Wildlife in a Suburban Garden

My bird year reviewed.

I have a had a successful year in 2011 with some really good photographic opportunities  from both abroad and from here at home. I visited Australia for 5 weeks with a 24 hour stopover in Singapore.  The whole experience was as good as anything I have ever experienced. Summer here in the UK was tremendous as well. Then in August I enjoyed a few days in Spain which ended in a disaster with the theft of about £5000 of gear including lenses, binoculars,  iBook, cash, Passport, driving license and all my luggage. I managed to put that behind me and due to a combination of other good fortune and a positive attitude, I was able to carry on and start to gradually replace things.

Here is the year represented by some of my most enjoyable memories, captured in photographs.  I wonder what 2012 will bring?

The start of the year was very cold and icy and we were lucky enough to have Redwing visitors in the garden who were taking advantage of the Holly and Cotoneaster berries in both the front and back of my house. 

January isn't a bad month in my neck of the woods mainly because I live near to  internationally recognised wetlands, Exminster Marsh, a winter home to thousands upon thousands of waders and ducks. The garden always provides good photograph opportunities in the winter in the shape of Blackcap Warblers and this female was a regular in the garden in the beginning of January.

December 2010 and January 2011  was a good period for Bohemian Waxwings.  This is an irruptive  species, that is to say that they are, in some years, very common but in others hardly even seen.  Winter 2010/11 was a great season for them and they turned up in my own village of Alphington and also on the nearby trading estate where they took up residence in a tree adjoining the main Renault dealership!  This photo benefits from a lovely background created by the stop lights of a passing van as he bird finished up the last few berries on this Rowan tree.

Nuthatches are a favourite species and always so lively, lovely and photogenic. I know of a feeding station on Dartmoor where they come down to the feed along with Tits and finches. I created a good "outdoor-set" with a large seed tray lined with moss and dead leaves.  I scattered sunflower amongst the vegetation and from the car, waited for the birds to come and go.

This particular session was a good one and I also photographed the Blue Tit above. Later on in the year I returned to use High Speed Flash and got a few shots of Blue Tits in flight that were very rewarding.

I took lots of photos of Little Egrets during 2011 and possibly the best, at least the one that was the most appreciated by others, was this male in breeding plumage.  I took the photograph in the harbour of Lympstone village. I stood amongst the boats and equipment on the morning of a  strange eerie day.  The light was diffused by massive white clouds and  this really helped to define the feather detail  as the wind momentarily "tossed" the plumes around.  This added to the exciting feeling of movement that I was thrilled to capture. 

In the early part of the year I discovered a Dipper territory on the River Teign. Eventually I found the nest and with the use of good camouflage, I managed to watch the comings and goings of a pair as they visited the nest to lay a clutch of eggs. The birds would approach  and then enter the nest, oblivious of me just 6 feet away. It really was a magical experience.  Unfortunately,  this coincided with the trip to Australia which meant that I couldn't follow the whole event through to the conclusion, but more about this later.

I just adore this photograph I love the way the head ctaches a shaft of light. Everything works for me, its sharp and in focus with a good depth of field. I always strive to capture good detail in the eye and this has worked as well as I could have hoped for.

 I'm lucky enough to be able to stay with my son and family close to the Penine moors and specifically a habitat that is one of the last breeding strongholds for Twite in England, Britain's rarest finch?  I have been trying over the last 3 years to photograph them and eventually, just before departing for Australia, I was successful.  I took advantage of the feeding station set up to attract the birds which is part of the Penine Twite Study.

I had only been in Australia for a few days when my wife and I were invited to accompany the Townsville Bird Club to the village of Paluma high at the top of a mountain range.  This is  a well known destination for birders. Amongst the great birds seen was this amazing species, the Eastern Spinebill.  What a beauty! We were sat eating a packed lunch when it flew down to feed on the exotic flowers in a planted border of one of the houses in the village. It was just one of more than a 100 "lifers" that I photographed..... that is birds seen for the first time in my life. What a trip.

Of all the birds seen on my Queensland/Australia trip, the incredible Rainbow Bee-eater was the most sumptuous and exciting, well worth the 27 hours flying time alone!  Not only impressive but common as well. One of the big advantages of being somewhere for more than a few days is the opportunity to really get to know an area. I set about trying to get good photos of Bee-eaters almost as soon as we arrived.  The local cemetery was an amazing place to see and photograph them especially in the mornings. The birds used the headstones to hunt from. The retained warmth of the stones meant that the insect prey  was on the wing earlier and the Bee-eaters took full advantage. Every morning I watched the incredible spectacle of these iconic birds swooping back and forth. I was sad when I left for home.

What a country Australia is, if Bee-eaters were not enough, every morning at dawn, peace would be shattered by exuberant, gaudy Rainbow Lorrikeets. They would arrive in small groups to feed on a flowering shrub close to our bedroom window, an alarm clock was  definitely not required.  But what photo opportunities every single morning and from your bed almost! 

The same flowering tree attracted Honeyeaters and the Blue Faced Honeyeater was a bird that I really enjoyed.  Here it is feeding at first light on the same tree as the Rainbow Lorrikeet.

This is a Blue-winged Kookaburra. Near to Townsvile is an attractive beauty spot called Alligator Creek. I visited a few times and each time the resident Kookaburras entertained us. Not only do they have amazing personalities but they are very photogenic.  They would wait patiently until they spotted the chance to grab a sausage or piece of meat from the picnickers, even stealing in flight from the barbecue grill.

 One morning when I arrived at the cemetery there was a Black Kite perched on one of the headstones.  I snapped off hundreds of shots as I waited for it to take off and when it did I was ready to capture the moment.  I suspect that it was waiting for lizards to appear on the stones.

On another morning, just after dawn I went to the hide on the town common reserve near to our house in Townsville. I was thrilled when I was immediately rewarded by the presence of a family of Olive Backed Sunbirds very near to the hide.  Capturing the iridescence of the bib was a real challenge.

On the subject of iridescence, Victoria's Riflebird was an even greater challenge.  This is a species of Bird Of Paradise, and a staggeringly attractive bird and for someone from the UK, a real wonderful bird to see let alone photograph and get close to.  On one trip I put my hat on the front of my car and a Riflebird came to look in the hat thinking that I had hidden food in there!

I could have posted hundreds of images from Queensland and it was hard to choose just a few to post here but if you want to see more have a look here. 

On my return to the UK I quickly set about my annual quest to photograph Cuckoos. This is a real challenge and I wasn't to know how successful I was going to be this year. Just a day or so before I tracked down the Cuckoo pictured below, I stumbled upon a lovely baby Wheatear (above).  This was on Dartmoor in an area that I visit regularly and had recently left a nest that I was lucky enough to discover.

 What can I say about Cuckoo's. I just love everything about them.  Not only are they handsome but they are elusive and almost mystical. After lots and lots of study and planning with hours of sitting and watching, it was just luck when I eventually found this bird's territory and routine. It was only in the mornings that I saw him, always in the same place and always feeding in the same way. By the middle of the afternoon, he had always gone! Then the following morning he would be back again! After talking to other birders I now realise that in the afternoon he would have been away from his feeding territory and with his "ladies" who would be actively searching out the nests of their hosts in the late afternoon and evening.  The photo above is the most appreciated photograph that I have ever taken. On the Birdguides web site, out of  209559 images this is the 10th most popular as voted by readers. Here is a link to Birdguides.

What made watching and photographing this Cuckoo easy in the end was the presence of a good food supply. The Cuckoo would position himself in one of several Hawthorn trees around an area of cropped grass. He would use his perch to sight large caterpillars, sometimes from 30 feet or even more and then gliding down to pick them off the grass before flying back up to his perch. 

My way of getting close to this bird was to hide myself behind an ancient stone wall that adjoined the grassy area.  I could hide myself quite comfortably, dressed in a "gillie suit" including a hood and in this way be almost invisible. This suit has been instrumental in getting me real close to some special birds.  Very close to the wall there was a dead, and very photogenic log and while I was waiting for the Cuckoo other birds would come and go, all feeding on the same caterpillars. 

This Whinchat was one such bird that popped in to view one morning.

In spite of being  one of the UK's most common breeding birds, this year I found my first Willow Warbler nest. I sat watching a pair over several days at a spot on Dartmoor....... my favourite place on earth!!!  I knew that they were feeding youngsters somewhere very close but it still took me ages to find the nest even though I saw both birds bringing food constantly.  Again, I took some great photographs and you can view more here.

I mentioned earlier that I had been watching Dippers at their nest before I had left for Australia in late April. Although of course, I was pleased and excited about the trip I was disappointed to be leaving the breeding Dippers behind. So, after my return home I went back to their nest site to have a look to see if they had been successful after all. I was really excited to see this youngster in the territory and finished up with a photograph or two to prove their success.

Back out deeper on the moor I continued to watch the spot where the cuckoo had been seen and photographed. A pair of Stonechat were feeding their youngsters, recently fledged and gave me some good photo opportunities.

I have another favourite spot on Dartmoor where I have built a little hide/cover on the edge of a pool.  It is very productive.  My strategy is to sit in this little hide by the pool, totally concealed. Hot days during dry spells are best because the birds come in to drink and bathe in the pool, especially when conditions are dry. I photographed a whole list of birds at this pool, the most exciting being  this Lesser Redpoll on July 4th. This was possibly the height of my year. 

My short trip to Spain, birdwise, was a good one. Unfortunately some of the best pictures were lost when I had my gear stolen but I did manage to save a few pictures which were still on an SD card in my camera.  I took very nice pictures of Hoopoe that I was gutted to lose. Squacco Heron were common, here is one of the best ones taken.

Grey Phalarope are annual passage migrants through Devon and I caught up with this one on Upper Tamar Lake in North Devon.  Although they are a great bird to see, it wasn't my best wildlife moment to be frank.  I like to find my own birds and wildlife moments, preferring to be alone even if the birds you find for yourself are not quite as notable. Its much better to have them to yourself and far more rewarding.  But a great bird for all that.

In September my wife, myself and two others traveled to Lundy Island off the coast of Devon.  One of my  pictures from 2010 had been placed first and the prize was a trip for 4 to the island. Unfortunately the weather was awful on the day. It rained constantly and was grey and desolate.  I have no great desire to return to Lundy again in the future, the whole experience was pretty dire to be frank!  The only birds seen were species that I could have seen at home  and kept dry as well! But I did photograph this nice little Swallow as a memento of the day.

 

Grey Herons are  common in Devon and being the UK's largest predatory bird, pretty impressive to say the least.  I love getting close to them and this autumn one particular bird on the Exeter Canal was the most obliging Grey Heron that I had ever encountered.  I got to know it's habits well. It had a lot of success fishing of the surface of the canal and once the water had warmed up and the fish moved to the surface it could catch small pike and perch constantly.  This provided some really amazing photo opps.

You wouldn't imagine that Grey Wagtails are capable of catching small fish but I was as surprised as you when I photographed this from my Kingfisher hide on the Alphin Brook close to home. It certainly isn't a fluke because over the course of a week or two I observed this regularly.

From the same hide I had a regular visit from this Wren who would come down to the waters edge to bathe every afternoon (that I was there at least), at around the same time. It pleased me to get a photo that was more than just a portrait.  I try hard when I take photographs, to capture something just a bit different than a simple pose. The reflection achieves that in this photograph.

Snow Buntings have been quite easy to find in Devon this winter and we have had them both in North Devon near to Bideford at Sandymere where this picture was taken in October, and also a nice bird on the beach at Budleigh Salterton.

Also back in October I discovered that Goosanders use the Devon Reservoirs as roosts and feeding grounds before the winter sets in.  During a visit  I noticed that there were a few females on Venford Reservoir. They were not approachable and quite quickly, when disturbed flew accross the reservoir away from the disturbance.  I reasoned that it wouldn't be too hard to "stake" out an area of water close to the edge and wait it out for one or two to come close.  So camouflaged and concealed I sat for a couple of hours and waited for one or two to approach as I hoped.  On this particular day the sun was shining very brightly and when eventually one did venture near, the light was just perfect. This is a "brown-head" female of course.

This Blue Tit was taken with high speed flash. using multiple flash guns set at 1/16th power the duration of light is very short and the action can be frozen as you can see. I am thrilled with the result of this "high-speed flash" and can only expect to capture some better and better photographs with luck and patience.

Almost finally, a Kingfisher.  I have a hide on my local brook where I photograph Kingfishers.  This year, up until late October was nowhere as productive as in the two previous years. But suddenly a female decided to use the territory and that is so exciting. Imagine being 3 feet from a Kingfisher, well I have been closer and very regularly.  On one session in December I knew that a bird was around but just couldn't see her from the hide. When I eventually got up to leave I realised that she had been resting on the camera lens protruding from the hide!  I have hundreds if not thousands of Kingfisher photgraphs, and at the end of the year I wa able to add to my collection with some great shots like the one above.

Right at the end of the year I photographed Waders at a high tide roost on the River Exe. It was the shortest day of the year and the sun began to set at aroud 3.30.  A lone Dunlin came in and rested on a rock, it was very close!  Gradually the water got higher and higher until it was surrounded.   

 

It's now 2012 and whats in store for this year?  It gets off to a great start and  on the 5th I fly out to South Florida. Watch this space!

 

 

Garden birds.

A few photos from the garden today including this photogenic female Blackbird feeding on pyrocantha berries.  I plonked myself on the top of my flat roofed garage and sat in my chair hide.  I was waiting for one of the Redwings that have been feeding in the garden since Christmas Eve.  Redwings are a European thrush species that winters here  in the UK.  They are feeding on the berry bushes in my garden at the moment.  This is an anual event when they join the resident Blackbirds, local Song Thrushes  and migrant Fieldfares in a berry feast. It is worth mentioning a few facts about Blackbirds - (Turdus merula) because  I have lots of visitors on the blog from the USA and Canada who are probably not familiar with our European Blackbirds.  Unlike your New World  Blackbirds, the European  Blackbird is a "thrush" and as you can probably tell, closely related to the American Robin (Turdus migratorius). In fact the probably fit the same niche as your American Robin.  They are about the same size  and as the name suggests, the male is a jet black bird with a yellow beak.  Females are brown with just a hint of a speckled breast like the Song and Mistle Thrush. Males sing a beutiful lyrical song which is an evocotive part of England, particularly at dawn and dusk in spring and summer. 

 

I never did get a really good shot of the Redwings, but there is always tomorrow! In addition to the birds already mentioned we had a nice Wren - Troglodytes troglodytes  in he garden as well as another male Blackcap, to read about my garden Blackcaps this year and their story, click on the link here.

On the same theme; that is, birds who may or may not be familiar in both Europe and North America,  the House Sparrow - Passer domesticus is a worrying bird for British and European ornithologists.  This species is just as common in the US as it is in Europe and maybe even more so because they are in massive decline here in England. At one time they would have been present in English gardens and Cities in pest and plague proportions but are now absent from most English and Eouropean cities where they were once numerous. There are lots of theories as to why this is but as far as I can discover, no one seems to be doing anything about it.  I am, however, quite lucky because they are still common in Exeter, Devon and we have them daily in my garden. 

Christmas Eve and Redwings come in to the garden.

I would have liked to be able to post lots of glorious pictures this evening and  it's a rare day when I haven't, but with the house full of Christmas visitors it wasn't possible however, I have a few nice garden birds  to report. December last year was a cold Arctic affair and the winter Thrushes came in to garden at the end of  November.  By Christmas the Holly berries had been stripped from the garden tree. Today we had our first Redwings feeding in the Holly and then at the bottom of the garden, 2 Redwings were perched high on the conifer bush. The usual Blue Tits were on the feeders throughout the day as well as a Robin and two Dunnocks.  But the highlight was a nice male Blackcap at lunchtime, and then presumably the same one at dusk.  Blackcaps have not been as frequent in the garden this winter so far, so nice to have a male again.  In the early afternoon I went and sat in the hide on the brook, hoping to get a couple of Kingfisher photos but strangely enough she wasn't there today but after a while a Grey Wagtail came along. Something spooked her unfortunatley so the picture I took is not very good but I have posted it because it clearly shows the female Wagtail that I photographed back in October. She has a white feather on her head so it's possible to recognise her. Glad that she is surviving the winter so far, will be interesting to see  if she stays to pair up with the male that is in the territory. 

 

Here she is back then.

Whereever you are in the world, (and the blog has had visitors from 140 different countries), can I wish you a Happy Christmas and lets hope that we all, wherever you are, have a peaceful 2012.  I have done a great deal of travelling in my life and the one thing that is common amongst ordinary people is a quest for happiness and contentment. It's just politics, greed and religious fanatics that spoil it for us all. (Oh and shame on you nasty thieves that stole all of my equipment in Spain in August which was one of the low point in the year for me). 

Snow Buntings by the mouth of the River Otter

Snow Buntings are pretty little birds, pretty special and pretty rare in to the bargain. I wouldn't like to estimate how many spend the winter here in the UK but it may be just a few hundred, if even that..... who knows for certain?  I last saw them in North Devon,  at Sandymere on  26th October and then last December at Turf Lock on Exminster marsh. It was nothing short of a gale when I left in the early afternoon to go and see if I could find the one that had been seen for the last week or so on the shingle bank close to the mouth of the River Otter. When I got there it was desperately bad with driving icy rain and a wind that made your face numb with cold.  I had deliberately gone when the weather was bad because I was hoping that this might create some atmosphere to the photographs and also, of course it would be a little quieter.  It wasn't long before I caught sight of the little bird flying from the shingle.  I saw approximately  where it landed and walked in that direction.  But it was really hard to find amongst the shingle. Eventually, after lots of searching,  the rain had stopped by now, I found it feeding on grass seeds amongst the small clumps of sparse vegetation growing amongst the pebbles.  It was incredibly  camouflaged and even when just ten feet away you could lose sight of it.  I took lots of pictures, trying to get at least one decent one, I think I did, but that's for you to judge.

 

Just a great end to the day and a lonely Dunlin

This picture excites me. A lovely result from a short session. It was a real surprise when I got home and I had a look at the results at the end of yesterday's shortest day. Just about every local birder is aware of the potential for good photographs at Turf lock on the Exe Estuary. There is a a spot on the river that, at high tide is used as a roost for Dunlin, Redshank and Grey Plover. You would think that it would be simply a case of concealing yourself close to the roost spot, at the right time of course, and wait for the birds to come in. If only it was that easy. I have tried two different methods of concealment but neither has worked adequately really. The birds are simply not prepared to accept the presence of a strange object close to their roost. Yesterday the high tide was due to coincide with sunset so I decided to try my pop-up chair hide. I arrived at around 10 to 3, knowing that it would be dark by 4 o'clock. I concealed myself inside the hide, close to the edge of the bank and waited, something that I am very used to doing. The tide continued to rise quickly, the water was "millpond" calm and the sun came out very low in the evening sky, it was beautiful. Then a small flock of Dunlin did a "fly by" of the roost. They were checking out the area before they flew in, firstly flying down river, circling back and then flying up the river past the hide, each time getting closer and closer and I really thought they had decided it was safe. Then one bird settled on a rock just in front of me and I waited for the others to join it. But they didn't! At least now I had a bird to photograph!

It seemed calm, content and relaxed and over the next 20 minutes the water level rose until the rock was completely submerged and covering it's feet and now the bird was almost swimming. To my right and very close in, there was a real distraction. A drake red-breated Merganser was fishing in the flat calm water, only 10 feet from me, a real photo opportunity. It was diving constantly as they do and I just couldn't get my camera on it. Then it popped up with a small flat fish which it immediately dropped and then dived again to try to catch. That was very close to being a wonderful photo but unfortunately, it didn't happen.
After not too long the water level was almost over my boot laces so I had to climb out of the hide and pack up before I had wet feet which pretty much coincided with the loss of light anyway. Before I departed the scene I had a look further down river for the small flock of Dunlin and there they were in another little spot that I know they favour. I crept close on my belly. One of the Dunlin alarmed and off they went leaving this lone Grey Plover to have his photo taken.
Grey Plover are an interesting species that I also see on my travels to the USA where they are known as Black-bellied Plover. They are often seen on the beaches near to Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, Florida where my sister lives and where my wife and I visit regularly and where we will be spending most of January.

Avocet

I built a little structure of rocks and covered it with a cam tarpaulin, climbed inside and waited for the Avocets to get nearer. Unfortunately they didn't get as close as I would have liked but I did get some photos and with a crop I have got something to post here. It would be nice to see if I can get a bit closer when I return and hopefully with some sunny weather I could have a bit more success.

Cormorant - Phalacrocorax carbo

I like Cormorants! There, I've said it! They are brilliant at fishing and this brings them in to conflict with anglers. As someone who has fished, I can understand the hatred by fishermen, but, you know what, Cormorants were here first and I enjoy watching them fish. In my conversations with anglers I have discovered that no amount of reasoning could ever convince them that they should tolerate Cormorants. In the same way that anglers want to kill Cormorants,  Otter are also on their list. Even though Otters were re-introduced in small numbers to Kent where they apparently still didn't flourish, there is a perception amongst anglers that Devon Otters are not here naturally and they should be culled...... that means killed of course.......I would hope that everyone would hold their hands up in horror if that were to ever even be considered. So here is something to think about, we are about to start killing Badgers, you can get a license to kill Cormorants already, pigeon fanciers shoot Peregrine falcons and gamekeepers are quite happy to poison buzzards, Goshawks and Harriers. Cormorant culls?..... Just the thin edge of a sad wedge that is already out of hand.

Red - breasted Merganser Drake.

I had said yesterday when I blogged about the "brown-head" Red-breasted  Merganser, that I had seen males fishing in that area, right by the lock gates, and it would be just a matter of time before I got the same opportunities with one. Well, I didn't need to wait long because when I arrived today one was fishing right there! There was a photographer opposite with his lens "locked" on to it.  That was good for him but I needed to wait until he had finished and the bird had paddled away  before I quickly scurried in to position.  I hope that the other photographer didn't think I had disturbed it, it certainly wouldn't have been my intention, anyway it quickly returned to the water right in front of me and I got the shots that I had been hoping for. 

This is a frustrating place to take photographs though. Every time one of the Mergansers comes in to the 'bay" to fish it obviously attracts the attention of the next group of walkers, bikers and/or casual bird-watchers. The ducks then obviously paddle away from the perceived danger area leaving the onlookers to chat away just above me, not realising that I am tucked away just below.  It is then just a waiting game for both me and the  Mergansers, who have by now  disappeared too far for the "birders" to see properly. They quickly get bored and move on and as soon as they do, back comes the duck!  Interestingly hardly anyone seems to realise that if they just stopped talking, banging around and stepped back 2 or more feet, the bird would continue fishing and they could have really splendid views. Not trying to be controversial but I do find it incredible that people generally are so, so noisy.  Lots of people seem to think that "real wildlife watching" is like being at the zoo and it doesn't matter how much disturbance you cause. Each to his own of course but the over-all experience for everyone would be so more rewarding with just a little more thought.  I even met a birder today who was wearing a fluorescent yellow jacket, now that's plain stupid in  my opinion.

The Kingfisher branch that I placed by the water's edge had definitely been used again with more guano splattered around and just as before, lots of Otter tracks in the mud.

Dunlin, Redshank and Grey Plover at Turf.

Yesterday at Turf, right at the top of the high tide a small flock of Dunlin were roosting on the old posts at the edge of the river by the small spit. There seemed to be a bit of competition for these roosting posts and as well as the Dunlin there were two Grey Plover and a few nice Redshank. As they came in to settle there was some fantastic photo opportunities, I tried really hard to get some photos of them as they flew in. However it was extreme! I had to commando crawl on my elbows for 30 feet to get to the edge of the bank through the wet and muddy grass. Then at the edge I disguised myself with my gillie hood, and it worked wellalthough the light could have been a bit better (it always can)

 

Red-breasted merganser

I had quite a successful session this morning even though it was damp and raining. I like a challenge and with the promise of getting photos of the Kingfisher at Turf, I thought that a dull wet day would be a good one. It certainly would quieten things down, and if I have learnt one thing about Kingfishers it is that they are easily disturbed. I was very pleased when I got to the spot where yesterday I had placed a stick over the water. The stick was wet with guano and the mud beneath was white and splattered. Reading the signs, I could tell that sometime before I had arrived a Kingfisher had been on the perch. It is tidal at this point and so it was easy to work out that the droppings were fresh. Not only had the Kingfisher been there, there was Otter tracks in the mud as well, a sure sign that an Otter had been there this morning as well. I sat down close to the perch and waited for the Kingfisher to arrive but it didn't! Typical of Kingfishers, once you think that you have it sorted they do something unexpected! But not to worry, that little spot is good for other species and the Red-breasted Merganser (brown-head) above put on quite a show. It really is exciting...... imagine you are sat quietly concealed and a photogenic bird is on it's way towards you. This particular bird has the habit of coming to fish right close in by the lock gates giving real opportunities for good photographs. I watched her...... (I do believe she is a young female).... diving as she searched for food. I counted to myself while she was under water and tried to predict where she would surface. She was under the surface for a count of 25 to 30, this was useful to know because I could then try to predict where she is going to emerge. I was trying to catch her with prey in her beak when she surfaced and I almost did a couple of times but I suspect that she was feeding on small prey which she could swallow almost immediately. It certainly was great to photograph her. Previously I have seen males fishing there as well so,hey...it's just a matter of time and a bit of luck.

More about a colour ringed Redshank

On Friday I photographed a colour-ringed Redshank that was wearing a green transponder on her left leg. "Her", how can I be so specific?  Well, it hasn't taken long to discover a lot of information about this interesting little wader. Pictured above is the farm field where she was hatched, where she spends the summer, and where she herself bred this year and reared at least one chick. She is 7 years old and earlier this year she was fitted with the green transponder on her left leg. This is part of  study by Dutchman Wim Tijsen who lives nearby in De Dolven, Westerland in the Netherlands.  Here is a copy  of the two emails I received from Wim yesterday:

 

"Thank you very much for this important sighting! The first evidence that this bird is really wintering in your area, while all my other Redshanks are wintering in Portugal/Spain and even in Guinnee Bissau in  Afrika! I have add your sighting to the database via the website below. So if you see this bird more, you can make your own account on this website, which is also in English.

I use this bird always in my presentations, because its feeding in the same sort of area, where it feeds in late summer at Waddensea-coast Balgzand, close to my home. That is very funny, because its just in a opposite position, along a canal what is loosing the water along a sluice at the Waddensea. And in your area there is also a kind of sluice, where it feeds along an outlet of water...

I live 1 km from the Waddenseacoast and the bird is breeding also 1 km from my home at Normerpolder.

 I have included the life history in an excel-sheet.

Also included a article which was in the Wader Study Group Bulletin, which give you more information about my project. The green flag is a transponder, which will give us more idea hopefully next spring about the difference in breeding between male and female. We put a metal ring around the nest and every time the bird goes on and off the nest, the datalogger detects the transponder.

So hopefully it will come back next spring, so keep an eye on her!  And send her safe back..."

..........and then a reply to my email to him where I said how thrilling it was to find out about the bird.

 

"Hi Charles, yes indeed it's great that this bird is behaving different, that's fascinating. But maybe by the warmer winters they tend to winter closer to there breeding area as they used to do.  Here is a picture when I caught her back last spring to add the transponder, I caught her with my landing net. They raised at least one or more juveniles this spring despite the very dry summer. But the farmer I am working with is into nature farming and mow's his land very late, after 8 june or later for the birds in schedules. If you look at the lide-historie you can see that the farmer (Jan Mulder) also caught her back by hand when she was a juvenile.

 

 

 My main study area is around a skating rink in a open polder of 40 hectares, the skating rink is specially a wet-grass-land area, where the farmer get paid for. It is wet for 60% untill 15-5.

This year my farme rpumped his land wet during the dryness, specially forthe meadow birds.

In this area we have 15 paires of lapwing, 10 pairs of godwitts, 25 pairs of redshank and 20 oystercatchers."

On reading her life history I discovered that she has been to the Exe before and was seen at Turf in 0n 10 November 2005 but it's not sure if she stayed for the winter  but wasn't seen back in Devon until this November.  Did she go further south in the winters between?   Wim's other Redshanks all spend the winters in Spain or Portugal and one as far south as Africa.

How fascinating is this?  To see photographs of her back in the Netherlands is really interesting.  It also speaks volumes about the important role that ordinary people like may can make just by being observant and inquisitive.  I will post more about her here especially if I see her again in the weeks to come.

 

 

 

 

 

Fieldfare - Turdus pilaris

Fieldfare (a classic pose)

When I had walked along the Exeter Ship Canal yesterday I had been pleased to see hundreds and hundreds of Fieldfare and Redwing, thrushes from continental Europe that arrive in the UK to spend the winter in the slightly more amenable climate. They were feeding on berries, mostly hawthorn. My plan today was to pick a bush that the thrushes were feeding on and then try and place myself with the sun behind me with the camera at the ready. I put on my Gillie suit and hood and this proved to be quite a good camouflage. After a few minutes if I stood really still the birds would return to feed. In the end I managed a few good photos of both Fieldfare and Redwing. All in all, with the Merganser photos captured and posted earlier, it was a cracking afternoon.

Red-breasted merganser

I took this photograph this afternoon at Turf Lock, where the Exeter Ship Canal joins the Exe Estuary. I had notoced several Mergansers yesterday, both males and a few, either females or 1st year males which are known as "Brown Heads", like the one pictured above.  I was very pleased to get as close to this bird as I did, because I thought it through at home and came up with a strategy that worked as you can see.  It wasn't without it's dramas though. In fact it was a weird scary altercation with a man of my age and his very, very aggressive wife. I had sat quietly by the lock as the bird came closer and closer fishing in the deep channel.  It was no more than 15/20 feet from me and I was enjoying watching it fishing.  Then suddenly a couple in their 60's arrived and even though they had a pair of binoculars, they were very noisey and obviously the Merganser did a "runner" as you would expect.  I tried not to be rude but made what I thought was a helpful coment to them that if they had just been a little more quiet they could have watched the bird, as I was, fishing and just in front of them. With that the man went absolutely ballistic and started saying that you people make me sick accompanied by all the usual swearing that people who have "lost the plot" use. They explained as they ranted, that I was crazy and miserable..... actually nothing further from the truth..... and kept on swearing at me and then the women started to try and poke me!  I ask you?  I packed up my gear and left the scene with the bird, who was by now on the way to Exmouth (4 miles away). What planet are some people on?

Anyway, Red Breasted Mergansers are diving "saw-billed" ducks who catch and eat fish. They are  similar to Gossanders that I have posted photos of recently, especially the females and young males. Heres a picture of a "Brownhead" Goosander for comparison.  As you can see, there is a clear demarcation line between the brown head in the Goosander (see below). In the Red-breasted Merganser above, the difference is not so distinct. Also, habitat is diagnostic. In the winter time Gossanders are  a river and lake bird, Mergansers are more likely to be found around the coast and in Estuaries.

Colour Ringed Redshank

Its odd that only in my last entry  I blogged about a colour ringed bird, a Black-headed Gull that turned out to have been ringed in Finland. It took more than two months to confirm that, but today I photographed a very interesting colour ringed Redshank.  I knew that the weather was going to be nice and clear this morning, it's been so bad just lately, wet and overcast mostly. But today as the morning developed so the weather cleared and it was a bright cloudless winter morning. I decided to check out the marsh at Exminster, always a good winter site for birds.  I was staggered at the quantity of birds, it was like an aviary with ducks, waders small finches and geese everywhere. I could have spent hous just searching through them but instead I blagged a lift in the back of a Post Office Van to the end of the marsh at Turf Lock......I had a plan, there's always a plan! 

When I got there I immediately saw Red-breasted Mergansers fishing close in and by the lock gates and that excited me. I decided to have a look on the river because my plan was to sit under my bag hide and photograph the waders as the tide receded. In the past I have seen Grey Plover here as well as Redshank, Dunlin and quite often Avocet. I sat down on the mud (in waterproof gear), covered myself with the bag hide and sat it out tucked away neatly with my back up against the bank. I was quite surprised that I had to wait for quite so long but eventually a Redshank worked towards me and I started to take photos. In the end it finished up really close and I noticed that it was sporting rings on both legs and whats more I could read the numbers very clearly. A bit of research this evening , just minutes really, and a bit of help from Gavin Haigh of the Devon Birds blog, led me to quickly discover that it had been ringed in the Netherlands  and was part of an ongoing survey. I have sent off the details and I expect to discover if it has been seen before and when and, specifically where it  was rung. 

Oh...... and in the afternoon I had a tooth pulled. As I lay in the dentist chair I tried to think of the nice morning I had enjoyed to take my mind off it, and it almost worked!

A nice female Linnet.

It's been a good day for the Blog with a new visitor from Madagascar  today, the 140th country to visit the blog.

Black Headed Gull

Back in August I observed a Black Headed Gull in the car park of Michael Wood Services wearing a silver split ring. I was able to take a good photo of the split ring and then report the number to the British Trust for Ornithology in an effort to find out about the history of the bird which turns out to be very interesting. It was ringed in 2001 as a 1 year old but even more interesting is that the bird was ringed in Finland, specifically at Kokkola in the Vaasa region. This is in fact 2012 Km from Michael woods Services, (but it did have 11 years to get there). Interesting that the Black headed Gulls that we see here in the UK have been hatched, or potentially would be more accurate to say, In such exotic locations. Also interesting that the bird was 11 years old and still wearing the ring (for it's entire life). I note that the UK's breeding population of Black Headed Gulls is swelled by 1.5 million birds in the winter, obviously birds from colder northern climates travelling to a warmer British winter!

 

Observant readers of my blog will see that I have slipped down the rankings of the birding top 1000 in the last few days? This is due to a glitch when the code that records visitors to my site needed updating. This has now been done and we are climbing back up the table back to my original and rightful spot.!!!!!!

......... and more Kingfishers from the afternoon.

I have never had such a great opportunity to watch a Kingfisher as I did today, consequently I took full advantage of it.  The reason for this was due to the feeding behaviour of the resident female Kingfisher. Her "patch" is not only reasonable small at the moment, fortunately it is centred around my hide. But what has made it easy to see her is the way she is fishing at the moment. Previously when I have watched Kingfishers feeding  they seem to have a favourite spot where they will dive several times for fish, and remain on the same perch until successful. Feeding is usually an early morning and late evening affair, with opportunistic feeding during the day if an opportunity presents itself. But at this time of year with only 8 hours of daylight, my guess is that Kingfishers need to hunt pretty much the whole day long to get enough food.  This is exactly what "my" Kingfisher wass doing today but in a very sensible fashion.  She was 'working" every part of her territory by fishing for a few minutes, if a dive produced a fish or not, she would then move on twenty feet or so where the process would be repeated. Then when she had got to the extremeties of her territory, she would turn and fly back to the end of her patch, flying quickly a few hundred yards and past me, to eventually pass by me again fishing, in the way that I have described before.  She repeated this behaviour throughout the day fishing constantly. I first saw her at around 9 0'clock and I watched her fishing like this until past 11, and then again from 1 until 3 when the light, in the heavy rain started to fail.  I would estimate that I saw her catch and eat at least 20 fish.  At times the light was almost good enough to get some in-flight shots, I have been trying for ages to acheive what I consider to be the ultimate. The real problem is that the brook at this time of the year is always in a degree of shade.  But, never the less I persevere and one day with a bit of luck I will be successful I hope. But here are some of the pictures that have excited me today.

Kingfisher

A few photos from a morning session.

Kingfisher perches on my lens!

It's well and truly Christmas for me at the moment. As a musician I am already in to my umpteenth rendition of Silent Night!  So in between Christmas Carols and Christmas shopping, I managed an hour just before dusk in my Kingfisher hide. I knew it was going to be good when, as I arrived, she flew from the perch in front of my hide. The light was good and I was hoping to see her close again pretty soon. So it proved when she showed herself,  fishing again close by from the rushes opposite.  Then she flew litterally towards me and when I peered through the various 'peep-holes", both to my right, up-stream and opposite; on her favourite perch, there was just no sign of her. I sat it out for the remainder of the light but  didn't see her again. Then just as dusk arrived, a dog walker decided to throw a stick in to the brook right where I was hoping she would appear again. I am pretty sure that this moron knew that I was in the hide because he must have been blind not to see the hide and the camera sticking out of the side of it.  I emerged quickly and angrily remonstrated with him. To prove that he knew I was there all along, he showed no surprise when I suddenly appeared...... well he wouldn't if he knew I was there.  Whats more, I think he deliberately sent his dog in to the brook in front of me just to be awkward. In my three years, and hundreds of hours of watching, this is my first example of hasstle from anyone so I supose I have been very lucky up until now.  I told him in no uncertain terms that he was out of order and then of course, as is customary in situations like this, he got aggresive back! Not backing down of course, he retreated away, I don't suppose he expected me to have the guts to be as protective of the birds as I was but I was so angry by then, any fear of a thump in the chops had disappeared. I can be very amiably but also, if stirred up I am not proud of my reactions some times. 

Anyway, back to the Kingfisher, when I packd me gear away and picked up the camera, the lens cover was covered with guano. She had actually been  sat on my lens for who knows how long, but long enough to make quite a mess. Image she would have been just 3 or 4 inches from my face.  Quite amazing really.  

Having been away up north for the last couple of days, I returned back to Devon yesterday and then went, just before dark, to my Kingfisher hide.  I wanted to check that everything was OK. unfortunately it appears that someone has been inside  my hide. Quite a cheek if you ask me. To be honest, the Blog has started to become abit of a dilema.  When I report, with photos, the presence of Kingfishers then the interest builds and I am then subject to a bit of disturbance. But I suppose that I will just have to get used to that and hope that  it doesn't get out of hand.  I am lucky that  the hide is, in the main, left alone and not vandalised at all.

Today I had a tremendous 30 minutes with her. I was in the hide for only 8 minutes before she put in an appearance. It was around 11 when I arrived. I had to leave it until then because of the sun being in the wrong place. It always amuses me that I get so excited about seeing her inspite of hundreds of close ups before.  She was fishing as I hoped she would be and frantically flying to and frow successfully catching fish as you an see.  At one point she was high up on a Bullrush before plunging down to catch a fish very near. She flew ontothenear perch to deal with it. Then she continued fishing, flying up stream and eventually disappearedout of sight. Some twenty minutes later she returned in the opposite direction, now down stream and landed on a rush again before being disturbed by a dog walker. 

   

My day with a Kingfisher

 

II don't know why she held this  fish high before it was turned and swallowed head first as normal. 

I have probably blogged around 50 times about kingfishers on my local brook but I have to say that today was one of the more special days. The resident Kingfisher seems to be really happy with what is on offer around my hide at the moment, some nice perches courtesy of me and evidently lots of prey in the form of small fish to hunt for. I would say that this time of the year is by far the best time to see your own Kingfisher, the day length is short and the Kingfishers need to be fishing almost constantly to get through the long night, roughly two thirds longer than the day. Because they are on the move in their territory looking for food they will come and go more frequently multiplying your chances of seeing one. Kingfisher populations can fluctuate so much, especially in more northerly parts of the UK and Europe where the water ices over with more regularity. I had been in the hide only 8 minutes before she was in front of me today but she left quickly, always a sure sign that she is hunting. They almost seem frantic in their search when they need to catch food. Flying this way and that and only staying on a perch if they see a prey item. Then they will spend minutes judging the dive and waiting for just the right moment to plunge in. She came back to me just a few minutes later and this time I watched her dive in and emerge with the stickleback above. She then settled on the log perch and proceeded to swallow the fish head first as is usual. Imagine those spikes sticking in her throat if she didn't. What is slightly different with this bird, the fourth holder of the territory, is that I have yet to see her actually smash the fish before she swallows it. After it disappeared down her throat she went straight back to fishing and again perched opposite searching the water intently.

If you think you have seen this image before that's because she has her favourite places to fish from and so it can be difficult to get an original shot.

Then off she went down stream, when she couldn't see anymore fish. But she hand't gone far and I watched her diving in and catching more fish but from a distance.
The only thing this photo proves is how hard it is to take good photos of this event which usually happens too quickly and in light that makes it hard to freeze the action.

Then in the afternoon, I returned to the hide and after a wait I again watched her diving in and being successful. That "great" dive, catch and in-flight shot still eludes me but I am working on it and a plan is beginning to emerge.

 

A mention of the Little Egret that walked past me and then decided to settle on a submerged log just 6 feet in front of me, oh the beauty of a hide. You have to remain as still as possible though when these birds are so close, apart from pressing the camera's shutter of course. The slightest hint of any other movement and Egrets and Herons have gone, they are very wary. The bird seen today is a juvenile and I am sure the same one that I have seen before.

Blackcap update.

 Male, the first of the season, in the garden at around 10 0'clock.

To read about all the seasons garden Blackcap sightings with dates, click on this link.

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The Little Grebe (above) comes close in to the bay but not towards me unfortunately.  (Apologies for the distant rubish photo but I want you to know how hard this challenge is proving).

Just to keep my regular visitors up to date with my comings and goings this last 24 hours. The morning was spent trying for more Kingfisher photos, it didn't happen though, that's always a shame.  During the week it can get just a bit too busy near the brook for the Kingfisher to feel confortable and so it proved today.  There was a particularly annoying dog walker who just kept walking up and down close to the water, quite why, I don't know...... but she has the right to be there of course . So, just like yesterday, I gave up and came home.  This afternoon I went back to Venford Reservoir, I am obsessed with getting a close up of the Little Grebe that I see every time I visit.  There's something really exciting that appeals to my instincts. What's weird is that I am prepared to sit quietly at  a damp waters edge, covered in grass and dead bracken, waiting for  a bird that I can't see yet, and then wait and wait until suddenly I get a glimpse. Then it's really exciting when it comes in to view. Little Grebe are not rare of course but I am enjoying the challenge of this species and I am on a real quest to get one over on it. They are a very wary little species in this kind of environment and it's taking  quite a lot of effort to outwit it, but I will.  Today it took an hour before I even had a glimpse and time was dragging by. The light seemd to get duller and duller with every minute that went by, the sun was almost shining when I arrived.  Eventually I saw a tiny dark shape in front of me but too distant for a photo yet, it was the grebe at last and it was fishing. It  got nearer and nearer and was just 6 feet from the edge and by the shoreline  but not in front of me, then it made a decision to move along the edge of the water away from me instead of towards me and that 50/50 decision was all it took for it not to happen for me today.  I just know that if I put enough time in I will  get a really good shot and then  it will all have been worth it.

Just a note about my visitors from countries around the world.  A big welcome to my latest new visitor from Guam, the 139th country from which the blog has had visitors.  When one considers that there only 196 recognised countries in the world this is quite an amazing statistic. You are all really wecome.  Hope to make at least 150.

Little Egret sequence

I was in the Kingfisher hide late morning but I didn't wait long enough for a visit from her, the graffiti squad were repainting the fence nearby and this caused, as you would expect, too much disturbance. But before they arrived I had a great time watching an adult Little Egret getting nearer and nearer to me, fishing as it went. At one point, when she was reasonably near, it "hopped" across the brook and I got some nice photos in flight. The bird was fishing by wading through the water and being very successful catching at least 10 fish in just a short while. In this short time, it caught Loach, minnows and sticklebacks, again confirmation of how rich in life the brook is.