A Goldcrest Frenzy - 8th Feb

After enjoying such a stunning sunrise, the weather by lunchtime had changed for the worst, it was now very dull and dismal, and the temperature hadn't really risen all day. So I arrived at the lakes without a lot of hope for some decent photographs because of the light.

Having had a run in with possibly the rudest photographer I've ever encountered over disturbance of the resident Otter and her trespassing into a clearly marked "Out of Bounds" Area therefore placing herself between the Otter and its holt, I politely told the facts and was responded to with a tirade of swearing and bitterness. I've been spoken to before by lots of blokes in the wrong but never by anyone so angry or bitter - and she was female, she was so angry she was literally spitting at me. 

Having lost all interest in Otter photography with idiots about, I walked back towards the car park not really paying to much attention, the lakes waters were pretty quiet and only the local Buzzard flying by grabbed my attention before I heard the sweet pinging melodic call of a Goldcrest. Unknowingly I seem to have undertaken a little bit of a Goldcrest photography project. Not often seeing a decent Goldcrest shot posted online I thought I'd make it my mission for the winter.

Goldcrest

My closest Goldcrest subject yet

I have become quite accustomed to picking out their song on my lunchtime walks, as the wintering populations around the lakes is quite high. Having on several occasions had one very close in a nearby bush, only to grab a lot of blurred shots due to their speed and size. And the main fact that they don't sit bloody still for more than a second, so once you move to focus they're gone.

So today although the light was poor and I was shooting at ISO 5000 and above, I got some clear-ish close up shots of a very obliging male. What happened next as I was watching this tiny bird flit before me on some willow was quite astonishing, and certainly something I had never witnessed before. The bird flew off across the path to a small clump of ivy about the same 3 feet off of the ground, and its call changed dramatically, with a much louder and alert ring to it.

And then he done it the head crest parted and the Bright flame orange tuft became clear, I must admit having never seen this before I thought it was pretty awesome for such a small bird. Still calling loudly, 2 blurs pasted quite close by me and headed straight for the calling male, Que. a small blurred mess of fighting male Goldcrests, beaks pecking, wings flapping and talons locked. Well it looked like that!!!

I wondered what had caused this sudden outburst of aggressiveness as the male birds zoomed off after each other up the path. 3 more now flitted in the Ivy bush in front of me presumedly females. Seconds later a male returned, crest still clearly visible and he landed close to one of the females again presumedly telling her he was the victor.

Stunning Displaying Male

The pair together

Just look at that crest!

A great way to end the lunchtime with some bird behaviour I had never witnessed before, and a great way to momentarily forget the evil bitch I'd spoken to earlier!

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Danebury & Red Rice - 25th Jan

This will be a bit of a first for me, a no photo blog post! Some of you might say all the better. After being office bound all week due to the snow, the previous day I had seen on Going Birding for Hampshire that quite some big numbers of Farmland birds had been seen within 10 mins of work.

That pretty much sorted my friday lunchtime. I was soon out the office door and off towards Danebury Hillfort. The large flat fields on the Danebury road resulted in nothing more than the odd Buzzard and around 2000 Rook.

Spying a rough piece of set aside cover next to a fairly low hedge row on the smaller road back towards town I took a punt pulling up in the gateway. Not having the camera with me it was quite nice for a change to make use of the scope. With plenty of Snow still covering the surrounding fields this hedge row proceeded to erupt with flock upon flock of small birds as they fed on the cover crop next door before returning to perch back upon the hedge.

Yellowhammer were the easiest to ID, with the bright yellow breasts and heads glowing against the dark hedgerow. With the odd pause in movement, I started to make out Corn Bunting, Reed Bunting, Linnet & Dunnock amongst the throngs. And more interestingly a Buzzard perched on a fence post mid hedge right in amongst them all.

With the constant movement it was pretty tricky to get an accurate count but if I had to roughly estimate I'd say

c.250 Yellowhammer
c.370 Corn Bunting
c.200 Linnet
c.22 Reed Bunting
8 Dunnock

All in all quite pleasant just to do a little bit of Birdwatching without having to worry about photographing it all. However I was a little gutted I missed out on some relevantly close shots of some Yellowhammers.

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Garden Birding - 9th Dec

A quick half hour sat in the garden by the river, didn't bring me a Kingfisher, but a pair of Buzzards did come fairly low over top of the Garden. Which enabled me to get a couple of nice shots as the sunshine caught there undersides.

Buzzard

Several different Blackbirds in the garden at the moment some with darker bills, which I assume are our native birds Scandinavian cousins. I did manage a shot of one of the British natives launching off of the shed roof after an interloper like a tornado jet.

Territorial Blackbird

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Harbridge Buzzard

Leaving Blashford I thought we would have a quick pit stop in Harbridge, a small village near the River Avon. The river usually breaks its banks in the winter months and the water meadows are completely flooded and covered in various wading birds and Swans.

I had timed it right the overnight rain had added to the flooded meadows and also the village road, so pulling over on the bridge I had a good scan with my binoculars as the rain started to come down.

A few Mute Swans, a male Reed Bunting and distant flushed Snipe along with a lone Buzzard where the only birds of note.

Wet Buzzard

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Sunny November Waterfowl

As well as the afore mentioned wildfowl in earlier posts, Slimbridge and its surrounding reserve where abundant in a few other Wildfowl species. 5 or 6 Shelduck joined the masses of Wigeon on the tack piece. Along with 40-50 Greylag Geese, all very vocal as Sparrowhawks and Buzzards regularly flew past.

Shelduck

Shelduck

Shelduck

Greylag

Greylag

In smaller numbers, several Grey Heron stood sentry duty on the edges of flooded outcrops, Dead still in the bright morning sun. Tufted Duck & Pochard drifted close to the hides allowing the occasional close up photograph, along with a rather tatty looking drake Shoveler.

Grey Heron

Tufted Duck

Drake Pochard

Drake Pochard

Drake Shoveler

From the Holden Tower various species could be seen on the flooded shores of the River Severn, 70 strong flocks of Dunlin fed on the flooded grassland along with Canada Geese intermixed with a lone European White-fronted Goose. A small flock of Barnacle Geese also fed along the shoreline. A much closer Barny fed inside the Slimbridge grounds, enable a photo of these chunky geese.

Barnacle Goose

Barnacle Goose

Barnacle Goose

After a quick spot of lunch, we headed around to the Zeiss hide, stopping only briefly as there were dozens of screaming kids running through the hide! Much to my annoyance, a good hour or more was spent in the Van Der Bovenkamp hide, as supposedly a Bittern was in the tiny block of reed in front of it. Its fair to say no Bittern was spotted by me, much to my annoyance. Occasionally the huge mass of Golden Plover would take flight before settling back down to feed.

Golden Plover

To finish the trip off, we thought we would go for the pair! Having managed some stunning views of the Short-billed Dowitcher down at Lodmoor in September, I thought I would get a spot on the long staying Long-billed Dowitcher that had been at Slimbridge for a good few months.

The bird was present out on the South Lake along with 50 or so Black-tailed Godwits, but with the sun dipping rapidly the whole scene was just a lot of shadowy birds so no pictures unfortunately, but good to get the set in the bag, and round off a pretty good day!

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A Quiet Sunday Sojurn

As the year rolls on I thought it was about time to have a wander the other side of the A303 to see if the indifferent weather had brought in any Short-eared Owls. It hadn't as of yet, but I did have a lovely hour and a half walk alongside the Woods surrounding Bransbury Common and then out on to the Common itself, an attempt to cross the River Dever failed miserably as the usually crossable ford soon came up an above my wellies. Giving me a rather wet leg.

This wasn't the only occasion either as certain parts of the meadow next to it, traipsed around by cattle appeared to be just a muddy patch but soon found me knee deep in mud. Wildlife appeared to be enjoying a lazy sunday too, I could hear Red-legged Partridge calling from the next field and they came into view enjoying the sunshine in their covey underneath the shelter of the nearby hedge. I also suspect they were in hiding from the raptor fest above. 7 Buzzard, 1 Red Kite & 2 Sparrowhawk circled high above enjoying the warm conditions. None really coming close enough for a picture.

Quite a few Butterflies still floated about, all be it quite late in the year. Brimstone & Comma both seen alongside the track. Overall quite a pleasant walk and a nice way to spend a couple of hours outdoors.

Moonlight Bank

Comma

Buzzard

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Up On The Downs

With cricket called off for the August Bank holiday weekend, but the weather fairly indifferent, finding something to do. A trip up the Bourne Valley, a nice spot of Lunch in the Jack Russell Inn at Faccombe, highly recommended followed by the search for Red Kites on the large open fields heading towards the Gibbet at Gallows Down.

The weather was pretty indifferent all day, so we headed off up the Valley around lunchtime hoping that it would brighten up for a walk in the afternoon, just prior to turning off for Faccombe I made a pretty swift pull in on the roadside as a field full of blue / purple flowers greeted us. I only had the telephoto with me so I couldn't take a shot, and was a little unsure as to what it was. But I thought to myself I'll pop back one night in the week with the smaller lens and some better weather.

With an outdoor pub lunch scuppered by a pretty heavy rain shower and a hasty retreat indoors we pondered the plan of action for the afternoon, Faccombe Estate covers a large acreage on the North Hampshire / Berkshire border and is a variety of Wooded copses & plantations, large open arable ground and grassy downland. Perfect terrain for Red Kites, throughout the afternoon we saw 9 all within a couple of miles of one another soaring high on the thermals. As we headed higher up the valley 3 Kites were being mobbed continuously by crows who were soon joined at the top of Gallows Down by a pair of Buzzards a Kestrel and numerous Ravens. All too far away for a decent photograph and when straying near enough the sun just happened to appear and make conditions way to bright for photography. 

I did however manage a shot that I was really pleased with, as the sky filled up with dark clouds in preparation for another downpour, some wispy white clouds blew through on the stiff breeze, highlighted by the rapidly disappearing sun. Quickly I had to find a foreground subject, thankfully a rather obliging Sheep posed in front of the sky for me.

Gallows Down Ewe

After disappearing back to the car before it poured down, we checked the map and realised one of Berkshire Wildlife Trusts reserves at Inkpen common was only about 2 miles down the road. Having missed another heavy shower, we headed for a wander around the small heathland reserve. However other than the colourful shades of the Heather and Bell Heather not a lot to be seen. As the sun returned a couple of butterflies did emerge for a photograph. 

Speckled Wood

Meadow Brown

As promised I did return up Netherton Valley one evening in the week when the sun was shining, and managed to get a couple of shots of the mysterious blue flowered field, which having researched when I got home concluded was Phacelia Tanacetifolia which Wikipedia says It was originally native to the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico, but it is now used in many places in agriculture as a cover crop, a bee plant, an attractant for other beneficial insects, and anornamental plant. It is planted in vineyards and alongside crop fields, where it is valued for its long, coilinginflorescences of nectar-rich flowers which open in sequence, giving a long flowering period. It is a good insectary plant, attracting pollinators such as honey bees. Whatever its use Im sure you'll agree quite the colourful sight.

With my Grad filters in the bag I thought I'd head back up on to the downs for some sunset shots looking back towards Andover, had a play with the Red filter which worked quite nicely on the Setting sun. Also a HDR effect that I hadn't really tried before but I think works quite nicely.

Phacelia Tanacetifolia

Phacelia Tanacetifolia

HDR Sunset

Red Filter Sunset

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Meadow Pipits Aplenty

Another weekend spent at the Girlfriend's in Shropshire, and I set off hoping for some migrants on the upper moorlands in the south of the county. Saturday morning we headed off to the Long Mynd hopeful for a break in the showers, first bird spotted as we reached the top of the hill from Church Stretton, a Meadow Pipit, I managed to grab a few shots thinking maybe this new addition to my species list might not be see again. How wrong I could be! Its fair to say Im not sure which was more numerous along the length of the Long Mynd, Meadow Pipits or People, hundreds if not a thousand or more Walkers and Cyclists seemed tp appear over every brow and in every gully, about every 50 yards along the road. The Meadow Pipits also seemed to be just as numerous rising and chasing each other from the heather.

Particularly Happy With This Shot 

Meadow Pipit

Other bird life was pretty scarce, Im guessing because of the invasion of people, all I noted were Ravens, 3 Buzzards, 2 Kestrels, 2 Red Grouse, and numerous Chaffinches, some of which the cock birds were very inquisitive, forcing me to retreat a little so I could focus properly.

Cock Chaffinch 

Hillside Ponies

Waking up to clear skies on Sunday Morning we headed off to Titterstone Clee, with the hope of a Ring Ouzel and Wheatear. The Wheatear was a confirmed tick as we saw 25-30 pairs all around half way up to the summit, and a few around the quarry. Even mixing in with a couple of Linnet. Unfortunately they all remained very flighty, and I couldn't get close enough for a shot I was happy with. We did also get a brief glimpse of a Peregrine in the gale force winds before it shot off out of sight elsewhere.

So compared to my last weekend visit not the most successful of trips, but 4 new species added to my list for 2012 so It cannot all be bad.

99 Without The Flake

Having got some detailed directions to the location of the Short-eared Owls at Bransbury, I set the alarm for 5.50am on Friday morning and headed off in the darkness. After a 25 min trek from the Car to the given location I arrived about 6.35am, already the light gaining on me fast, it proved too fast really as a pair of Barn Owls were already out hunting as I emerged from the path on to the common. Waiting till they disappeared I crept further up the fence-line to the recommended spot overlooking the River Dever and the distant River Test. A Short-eared Owl soon joining me in the same field before quickly disapeering

My mornings Owl spotting was soon interrupted however by the local Deer Stalker who trundled up the River bank in front of me, seemingly spooking said Owls as I never saw them again. A couple of Buzzards flew over the area unperturbed, and just as I began to think about packing up and heading off to work at 7.15 am a Ring-tailed Hen Harrier glided over the top of the grasses in the distance. Number 99 on my bird Species list for 2012 and the first I've seen in England let alone Hampshire.

With the weather marginally better in the afternoon I headed down again, finding an alternative entry footpath and reducing the walk too around 10 mins. With Camo hide setup I enjoyed some cracking views of 4 Short-eared Owls and 1 Barn Owl for a good couple of hours. The light however preventing any of the photographs to anything more than a Noisy blur.

With Sundays afternoon awash in beautiful golden sunlight, and the weekends work moving just about done, Nat and I headed down and were setup again in my hide by 4pm, the first Shortie showing around 15 mins later soon joined by another 2. With both Rivers in between getting closer to them is a bit of a task especially as it seems like private ground, so all photos are from the edge of the common quite a distance away, some cracking views mind!

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Long Mynd Grouse

I finished work at lunchtime on friday so headed off to Shropshire to spend the weekend with my Girlfriend, after beating the friday afternoon traffic and once refreshed we headed out for a drive in the gorgeous late afternoon sunshine. Having not explored the area to much in the last year, I had a rough idea of which direction we wanted to head in, so headed up the rather adventurous single track road, signposted unsuitable in Autumn & Winter, Over the Long Mynd which stands between the Stiperstones to the West and the Stretton Hills to the East.

With the car scraping the tarmac on a few occasions and the gear-stick not leaving first, it was pretty reminiscent of a Scottish mountain pass, the view wasn't to bad either as we rose to around 1500ft. A quick pit stop at the top of the hill to watch a Glider take off from the Midland Gliding Club who are based on the top, before a leisurely drive along the Spine of the hills, windows wound down in anticipation of something interesting. Im sure during certain times of the year the heath-land is brimming with Moorland wildlife but as the clock ticked round to 5.15pm it didn't seem to be present. (Usually the effect I have on places) When finally, with the late afternoon sunshine bathing the Heather in an orange glow, movement caught my eye. A Cock Pheasant miles from any trees or hedgerows, popped out on to the road swiftly followed by Buzzard swooping low over the brow to our left, soon vanishing from sight.

Nearing the end of the range I was beginning to get a little annoyed, 5 or 6 miles we had driven along the top of a quiet, peaceful natural wonderment and nothing moved for miles around, and then approaching the last bend before the decent into Church Stretton a bright red comb appeared out of the heather a mere 30 yards from the road. Ditching the car in the nearest pull in, I stalked back up the road and managed to get a load of shots of a pair of Red Grouse - another newbie for the 2012 list. But by this time the light was fading pretty fast so had to get a little closer and lower to shoot with the sky as the backdrop. The birds didn't seem bothered by my presence mooching about on the ground till a 5 Raven fly-by flushed them to the bank and thicker cover on the opposite side of the road.

Red Grouse Male

Red Grouse Male 

Red Grouse Male

Red Grouse Female

Red Grouse Male

Red Grouse Male

Red Grouse Female