I have had a few good days photographing the birds on Dartmoor recently, even though it's a bit of a drive to get there and back, it's worth it for not only the photographic opportunities, but I enjoy the peace and tranquility, but above all, I like the idea that you never know what may show up. Stonechats, Wheatear and Meadow Pipits are breeding close to where I have been watching just lately and I have had the opportunity to photograph the adults as they come in to feed on, mainly caterpillars which they avidly search for from a high perch. In the case of the Stonechat, the male is constantly searching for food and is very successful and seems to find, and deliver at least 30 caterpillars every hour. Here he is flying in to one of his favourite perches.
Then, from the perch he can observe prey from as far as 30 feet away.
There is a breeding pair of Wheatears and both adults feed on the short grass, again on caterpillars, in just the same way as the Stonechats. The young have fledged the nest and at one time this morning two were perched on a log just in front of the wall that I was hiding behind. I took the opportunity to get some pictures of these young birds, only a few weeks old and very attractive. It's amazing when you think that the bird pictured below will, in the next few months, fly all the way to sub-saharan Africa.
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