Make Hay




This friendly Nuthatch must have taken and hidden a huge amount of sunflower seeds during the course of the two hours I watched it. It came every 30 seconds or so, filled up and shoomed off. Make hay while the sun shines!!!


The local kingfisher also put in an appearance so I took its portrait as well.

A Dull Day Brightened


Twas a dull, dull day. One of those drizzly, overcast and windy days you get in autumn. Poor light for photographers.

Then along came a party of Long-Tailed Tits to the feeders in the garden and out came my long lens. Fill-flash did not bother them, they were too busy fighting the Blue Tits for a place at the fatball. Managed to get a portrait of one of them despite the weather. They made my day.

Egret Time


4 Little Egrets at Old Moor now, they went up to 13 last year! This individual liked catching sticklebacks and was very good at it.

Hard Work



The birds were not in a co-operative mood today. Dull and overcast with a horrid scum on the water, I don't blame them. Got an interesting pic of the Kingfisher and another of an obliging juvenile Little Grebe.

Deli Wrap




Doing the garden, I noticed a female Garden spider really getting it on with local fly population, so out came the macro gear. She was spoilt for choice in takeway food. She caught and wrapped a wasp and then went on to catch and feed on a hapless housefly.

The pics were taken at 60th sec at F22 on a Nikon D2Xs and 105mm macro VR lens with balanced fill flash - if you're interested.

Shanks for the memory


Not a lot about at Blacktoft RSPB near Goole. Another dull day with occasional highlights, such as this Redshank. Fill flash had to be used but waders are never bothered by it and the bird continued to feed ravenously.

Feed me Mummy



A late Great Crested Grebe chick was ravenous today at Bretton Park. The parents could not catch fish fast enough.

Ah Grasshopper, you have much to learn


There I was, sat on the lawn when a gang of grasshoppers moved in from the fields behind the house. One was a real Star, climbing up the flowers to bask in what little sunshine was to be had. He loved having his picture taken.

Disgruntled Kingfisher



A very muddy day at Bretton Park after the rains. The river and lakes were a milk chocolate colour and very unfriendly for kingfishers to go hunting. This adult looked so forlorn on her perch, trying to look into the muddy water for fish. She must have had a good meal yesterday as she promptly regurgitated a large bolus of undigested fish bones.

Don't Badger Me




Late nights and loads of peanuts were needed to get these badger pics. This is a youngster who allowed me to take his portrait. He was totally obsessed by the nuts I put out for him and left the sett early to be first there, except when it rained. He did not like the rain at all. The sound of him crunching the nuts was sooooo loud. I felt really chuffed to be allowed to come so close to a superb animal as this in his own environment. Long live fieldcraft.

For the teccies amonst you, the photos were taken using a 105mm macro lens, Nikon D2Xs and SB800 flash. He was not bothered in the slightest by the flash but I had to keep still. Any sideways movement or sharp sound was a no-no but he took no notice of the camera shutter.

Hot foot to a Red-footed Falcon



A phone call from a friend alerted me that a Red-footed Falcon was at Pugneys Country Park in Wakefield. I hot-footed it down there and, sure enough, there was the falcon flying around above the reserve lake hunting dragonflies.

I got the camera out and spent a deal of time trying to capture this speedy little bullet as it hawked above the willows. One hour and a very stiff neck later, I had managed a couple of 'keepers'.

What a stunner the bird was.