Fickle Flamborough

Was going to Flamborough to see the Brown Flycatcher MEGA bird but typically when I got there, it had flown!!
Had a few consolation prizes of an Isabelline(Turkestan) shrike which I could not get near enough to photograph without disturbing it, a Yellow-browed Warbler deep in bushes and an obliging Red-Backed Shrike which happily caught wasps and posed for the many admirers fron atop a distant perch. A late Barred Warbler was looked for in vain. Not many photographs but a good day. If only my wife's car hadn't broken down the day before, the Brown Flycatcher would have been mine!!!

Dipper Delight

Went up the Calder Valley today in search of Dippers. They took a couple of hours to find but after much walking found a couple feeding on Caddis Fly. They caught the caddis and then thumped the case on a stone or piece of wood to dislodge the grub from the case. They seemed to be getting a lot of food. Stunning birds.

One Good Tern deserves a Slavonian Grebe

Anglers Country Park near Wakefield has a superb juvenile Arctic Tern flying around today. Spent an hour getting a good flight shot of it as it flew over the shallows.

There were two Slavonian grebe also on the lake but the dog-walkers dogs made its life a misery as it tried to find food in the shallows. Lots of Blue-green algae in the water. Wonder if it affects dogs? I managed to get a photo of one the grebes by sitting quietly under a bag-hide by the side of the lake and waiting for the grebe to come to me. Good job I'd taken a flask of coffee with me.

Strange looking Canada Goose with the semi-resident flock. A rather leucistic individual.

Gold and Black

Had a short time photographing in the garden as the sun was shining on the feeders. This Goldfinch seems addicted to the sunflower hearts on offer.

Had a walk around Newmillerdam lake in the afternoon. The Coot are common birds but fascinating. They fluff up their plumage and see off all comers into their patch. I just love their feet.

Marvellous Martin Mere

Had a visit to Martin Mere in Lancashire on the way home from the Lake district. Lots of interesting birds to see, captive as well as wild. Feeding wild Whooper swans daily certainly keeps them there in winter. I found a group of them discussing the merits of the place.

The other photo is of a drake Smew. Lovely birds but this one was in the wildfowl collection and not wild. I liked the way the water flew as it has a wash.

Life in the Lakes

Had a few days in the Lake district recently. It rained evvvvvery day. Took a few photos of birds coming to the feeders at the house I was staying at. The Nuthatch was the bully, the Coal Tit the victim who was always getting pushed off the food. The Willow Tit was the opportunist who was hooked on sunflower seeds. Camera wet, me wet - situation normal for the Lakes then!

Garden delight

Spent a little time photographing birds on the garden feeders today. Set the camera up inside the lounge with the patio doors open slightly and some camouflage scrim over the lens. Much warmer than in my hide but if I put the central heating on, the warm air going out of the door mixes with the cold and creates a shimmer that does nothing for the photos.

The sunflower hearts are the best attraction and this Great Tit loves them. He comes for one at a time and then rushes away to eat it, never staying on the perch I've clamped on a pole for more than a second or two.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall

Tuesday 13th February 2007

Had an hour to spare this afternoon so went my local patch, Pugneys Country Park. Bitterns showed briefly from the hide but my favourite duck of all time, the Red-Crested Pochard was primping himself up on the main lake. I've never seen a duck spend so much time bathing and preening. He's learnt to move the swans out of the way by nipping at their tail feathers. The swans do not like that and get out of the way quick. The local lifeguards then decided to do some work and remove part of the floating jetty I was using to take my photos. Typical.

Used my usual combination of Nikon D2Xs/ 600mmf5.6 manual lens and for those technically minded the settings were RAW, ISO 200, 1/320sec f5.6.

I still love using my old long lens. Although its a manual focus, its crisp and a delight to handle. No one seems to want manual lenses any more and they are going or a song on e-bay. It's a real challenge keeping a moving bird in focus!!

Bittern to death

Monday 12th February 2007

Had the day at Potteric Carr Nature Reserve near Doncaster. Chose a day when the cafe was shut to avoid the crowds.

Had a close encounter with a Bittern which had caught a huge perch and was trying to swallow it. After much straining and gyrations, it gave up and flew off into the reedbeds to sulk.

It started pouring down so I went to the feeding station where a Grey Squirrel amused those there with its antics.

Bittern encounters -Part 1

Tuesday 6th February

Spent a while in the hide at Pugneys country Park in Wakefield, my local patch. 2 bitterns came out to play on the iced-up water. One (Laurel) tried to walk on the ice and kept falling through. The other (Hardy) looked on from above. They seemed to like the sunshine. They were a long way away for photography, even with a 600mm prime lens +1.4x converter.

Also present was a Red-Crested Pochard, by the jetty on the main lake. Posed for photos whilst having a wash and brush up. I love action photos but they are so hard to get!

Little Grebe at Cannon Hall

Thursday 1st February 2007

Nice place to be with a camera. Found this little grebe skulking under tree branches which had fallen into the water during the gales. It's amazing how many people passed by without spotting the grebe. I was sitting with the camera against a tree, and the grebe gave a great show, diving for sticklebacks.
Lots of Teal preening in the middle of the lake too.

American Robin in Bingley

Tuesday 30th January 2007

Went to see the Juvenile American Robin today. What a poser. It commuted between Holly bushes in house gardens and open scrubland where it proceeded to pull up worms. It posed for a few photos before retiring to a Hawthorn to digest its meal. Met some friendly birders there and people were sensible in not trying to flush the bird.