Wildlife in a Suburban Garden

Blackcap-Sylvia atricapilla

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. The photo above is this morning's, the bird, camera and apple are all in exactly the same place as yesterday, the only difference being 24 hours! Have alook at photos of the female here

Long-tailed Tits in the garden!

Well it's been quite a day in the garden for birds. Firstly I set myself up to try and capture a half decent image of the Blackcap warbler male. I had caught sight of him yesterday and I had hatched a plan to succeed, read all about this here, there is far too much information and I don't want it to detract from this Long-tailed Tit encounter!  So....... there I am at around 10, in my shed at the end of the garden and as I have explained it is set up with camouflage netting over the doorway, to all intents and purposes it is a very good and successful hide. I have the camera focused, adjusted and pointed on the apple tree and specifically the last remaining half eaten fruit where I am expecting to see the Blackcaps. it's a little quiet and I turn to sit, in that instant I realize that there is a bird on the feeder positioned just a feet from me. I quickly trained my camera on to it and to my astonishment it was a Long-tailed Tit. Now these are not rare whatsoever in England and we have them in the garden most winters, if not every winter, but not last year strangely, for the last 23 years. I had been looking forward to a visit from them, and now Murphy was playing a part and I was not ready for the event. I tried quickly to focus the camera manually and adjust other settings but it was only a momentary visit and he/she had grabbed a sunflower heart and left the scene of the crime before I could get a mug shot!! It was there long enough for me to grab a few photos which just showed legs and tails but I did note that the bird was sporting a big shiny BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) ring. The day proceeded and I managed good photos and views of the Blackcaps that you can read about as above. At around 3.30 after a particularly entertaining FA Cup Football match on the box I went up to the bathroom to see if there was anything about and in the apple tree. As if by magic there appeared a flock of Long-tailed, first 2 or 3 and then more and more until the garden was alive and buzzing with them. They are so active and lively that it was a real thrill and spectacle. First they were amongst the remains of the clematis and finding aphids, all the time calling incessantly to keep contact, then they would flit across the garden and eventually on to the feeders. I tried really hard in the fading light to capture a good image, not easy with such a fast moving and almost twitching bird so inspite of about 70 photos I only ended up with 3 or 4 that were almost OK. Just one individual, and then after a few moments, another landed on the nearest feeder and I caught sight of the ring that I had seen earlier so I am pretty certain that it was the same bird.

You can see from this photo how hard it was to get a sharp shot in the dim light, there is a tiny bit of softness caused by the movement of the bird but you can get a good idea of how close this bird was to the house, just 6 feet in fact.

Stonechat Cock

I make no apology for including another Stonechat photo, they are extremely photogenic and attractive birds. Yesterday I went out to the marsh in the late afternoon as the weather had cleared and left a very clear crisp blue sky with intense sun. As it began to set it became glorious with a golden light light  cast over the marsh that complimented the muted browns and golds of dead vegetation. After a brief encounter with 3 other birdwatchers who treated me with almost contempt. Yes even in this seemingly harmless and peaceful pastime there is room for the vagaries of human behaviour. I have met these characters before and am always amazed at the unfriendly and contemptible disdain that they show me when ever our paths cross. I have tried to be friendly and communicative with them in the past but now I have given up and I just leave them to wallow in their perceived self importance. What a rant that turned in to! 

So obviously going my separate way and leaving the biffs who were trying to turn the Meadow Pipits into Water Pipits with wishful thinking, I placed myself in a gate-way with the sun behind my shoulder to my left, shining brightly on the fence post to my right. I was just reflecting on how wonderful life was and how privileged I am, when it got even better as this stunning Stonechat joined me to pose for the camera.

Blackcap-Sylvia atricapilla

Well what about this little beauty? It was lunchtime and there had been quite a lot of activity in the garden with Coal Tits and Blue Tits being joined by a Dunnock and Robin, all now getting really used to the idea that my garden is a good place to find food. From my kitchen window a little movement caught my attention and I expected to see one of the Tits moving through the cotoneaster towards the sunflower feeder. Imagine my pleasure when I saw a lovely bright and attractive male Blackcap. The first of the year. So I rushed up to the bathroom where I hoped to get a shot but there was no sign of him now. I waited and had a look at the activity further down the garden and was thrilled to see him again feeding on a the remains of a solitary apple hanging from the tree and protected by the leaves of clematis climbing through the branches. I quickly hurried to the garden shed where I positioned myself in the doorway behind some cam netting. Now with the lens focused in onto the apple I waited for 10 minutes or so. Imagine my excitement when something flew in and I focused on the bird above .......... a female of the species. I took lots of photographs of the bird who was intent on feeding on the fruit. I had wonderful views and as you can see got these fabulous photos. Blackcaps are one of the Warbler species that are known to over-winter in southern Britain. I am not sure if the individuals that we have here in the winter are Northern birds who have moved here to replace our breeding population but I would hazard a guess that this is the case. I didn't manage a good photo of the male but now they are around and they know there is a food source in the garden I am sure that they will be back. This will give me an opportunity to get some good shots of the male. I can't wait!

This is one a particularly like. In some areas of the Mediterranean, the blackcap is considered a delicacy. An estimated 900 million of these migrant birds are illegally trapped and eaten each year. It also appears that there is much, much more to this species than first meets the eye. Read this article here to find out more about migration. It seems our birds are German or Austrian birds.

Coal Tit on a garden feeder.

Yet another Coal Tit this morning on my garden feeder. If you feed birds with peanuts you can take it from me and members of the British Trust for Ornithology that birds will always prefer Sunflower over peanuts if given the choice. Other birds today have included a Dunnock which clung to the feeder for a few seconds, a most unusual sight, and Chaffinch, Blackbirds and rooks.

More Coal Tits

The first thing that anyone does when they first get up in the morning is visit the bathroom. In my house that means look out of the window to see if anything is on the nearest feeders! This morning the first thing I saw was this Coal tit, probably one of those that have been with us for weeks on and off. I grabbed the camera and even though it was quite dull just one shot recorded the visit. Throughout the morning we continued to see them from time to time. In addition a small flock of Great Tits came in and out of the Apple Tree as they passed through. These are interesting visitors because at times like this you never quite know what other little gems have chosen to join the flock! Goldrests and Blackcaps are likely candidates, but no such luck today. The weather is due to take a turn for the worse later on this week and I am hoping that a good prolonged cold snap might bring in some Siskin, Redwing or Fieldfare, all birds that will visit a garden when the going gets tough. I observed a bit of interesting behaviour yesterday as I watched the almost fearless Coal Tits fly in and out to the feeder, this Blue Tit shuffled in amongst the branches behind and secretively fed almost out of sight and almost unnoticed. Just for the record, other birds today included. Starlings,Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow and Collared Dove as well as Blackbirds (plural) and Chaffinches. This pretty much is identical to the birds seen in this week last year.

Coal Tit - Parus acer

More photos of today's Coal Tits here: PBASE Gallery

It would be hard to describe how lovely this November day has been. From the moment I got up until dusk the sun has shone clearly and the sky has been blue. I had a great morning photographing the tits. mainly Coal visiting my sunflower feeders. It was almost a constant stream of little birds and no matter where I placed them they would eventually fly in for a feed. Finally I moved one to just a few feet from the bathroom window amongst the cotoneaster, berry laden bush, and as late as 4.30, with the sun well and truly gone they were still visiting for a final feed. I have posted some more images to my gallery here so have a look.   http://www.pbase.com/charlie_fleming/image/106356238

As the sun got lower in the sky I went out for a look on Exminster Marsh. Hopeful of some good photos I wrapped up like an Eskimo climbed on the Chinese Bike and braved the almost frosty clear air. Needless to say I was just about the only person out and about. I climbed into the field and made my way towards the Stonechat area just to see if she was still in her territory for the 5th week and I am glad to report that yes she is. Her feeding regime has changed, no flying insects to catch but she seemed to be finding food amongst the long grasses and sedges. I spotted a flock of teal who were aware of me but not yet spooked and proceeded to capture some great shots with the strong setting sun highlighting their plumage. Unfortunately I had suffered a "senior" moment  and forgotten to put a memory card in the camera...... how typical is that! My first chance of some really good teal photos and I blew it!!!!!

So on the marsh we had Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail,Wren, Blue Tit, Goldfinch, Teal, Widgeon, Shoveler, Little Egret and a the exciting sound of a Cetti's Warbler so still a few good birds about.

Blue Tit

Well I have tried to get some photos today but without success. The feeders are very quiet and the weather cold with showers. We have had a lot of activity from Blackbirds in the vicinity and also a Robin was seen in the garden feeding on the sunflower hearts which have been spilled from the feeders. Sparrows were seen in the front garden, now worth mentioning as we  as a nation are experiencing a massive decline in this species, 67% in the last few years. Jackdaws could be heard and that was about it. I am keeping my eyes peeled for the first Blackcap Warblers of the year, last year they were regulars to the garden but I failed to record any really worthwhile images. The Blue Tit photo, above, is one from a visit a few days.

Update

It would be hard to describe a worse days weather so not a lot of bird watching this weekend and today especially. I have purchased more bird feeders and they are strategically placed around the garden to catch the best of the light at various times of the day. I spent a short time in my chair hide this morning and we did have a very quick visit by a Coal Tit but that was about it.

I have spent the day setting up  a gallery on the PBASE web site here. I can thoroughly recommend it for it's ease of use and professional look. It's also very easy to leave a comment and so far I have had visitors from Slovenia, Canada, USA, Australia, Singapore and New Zealand and that's just the ones I know about.

I would really appreciate it if you had a look by clicking on the link above. I have reserved this gallery for my best photographs and will be up-dating constantly with photos from earlier in the year and also new addittions as and when they are taken.

Chaffinch

My garden feeder is now attracting a regular clientele, amongst the most regulars is this hen Chaffinch that is almost permanently camped in the Apple tree waiting for her turn. I spent half an hour in the hide at around 10 and a single  Blue Tit and then a  Coal Tit took their turn.

Garden Birds

Robin

Well after yesterday's excitement and the glorious sight of a Sardinian Warbler we are back to a bit of normality today. Working from home as I do gives me the time to plan my own life but today I really did need to finish a long standing job that has been sat around for ages. But that's not to say that I didn't manage a bit of fun in the garden with the feeder. We had visits from Chaffinches who decided that rather than eat from the dish of Sunflower hearts it would be more fun to hover in front and grab one in flight, oter visitors were Great Tit and Blue Tit as well as the Robin above.

Sardinian Warbler - Sylvia melanocephala (Devon)

Well I suppose I have ruined my blog as far as the standard of photos is concerned but I am sure you are going to cut me some slack. There had been mention of a Sardinian Warbler at Berry Head since last Wednesday and I thought that with a very sunny and clear day and reports giving an exact location, well I really ought to go and see if I could have a look and get some snaps for the blog.
First a bit of background info about the species. Click here for a bit more detailed info and photos of males from mainland Europe They are mainly a bird of Southern Europe and I have always had a really soft spot for them This all stems back to finding one, stunned by the side of the road half way up the rock of Gibralter. I took it in my hand and it revived enough to fly free but before it did I studied it's plumage in great detail and was really taken with the "orbital"ring, a bare patch of skin about .5 of a mm that circles the eye. It is bright red in colour in a fit male in breeding condition and less red and intense in females and immatures. Then on visits to all the usual Med holiday destinations they are abundant but secretive, flighty and really hard to get a look at especially out of the breeding season. But you are always frustratingly aware of them because they call to each other repeatedly with a low grasshopper/wren like Zitty call.
So I arrive at the spot, conveniently just yards from the main car park at Berry Head and was pleased to see a few people kitted out with scopes and cameras staring intently at the undergrowth, always a good sign!

I was even more pleased to recognise a few friendly faces, and birdwatchers that I respect both for their knowledge and ability to see the tiniest little bit of movement and then put a name to it! So obviously this was the proper spot. I joined the few and chatted to see what was what and decided to concentrate on a small patch just in front where it had been seen only minutes before. It wasn't long before it obliged and true to it's nature showed its self for around 10 seconds . A few shots in the bag though but I continued to wait for another one.

Notice the eye ring, the cap is grey in the male this would be more intense and inky blueish black. Again she just popped in and out of sight but I did mange to at least get a good look and a few photos for the record.

This could have been such a nice photo had it been in focus but the problem quite literally is the speed of the bird and an inability to focus quickly enough before she moved on.

This is the 4th record for this species in Devon, the last one in 1992 at Prawle Point the other 2 were from Lunday Island.

As I waited this Magpie put in a nice show.

Chaffinch

Just another Chaffinch in the garden, this time a hen.

Blue Tits

A few days of dreary dismal weather had given way to a little bit of brightness. I took these photos this morning of Blue Tits on the feeder that I have now moved in to the apple tree.So it turns out that they have been a bit more wary of the feeders placement before and were not as prepared as the Coal tits to put themselves in to danger

Chaffinch

Its been an exciting couple of days since my last post. My alter-ego has been at work as the Musical Director of my band, Lympstone South West Telecoms Band, we have been taking part in the South West Championships and we achieved the best result in the band's 120 year history. But enough of that and associated hangovers, back in the garden things are happening. I decided to move one of the feeders from near to the house and position it in the tree. I am pleased to say that it is in use with a visit from the Coal Tits. Also there has been a few Chaffinches around which in it's self is nothing to shout about but they are not a really common bird in the garden. I note that at this time last year we had them visit us so there is a pattern of behaviour here. If you are not resident here in the UK and not familiar with this species, this is a male. Have a look at it's beak, of all the British finches this one is more likely to feed on insects hence the longer shape of the beak compared to some other finches that are more reliant on seed only.
We now have bright, bright sunshine so that is a nice bonus after a gloomy few days. As I noted last year we have White -tailed Bumble Bees feeding on the winter flowering Jasmine this is going to happen when we have a sunny day.

Blacbirds in the garden

Wet, very overcast and gloomy damp air is not the best weather for photos or for that matter any type of outdoor activity. Well if you live in England you had better get used to it! It's like this more often than not. So it was a day for indoors and computers. I decided to join the PBASE photo gallery web sit. In addiion to my Flickr galleries I thought I would use it for selected images. I am pleased with what I have done so far and you can have a look and see if you agree, HERE
In the garden though, in-spite of the weather there really was a lot of activity. When the rain stopped, I assume the birds had to make the best of it and feed. At one time there was at least 6 Blackbirds in the garden. This is unusual so I decided to take a really good like to see what was going on. The attraction was the cotoneaster berries at the bottom of the garden. Amongst the birds was the one pictured above. This is a bird entering it's first winter. You can tell this by the mixture of brown feathers and darker black. This is called a partial juvenile moult. The eye ring has yet to develop and the beak remains brown. All this makes this bird seem very unusually marked but once you know what is going on, then not so hard to work out. However the bird below is a totally different story and I really hope to get a better look at it sometime.

Firstly, it is a hen, the beak is mostly yellow so I am assuming it's an adult. But what is so very unusual is the grizzled markings that can be seen. Under the chin there is an area of white but the breast appears to be diffused with whitish flecking. My experience with aviculture tells me that this is not a particularly unusual variety or "sport" in captivity where lots of in-breeding happens, but it does make it a very interesting wild bird.
With the light being so poor it was very hard to get good photos. As I sat upstairs looking out carefully at the Blackbirds I was really amazed at the birds that were coming and going and using the apple tree as a stop-off point. Not in great numbers but they would have easily been over-looked. There were Great Tits, Blue Tits and the first Chaffinch of the season as well as 3 Wood Pigeons pigging out on the berries as well.

Fieldfare - Dartmoor

A lovely bright sunny day forecast and in the main it lived up to expectations. I visited Warren House on Dartmoor just for the hell of it really. Who knows what you might bump in to? There were a few showers around and it is always a bit more extreme out there on the moor but I am glad to say the sunshine continued and it was a glorious bright sunshiny day as the song goes.

So my walk began and as I progressed I began to feel the weight of disappointment starting to hit. There was absolute stoney silence, not a "dickie bird" to be heard or seen. I continued on down and paused at the top of the valley above the ruins of the old farm. In the summer this had been teeming with birds of all species including Dartford Warbler and Whinchat so I couldn't believe how still and seemingly empty it was. Then after a scan around the bushes below I saw movement then flight! Yes, I was not alone after all. The first bird turned out to be a Green Woodpecker, he wasn't going to hang around, they never do but then in the hawthorn bushes I could see first one, then more and in the end dozens of Fieldfare. It was my first look at them this season, they are a winter visitors from Scandanavia and a smashing addition to our winter bird population. I managed to get a bit closer but not very near, 50 mtrs was the nearest they would allow. But I am sure if there was time I could have sat it out and they would have come quite close. They were feeding on the Hawthorn Berries. You may remember that I mentioned yesterday that the bushes are heavily laden this year. I am really taken with theses piccies, the lichen encrusted branches contrasting with the red berries makes a real artistic image.

They were eventually disturbed by the almost inevitable dog walker, and quite predictably the dog had a snap at me, the birds disappeared "into the hills" and I called it a day.

Stonechats and more

I was chuffed when the weather cleared a bit this afternoon and I took a trip out to the marsh. It is now flooded and the small pools are now "large" pools, the ditches are over flowing to add to the lying water that now provides a perfect environment for the thousands of birds that were there today. It was almost high tide and at those times the birds move off the estuary to the safety of the flooded fields. There were immense flocks of Black-tailed Godwits which made a dramatic spectacle as they wheeled around from pool to flooded pool.

Along the lanes, from time to time contact was made with small flocks of Tits including Long-tailed and amongst them the odd little warbler which I failed to see well enough to identify. Probably Chiffchaffs as they are known to stay in Devon fro our relatively mild winters. They say that if the hedges are laden with berries then we are in for a cold winter. Well I haven't seen Hawthorn bushes quite so heavily laden as you can see.

Stonechats were again in their territories and the male at the top was showing really well in the low watery sun which highlighted his plumage and lovely eye.

Just an update

Yesterday being remembrance Sunday was a right off and a wash out as far as wildlife watching was concerned and today hasn't been much better either however in the garden whilst the rain teemed down we did have a Blue Tit and a Coal Tit fleetingly visit the bird feeder. There was a little activity in the front Holly tree, Blackbirds were feeding on the berries and also a House Sparrow just mooching around.
Blackbirds, Starlings and Collared Doves were in and out of the tree during the day and that was just about it on this miserably wet typical lousy November day in dreary Great Britain! If you check on this day last year by clicking here you can see that it was pretty much the same then.

Lapwing Exminster

Double Click on the image here to open it in it's own window.
After the exotic yesterday I was brought down to earth with a bump. I check out Exminster Marsh daily. I am on the look out for Water Pipit and Brambling which I am pretty certain I will bump in to before the year is out. Of course, I would also like to get good photographs of both and I am putting in the time which is probably the only way to do it. I also am very frustrated by the number of times that I disturb Snipe sometimes only a few feet away but still I don't see them until they are flushed. This is driving me around the bend to be honest. So all in all today's visit was pretty uninspiring. All the usual protagonists were about. I was quite surprised to see a small group of Lapwing Plover amongst the Teal on the Spoonbill pond. I am assuming that the resident breeding colony have been joined by some migrant birds as from time to time I saw quite large flocks. I can't see why the RSPB seems to be so obsessed with Lapwings, can you believe that the focal point of Exminster Marsh for example is to establish the perfect habitat for this species. Of course other species benifit as well but I find it hard to get my head around this as they give figures of 156.000 breeding pairs of this bird in the UK. Why all the outlay of cash from them, plus countless man hours from their wardens. At times they are a strange collection of people who do the oddest things like introduce Bustards to Salisbury plain and Sea Eagles in Scotland yet I haven't had a Song Thrush in my garden for 12 years but they don't appear to be addressing this at all, I wonder what their true agenda really is. Check the RSPB Lapwing page for their facts about this species
You might also be interested to know that the Crane for example has been establishing it's self into East Anglia, albeit very slowly without any intervention whatsoever from the RSPB and in actual fact it is thought that the lack of interference from bodies such as the RSPB has been the reason for the success of the species. Also the Spoonbills that bred in Scotland this year did so without the knowledge and interference from the RSPB so it does open up a bit of a debate on their activities. I for one am also very suspicious of the motives of introducing the Osprey into Scotland, again at great expense and feel that it would have been more beneficial to direct their monies in a more general direction rather than concentrate on one glamour bird that in world wide terms is neither endangered or rare.
Back to Exminster Marsh, the RSPB are always fiddling about with the habitat there, be it digging or creating new ditches complete with JCB diggers for days on end. They tramp over the Marsh in white suites spraying weed killer on the sedges..... yes they really do, do that! In August one poor lady warden spent the day with a strimmer chopping reeds down then a few weeks later cattle were grazing the very same field and trampled the remaining reeds down completely, begging the question, "What the hell was she doing that for if the cattle were coming onto that pasture very soon anyway".
I can give you numerous examples of work that in my opinion has impacted on the welfare of the birds on their marsh including wardens free to trample on so called sensitive areas including one individual who I watched while he searched for the Cattle Egret that we had recently, with absolutely no regard for the other birds he was disturbing, I was watching quietly out of sight and that is what he should have been doing and only goes to prove that he knew absolutely nothing about the protocol he should have being observing and not breaking.
Still, it's their plaything, they own it so I suppose they can do what they like with it. I fear they will not be happy until they have turned the whole of England in to one lovely tidy and managed zoo where every bird has a ring on it and can't come and go without being logged in by either them or the BTO! I am pretty certain that would be utopia in their eyes.

Common Crane, Modbury Devon

The Common or Eurasian Crane is an extremely rare bird in the UK. Some describe it as Britain's rarest resident breeder but surely the Cattle Egrets that bred this year for the first time or the Spoonbills breeding in Scotland may just have some say in that. Never the less for Devon it is an extremely unusual and very very rare visitor, only the second in the last few years. Now I don't consider myself a twitcher, that is someone who who just wants to tick a name on a list, but I just couldn't resist going down to Modbury, about 40 miles West, to see if I could get a look and a photo. The Rare Bird Alert Web Site had given very accurate details and what had I to lose. The Chinees Scooter stayed in the garage, just a bit too far for her, and now armed with a brand new 1.4 convertor for the Pentax away I went. Following the directions perfectly I pulled up to the gate as instructed and looked down into the "stubble" field and there it was. Firstly I couldn't believe how far away it was from this recommended vantage point, you would never ever be able to see it with the naked eye. But once I had it in my sights I was really wowed by this really exotic bird. The almost ridiculous 'bushy" tail and long neck made it seem as though I was now in Africa, it just did not seem to fit in with the landscape.

This shot is from that vantage point and even with the 1.4 convertor on this is the nearest I could make it look! You can se that it is feeding, head down most of the time and obviously finding lots of wasted seed from the harvest. From time to time it would stand up to it's full height and have a good look around, probably a defensive thing, but then resume feeding immediately. After a while i decided to go back down into the valley and cross the field for a nearer view, I could see a gap in the hedge and I thought that I would be able to get a much better shot. Well yes I did get closer but by now the sun was very low and in fact went behind a big black cloud so bad light and a difficult vantage point through the gap in the hedge made a good shot impossible. But I did manage one or two for the record as they say, the one at the top and this one.

You can just about see that it has a lovely red eye and is very elegant. So this is another lifetime first for me. I have seen Sandhill Crane and Whooping Crane regularly in the USA but to see this in our county is a really special sighting.

Just as an aside I managed to at last get that special in-flight shot of the Black-tailed Godwit this morning. I had been trying since August and never managed to get it either close enough, in the frame or in focus but this morning it came together. This has been eclipsed by the Crane though. Never the less. Here is the photo. Double click on it and it will open in it's own large window.

The image below takes you to my Flickr galleries.

Dipper in Devon

Don't you just love it when you achieve something that you set out to do, be it a big lifetime quest or just a little plan or idea that comes together nicely. Well today was just one of those days. As you can probably understand the weather at this time of year is dodgy, quite often overcast and dull and frankly there is no worse weather as far as I am concerned. But today, even with really dismal low cloud and damp air I decided to get on the Chinese bike and head out to the River Teign on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park at Dunsford. As the crow flies not far but for my liitle 5occ job she was going to have her work cut out hauling my fat backside up and down those hills. Dressed up like an Eskimo both scooter and me were relieved when we arrived at the beautiful location of Stepps Bridge.
My idea was to walk the bank of this almost gin clear, fast little river and perhaps run into a Dipper or Grey Wagtail. Dipper are one of my special favourites not only because they have such an amazing lifestyle but they are very, very "smartly dressed" birds as well. If I tell you that I had walked for at least 20 minutes before I even saw a bird then you will know how frustrated I was. I could hear birds constantly calling and singing but they were all very high in the top canopy of the trees bordering the river valley. Eventually I caught a glimpse of a Marsh Tit, then a Robin and from time to time just quick shapes moving quickly through the autumnal leaves. With my walk now well into an hour and a half I still hadn't seen a Dipper but suddenly a bird caught my eye about 30 yards down river, I thought it was a Blackbird but as I put my Binos up to my eyes it flew on to a rock opposite and, halleluha............ a Dipper at last. Almost immediately, in to view just behind on the opposite bank a couple of old lady walkers came in to view complete with Sky Blue jackets and matching boisterous Jack Russell. The self respecting Dipper immediately did a disappearing act as I casually asked one of the old Biddies if her name was Murphy but the joke was lost on her and for what it's worth me too!
So, coffee out, I resigned myself to dipping the Dipper and enjoyed the lovely peace and tranquility now that Jack Russell and owner had vanished in to the distance.
I started my walk back to the safety of the road and the waiting Chinese Scooter, keeping my eyes alert as always but with mind wandering to the thoughts of music and the score that I am currently working on. Suddenly I froze because there right in front of me on a branch in the almost dark was a bright, bright blaze of white ......... yes the breast of a Dipper, no more than 20 feet from me perched on an overhanging Silver Birch Branch. It didn't appear to have seen me so I gently put the tripod on its three feet, fired the camera up and started to snap away. I had my ISO set at 3200 as the bird was hidden in the shadows on this almost dark day. I wasn't hopeful of a really good shot in these conditions. I fiddled around in my pocket for my remote and then managed some shots as steady as I could get. The bird stayed still and calm whilst I rattled off about a dozen...... just one has turned out well, in fact I love it!!!!

So in the end a good trip and worth all the effort that both the Scooter and I put in!

Black-tailed Godwits

Today, is defining and momentous in history with the election of a new US President. After watching all the news and then being told repeatedly by the useless weather forcasters that we were in for a cloudy overcast and generally miserable day I was not at all surprised to see by 10 0'clock, cloudless blue skies and bright sun!!!!! Why do they even bother because they are so often miles off the mark.
I grabbed my kit and leapt in to the car and in a few minutes I was on the marsh and photographing Little Egrets and Black-tailed Godwits. The Godwit was one of the two or three that have been on the marsh for at least 6 weeks but today just one had strayed to within 10 feet of the muddy path and didn't much care if I was there or not. I snapped away as you do waiting for that really good pose and in the hope of something a bit special. He/she ....who knows ......... ? Just totally ignored me and even hopped past me to the little area of water to my left wher I took a couple of nice shots with really good reflections.

it might be interesting to compare these images with those taken earlier in the Autumn of the same bird and see how it's plumage colouration has changed.

After a little while it took off ..... I had just adjusted the camera to portrait mode and had I not bothered I would have got probably my best ever photo but I didn't quite catch it in-frame and was about 3 inches off. A real shame because it has spoiled a really great shot otherwise.

This one was about the best today, a really good portrait of a really nice bird, one I have got to know over the last 5 weeks or so and I wonder if the bird recognises me and sees me as no threat because that is the impression I get.

So now the weather is still bright and I could see through the Binos my "pet" Stonechat hen on her favourite perch almost waiting for me. Today she didn't disappoint and almost straight away caught a great big bee and then juggled with it back on her perch before she eventually got it down. I wonder how she deals with the sting?

Dreary UK weather

Today was one of those days when you wished you were somewhere else. The cloud was low, thick black and damp casting a dark shadow over the whole of the country and in particular my life!
Never the less it goes on and a walk in the gloom was perhaps the best way to deal with it. So what did I see, surprisingly, quite a lot.
The first bird, as I parked my car on the marsh was this female kestrel, she glided into the tree and was on the look out for prey. It is exactly the same perch that I had seen a Hobby last month and I was hoping that it was going to be that more rare species, but never mind I really love kestrels as well! With extreme adjustments to my camera I managed to at least get this record shot which hasn't turned out too bad really.

A circular walk around the extremes of the marsh took me alongside the canal eventually and with the light getting even worse it was still turning into a nice walk.. I counted 20 plus Swans, at least as many Coot a few Moorhen and a Little Grebe, the first I have seen on the canal. From the path I frustratingly, yet again saw a small group of Goldcrest again really close but too quick for a photograph. i tried to predict where they were going to fly to but I was foiled again. Then more pairs of Stonechats. I have included this photo of a male bird not because it is a particular sharp nor crisp image but the light was so unusual it has given me this quite"arty" image which I really like.

Garden Coal Tit

Its been a little bit grey and dreary this last few days so although I have been out and about it has not been particularly fruitful. On Saturday I did catch a glimpse of the Goldcrest again and almost got a photo but not quite.
I am pleased to say that I had a visit on the feeder today from a solitary Blue Tit, I grabbed my camera and rushed to the hide and was surprised to capture some nice Coal Tit photos again.

Here is the best and I think I will be hard pushed to ever get a better one. Click here and you will be able to download a file containing Coal Tit Song to your desktop.Download birdsong-coal_tit.ram