New Year, New Start

So it is a New Year, well already nearly 2 months down in the New Year, but I have been very neglectful of my blogging over the past 6 months or so. So 2014 is hopefully going to bring with it a conscious effort by me to keep this going.

Where to start? Well with flooding in the South adding a lot of water to usual habitats, birds seem to have been a bit sparse to come by. An early January visit to Blashford Lakes seemed a good idea, with a clear day forecast the lure of photographing the Starling Murmuration against a setting sun was to much, and it would also be a great location to get year list up and running.

Lots of birds about and highlights of the day included Black Necked Grebe, Goosander, Goldeneye and a lone drake Red crested Pochard all good additions to the year list. Plenty of birds were making full use of the Woodland hides feeders with Siskin & Lesser Redpoll regularly visiting the Nyger seed. To my surprise I manage a new lifer from the same spot as a birder next to me on the bench got rather animated at a couple of the Redpoll, slightly larger paler and less streaky, my first Mealy Redpoll. With a cracking sunset setting the sky a glow all that was required was the Starlings. On my last visit over the Christmas period 30,000 came into roost on a dull day. Tonight nothing! Just my luck, the sunset was pretty special though.

Coal Tit

Blue Tit

Grey Wagtail 

Female Siskin

Female Siskin

Avon Valley Sunset 

No Starlings :-(

If you are a social media user, Feel free to follow me on Facebook or Twitter for up to date sightings & photographs, any 'Comments & Criticisms' are welcomed.

Facebook  •  Twitter  

Blashford Woodland Hide

With weeks of Slimbridge posts I can finally get on to some other wildlife encounters. Unfortunately I am still over a month behind and really should get my fingers loose for plenty of typing.

The following Sunday from my trip to Slimbridge, the girlfriend was down and with some pretty indifferent weather we headed down to Blashford lakes. The main car park was flooded along with the Tern Hide that overlooks the huge expanse of Ibsley Water. That instantly put a massive dent in my visit.

As the rain started to come down we headed for shelter in the Woodland hide. A cracking hide with loads of feeders but only with one partition that opens to allow clean photography. As you can imagine this prime piece of real estate by the window is most usually frequented. And in previous visits as Im sure I've blogged, I have encountered photographers who have bragged about being sat there all day.

Luckily today after 15 minutes or so the old couple that were there up and left, and I was on hand to slide my considerable girth along the wooden bench and into position. As mentioned there are loads of feeders attracting a wide variety of woodland birds. Within minutes, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Nuthatch, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Lesser Redpoll, Great spotted Woodpecker, Pheasant, Collared Dove and several stunning male Bramblings had visited the different feeders.

Nuthatch - Check Out The Tongue Action

I try nowadays not to capture birds on the feeders as branches give a far more natural look. This however isn't always easy, especially when the birds tend to land directly on the feeders. I must admit I couldn't resist a few shots of the ever present Nuthatches who were not at all bothered by the camera just a few feet away.

Brambling Male

Goldfinch

The main purpose of my visit was to hopefully catch a few shots of the gorgeous Lesser Redpoll, but after waiting a good hour for them to land on the nearby branches I had to make do with a few feeder shots. The light was changing every 2 or 3 minutes as the clouds rolled by above, which when leaving a clear path for the sun created a lovely glow on the bracken behind the birds.

Now I hear you say I sat in the window a good hour, now that would make me as bad as everyone else I earlier moaned about. But as several other photographers entered and rather annoyingly shot over my shoulders with there lenses, 5 minutes or so later I packed up and let someone else have my spot. Turns out no one filled it so I sat back down. Playing fair isn't it?

Lesser Redpoll

Lesser Redpoll

Cock Chaffinch

http://www.facebook.com/MartinClayPhotography Up to date pictures and sightings, prior to me getting around to writing these blog posts, I would be more than grateful for any 'Likes' or Comments on my FB Photography Page too so feel free to comment or criticise about anything.

Willow Hide Blue Tits

Stunning Blue Tit

I spent some time in the new Willow Hide at Slimbridge, situated really close to the feeding stations, a little to close if im honest, the birds are really skittish of any movement in the hide. A lovely collection of 'Garden' birds visited in a constant stream. Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Chaffinch, House Sparrow, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and even a rather quick Lesser Redpoll.

The light was beautiful, highlighting the last of the autumnal colours in the bushes behind the birds, so I made the most of photographing some rather photogenic Blue Tits.

Cock Chaffinch

http://www.facebook.com/MartinClayPhotography Up to date pictures and sightings, prior to me getting around to writing these blog posts, I would be more than grateful for any 'Likes' or Comments on my FB Photography Page too so feel free to comment or criticise about anything.

First Schoolboy Error Of The Year

A free Sunday, no plans at all! To Blashford Lakes near Ringwood once I could get Kath up an rearing to go (Don't think she was rearing all day to be honest.) 10am Departure planned, so its a bit rubbish when you have to go and wake your sister up at 10.05am on a Sunday morning so you can go birding. So 10am Departure turns into 11am. 

Now having treated myself as a necessity to a Manfrotto 679B Monopod with a Tilting Head, mainly because of the weight of my new Lens we left the car and the car park to head toward the Lapwing and Goosander Hide's overlooking Ibsley Water, having had a quick peep through the Tern Hide and being greeted by a dead Mute Swan, wings outstretched and pointing towards the Pearly Gates, we hoped for better sightings.

Around 1200metres later whilst setting the camera up on a couple of Long Tailed Tits flitting around in the Wintery sun, I realise that I don't actually have a Memory Card in the camera! And so happens the first Schoolboy Error of the year. a 25 minute round trip later, I join Kath in the Lapwing hide with both spare memory cards I carry in my camera bag. The hides other inhabitants looking a little surprised at my sweat cover brow, after my Half Run, Half Walk to catch up. So now I can talk about birds, Ibsley water was absolutely teaming with Waterfowl, thousands of Coots, Wigeon, Mallard, Mute Swans, Tufted Duck, Canadian Geese, Greylag Geese, Goosanders, Great-Black Backed Gull, Shoveler, Shellduck, Gadwall, Black Headed Gull, Cormorant, Grey Heron & first Rarity a female Scaup.

Tufted Duck

After a brief port of call in the Goosander hide, we headed across the road to the smaller, and more woodland surround lakes & the rather impressive Woodland Hide. Now I know I like to moan about photographers, but this really took the biscuit. I'll set the scene. An octagonal Hide with only the 2 end windows open-able, the rest of the glass blacked out due to the close proximity of the Feeders 2-3 metres in front. Now in a free moving, care for other nature lovers kind of way you kind of expect the turn around for a seat on the open windows to be fast moving, take your picture and move on let someone else have a go kind of thing. Instead no we are just gonna sit here all day annoying other people. I overheard that the 3 "Photographers" hogging the window, had been perched there since 8.35am, I looked at my watch, 2.45pm. To make matters worse, they were all deep in conversation, with Nuthatch, Siskin, Chaffinch, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Greenfinch, Treecreeper & Lesser Redpoll all flocking in around the feeders and not one being photographed because of a more interesting conversation about the length of time the British Butterfly Association website had been up and running. Therefore I apologise for the not quite crystal clear sharpness I could have had if permitted a seat for 5minutes rather than having to shoot through blackened windows.

Siskin

Treecreeper

Lesser Redpoll

Greenfinch

Nuthatch

Great Tit

All in all other than my ever dwindling disrespect for other members of the general public, a fairly good trip was had. We did manage another first and Im sure a rarety, a bit far for a decent picture but definately possitvely identified a Ferruginous Duck out on the Ivy Lake in amongst some Pochard. Which takes my county list up too 63 so far for 2012.