Wildlife in a Suburban Garden

Nuthatch - Sitta europaea

 

What a glorious poser!

 

I went to the wood quite early (for me that is) this morning , hoping to catch some of the residents bathing. As it happened that didn't seem to be the case, however, I did see the Treecreeper yet again feeding in the same place on the sheer wall of the quarry so I guess that this is a favourite spot for them as I said yesterday.  I decided to move out of my  hide and position myself close to the wall, concealing myself with a combination of clothing and cam netting.  As it happened, the Treepcreeper failed to show again even though I was quite patient, but the Nuthatches just kept coming and I was now very close to the feeding station. I took the picture of a probable male, one of three different Nuthatches that have been visiting  the feeder constantly. Then in the afternoon my hide and feeder were surrounded by  newly fledged baby Nuthatches who were begging from their parents. One of them went down to drink, you can clearly see the difference in the beak colour.  Look at the picture above and you will see that the beak is a dark charcoal colour.  In the juvenile photographed below, look at the beak, the lower mandible is a light pinkish horn colour. Also, compare  the fleshy "new look" of the baby bird's feet and the immaculate unworn nails.

An entire day in the wood.

I have been a bit concerned about the standard of my photos this last few days, I think that this picture proves everything is in good order.  I am pleased with it.

If you know me well you are already aware that I can be pretty obsessive and so it proved today.  You see, I want to get a photo of a Green Woodpecker and it won't happen if I don't put the time in.  From my hide positioned in the wood, a Green Woodpecker was just a few feet above me several times today but even though I nervously anticipated it to come down to drink at least, it decided against it.  One of the Jays came in to feed on the day old chicks on three occasions but each time it had second thoughts. Once, it was in the branches at my eye level only 10 feet away but just a tiny movement from me was enough to send it  hurrying for safety.  It could obviously sense my presence........ time for some drastic action.  I decided to sort the hide.  I needed to make sure that I was properly concealed and get myself a bit more comfortable so that I didn't move the fabric of the hide as I reached for the camera's shutter release.  I have had some supports made to replace my tripod.  I will describe them because you may want to copy the idea?   It's possible to detach the camera from the tripod but still leave the head attached to the camera and the centre bar which would run down the middle of the tripod. The supports are mild steel tubes, 3 feet long and sharpened at one end.  The hollow tube is then hammered deep in to the ground until it is rigid.  At the top end of the tube I had a hole drilled and a nut welded to the outside of the hole.  The nut can then recieve a large "winged bolt" which when turned, fastens down onto the central "post" attached to the camera via the camera head. So now you have a rock steady support for the camera that is not taking up lots of space meaning that you can sit more comfortably without the legs of the tripod getting in the way. 

Dick...... this is what a Treecreeper looks like.

So later on, after putting another layer of cam netting over the hide, now enough to make sure that it tumbled down the front covering the new camera arrangement and me completely as well . I added a new little hunters seat with adjustable legs which I bought in the USA at the beginning of the year and now I was all set. So now it was just a case of waiting. The Jay came back but still didn't come down, cant think why it did so readily before but now it his so reluctant. No more Woodpeckers either.  My day was brightened a bit when a Treecreeper flew in to look for insects amongst the moss of the quarry face, just a bit to far for great photos but I took some anyway. This bird came to feed in this way on 3 occasions so I expect that this is a favourite feeding place. I hope so!  Nuthatches came and went, lots of Tits and a Chaffinch but no Jays or Woodpeckers plucked up the courage.  It was quite interesting that at one point the birds and squirrels got quite upset when the Jay arrived in the trees above, whether that was because of the Jay or perhaps a bird of prey had  been seen and thats what had disturbed the Jay as well, or perhaps the Jay is seen as a threat to the rest of the woodland residents? 

This  Song Thrush came to the larger pool well after 8 o'clock and circled it completely before setting on a place to bathe.

 

 

An interesting day on Dartmoor.

My first Meadow Pipit photograph of the year

I went on a trip to some of my favourite sites on Dartmoor today, always so much to see, so beautiful and full of birds. I have to say that I finished up quite disappointed with today's photos. My first stop was at the river to check if there was any sign of the Dippers that were washed out of their nest in April.  I sat and watched for a while but my search was negative and I retrieved the hide material hat I had used over-looking the nest site. This will come in useful elsewhere. Then on the moor 'proper" I went to check on the hide over-looking the pool, a site that has been so productive in previous years.  When I arrived I was disappointed to discover that the hide had been stolen. Not a real surprise as it had bee there for 10 months or so and the last time I checked on it was last Autumn so what can you expect. It wont be too much of a problem to build a new one which I would probably have needed to do anyway.  So off then to the area where I had seen Cuckoos so  closely last year, but a few weeks later in June. I tucked myself under camouflage not expecting any cuckoos but did see the usual Meadow Pipits and Stonechats and it was a nice session. I heard my first Cuckoo of the year but not close to me. I noticed that the Pipits were eating small insects and not the large caterpillars that the cuckoos were enjoying so much last year.  When there are caterpillars to eat then there will be a better chance of another cuckoo encounter, a really special event by the way.

Next at Chalacombe Farm I watched Redstarts coming and going from a nest box, one that had been occupied 2 years ago but not last year.  These are really special birds and I kept well awy from the nest site when I could see that the box was obviously in use.  I didn't see the birds carrying insects to their nest so I assume that they are still on eggs. 

Don't be concerned, these pictures are quite considerably cropped and both birds were going in to the nest box without any disturbance from me. I am always very careful not to disturb birds near the nest............. Just a reminder, I am a License holder to photograph Kingfishers a schedule 1 bird. To become licensed I had to proove that I was able to photograph birds at or near the nest without any disturbance.

A short Minorcan Trip

I have spent the last 5 days  on the Island of Minorca, one of the beautiful  Balearic Islands so beloved by the British working man,  not quite ruined but definitely  scarred, I should imagine no different than just about every other Mediterranean destination.  Not quite "kiss me quick" hats and candy floss but very nearly.  There are some pockets of the original landscape but very few places where burgers and chips are not the  main staple.  Building regulations and planning seem to be totally absent and  the villas, apartments and hotels cling to the rock face like scabs on a pretty face. On the other side of the coin, the  people are friendly enough,  the beer and wine flows for a few Euros and the local bread tastes the way you hoped and expected. What is it that makes normally respectable people expose their nipples in the sun?   The ocean seems pristine, azure and almost tropical with clean fresh sand that is perfect for footprints and castles. Away from the sea sand and smell of Ambre Solaire, flowers,  bees and butterflies abound and Nightingales sing their song, vying with exotic Sardinian Warblers for the starring role.  When the sun has set, bats zip past and the evenings in May are very  pleasant.  Actually seeing the birds can be a frustrating affair but one or two species, due to their feeding habits, are interesting and easier to see.  I have already mentioned Sardinian Warbler, a really gorgeous little bird synonymous with the warm dry habitats of the med. They have the annoying habit of singing noisily from deep scrub and only popping out to fly off to another part of their territory before singing loudly and well hidden again. Although I was only on the Island for 3 full days, I quickly got to know the habits of one particular individual and hatched a plan to get a picture. I noticed that this bird's favourite singing perches included, unusually, a tall conifer, the top of which was at eye level with the neighbouring apartment's swimming pool..... Bingo. I camped myself hidden and close by, just after dawn on my final day, and it was just a matter of waiting for him to arrive.

A pair of Spotted Flycatcher  also liked to use this vantage point as well so during this pleasant last hour or so before throwing my gear back in the suitcase, I took photos of, and learned a bit about this species as well. In fact this was proably the most noticeable species of my short trip. The best place to see them was in the roadside trees where their habit of regularly returning back to the same perch made them easy to see.

The highlight of the trip for me (apart from my gorgeous little granddaughter) was my first encounter for many a year, with a pair of Turtle Doves.  What an outrage if we allow this species to become  even more scarce in the UK.  I knew that they were a pretty bird but watching this pair as they picked their way around me near a beachside carpark made me realise just how beautiful they really are. Having not seen them often enough in recent years it was good for me to hear their distinctive coo-ing, now when I hear them here in the UK I will have a better idea of what to listen out for.

Our apartment for the week was perched precariusly down 74 steep steps, half way down a steep rocky cliff. From this vantage point we had gorgeous views of the inlet and beach beneath us.  It was also, as it turned out, the best place for me to see birds and one species in particular was fantastic to watch. Particularly when it was windy, firstly one then two Black Kite came to try and take the eggs or chicks of the numerous nesting Rock Doves or more accurately Feral Pigeons nesting on the steep cliffs.   At first I wondered what the attraction could be but then I saw one dive steeply and land on a ledge.  From time to time they would glide right past my balcony at eye level, a real spectacle.  I always say that if you can't see the eyes of your photographic subject then you are not close enough so I was thrilled when I took this picture.

This is an Audouine's Gull, a lifetime first for me and when you consider that I have probably seen more than 1000 species of birds in my life, quite good to see one more new species. 

Goldcrest bathing again

Remarkably this morning the Goldcrest, seen bathing yesterday, arrived at the same time of day, to the minute, and bathed in the same puddle. Today though, I was closer than before and I managed to get a couple of good photos but I am sure that I will be able to get better and better ones.  As I sat watching the birds coming and going to the food, a Goldcrest was singing in the trees above me so they are obviously quite common in the wood.

 

At the same puddle at the same time as yesterday!

 

The Greater Spotted Woodpecker female that has taken a real shine to the nuts was constantly coming to get one.  At first I was sat in the hide but decided to see if I could get a different perspective if I came out of the hide and sat in a new spot.  I needed to camouflage myself a little bit at least before the Woodpecker plucked up the courage to come down, and it wasn't long before she was there and giving me a glorious show.  I need to take advantage of this Woodpecker and my next challenge is to try and get some acceptable shots of the bird in flight and in between today's great football matches, that's exactly what I plan to try today.

Its not a Woodpecker but shows that with luck I will be able to get the shot I am looking for.

Just not quite "in-flight" but a fraction of a second after it touched down.

I probably won't be posting for a day or so after this entry.  I am off to Minorca for the week, leaving tomorrow.  It's not strictly speaking a birding trip but I am taking my gear and will expect to have some nice Mediterranean species to post for you.

Two new species at the wood hide and pool.

 

This is a Goldcrest, Britains smallest breeding bird. I really good capture in front of the hide.

 It was just incredible at the wood this morning and that's not an exageration. If you are a bird crazy  amateur naturalist like me then imagine how thrilling this morning was. As soon as I had sat myself inside the hide, in fact before I had even got myself ready, a Greater - spotted Woodpecker was at the nuts. Then she...because it was a female........ was back and giving me a great photo opportunity.  But firstly let me tell you about the other exciting tiny little visitor, a Goldcrest - Regulus regulus, firstly it fluttered above the food and then it went down to the muddy puddle and started to bathe in the murky water amongst the decaying leaves.   Eventually I got some good photos but a mixture of excitement and the constantly moving little bird made it hard. These birds are Britain's smallest breeding bird along with the closely related Firecrest.

 

 

Its really hard to freeze the action unless the sun is really bright but the slightly blurred effect of the wing movements as it bathes adds to this I think.

 

The Woodpeckers, now both male and female came to the food constantly all through the session and I took some nice shots.  You may remember that I had said that it was only a matter of time before the woodpeckers found the food and it took 8 days!  Birds are using the pool to bathe constantly now which I thought would be the case once the standing puddles of the very wet April had disappeared.  Today the drinkers included, Song Thrush, Blackbirds, Coal, Great and Blue Tits, the Goldcrest of course, a Jay and the female Woodpecker. As  well as all of these, an unknown bird was bathing just in front of me, it was tucked behind a growing Foxglove and I couldn't see or photograph it properly but I think it was a Spotted Flycatcher, if so, the 3rdI have seen but still I haven't got a photograph.

 

Obviously a favourite drinking spot for the resident birds. This is a female Greater- spotted you can tell by the absence of red on the nape of the neck.

 

Here she is just checking out the food before coming down to take a peanut.

 

 

I think she may have been aware of the camera here.

 

 

The wood, Kingfishers and a Spotted Flycatcher.

 

Robin - Erithacus rubecula

I am pretty certain that if only these photographs featured some kind of rarity then they would be way up there with some of my most successful.  As it is, if they do anything they confirm that my gear is working properly.  The background on the (above) is natural and is what you get when you use a long lens, a 500 mm prime. The light is perfect and shows this common species at it's very best.  On the one below there is the remains of a spider in the beak.

 

The wood was an interesting place from the hide this evening, it was a really dreary day for the time of year, cold and showery, hence my late outing to the wood.   The squirrels had been up to their worst again and wrecked all the feeders, I really need to do something about it, it cant continue.  Every day the feeders are  destroyed and I am sure that it will only get worse. But back to the session, it was notable for the first visit of a Greater spotted Woodpecker which flew down on to the stump that I had put a 'day-old" chick, intended for a Jay.   Unfortunately I couldn't get a shot today but I know that now Woodpeckers are coming to feed, well, things are progressing well. I also had a beautiful Spotted Flycatcher  right in front of me drinking from one of the pools but, as with the Woodpecker as soon as I moved the lens in it's direction it was spooked and off  it flew.  I have noticed that now it isn't as wet as before, birds are coming to drink and bathe from the pool Also in the mud around the pool edge there was a print from a deer, obviously drinking from the pool.

This morning I tried to photograph the Sand Martins but they didn't seem comfortable with my presence today, birds are funny and I am almost certain that yesterday when I had  a camo hood on they were much more relaxed. This speaks volumes for the use of camouflage.  Pretty certain that the Kingfishers are still continuing with their nest.

 

Great Tit - Parus major

 

This Great Tit had just bathed on the pool.

 

Sand Martins on the river.

I went to check on my Kingfisher nest on the river this morning, glad to see that there was more obvious signs of activity around the burrow and lots of maggots were tumbling out of the hole.  I moved away as quickly as I could incase of disturbance.  Then further down the river bank I was very pleased to see Sand Martins  using a nest burrow in the same area that they have bred in for the last few years but they haven't been able to get to their burrows because of the height of the river.  Now the water has returned to normal level, or almost,  just one pair has started to breed where last year there was at least 15 nests here.  Thats not to say that others will join them over the next few days.  Anyway, I took the opportunity to photograph the pair coming to their nest and from a respectable distant watched as they entered the burrow.  Interestingly there was a breeding pair, both carrying grass in to the burrow, but also a singly bird would also go in with them.  I returned in the afternoon with a plan to try to get a really good shot and almost did, but you can always do better.  This time I photographed from the opposite direction as you can see.

I went to check on my Kingfisher nest on the river this morning, glad to see that there was more obvious signs of activity around the burrow and lots of maggots were tumbling out of the hole.  I moved away as quickly as I could incase of disturbance.  Then further down the river bank I was very pleased to see Sand Martins  using a nest burrow in the same area that they have bred in for the last few years but they haven't been able to get to their burrows because of the height of the river.  Now the water has returned to normal level, or almost,  just one pair has started to breed where last year there was at least 15 nests here.  Thats not to say that others will join them over the next few days.  Anyway, I took the opportunity to photograph the pair coming to their nest and from a respectable distant watched as they entered the burrow.  Interestingly there was a breeding pair, both carrying grass in to the burrow, but also a singly bird would also go in with them.  I returned in the afternoon with a plan to try to get a really good shot and almost did, but you can always do better.

More from the wood and the Jay shows up again.

I know that this photograph may not be to everyone's taste but if it does one thing, it proves that the Jay, a member of he crow family, is a nasty bird.  It was quite gory to see how it dealt with the chick, (a frozen day old purchased froma a pet food supplier and a by- product of the laying industry).   Eventualy having torn it into mouth size pieces, it removed the head and flew off with it leaving me with a camera full of interesting photographs. for the Blog.

 

It mouthed it just like I had seen it do before.

 

But today, it plucked it first and then began to tear pieces off it.

 

Interesting to see that it held it down with it's foot like a true bird of prey.

 

.....................then it plucked the down from the breast before breaking it open to get at the chest cavity and the tasty internal bits.

Then having plucked its head....

 

............It flew off with it.

 

Jay

Now I know what has been taking the free offerings!

 

The Jay arrived on the log and was too big to get in to the frame.

What a great day yesterday turned out to be. It started with a visit to the wood, it was carnage again with both feeding stations wrecked and every shred of food gone.  The plastic feeders had been chewed through and ruined, obviously squirrels were the culprits. I have been leaving out free "day-old chicks".  These can be purchased frozen and in packs of 144. They are a by product of the poultry trade where they are sexed at hatching, the females are retained to go on to become laying hens. The males are worthless for obvious reasons. It all sounds pretty cruel and it is of course.  These day old males are then euthanised by gassing and then frozen to become food for the exotic pet trade.  They can be bought for just a few pence each. I have been hoping to lure Birds of Prey down in front of the hides, or even Stoats and Foxes who will gladly take them.  Every one that I have left has been taken and I was keen to see who is responsible expecting Carrion Crows to be the culprits.

Kingfishers and Whitethroat.

But more of that later, Even though it was a dull wet start to the day, I spent an hour sat in the hide opposite one of my Kingfisher nests but that proved fruitless and I am suspecting that this pair are breeding elsewhere because there was no sign of them. By now it was PM and I was out at the river at Kingfisher nest number 2. I have good news from this nest, it has been "worked" in the last 24 hours with obvious signs of burrowing in the previously washed out burrow.  At the mouth of the nest, maggots were evident, obviously dragged there by the burrowing activity.  Kingfisher nests are known to be filthy with the youngsters and incubating parents sitting on a mound of fish remains and droppings that accumulate around the growing chicks.  By the time the chicks fledge it is a fetid smelly hole so it wasn't a surprise to see maggots. Underneath the burrow there was fresh earth and clear scratch marks around the entrance.  This is really great news. As I walked back to the car there was a Whitethroat patrolling up and down.  This is usual behaviour, they choose a territory and then sing from favourite perches to attract a mate. This is the best time of year to try and see them because once they begin breeding their behaviour becomes much more furtive.  I have not been lucky so far this year but yesterday I managed a photo at last. Not the best in the world but I am reasonably pleased.

 

 

Whitethroat

 Back to the Wood and the  Jay.

So now its late afternoon and I am back in the wood. The feeders are all empty again, I top them up, place a day old chick on a mound in front of the hide and take may place, hidden away and comfortable.  The first bird to arrive was a Great Tit, then Blue Tits and then suddenly there it was, a magnificent Jay. It had landed on the log  a few feet from me.  I couldn't get it all in the frame.  It looked around for peanuts and then flew down to the ground to pick one or two up that had been missed by the squirrels. Then it saw the day old chick and without much hesitation, went towards it, carefully had a look with an intelligent tilt of the head and then picked it up after mouthing it for a few seconds, picked it up and flew off. I uttered one of my wows, reserved for really special sightings, like fighting Kingfishers or mating Dippers!  Jays are a target of gamekeepers who rear Pheasants to release for shoots, I can imagine that they must be real predators of young pheasants because this bird was extremely attracted to the chick and hardly hesitated before it took it away to eat in the safety of a high tree somewhere near. 

 

The Jay flew down to the free offering and cocks its head to get a good look before taking it.

 

It mouthed it to check that it was safe before flying of with it.

 

I returned to the wood last evening, just as it was getting dark.  I was armed with my Bat detector, a pencil and a pad.  It was a little eerie in the half light and the calls from a nerby fox added to the atmosphere.  The calling went on and on, and seemed close so after a short while I left the quarry and walked towrds the calling fox hoping to get closer. As is usual with truly wild animals,  as soon as I got reasonably near to the fox, now just over the brow of a hill, it stopped calling  and slipped away silently. The bat detector did not pick up any bats while I was in the field which was interesting, but back a the quarry I picked up some really interesting echo locations, they were low, around 20-20 KHz, slow clicks followed by much louder double slaps. Very interesting. I am quite confident that I was listening to a  Noctule Bat  (Nyctalus noctula), one of the UK's largest species and as big as a Starling. Tonight in my own garden, I used the bat detector again to listen to a Soprano Pipistrelle that was zooming around my house. Great to have one again this year. 

 

Bats in the wood.

 

The first of 3 different Great Tits from late this afternoon.

 

Not, by any means uncommon but still beautiful to my eyes.

 

Not only are they variable in colour but a species with a high number of different calls.

 

I have got so many projects on the go at the moment that I am in danger of only half doing each one of them. Firstly there are my Kingfisher nests (please be aware that I am licensed by Natural England to photograoh at these nest sites). I spent most of the morning sat in front of one of the nests that had been  flooded out in the recent floods.  I have devised some good camouflage  which I know is working well becuase as I sat there waiting, a Blackcap Warbler came to drink and a Song Thrush perched opposite  and started to feed it's 3 youngsters. However,  in the two hour stake-out the only Kingfisher I saw was a fly by, it's all getting very frustrating!  Then, later on in the afternoon I returned to the wood to continue with my observations and to top up the feeders.  My theory is that once all the resident birds discover, and get used to this new food source I will be able to get some really impressive photos.  The more common and less wary birds are all coming in thick and fast and I have enjoyed watching them and getting some great photos already.  I am watching, and waiting for Woodpeckers to come in, they will sooner or later but so far they haven't,  (at least not while I have been there).  Jays are also high on my wish list and again I am confident that they will once the food source is constant. Last night while I waited for Badgers to come to a pile of peanuts, I was impressed by the amount of bats swooping around.  I am going back with my Bat Detector as soon as it starts to get dark.  This is a clever bit of kit that picks up the high frequency echo location calls of the bats and converts this in to an audible noise. As each species of bat  echo locates at a set frequency you can easily determine the species flying around your head. It seemed to me that the bats I caught glimpses of in the dimpsy light last night were larger than the familiar Pipistrelle that I am familiar with from my garden. Interesting, not long now and I will be back to check!

 

I have been keeping a close eye on the two Kingfisher nests that I have licenses to photograph at. At the first, when I checked the other day I was quite sure that the birds had started to "work"  the burrow but then when I checked again today it seemed doubtfull.  The river has now almost returned to normal levels so I am hoping that they will start to breed again very soon and hopefully re-use the nest burrow again.  The Sand Martins on that stretch of river have now got the opportunity to get to their nest sites and this morning at least 6 birds were "buzzing" around and I am sure that within the next few days they will get down to it. That is always a great photo opportunity.

The 2nd Kingfisher nest was just a little bit more interesting.  I am 100% certain that, as I sat near to the nest, as it happens, watching Whitethroat, I heard a Kingfisher. I took this to be the usual call made as one bird approaches  the nest to feed the other or brings food to the nest. I sat and watched for a while but didn't see any Kingfishers.

A beautiful male Great Tit from the wood hide this morning.

 

The Wood session 2 and 3

At the wood today there was plenty of developments, firstly the peanuts, a large pile had all been cleaned up and not a trace remained. A Badger perhaps?  I hope so.  The feeders at one site were completely empty and the "road-kill" pheasant, wired to a tree stump had been torn from the wire and taken.  Above the stump and high in the nearby trees were 3 Carrion Crows and a Buzzard, how exciting is that.  I sat in the new hide in the apalling weather and snapped away at the visitors, just a great thrill and again, thanks Terry if you read this, for allowing me to in to your woodland.

Below are the four best pictures froma short, wet session late this morning and in the order that they were taken.

 

A pretty but aggressive Blue Tit

 

and on the same perch, a Coal Tit, these seem to be the most common birds here.

 

Yet another Blue Tit.

 

I changed the "furniture" and it wasn't long before a Nuthatch came to check it out.

Then later on in the afternoon I returned again, I can't get enough. I am sure I heard some young foxes playing together nearby, thats  good news and will be good when they show themselves. The  Nuthatches were showing well again.

 

I have had at least two different birds visit.

 

What lovely little birds Blue Tits are.

 

They can be very feisty and aggressive.

 

This is a Great Tit and a male. Birds vary with different degrees of black on the breast, sometimes with a very thick black stripe that ends on the belly and with other individuals goes right down to the vent. This makes it possible to seperate individuals.

 

 

In a Devon Wood

I have recently been given the utter privilege to make use of a completely private wood quite close to my home.  Thanks to my friend Dick and the owner of the woodland, Terry.  Yesterday I did a little bit of preparation and today my observations began. My main focus is going to be Jay, Green Woodpecker, Greater - Spotted Woodpecker and Buzzard.  I  set up a couple of feeding stations yesterday and when I went for a look this morning I was amazed at the amount  of activity. I set about building  a hide overlooking the "action" and once it was finished I spent a wonderful couple of hours photographing the visitors. I couldn't  help but smile, in fact almost laugh out loud when the birds came thick and fast.  It was mostly Coal Tits at first, I could hear a Woodpecker constantly. I have no doubt whatsoever that sooner or later, probably sooner, I will get some good woodpecker photos and I am really looking forward to that. But for this afternoon I had to be content with Nuthatches and tits. It was a wonderful afternoon and I cant wait for the next session. I caught sight of a probable Spotted Flycatcher but couldn't get my lens focused on it, but that was very encouraging.  The Nuthatches were really glorious, what a bird species this is, it's going to be "dead easy" to get some stunning photographs of them, just imagine, these pictures  today were just the first ones with very little preparation of what is going to be many sessions in the coming weeks and months.  This post is to show Terry and Dick what I have been up to today and also to give you a taste of what is to come.

 

One of the first shots from the new hide, a Nuthatch, how good is that! I got the impression that this was a newly fledged bird and not an adult,

 

 

Even only a baby, it's already the king of the feeder and throwing it's weight about.

 

 

A feature of this species is the ability to move up and down a trunk or branch upside down.

 

 

So hanging upside down is not really a problem.

 

 

I think an adult would be more blue and less grey than this.

 

 

This is an adult, probably male, Blue Tit in a classic pose.

 

 

This is a Coal Tit, males and females are identical.  Compare the beak of this with the Blue Tits, a sure indicator that the two species feed in a different way and that's why they don't compete with each other.

 

 

I'm pretty sure that this is a female........ well I would stake my house on it.

 

 

Compare the one above to this obvious male, who was showing quite a degree of aggression but its really good to compare the two and see how much more strongly marked and coloured the male is.

 

 

It was nice to sit dry inside my new hide while the birds were getting drenched like this Great Tit.

 

Common Starling at the nest

 

A Starling flies in to feed it's young.

 

..... and then departs carrying a faecal sack.

 

I spent the weekend away from Devon and with family in Surrey.  Every time I am in that part of the country I visit Richmond Park, close to the large bustling town of Kingston. Richmond Park is an unbelievable oasis of greenery and wildlife, large, clean and frankly beautiful. It is full of impressive ancient Oak trees, some dating back 400 years.  The  trees are home to hole nesting birds including Ring-necked Parakeets, Jackdaws and all 3 species of the UK's Woodpeckers.  The variety and number of birds is incredible but not only birds, there are Red and Fallow Deer, semi-domesticated of course, but also Red Foxes and Rabbits and no doubt Stoats and Weasels.  I even saw a Fox carrying a Rabbit, dangling in it's jaws as it trotted by me 100 yards away through one of the set-aside woodland areas. On the way through Kingston an urban Fox was sitting on the lawns of the impressive County Hall building, casually sunning itself as the early morning commuters walked by, obviously so common an occurrence that they didn't even give it a look.  

 

An urban fox in a hatched "don't enter area" on the road, watches me watching him and wonders why I am taking an interest?

 

I watched Starlings coming and going from their nest in a dead tree.  This tree was a nursery with a total of 6 holes, probably made by woodpeckers over the years but now providing perfect nest sites for any hole nesting species.  Just about a foot away from the Starlings, Jackdaws had a clutch of eggs. I spent several hours over 4 sessions photographing the commings and goings of the starlings who would fly in every few minutes with a variety of food including big black flies by the beak full, worms and beetles as well as unrecognisable items foraged from picnic tables perhaps? It was quite a challenge trying to capture the Starlings in flight, timming was all important but dealing with the light was more of a challenge, but it was good practice for the Kingfishers that I hope to photograph when I have set up at the nest sites that I have licenses to photograph at.

Starlings are one of the UK'smost over-looked birds. Too common to even raise a glance by many but they are incredibly handsome especially in the breeding season wih an irridescent spangled plumage only really apreciated whe seen close up..... so here's your close up! 

A big mouth, too big to miss.

 Some times it's possible to get a one-off photograph of a bird in-flight and of course thats great.  What I tried to do here was capture as many in-flight as I could, and there are many more. To get dozens of photos like this takes a lot of effort and patience and real use of the camera as you constantly need to "juggle" with the settings to adjust to the changing light conditions. Camouflage is also needed to allow the birds to come and go from the nest without them being disturbed which means that their behaviour is going to be natural and uninterupted.

Here one flies in with a massive beetle.

 

This is a beak full of flies and grass, probably carried by mistake.

 

I doubt it could hardly get more flies in it's beak.

Starlings, an attractive if noisy and definitely a social and at sometimes messy bird but always worth a second look. You might be interested to know that all these photographs were taken with the camera set to at least 1/2000 second and at times 1/3000 to freeze the instant in time.

A Jackdaw, Britain's smallest crow species, leaves it's nest hole just a foot away from the Starling's.

 

 

Garden Warbler - Sylvia borin

I returned out to the moor again today, the weather was overcast but  this made photography a little easier because I didn't have to deal with "back-lit" bright light. I set myself up in the gorse the same as yesterday and waited for the Whitethroat to show itself in front of me. Quite quickly today I could hear a Garden Warbler singing very loudly and very close but just out of range of the camera in a nearby tree.  I took matters in to my own hands and moved in amongst the gorse with a clear of the tree. Using seceteurs, I cut a hole through the gorse to poke the lens through and then completed my camouflage with netting. It was just a case of waiting for the bird, on it's singing round, to arrive back in front of me.  I just love it when things work out well because that is exactly the way it happened. It was singing very loudly to my left and suddenly there he was right there in front of me and exactly where I wanted him.  Garden Warbler are not really a very attractive bird, they are devoid of any bright colours, any wing-bars or eye-stripe. In fact, quite a plain bird but they sing beautifully to say the least.  If you are familiar with Blackcap Warblers then this species is almost identical but without the marked head, black in the male and brown n the female. They are hard to see, even more difficult to photograph and often overlooked so when I failed to photograph Whitethroat ths was a great substitute.

Whitethroat

At last we had a dry day, can you believe that we are saying that at this time of the year.   My plan for the last few days, although I haven't had the weather to follow it through, has been to try and concentrate on photographing the Whitethroats that have just started to arrive on migration.   This is a good time of year to photograph them because as soon as they arrive at their breeding grounds they sing to establish territories. They will perch in exposed places to sing loudly and for minutes at a time before moving on to another favourite spot.  I had a plan.  Knowing where they had bred last year I expected them to establishing territories at the moment. I took some camouflage stuff, my gillie suit and netting etc. and of course my camera with my 500 lens.  I sat myself down in a spot amongst dead bracken and  brambles with some Hawthorn and Rowan trees nearby. The camo worked because after a minute or so, a bird arrived and began to sing like a demon from one of the bare trees. It wasn't in a good spot for photos, hidden by branches and foliage.  I took a few shots though using the manual focus but they weren't really successful. Now knowing that this was a favourite tree to sing from a set myself up amongst the gorse bushes and stood this time.  I used the netting to make some kind of rudimentary hide which I was sure, would work well.  It did, a female Linnet came in and landed just about in the perfect place.  Unfortunately the light was coming from the wrong direction now, this photo lark is not easy you know, it's rare that you have a perfect set of circumstances.  I almost like the lighting in the photo, but only almost........  it's a female!

Female Linnet -Carduelis cannabina

I "cut my teeth" on this species.  When I was a boy they were one of the most common birds of my childhood. My father who introduced me to birds as a 5 year old was very familiar with them and one of the first nests that I saw was a Linnets nest.  My dad, when he was a child in the 1930's would take the eggs to put under his father's canaries, Linnets and a cross between a Canary and a Linnet, a mule, were very commonly kept as cage birds in the early 20th century. Now Linnets are in serious decline.

 

The background of this picture, also called the "Bokah" is acheived by using the 500mm lens. The bird is in the foreground and on an isolated branch. The background is far to far in the distance for the lens' s short depth of field and is, therefore blurred and out of focus. This makes the bird, which is the subject of the photo, stand out without any annoying or confusing backgrounds.  This is a feature of a 500mm lens and what you are trying to acheive. Incidentally the 500mm lens cost 1 penny short of £4000 so you would hope for a decent photo now and then!
Carrying on with the story of today's  Whitethroat photography , (click on the link to Wikipedia to read about them).  It was frustrating because after I had moved, instead of perching in front of me he chose a tree behind!  I could see him singing and really well,but I knew that the light wouldn't be any good at all and any photos would be useless  so I just watched and enjoyed his singing.  Then it was perched behind the gorse nearby and to my right, but that's what makes it interesting and satisfying.  Success is even more sweet if you have had to work hard for it.  

I have had quite an inspiring day today.  My application for a license to photograph Kingfishers at the nest has been granted.  This is a great bit of news and something that I am very proud to have achieved. The granting of a license from Natural England  is by no means a formality and I have been working for two years to get the necessary photos needed and that I had  to provide, to prove  my competence.  Kingfishers are a Schedule 1 bird and afforded special protection and it is absolutely against the law to photograph them at the nest without the required license. When I mention this to my none birding friends they look at me you s though I am  in some kind of fantasy land and making this up. One "friend" particularly was so  doubting to point of almost calling me a liar....weird!   The only disappointment is that when I checked the nest this evening I could see that they had definitely been flooded out and the chicks are drowned, this is very  sad but, being positive, I can see where either the Kingfishers have started a new burrow or more likely, Sand Martins who usually nest in a colony along this stretch.  So to be positive I am expecting them to attempt to nest again.