Grey Partridges & The Silhouetted Hobby

My apologies for the lack of updates in the past fortnight or so, I've been away in Pembrokeshire for a week and the few days leading up to departing seemed to be full of other things on the agenda. So whilst I spent all day yesterday going through various photos I took last week whilst away I remembered that I still had some encounters from the last weekend in may to share.

Whilst heading towards the Cricket pitch on the friday evening, I thought I'd have a drive through Apsley (the old home) its a bit of a divert from St Mary Bourne but a nice quiet single track road with open fields either side. Much to my delight as I rounded the corner to drive past a couple of freshly drilled fields a pair of Grey Partridge dusting / gritting in the road, they didn't at all seem bothered as my camera lens appeared out of the car window. In my opinion easily our most gracious of Game birds, and one you see all that often so I was happy with my first opportunity to get some shots I was pleased with, However no sign of any youngsters, so Im guessing she hasn't sat yet or if so they were unsuccessful.

Grey Partridge Male 

Grey Partridge Pair 

Grey Partridge Male

As always never far away was the Pheasant, a lone cock with his hareem of 6 hens strutting his stuff out on the dry maize sown ground. As majestic as ever in some nice soft orange light.

Cock Pheasant

As I headed down towards the cricket pitch, I had a quick scan over the water meadows, desperate to pick up a hunting Hobby, as Im still yet to see one that hasn't been miles away. I thought my luck was in as looking towards the sun a falcon shape silhouette headed straight towards me, I snapped off a lot of pictures and wasn't able to tell it was in fact a Kestrel until it had disappeared overhead. You cannot believe my excitement and then the disappointment when I found out it wasn't.

Hunting Kestrel

With cricket pitch mown, rolled & marked out, I headed back down the back road to Longparish, again finding the Spotted Flycatchers in the same spot, this time 4 showing well in amongst the trees. The light pretty poor in the shade I did manage one notable shot at least so you can tell what it is. Ignore the orange crest that makes it appear like a female Blackcap, this was intact the sun.

Spotted Flycatcher

Its pretty apparent to see why these migrants enjoy this particular area as about a 100 yards down the road, another fly hatch adorned the sky with various others from the spell of dry warm weather we had been having. I quite liked how they twinkled in the setting sun.

Blacksmith's Bridge

http://www.facebook.com/MartinClayPhotography I'm tending to use my Facebook page a bit more frequently at the moment, so all views and "Likes" would be hugely appreciated. 

The Day After The Day Before

Where to start, doing the feed rounds with Dad on a rather bright sunny mid November Sunday. 2 Red Kites showing up in pretty much every field on the Estate, fair to say they were probably following us either that or there's about 4 pairs. A trio of Buzzards circling above the Christmas Trees at the back of the Pond, looked as if the thermals were pretty good, I'd imagine scanning the fields to see if there were any missed Pheasants that weren't picked from the Shoot the day before.

Pine Cones

Pied Wagtail

All of the Pine trees are absolutely loaded with Cones at the moment, I'm constantly looking up hoping that I might see a migrant Crossbill tucking in at the top of the tree - but no such luck, just blue sky. Which I guess i should'nt really complain about!

A pair of Pied Wagtail were flitting about close-by up at the Dryer, a pretty common bird round and about the area, but I must admit I couldn't remember the last time I saw one on Apsley - so maybe somewhat of an unusual sighting.

Grey Partridge

Nice to see a Covey of about 18-20 Wild Grey Partridge showing up in the middle of the Estate, giving themselves away instantly with their pretty distinctive call. I also passed the flight pond on the rounds, you never know you might sometimes on the off chance get a glimpse of the elusive Kingfisher, a high chance now that the banks have been cut back and the water can actually be seen.

I did however get a quick glimpse of a Bird, that after pouring through all of the Bird guides at home, I still have absolutely no idea as to what it could have been, Probably about the size of a Snipe, it flushed up from the edge of the water, with a striking White underside and tail feathers, and jet black wings that continued across its back, it flew off at some speed not unlike a Wading bird with the pointing wing shape, calling continually as it disappeared over the river and beyond, quite a shrill Whistling call, Id like to think my bird id skills are pretty good, but I still have no idea at all.

Male Black Redstart

To end the day a first for me and from speaking to Mum and Kath (my sister - the trainee Bird Ringer) a first for them too, Walking the dogs round the old farm buildings, now converted into some rather rural office space - I came upon a rather animated Robin sized bird flitting about on the slates of the buildings roofs, so quickly up came the camera.

Male Black Redstart

I must admit i've had to lighten the photos quite a lot in Photoshop as it was about 4pm and the light fading fast, my initial synopsis being a Male Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) but after snapping off about 20 pics and comparing them when I got home, I can conclude a positive identification of a Male Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) which being perfectly honest in all of my vast 25 years I have never heard of!

So all in all a good day, Just rather annoyed that I didn't get chance to grab a few snaps of the mysterious wading bird.