth and is always nice for the "elderly" to sit and look at.

I had a quick look in the inner harbour just in the hope of spotting something interesting. A Cormorant was fishing very close to the shore edge, it was high tide, and if I had been carrying the camera I would have had a good photo to show, but Murphy had invoked  his law again. When I returned to the car for the camera it had gone .. cheers Murphy! There was a bit of a scuffle going on between a young Herring Gull and a Crow which was interesting behaviour. The Gull was definitely the boss which was a surprise. 

 
 

I chatted with the Ferry man who told me that he had seen an "unusual little bird", his words, and by his description it sounded like a female Redstart which is no surprise.

Black Redstart - Phoenicurus ochruros (Beer)

  I have been trying, off and on, for a few weeks to see Black Redstarts here in Devon this winter. There has been reports regularly from Beer, one of my favourite places. This morning, in bright sunshine, off we went in the hope of success....... I almost deserved it or so I thought! As soon as I got there I saw "Bun", a local chap who works for the council. I went for a chat and he told me that he had seen them on the beach just a few minutes ago. Looking down in that direction we both saw them so I knew that today was going to be OK. There were three, all females unfortunately but with a bit of chasing around I managed a few photos before I thought they had had enough of me. They were either on the Beach huts or boats at first but a little more wary than last year.
This one was at first on the beach tide line with Rock pipits but then flew up on to the side of the chalk cliff. I am pretty sure it was keeping it's distance from me and after a short while I decided that it was best left alone to carry on feeding.
On the way home I stopped off in Sidmouth to see if there was any sign of Friday's Purple Sandpiper but no, the tide was wrong as I had guessed. It is quite usual with birds that are in 'marine" habitats, to have the correct combination of tides and sunshine. So back home by early afternoon, I still had time to visit Topsham for the chance of better Spotted Sandpiper photos. The bird was there but I had the devil of a job to improve on earlier photos with the sun almost smack in to the lens at this time of day. However the bird was very accommodating and gave me, and others the opportunity to deal with the ambient conditions. I failed miserably I have to say. This bird is now a bit of a celebrity and it is going to be very hard to see it when it is quiet. It is really unfair to try and get close to this bird when other people are just as keen to see it as I am. You always run the risk of driving it to a safe distance and depriving other people the opportunity for a relatively close view. I have to say though that other peoples ethics are not as sound as mine and it was particularly galling to be shown good photos by other people who didn't share my sense of fair play......... lets put it that way!

Blackcap returns!

Today was absolutely fascinating because at around 1045 I was called by my wife from the kitchen to be  asked if I had seen Blackcaps in the garden this year. She had seen one very close to the kitchen and  then brought it to my attention. I was very pleased that they have returned to my garden yet again. But, even more amazing is that it was exactly this day last year, the 28th November when they had first been observed last year. Can you believe that, where were they before and how can they be so regular in their migratory patterns?  Their story is very fascinating and you can read about it here which is an extract from an entry from the corresponding weekend in 2008 .

 "I have learnt so much about Blackcap warblers this last 48 hours. Their presence here in the UK, in the winter has always fascinated me and when ever I am lucky enough to see them in my garden it is always a particular treat. Friday was the first sighting this winter and I was seeing them up until about March before they left. It turns out there is lots going on with this species that is simply fascinating. The winter population here in the South West is made up of German and Scandinavian birds who instead of migrating to Spain and North Africa, like some of their fellows, and the UK summer birds, choose to migrate a more northerly course. This first came to light in 1961 when a bird wearing a ring was caught by a cat and the ring traced to a breeding study in Austria. This led to further, more detailed investigation which proved that a proportion of the Austrian/German Blackcaps were choosing to winter in Southern Ireland and the South West of Britain. Further studies have shown that the English wintering birds are genetically programmed to migrate here. Migrating this shorter distance is of real benefit to UK wintering Blackcaps because they arrive back on their breeding grounds some 7 to 10 days earlier than their more adventurous "southern wintering" counterparts thereby gaining two advantages. Firstly they have the pick of the best nesting sights and habitat. Research has shown that this leads to better and more successful breeding and secondly females arrive back having expended less energy and fat resources. This leads to a larger more successful clutch of eggs and a higher success rate. The outcome is that the UK wintering population is growing and out-doing the Southern migrating birds. Today I caught sight of both male and female Blackcaps quite early on and took some pictures from the bathroom before hurrying down to the shed to wait it out to try and get a good shot of a male. It didn't take more than 20 minutes or so." 

Here is a link to my Blackcap gallery of the best shots from last year. Have a look, you will not be disappointed I am sure of that.

So the fun begins. Winter bird photography in the garden is going to be very rewarding for the next 4 months if last year is anything to go by. I am going to get some great Blackcap photos and that is a promise!  So far, I have not seen the new visitors properly apart from a very quick glimpse. However, I have heard them/it  calling  and the garden is baited with apple, dried fruit and a fat ball. This is all food that these  birds enjoyed last year. The apple is a particular favorite  and is good because you can see how much has been taken and this gives you a gauge of the birds presence if you have not been around to watch.

I plan to make a short HD quality video of them in my garden over the coming months and this will be available commercially in the coming months........... watch this space.

 

Purple Sandpiper - Calidris maratima

Purple Sandpipers are a very rare breeding bird in Scotland with only a handful breeding in secret locations. In the winter, migrating birds from the Arctic Tundra spend the winter on the East Coast, Devon and Cornwall. They are often in the company of Ruddy Turnstone and  in fact feed in much the same way, that is, close to incoming waves. They can be seen precariously scurrying clear of waves as they crash on to rocks on the surf line. Today, I watched and photographed a small group on the beach by Jacob's Ladder at Sidmouth. The rain was teaming down and this kept dog walking disturbance down to a minimum. The birds were feeding on mussels that were being washed in and smashed open by the strong surf. They are described as very "tame" and easily approachable which certainly was the case today. I got a great deal of pleasure from watching and photographing them and I think I managed one or two half decent shots.

 

Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularia (Topsham)

The Spotted Sandpiper. First Winter juvenile A North American breeding species, a rare vagrant to the UK

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The Spotted Sandpiper is described by "Birdguides" as a very rare bird. Therefore after the postman had delivered my new lens I was off to the very near location of Topsham where one had been reported yesterday. As Murphy seems to have a hand in most of my bird photography exploits of late, I was hopeful and optimistic but prepared for disappointment as well. I parked the car easily and made my way past the rec towards a couple of "tooled-up" characters. One turned out to be Dave Stone and the other another gentleman that I see if ever there is something worth chasing. I knew I was in the correct spot. Pleasantries were shared and then as if by magic our bird flew to a spot just to our left and quite close. I scrambled to get myself set, fixing my lens to the camera and then lying prone to get the shots I wanted. Murphy was on hand and had by now put a cloud over the sun which 10 minutes earlier was blazing down. So with poor light getting worse I snapped away.

Observations proved it to be a first winter bird showing characteristic baring on the wing coverts. I was impressed by the yellow feet and pinkish bill. It would be very easy to miss a bird like this in bad light, not look properly and imagine you were watching a Common Sandpiper. I will post more pictures here later when I have had the time to develop them, please check back.

 

 

Having done a bit of research it seems that the last Spotted Sandpiper in Devon was on November 22nd 2006 when a bird was seen for the last time on Upper Tamar lake after spending 45 days there. The bird at Topsham is therefore, very notewarthy and an extreme rarity for the County and the first sighting for the River Exe. I can't emphasise how easy it would be to overlook t a bird like this being, in this stage of plumage very similar to a Common Sandpiper only obviously different by the yellow legs. I am pleased to have been able to contribute a few photos for Rarebird.

Almost disaster!

This morning the weather was so bright and sunny it was one of those days that you just had to be out in. During the night the rain had been so intense it was like being with Noah on his maiden voyage! 

My plan was to sit in a portable hide for an hour or so and wait for the ducks and perhaps waders to come to the pool at the far end of the Marsh, "legally" of course, on the track. I had reasoned that in the flooded conditions there would be hardly, if any, other people out and about. On a walk the day before yesterday I had seen Widgeon, a beautiful duck species in a pool by the track  and I wanted good close photos. Well I still do because it all went terribly wrong. I was amazed that the tracks were as flooded as they were. With waders on, I had no trouble negotiating the deep puddles. Until that is, I slipped and almost totally submerged myself. I was holding the camera at the time and managed to keep it out of the water apart from the 50-500 lens which got a dunking. The lens is  now in the  airing cupboard, hopefully drying out.I am doubtful that this will do the trick but I am praying.  My  waders were full of water and I was wet  up to my chest which was a bit uncomfortable to say the least. I waddled back down the track to the car, about a mile. The water was sloshing around my toes and my wet jeans chaffed my thighs...... ugh! I hardly saw any birds at all apart from Redwing again and a Greater Spotted Woodpecker. 

Later on in the afternoon I sat on the lawn in my hide. There was  very little light in the garden by now, the sun was almost setting. We are lucky to have a flock of Collared Doves with us now, sometimes as many as 17, well that's the record, but usually 9 or 10.  Also Goldfinch numbers are starting to build up so I was confident of giving the Pentax 200 a work out. This is good lens for low light conditions because you can open it right up to f2.8 and with an ISO of 800 you can get an almost passable image if you are close enough. 

I really hope you like this Collared Dove image because I have emphasised the contrast between the dark, dim conditions and the brighter bird. I gave the Goldfinch the same treatment and I quite like the results. I know that in the height of the winter  we will be almost over-run with Goldfinch and this picture will not be anywhere near good enough to compete with those to come. But for the time being, it's the first of the winter season and I am pleased to have something to photograph. 

 

Cormorant over the garden -------- and in the Canal!

 

Today's weather is abysmal! But it is expected to clear by the afternoon. A walk in to the garden revealed an absence of the usual birds, it was eerily quiet with a noticeable lack of our Collared Doves. I mentioned this to my wife who then casually replied that there was a big brown bird sat there about an hour ago. "Could it have been a Sparrowhawk' was my reply.  "Yes" was her answer.  "That's what I thought it was". "Why didn't you call me"? I said,  "I was waiting for it to turn around" she replied....... ugh?  So we probably have had a female Sparrowhawk in the garden today. A notable new "fly-over" was a Cormorant, and this is a certainty. This is the  first in 24 years, we are not far from the sea or river so it is no surprise that eventually one would be seen from the garden sooner or later. I wont say that this Collared Dove was actually singing in the rain but it wasn't particularly worried about the raindrops pelting down either. 

 

Later in the day, and by early afternoon, the weather had cleared up quite considerably and I went out to the marsh to look for the Grey Phalarope seen at Turf. Unfortunately no sign but in the strong sun and even stronger wind there was lots to see. This included Redwing, Fieldfare and lots of waterfowl. There is always a Cormorant to be found fishing in the canal when it is quiet and as I mentioned them this morning I took a few photos. Here is the best. You can see from this just how windy it was, even the canal had "white horses" on it. I got this  photo by laying down on the tow-path. The low perspective of the shot makes it a bit more interesting than the normal water bird shot. It is quite hard to take shots of birds on the water successfully.  The brightness reflected from the water can cause all sorts of difficulties. I have to say that I am fond of this image. There is a lot to catch the eye and particularly the water movement is very interesting.

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I posted a Nuthatch picture the other day and I had also posted to Birdguides, a great sight for birdlovers and lovers of bird photographs. They have a weekly contest and I always hope that one of my pictures will be in the reckoning, it has happened (a Sand Martin in the spring) but not recently. I was really hoping that my Nuthatch would make it last week but, no it didn't. However it is the most popular Nuthatch photo ever posted on Birdguides from the 650 or so. This is very rewarding indeed.

Update

The last few days have been hectic ones. Friday would have been  a great day for birdwatching as it was bright and sunny, but I was at home, in the office preparing for a talk I gave that evening. I had nearly 300 slides prepared and they all needed checking and titling etc.It took ages to arrange good transitions and a bit of care taken was taken with planning and presentation. I think the  talk was quite successful in the end.  My only fear, apart from being boring and uninspiring, was to run out of things to say. Well I needn't have worried unduly because I had to think on my feet and cut a massive segment from the middle. If not, we would have still been there at midnight! I quite enjoyed the experience, I am used to talking but to be honest I have done more enjoyable things. It was nice to show some of my best images and it was almost a learning experience for me to have a good look at the great things we have had in the garden in the last 2 years or so. 

As I said Friday was a great day weather wise and I was amazed to see how much insect activity there still is in the garden. There was 3 different Hoverfly species including a Marmalade Fly and also 2 red Admiral Butterflies. They were all attracted to the flowering Ivy which is a massive source of nectar at this time of year.

As well as the butterflies here is a nice example of both a Drone Fly, Eristalis tenax, and Episyrphus balteatus.

Marsh Tit - Poecile palustris

The Marsh Tit is on the Red List of UK birds, those that are in decline and in need of special concern and are on the list because of one of the following factors:

Globally threatened

Historical population decline in UK during 1800–1995

Severe (at least 50%) decline in UK breeding population over last 25 years, or longer-term period (the entire period used for assessments since the first BoCC review, starting in 1969).

Severe (at least 50%) contraction of UK breeding range over last 25 years, or the longer-term period

Therefore when ever I see one it is a treat and a real pleasure and to get the chance to get good photos makes it even more special. Today, in true obsessive style, I returned to Chard because yesterday I had seen a pair visiting a feeding station placed on the edge of the wood.  Because of the poor light I hadn't managed to get a decent photo. Today I did! I took my flash unit which allowed me to get a shot in the low light conditions. It is not the most photogenic of settings but still a nice piccie! 

Another bird which I like but funnily enough, I haven't seen many of so far this year, is the Coal Tit. They  have been almost absent from my garden so far, whereas last year they were without doubt, the most common visitor to my feeders during November. They are a very quick little bird, smaller than a Blue Tit and some would say not as pretty, but I do not agree, I adore them!

Then of course, there are the Nuthatches seen and photographed yesterday. Today it was a bit more of a struggle with me having to juggle the flash unit and get the bird in frame. Coupled with that, my lens is now faulty. The internal motor is not connecting properly. It has really got to me. I will have to replace it at great expense, which I can hardly afford. But, at the same time I can not afford to put my life on hold until I scrape the money together. I did manage a nice close up of them though despite the difficulty. On the reservoir its self, there was no sign of the Red Throated Diver for me although I had been told by several people that it was about somewhere. I visited the opposite end of the Reservoir and had a pretty good hour watching the Great Crested Grebe, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe and a Yellow Wagtail. I really must return with the chair hide and sit it out in the bushes to get some shots of the Grebe which are a "great" bird not just in name! I got this tremendous opportunity to take an in flight shot and did pretty well considering my lens was playing up.

Nuthatch - Sitta europaea

My trip to Chard Reservoir proved to be a lot of fun. The sun however disappeared almost on our arrival and as I made my way to the Hide  I was hoping to get a glimpse at least, of the Red Throated Diver. It  was unfortunately, in the distance at the opposite end of the lake. I had no chance of a photo let alone even a sighting and that was the end of that. But, on the way in I had seen a feeding station that was like an aviary!  Marsh Tits, Nuthatches and all the usual common garden species were coming and going in profusion. I was like a child in a sweet shop as I snapped away and managed great Nuthatch photos. These are such lovely birds, every time I get a close look at them, when ringing or watching them visiting feeders, I am always really impressed. 

 

Tawny Owl

The last few days have been seriously wet and windy apart from yesterday when it was clear and sunny. I have been rather busy this last few days as well with a concert in our local "Great Hall" where where as the conductor of my band we played in front of 1200 people. I spent yesterday getting over it!

 On Thursday night last, I heard a Tawny Owl from the garden at around  30 past midnight. This is the first heard here in Alphington ........ by me that is .......... in 24 years. I was pleased and surprised! Birds have been pretty constant, mostly Goldfinch, a few Blue and Great Tits, Sparrows and a massive flock of Collared Doves totaling 17.

The Brook is still flooded and I doubt it has been any good for the Kingfishers to fish in. I am looking forward to a return to normal levels and then I will be able to continue my Kingfisher studies. It will be interesting to see if they return to their successful fishing ground or have they moved on to another area where fishing is easier?  Even worse have they perished? Mortality rates in Kingfishers is really high with a large percentage of fledglings dead in the early months of winter. 

We are about to travel to Chard Reservoir in Somerset where a Red Throated Diver has been resident for the last 10 days, hope it is still there. Good photos have been taken from the hide and I am hoping, in this bright sunshine to get the same. Check back later to see! 

Magpie - Pica pica

Magpies are hard to photograph! It's as simple as that. Firstly they are very, very clever and hard to sneak upon. The combination of Black and Whit means that you have to be a bit more skilful with your photography than normal because the camera really struggles to cope with the intense white and the contrasting black, either colour is correspondingly over or under exposed. I have been trying, on and off for a week or so to fool our local mob of Maggies who breeze around the suburb as though they are in command of everything around them. So, imagine my pleasure today when I fooled one at last. I have been baiting with small chicken pieces and today I sat just 4 feet from the baited log with a camo cover over me and then suddenly here he was, oblivious of my presence so near by. He quickly gobbled up the chicken and left the seen but not before I had grabbed a shot! I used my Pentax 200 lens with the very quiet motor so that I could focus without him noticing. I am sure he will be back! Check back later because I am going to improve on this photo with a bit of luck and a bit more patience. it's now later and yes he did come back but he fooled me this time by just fly in, grabbing a morsel and then leaving again without a pause. He did this until he had taken it all.

Stonechat - Saxicola torquata

As I have said on many occasion, I am fond of Stonechats. There is a pair very close to home at the moment living on a small stream feeding on the insect life attracted to clumps of Bullrushes and reeds. They are quite easy to get close to but soon move in if you don't! The male always seems to be less approachable than the female and I have found this to be the case with other pairs before. The best strategy for a good photo is to position the portable chair hide close to the reed clump, and well, just sit it out. Eventually they will come and perch on the reeds giving a grand show and having no idea of my presence I usually get some nice photos as well. Today, in the afternoon the sky cleared to reveal glorious early winter sun and with that at my back it was a great opportunity to go and see if I could get a better shot than previously. I will let you decide but I think, probably yes.

In winter plumage they are not quite as well marked as the summer, but a nice attractive bird never the less. As I sat there trying to get a good shot I became aware that there was a Reed Bunting perched very close to the chat. It was a male but the photos of him didn't really come off. Suddenly I noticed the female just behind and she showed her self really well. Here she is.

 

Carrion Crow - Corvus corone

November 6th 2009 was a wet one! It was a day to stay at home and prepare my slides for a talk I am giving on the 20th of this month. Entitled by the organisers, "Wild in the Wear" .......... after the name of the Exeter suburb, Countess Wear where I am presenting....... the theme is how to encourage wildlife in to your garden and how to observe it. I will also talk about visits locally and what can be seen, with slides and photographs as well as video to accompany it all. It will be a fun evening! Last night on the BBC TV programme, Autumn Watch Unsprung, one of my images of a Jays eye was used in the competition which was nice. I had been contacted by a researcher who had seen the picture on the Internet and said that it was ideal for the competition. A fee was negotiated and last night, as I said it appeared. The presenter made a comment about what a great image it was which was nice. Here it is if you want to have a look.

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Sat at home and working quietly, things were happening in the garden! For the last week or so I have been putting little bits of meat onto the bird table. I wanted to see if I could get the local Magpie closer and get some photographs of him. I quite like Magpies, they are extremely beautiful to my eyes but hated by people for their intelligent behaviour. They will eat a wide range of food, that is, they are "omnivorous". Carrion, birds eggs and chicks in the nest are definitely on the menu and this is why they are despised by people. Since a more liberal attitude and perhaps control of Gamekeepers, who used to, and still do to a lesser degree, shoot and trap them, they have become much, much more common. They are blamed for the decline in the garden song bird population. The RSPB however does not agree with this, and neither do I. Hey, I agree with the RSPB on something........ weird!!!!! 

Anyway, back to the story. I popped in to the kitchen and a glance outside surprised me when I saw who was responsible for the meat eating. This magnificent, (yes I really do think this), Carrion Crow. I went up to the upstairs window and got some shots to record the event. We have Crows on the roof regularly, but I have never in 24 years seen one feeding on the lawn. They are extremely intelligent and this one had worked out that I was providing regular meals for him. I put a broken hens egg out later and he came back and ate that as well, this is when I managed ahalf decent photo. The Magpies are also becoming accustomed and at one time there was 3 all at once and here is one of them.

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Sitting in the hide in attempt to get really close, the first garden Robin photo of the season was possible.

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Rock Pipit - Anthus petrosus

Rock Pipit are a commonly encountered bird on any suitable shoreline here in Devon. As the name implies this is usually Rocky shores where they feed amongst the sea weed exposed at low tide. They will leap to catch flies and are resident throughout the year which provides some interest for bird watchers and photographers when other species are hard to find. Yesterday for example I went to Beer to look for Black Redstarts reported and had to be content with these more than adequate photographic replacements.(I did find a nice hen Black Redstart  but just at dusk and as the rain lashed down).

For what it's worth I enjoy seeing Rock Pipits and find them very photogenic. More photos of yesterday's outing here on my PBase Gallery.

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There can be some confusion with Meadow Pipit as they can at times be seen in the same locations, or more to the point Meadow Pipits may come into the more usual habitat of a Rock Pipit, on the shoreline. here is a photograph of a meadow Pipit taken in the summer and it makes a very useful comparison. It is quite easy to understand why confusions could occur. frankly though, I think that this is in reality unlikely as they are quite different if you see them alongside each other. However they are obviously very closely related along with Tree Pipit and Water Pipit, the two rarer members of the group.

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A note about the Flag Counter on the left...................... that's the display of flags. You might find it interesting to have a look. If you click on any flag you will be directed to an area that shows the list of visitors to the Blog from other countries. So far that list stands at 105. The latest Country to visit is Costa Rica. Having visited there myself in the past I know what a lovely country it is and what great birdlife they have. A country worth a visit and that's for sure.

Stonechat - Saxicola torquata

I discovered a new area to watch wildlife today. It is close to home but very quiet and unexplored. I am going to keep the exact spot to myself because it would pretty quickly become spoiled if it became busy. It is nowhere near Exminster Marsh but has as much potential and to be frank is a little gem. Also, it is very private and just what I like. Whilst there, just for an explore I did not have my camera with me and I bumped in to a lovely little pair of Stonechat that were perching on the top of these........... (well I have always called them Bullrushes but I don't think strictly that is the proper name). I came back home and got my hide and camera because there was also at least a dozen Snipe. When I returned 1 hour later the Stonechats were in exactly the same place and with the sun over my shoulder, but low in the sky, the lighting was just great. I took quite a few shots reasonably close and this is image is cropped to make it a better. I am going to return of course because there is so much to see. For instance there was Reed Bunting, Snipe, 6 Little Egrets, Kestrel, Buzzard, Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, Mallard, Magpie,Grey Heron, Crow, a Raven soaring high and Meadow Pipit. Quite a haul in just 15 minutes or so.I have a plan for both the Buzzard and Kestrel and also I am planning to sit it out in the hide and wait for one of the Snipe to come in to view. I would not be surprised to see a Water Rail either. I did my log turning trick to look for mammals and also found a lovely little nest and a Vole rushed out for cover. I quickly replaced the log because it is the Voles that are providing food for the Kestrel of course. In my garden today, a Magpie is becoming increasingly more common and I have actually seen him/her come on to the lawn and the log which serves as a bird table, to take chopped ham which I have put out for him. I am hoping to be able to get some close up photos of him feeding which will be good. On the Brook, the water level is still very high and I doubt that the Kingfisher is in the part of the territory where my hide is. The hide is still half submerged and we have just had another downpour so I suspect it will be days and days before the level goes down to what it was. I can then get back to some more Kingfisher study.
This picture didn't quite come off. I hadn't set the camera properly and unfortunately took this shot with a high ISO. When you then crop the image you are basically magnifying everything which also means that the grainy/noise on the image is also magnified and spoils what would have been a nice shot to say the least.

Alphin Brook evening update

Having spent the afternoon with the  best  light for quite a while,  waiting for the Kingfisher to show, the best I could come up with is this Grey Wagtail photo.  So for Tammy who I chatted with just at the start of the session here is the photo as promised. Sorry it's not a Kingfisher but apart from a fleeting glimpse as I  arrived, he didn't show......... nice to meet you again anyway! 

Yesterday I recorded some footage of the Grey Wagtail singing and I thought it worth posting because I hadn't realised what a nice musical song they have. This song was in response to another bird that he could hear on his territory.

I know that the video quality is poor, this is an MP4 from You Tube, not the best but the sound is the most important thing.

Kingfisher video

The last week has been really interesting. Since the extension to the concrete slip-way got underway I have had to restrict my Kingfisher watching, photography and filming to early in the morning and late afternoon. At theses times the light is not as good as it would be in full sunlight obviously. The quality of the film has not been as good as it will be when the sun is shining. However, I have had some great views of the bird and captured some good footage. Here is a short excerpt for you to enjoy. have a look at the bathing behavior which is very interesting to observe. I have seen this on several occasions and I feel that when he enters the water he does it with a bigger splash than when hunting. He dives in repeatedly and returns to the same perch every time. This always takes place after a catch and then is accompanied by lots of preening. I have noted some interaction between Grey Wagtail and Kingfisher. To be blunt they don't seem to tolerate each other and when a Kingfisher hears a Wagtail he will call back and vice-versa. On one occasion I watched the Kingfisher fly at the Wagtail to drive it out of the immediate area. Also of real note, when the bird has successfully caught a fish it will always fly to it's favorite perch to deal with it. Small silver fish are swallowed almost immediately but large fish, that is as big as 3 inches are beaten repeatedly and then an attempt to swallow it will take place. On one occasion this took several minutes as I watched it repeatedly trying to get it down. Today, after a heavy downpour overnight, the Brook is in full spate. My hide is half submerged and I am waiting for the levels to drop before I can return to carry on filming.

Alphin Brook

I met with representatives of the Environment Agency this morning and we had a long, interesting fruitful conversation about the wildlife on the Brook, particularly the Kingfishers and how the bit of building work may or may not affect them. I must say I was extremely heartened by, not only the level of care being taken but also the depth of knowledge and concern shown.

I suggested, having watched the Kingfisher and noticed that he is more active at Dawn and Dusk that  it might be better if the work took place after 9 and ended by 4. This would give the bird the chance to feed both at first light and  before roosting without disturbance. It was agreed in principle that this would happen and, taken that the work has to take place , seems a good compromise. I have been pleased to be able to add my "tuppence-worth" and have my concerns listened to, all in all a very satisfying result.

I purchased a top of the range Panasonic HD Camcorder yesterday, my plan is to get good quality video of the Kingfishers and other wildlife from the Brook. I had a  half  hour play with it, almost at dusk. I took footage of the `Grey Wagtail which is of a real high quality and considering it is a new toy and I am not used to it yet, again very pleasing. The Kingfisher at one point perched right in front of me but he left just as I managed to get focused and press record, but there will be lots of other chances I am sure. The Grey Wagtail has now been joined by another, I haven't seen if it is the female back again, or another male, but it is a bit of a surprise. Also seen today was a Kestrel. He was hunting  over the brook. He came down to take something, probably a vole or mouse. The new Camcorder takes still images and here is one just to see what the quality is like......... not special but will be a useful feature if you want a still image!

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Kingfisher disturbance

I went, before dawn to the hide to sit and wait hopefully, for the Kingfisher. I haven't seen him close for a few days apart from a quick fly by or two. It was just dawn when I got there and as the day started and the morning light started to  brighten I was still unsure if he would show or not. Then after about 20 minutes I heard the unmistakeable sound of a Kingfisher still a way away but often enough for me to be sure that he was in my area. Then suddenly as is usually the case, he flashed past me in rocket mode and perched about 50 feet or perhaps more away. I still had sight of him and watched him twitching and very actively watching for prey. A few times he dived and then emerged unsuccessful and then I lost sight of him, but there he was right in front of me on one of my arranged perches. He quickly moved higher so that he had a better view and scanned the water looking for his breakfast.

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So there he is, again as close as you can be to a Kingfisher. But, he wasn't settled and I think it was because he was having trouble getting a fish. He moved to a spot out of camera range and I watched him through a little hole in the hide. I could see that he was really scanning the water and from this position which was higher than before he had a better view. He obviously couldn't see anything and then he left, again like a rocket to an are further up by the concrete. I hadn't long got over the thrill when the resident Little Egret arrived. This is, in comparison a big bird and it was amazing to se it perched where the kingfisher had been expected. he was about to fish and I had to come in on the zoom lens to about 250 to get him all in the viewfinder! The legs and feet of these birds is really impressive but they are very hard to photograph because of the intense white which can deceive the cameras settings but I didn't do too bad.

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This next one is hardly cropped at all, that is how close he was to me. I was hoping he would do some fishing and he started to, but was hidden just behind some weeds. Then all of a sudden he left........... something had disturbed him and it wasn't me.

I decided to leave, I could tell something wasn't right and as I left my hide, walked up the bank towards the gate I could see what the problem was. DEVASTATION....... There was a builders lorry unloading porta-cabins and building materials. I asked what was on and discovered that they are about to undertake some work to the concrete bank to facilitate easy access with a vehicle should there ever be a flood and they needed too. What kind of disturbance is that going to create, an immense amount for at least a couple of weeks. I have contacted the Environmental Agency and tomorrow I have a meeting on sight to discuss how we can mitigate the disturbance....... there words not mine. I hop I can arrange a positive conclusion to this, I have a plan! More news tomorrow evening.

Red Admiral

Just a quick post to record that today we had a Red Admiral in the garden. This is of no particular significance except that this time next year it is good to check what has been seen to make a comparison. Birds have included Collared Dove, Dunnock, Blackbird, Goldfinch and Blue Tit as well as a small group, (hardly a flock) of House Sparrows. in addition a Magpie was in the Apple Tree.

The weather has been bright and sunny all day. I tried, both at dawn and this late afternoon, to see a Kingfisher from the hide but unfortunately he was a no show today which was a shame as the weather was ideal.

Photo Success... well almost!

Its been a good few days with my first success in a photo competition, in fact the Dartmoor Preservation Society  competition. My picture of a Male Whinchat taken in June was judged as Highly Commended in the Dartmoor life category. I am pleased because as you can see it is a close up and the brief of the competition was to reflect the life of Dartmoor and this image, whilst taken in Dartmoor doesn't show this in any way.

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All in all a pretty satisfying result. What the photo doesn't show is the week of sitting in the hide and the other 250 pictures that weren't up to the mark. I remember feeling really pleased with this picture as soon as I took it. Watching the bird and his mate for a week was as well, was very rewarding.

We have had some more rain and this raises the water level on my brook and I don't think this makes it the best habitat for the Kingfisher. However, I have sat in the hide both yesterday morning and again this afternoon, but no sign of him apart from a quick flash by yesterday. All we need now though is for the rain to keep off and the level to go down and I am sure we will be in business again. While I sat there this afternoon, almost with a wet backside in my built hide, a pair of Mallard came up the stream towards me. You know, these mallard are true wild birds and very wary, not park ducks prepared to take bread. So, it gave me a lot of confidence when they ignored the hide which is after all seemingly a collection of grass and reeds etc.well thats what its supposed to look like. Anyway here is one of the atmospheric photos taken.

 

Kingfisher Diary continued

The last couple of days has seen me continuing to try and get more and more views on photos of the lovely Kingfisher that I have been watching for almost  the last month. I decided yesterday that the bird had begun to get  a little bit suspicious of the  portable hide. I decided to build a semi-permanent one with a camo tarp based around bamboo canes. It worked really well because I went first thing this morning and before 8 he was perched in front of me with a very large loach. The light was a bit dull but I did manage to get a few shots of him with the use of the flash. You can see how big this fish is and he really did struggle to get it down having several goes at it. Eventually it disappeared down the hatch.

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Ater he had finished I watched him sitting quietly in the very dim early dawn light and as he was sitting so still I tried some shots without the flash with a slow shutter speed which is never ideal. But I kind of like the result because it is atmospheric.

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As you can see, the colours of Kingfisher seems to vary dramatically. This is because the colour is created by iridescence and not pigment and depends how the feathers are reflecting the light back. The light improved quite dramatically and I took some cracking shots of him.

Who wouldn't be pleased with this one because I certainly am! After a while he flew over to the other bank nearer to me and as I moved to the right to look at him the hide started to show signs that it wasn't going to last!  But I still got a few shots in the better light. 

As he sat there I heard another Kingfisher calling and so did he! He wasn't too impressed with this and left to go and see what the intruder wanted. It is/was probable the female that I have seen before you may remember.

I sat there in the hide which was by now decidedly rickety, and tried to do a repair job. It didn't work and I was sat on a slant. I had just begun to think that I couldn't sit like this for much longer when he landed back and I struggled to get some shots of him doing his preening and bathing thing. This required me to lean even more to the left and then as I did I could feel myself tumbling uncontrollably. Being a "true-pro" I continued snapping........... I shouldn't have because the next thing I was almost in the water and saying,"I'm going in" I averted that ultimate but did finish up in a snotty heap with the hide broken around me and no sign now of the bird!

If you look closely at this  photo, and the one below, you can clearly see pin-feathers around the face. I haven't seen this before on any of the other photos. Could this be a different male. I can also see noticeable dark markings on the feet which would indicate a young bird. Is this a different bird than the one I have been seeing?

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Weekend in Wales

I always really enjoy my visits to Wales. It presents new bird and wildlife opportunities and new places to visit. There is always lots to see with Little Grebe seemingly common for example.. they are a favourite of mine by the way. I must say that my visit to the Newport Wetlands RSPB was really memorable, not just for the birds which were not particularly noticeable but it is such a friendly and welcoming place. The staff are just so lovely, very passionate and interesting as well as "interested" in what I have to say. This is very refreshing. The celebrity bird at this site is the Bearded Reedling or Bearded Tit. I am yet to see one on my visits here but I am pretty certain that I heard one. It was really busy though being a Saturday, kids everywhere and their behaviour to be frank is not really what you want in a nature reserve. There is a bit of a confusion between conservation and recreation here. If you encourage children to take an interest then it is quite important I think to teach them the etiquette and behaviour required. ...... my only complaint. In one of the tucked away areas there is an observation point that overlooks a drying pool. I was told that a Water Rail had just been seen as I arrived. I waited and eventually, after 20 minutes or so, it appeared and started to wander towards us feeding intently. Quite quickly it was quite close in front of me. I took loads of photos but this place is not good for photos, you can't use a tripod because of the construction of the screening so everything is hand held. It was probing in the mud and was a bit of a mess to be frank. For example you can hardly tell the colour of the beak because of the mud. I was chuffed with this sighting, I have a plan to get some decent shots of Water Rail, I know where I may find one and be able to put up a hide. This is well away from any reserve and by a public footpath which is hardly used

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Also showing really well was this lovely little female Tufted Duck. I am quite intrigued by the eye colour which would be yellow if it was an adult so I presume that this bird is a first winter juvenile.

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Tufted Duck are divers and I tried to get photos of this but it is hard to get it just right, I almost did it though.

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Jay are a very intelligent bird that at times can be very hard to get close to. They are a very attractive well marked member of the crow family. We were staying with friends just north of Cardiff and from the bedroom window I noticed that Jays were flying from Oak tree to tree, obviously feeding on the acorns. I decided to get in to my car and move it closer to the trees and see if I could capture some good shots, it's not often that you can get close to them. It was too good an opportunity to resist.

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I am pleased to report that we have now had visitors from 99 different countries. The latest is Syria, I wonder which country will be 100. It is incredible to think that visitors from so many countries have visited and read the blog.

Kingfisher Diary

It was a dull cloudy day and I thought it would be a good one to try out Kingfishers and flash photography. In fact it would have been impossible to get any kind of photo at all without the use of flash. So very early on, in fact just befor 9 I was ready and sat in the hide waiting for some action. Unfortunately this morning was a blank, who knows why, he just didn't show. I did see the Grey Wagtail though, I hadn't seen him for two days and I was wondering if he had moved on but thankfully, for me, no he is still here.
Home for lunch and a bit of domestics. I watched another young Hedgehog looking for food on the garden. I may consider intervention with these hedgehogs if I see them again. I am pretty sure that they will not survive the winter unaided, they are not in the least bit big enough in my opinion. I returned to the Brook at around 1.30. I have arranged a little basket submerged in the water in front of the upright perch/log and I couldn't see how, if the Kingfisher settled on the log, he would be able to resist the free offerings of minnows in the basket. So, having got myself settled, I was starting to get just a bit bored. He suddenly appeared, yet again, right in front of me. He was no more than 10 feet away,probably nearer. I took some steady photos with flash hoping that he would not be phased by it....he wasn't thankfully. In fact he couldn't have cared less and quickly moved up to his log perch as you can see. He looked around him as I have watched him do before, obviously searching for something to catch and eat. Then he looked down and I knew he had seen the free offerings, I love it when a plan works! Within seconds he had launched an attack and emerged with a minnow which he quickly ate but not before I got this shot.
Then, he decided to do his preen, I watched him, really fascinated and entranced by his beauty. He did his diving to bathe thing where he splashed in and out of the water returning to a perch to clean himself off. Then I thought he had left but no, he quickly landed with this Newt which he swallowed very easily. This was a big surprise. I have now seen him with 4 different prey items, Minnow, Stickleback, Dragonfly Larvae and now a Common Newt. They are said to eat their own weight in prey every day and he does seem to be on the look out for food constantly. I was quite surprised that he ignored the minnows in the basket and went after the Newt instead
I probably missed a real opportunity for a great shot here but he settled on a branch obscured by another and it was really hard to get that great shot that I am craving. Here are the best of the rest before he left.

I decided to call it a day about 20 minutes later and as I emerged from the hide I was surprised to realise that he was perched just behind me and had been there all along. When he saw me he flashed down the stream following the contours and dodging the reeds and vegetation, swerving first left and then right.

Kingfisher Diary

My plan to get better images of the Kingfisher continued today and as it was such a bright morning, I was sat in place in the hide before 9. Yesterday in the late afternoon, I had arranged a very photogenic rotting log upright in the water by securing it in a pot which I then immersed in the water. When I had taken some test shots before I left, I knew it was going to be a good photo if a bird perched on it. So this morning at just after 9, there he was, perched right in front of me and then on the log as you can see.
Even though I have seen him several times now it was still exciting to be this close to a Kingfisher. I know that as birdwatchers and people interested in birds we know that they are quite approachable from a hide but please excuse my enthusiasm. He looked around and down in to the water obviously looking for prey.
Then he dived and came up with a tiny morsel, not a fish but it appears to be a Dragonfly larvae.
After a short while he flew off and even though I had been waiting for this to happen and had the camera ready to capture him in flight, this was the best I could come up with.

Hegdgehog in the garden

On the 5th July I discovered a mother Hedgehog in my Chicken House with young hoglets, about 4 days old. Have a look here So today I was chuffed, to say the least, to see one of the young hoglets, now almost grown up , foraging in the garden. On the face of it this is a good thing but thinking about it I am a little bit concerned. Hedgehogs hibernate and it is a bad sign to see them foraging during the day. Obviously this youngster needs to get himself well fattened up for his long sleep and he feels the need to be out and about during the day.
Elsewhere in the garden we have had numerous Drone Flies feeding on the Ivy flowers. This is a good source of food for insects at this time of year and insects, including Butterflies, love Ivy flowers. One good bit of advice to attract insects into the garden is to leave your Ivy well in to Autumn before you cut it back because this really is a good source of food. Butterflies have included Red Admiral and Speckled Wood today. Blue Tits have been in and around the garden. No Coal Tits so far but by this time last year we had them regularly. Out at the AlphinBrook, no photos of Kingfisher today but I saw him on three different occasions. I was pretty sure he would come and perch in the prepared photo area but it wasn't to be today. I did have a great view of him though as he flew down the brook weaving past the vegetation. I saw him for about 50 yards with his really bright rump flashing in the sun. At one time I could here him really loudly calling from just behind the hide and then I heard the tell-tale plop as he dived for a fish.

More from the Kingfisher

I was excited when I got out of bed this morning, the weather was fabulous and was set to be that way for the rest of the day. I just knew that I was going to have a good bird day. So, pretty soon after 9 I was sat in the hide in the Alphin Brook waiting, and hoping that the Kingfisher would come and perch. After what seemed just a short time I heard him, then saw him flash past me and I was disappointed for a few moments thinking, "Why didn't he stop here?" I needn't have worried because just a few seconds later he had! And there he was,  right in front of me, smack in the sun, dazzling me with his beauty. He pretty much did everything you would want a Kingfisher to do, He posed in the sun, preened his feathers had a good scratch and then proceeded to dive in and out of the water to bathe. I tried to get good shots of that but I have to confess to being a duffer when it came to action shots. All of a sudden he got very excited and flew around in front of me and I thought that was it. No it wasn't because I heard a splash and he  landed back where he was before butnow with a big fat minnow! I got very excited as I took photos of him beating the living daylights out of it. So much so that the minnow's stomach started to split open! I took photos of he action. He was with me for 20 minutes when all of a sudden another Kingfisher, probably the female, called in the distance. This really agitated him and he flew off calling angrily............... another wow is in order!

 

A day in the hide.

We have had just magnificent sunny weather today and I spent most of it waiting in my hide for the kingfisher to show. It didn't perch unfortunately but it flashed past me on two occasions. The Grey Wagtail male was accommodating fortunately. Yesterday we had some very heavy rain and the brook was flooding through at around two feet higher than previously. I am sure that this is going to have some kind of effect on the Kingfishers feeding, the water is now the colour of weak tea and I can imagine that seeing prey must be difficult.

More Grey Wagtails - Motacilla cinerea

Sitting waiting for the Kingfisher for over two hours I was really glad when the male Grey Wagtail joined me in the "target-area", that is, the strategically placed perch. The Kingfisher didn't  show, that was a real shame but I took lots of shots and tried to capture something that showed the character of the bird.

Jackdaw - Corvus monedula

I spent the weekend away in West Yorkshire visiting my Granddaughter and the weather was a little limiting to do anything other than enjoy their company. In the little village of Marsden  the River Colne meanders through the centre. Feeding the ducks seems to be a favourite pass time and their was at least 30 pairs of Mallard doing very nicely by the small weir. Amongst them was a few Jackdaws that had learnt to take advantage of food source. I am quite attracted to this species because they are intelligent and very clever. I find them a little more interesting than Carrion Crows and of course Rooks who are frankly quite ugly. The eye of this bird is a real feature.

I couldn't resist trying to get some good photos of the mallards and this is the best I came up with.

kingfisher female

My new perches set up yesterday paid off within 20 minutes this morning when a Kingfisher perched on it right in front of me and in reasonable light. I took lots of photos. I noticed quite quickly that this was a different bird that I had seen previously. The male photographed yesterday had an all black bill and was showing moulting tail feathers. This one was a spanking female, slightly less bright and with an orange patch on the bill as you can see. Then after she had left a wren came for a look around at this new perch!

Kingfisher update

This mornings encounter with my local Kingfisher was very frustrating, I could have done so much better but I let my guard down. The first I knew of his presence, right in front of me incidentally, was a tell tale splash and the sight of him emerging from the water. He was just 6 paces in front of me with a fish in his beak which he very quickly turned and swallowed. I was unfortunately drinking coffee from my flask at the time so with one hand I managed quickly, to focus and get just 3 shots of him. The first just as the fish was disappearing down his throat as you can see, just about! I am sure that the focusing of the lens and the shutter sound disturbed him a bit and he flew to the concrete opposite. I watched him, hoping he would do more fishing, but then I heard voices, and so did he. He flew away upstream. 30 minutes later, I watched him appear from my left and flash past me and then down stream at a speed that was almost unbelievable. It reminded me of a bright blue fighter plane. He was really agile in flight as he disappeared like a dart to me right. I have returned to the brook this afternoon and had a look for a more quiet peaceful spot. Having seen how quickly he flies it made me realise that his territory his presumably quite large. I think he perches where I have seen him, probably because of a shortage of suitable places to fish from elsewhere. I have placed a couple of branches in other suitable places and tomorrow I will stake out the new locations. They are in good light and aaway from the noise and busy road. I also discovered, by walking down the brook in the water, a very interesting hole which in all probability is a nest hole. Kingfishers are a Schedule 1 bird and specially protected by law. It is illegal to photograph Kingfishers in the vicinity of their nest in a manner that is likely to cause disturbance to them. This is something that I will have to be very careful of next spring when they are breeding. I am sorry if you are returning to my Blog in the hope of seeing some new species. I tend to be very obsessive when I know there are birds to photograph that I particularly like. It has been almost a lifetime's ambition to get close views of a Kingfisher, let alone good photographs. There are so many birds that I want to get shots of, they will come soon. In the meantime I am concentrating on this lovely spot where, not only have I got the possibility of some great Kingfisher shots, there is also the chance to improve my Grey Wagtail photographs. This morning I almost got a great Grey Wagtail photo.

Common Darter - Sympetrum striolatum

Today we had the promise of good bright weather and I was hopeful of getting some good images of either the Kingfisher or Grey Wagtail but unfortunately that didn't happen. I had just decided to call it a day after 2 hours of waiting........ only so much you can take when nothing is happening. The expected, or should I say anticipated photo would have been so good.Folding everything down, this Common Darter landed on the log where I had been waiting for the Grey Wagtail who had refused to oblige even though he was up stream about 20 yards away for a while. A Black Headed Gull landed nearby and I couldn't resist taking a few photos.

Dunnock - Prunella modularis

I make no apology for posting this photo of one of our more common UK birds. Often overlooked and almost always taken for granted, to me Dunnocks are much more interesting than their first impression may suggest. In keeping with my quest to post the very best pictures possible, this picture certainly deserves to be featured. Dunnocks are in no way related to the House Sparrow but are quite often referred to as Hedge Sparrows They have a slender insectivorous bill but they will forage for seeds as well, usually on the ground. This bird is an adult, you can tell by the eye colour which is a rich brown in adults but in juveniles is olive coloured. In the spring they are very promiscuous and chase around constantly. They can have multiple partners. The males have a pretty song. I took this yesterday down by the Alphin brook as well as the Wren below but they were upstaged somewhat by the Kingfisher.

Kingfisher Gallery

A few of the Kingfisher photos taken yesterday.

As you can see this is a really built up area and also seen and photographed at this spot is Green Sandpiper, Grey Wagtail and Little Egret.

Wagtail Gallery

Kingfisher - Alphington, Exeter.

Since last Sunday when I discovered a Kingfisher, very close to home, smack in the middle of the city just yards from supermarkets and a builders merchants, I have spent around 14 hours in my pop-up chair hide hoping for his return. The Alphin Brook runs through the Exeter suburb of Alphington and is contained by a concrete culvert that emerges through the Marsh Barton Trading Estate and eventually spills in to the Exeter Canal and then the River Exe. It all started last Friday when I noticed a Green Sandpiper right beneath the pavement and I returned with my hide to eventually get some great photos of him/her. (See yesterdays post). So this morning my Kingfisher quest continued but even though I spent 3 hours, no hardship listening to radio (through earphones) and taking the odd shot of Grey Wagtails. In fact this mornings Wagtails were the best that I have got so far.

At around 5 o'clock the sun was shining and I decided to go back for a half an hour or so. it's only a few minutes away. I had a plan to actually seat the chair in the stream, (it is only a foot deep), and that way I had a great shot potentially to the strategically placed log at almost water level. After ten minutes or so, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the Kingfisher downstream and heading my way. Before he reached me he diverted in to the stream side vegetation and I thought that was going to be it. But then, very excitingly he landed just in front of me, not on my log but just behind and as you can see, on a dead dock stem. Last Sunday I had seen him on this very perch so I have perhaps discovered his favourite perching place which could be very useful. So, there he is perched in front of me and I took a few shots even though he was just slightly obscured by a branch just in front of him.

He was really close and he dived to catch something but was unsuccessful unfortunately for him and me! Then absolutely amazingly he few towards me and landed on my hide literally above my head. I could hear him only inches above and then he procedded to dive and fish from the top of the hide! The video shows him fishing, but not catching before he flew to me. After a short while he left because unfortunately a couple of doggie walkers saw him perched on my hide and of course, that was just too much for him. They must have thought it funny though, my camera sticking out the front of the hide and the kingfisher inches above.

Green Sandpiper - Tringa ochropus

Today's encounter with the Green Sandpiper has been really special. I am sure that it was made easier to get closer to this bird due to the quietness of the trading estate. If only the light had been slightly brighter, but hey, you can't have it all. I actually got so close to this bird by just moving the hide forward a few inches at a time. Eventually I got as close as 10 feet and the bird had no idea whatsoever that I was there and carried on acting naturally. He really has got himself a nice territory here. It may look a bit un-natural, it is basically a flood relief ditch, but it is safe, there is lots of food in the form of insect life and at the first sign of danger he can take to the air and fly to safety which he does as soon as any passers by look over from the pavement above. It was fascinating to see him feeding by trembling his legs at a rapid speed beneath the water to disturb insect life.. I am extremely pleased with these photos, the best I have taken of Green Sandpiper. They are a super bird, a bit rare but quite regularly seen around here from July onwards. The Green Sandpiper does not build its own nest. The female lays her eggs in the abandoned nests of other birds, mostly thrushes ( Song Thrush Turdus philomelos, Blackbird T. merula, Mistle Thrush T. viscivorus) and crows (Jay Garrulus glandarius, Carrion Crow Corvus corone) . Usually during the second day after hatching the chicks jump to the ground from the nest The parents lead them through the forest to a feeding territory, which is usually on the bank of a small forest brook or on the shores of a shallow pond covered with thick vegetation, most often reed-mace Typha sp. . The chicks respond to the warning calls of the parents by taking cover . After several days, the female leaves the family and the young remain in the care of the male until they become independent. Young birds are able to fly for short distances at the age of 18 to 20 days. Immediately after breeding, the adult Green Sandpipers moult their flight and tail feathers on their renesting sites (settling ponds of sugar factories and similar locations).

Cyanistes caeruleus

I started my wildlife day early and before 8 I was sat in my hide hoping for a Kingfisher experience. The Grey Wagtails have been giving me such great photo opportunities and I make no apologies for posting yet more photos of them. The great thing about wildlife photography is that every outing offers something different depending on the prevailing light and this morning, as the sun started to get higher there was a glorious brightness. My strategically placed log looked so inviting and it was only a matter of seconds really before the Grey Wagtail male was perched in my viewfinder so to speak. Seeing this pair of Grey Wagtails so often this last weeks has been a real treat. "Make hay while the sun shines" is an English proverb and I certainly am going to get as many shots of these "celebrity" birds while I can. When I first saw them last week it was just the female that I seemed to see. Then the male appeared but I didn't get many pictures of him at first. They are obviously paired up and call to each other constantly but only once have I seen them within a few feet of each other. I am using these wagtails as an opportunity to improve my technique and have tried with different lenses and settings as well as fill flash. However, bright light certainly makes photography easier.In this first shot today he left the log to look for insects amongst the streamside vegetation.

During this interesting session, the Little Egret did a spot of fishing and I watched him/her catch and eat a small fish but unfortunately he did not show well enough to get a good photo. There is also a resident pair of Mallard Ducks. I thought that this was an interesting shot of the drake bathing.

Later in the afternoon I went out to Dawlish Warren to try and find Sanderling to photograph but surprisingly I didn't find any at all. I probably arrived at the wrong time of the tide. Birds that I did see included, Greenfinch, Linnet, Northern Wheatear, Sandwhich Tern, greater Spotted Woodpecker and Chiffchaff. There are a several resident Magpie and I took a few shots of them. I quite like this species contrary to most other peoples opinions. They are intelligent and quite attractively marked but their habit of eating songbird eggs and chicks makes them unpopular. As a youth, my brother had apet Magpie which was a great character. It would mimic the dog barking as well as tease the dog by calling her. It also coughed like my mother who I remember had bronchitus at the time. It also pecked at you at any opportunity!

I took an almost brilliant image of a Blue Tit - Cyanistes caeruleus. If only it had shown it's head.

Grey Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea

Enough said about this image taken this morning of a Grey Wagtail perched on the strategically placed branch in the hope of attracting the resident Kingfisher to show himself. (Incidentally I am very confident that this will happen). I am so pleased with this image. I said to Jenny only yesterday evening that I wouldn't be happy with my Wagtail shots until I could get one that showed the feather detail around the eye, and you can on this one.

This is am update of the entry from the morning. 

After an appointment at hospital concerning my injuries I had finished  by 3.30. The weather today has been fantastic, sunny all day, a real Indian Summer. I went out to Cockwood to see what was about. In the harbour there was 3 Black Tailed Godwits feeding in the harbour mud. One had a broken leg which was quite distressing to see as he hopped along.

In the early evening I returned to the Brook and set up an area  in good light with a log lying down the bank and in to the water. There is a real shortage of suitable perches along the bank sides and my reasoning is if I provide a perch over the water then the Kingfisher will be attracted to settle there. I had only been sat in the hide for 10 minutes when the first Wagtail landed on this new log. This was the female and after she had moved on, the male arrived and gave me a real opportunity to compare the two. The female, as well as having a white throat also has a dull off white breast and belly. In winter plumage the male also has a white throat which is black in breeding plumage. In the photo below of the more brightly coloured male with a yellow breast, there is a hint of black remaining if you look careful.