L & R Wildphoto

Cuba isn't far from Somerset!

2012-01-11T20:36:00.003Z

Happy New Year!

Recent days have seen me travelling out of the county to C.U.B.A! Unfortunately that’s the County, used to be Avon, not the Caribbean island........

Chew Valley Lake provided the first lifer of the year, in the form of a very confiding Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis). This North American vagrant Gull is similar to our own Common Gull (Larus canus), but differs in having a pale eye, heavier bill with a thicker dark band & yellower legs. The pale eye & heavier bill give it a more brutish look than Common gull. It readily came to hand outs of bread & i had to back off with the 600mm.

The long staying Spotted sandpiper (another American vagrant) was in its usual haunt along the concrete bank of Herriot’s pool & gave great views & allowed some images to be taken, albeit in terrible light. The photo shows a few spots developing on the lower breast & flanks.

A short visit to Blagdon Lake failed to turn up the Long-tailed duck.

Back in the home county & Catcott lows reserve held seven adult Bewick’s swans & a confused juvenile that would rather hang out with the resident Mutes. A large female peregrine falcon seen to it that the thousands of Lapwing, did not settle. Amongst them were a group of 50 (ish) Golden plover & a dozen Black-tailed godwits. As darkness fell, commuting Starlings took avoiding action when a Sparrowhawk scythed through their ranks.

In the east of the county, at Torr reservoir, the resident Canada goose flock held a few interlopers. A Richardson’s cackling goose (tiny version of a Canada goose, barely bigger than a Mallard), three Barnacle geese & a single Bar-headed goose. Now all three of these species are kept in wildfowl collections & are probably of dubious origin (i.e. escapees, not wild birds), but you never know................... I will leave that decision with you!
The Brue estuary at Burnham on sea held yet another yank vagrant in the form of a Lesser yellowlegs, a wader. I found it in its usual place (its been about for a while) on a floating barrel, on a small pool to the side of the channel. A stealthy slow crawling approach let me get to within 20m. After getting the shots i just lay back & was contemplating the crawl back when off it went into the channel. At least it meant i didnt have to crawl back through the stinking strand line.

Richardsons cackling goose- tiny with a darker breast

Bar-headed goose in same Canada flock

Ring-billed gull

Common gull for comparison. Far more gentile expression.

Ring-billed gull

Spotted sandpiper (spots just starting to show)

Juvenile Bewick's swan

Lesser yellowlegs

Influx of Short-eared owls

2011-11-27T10:31:00.002Z

This autumn has proven to be a great time for Short-eared owls in the county. Most years we get one or more owls & Aust, between the two Severn bridges, is a regular overwintering area. This year however has seen alot of the local moors harbouring one or more birds, with counts of up to seven seen on Aller moor! With this in mind i popped over to Aller, seeing only one (disturbed by dog walkers) the first day, but had greater success on my second visit, with three hunting in the area. The images of the perched owl below are from that session. The light was dismal so perched images were the order of the day.
The following pair of images of the owl & Kestrel were taken a few years ago at Aust & "lost" on my hard drive. I found them when loading the new images!
Short-eared owls are commonly seen during daylight (diurnal) & feed on the same sort of creatures as Kestrels. This leads to competition for resources & inevitably fights. Corvids also give the owls are hard time, & can often be used to find owls that are perched or roosting in reeds or long grass.

This final shot was taken by my good buddy Tim Taylor, whilst on Aller moor. I was busy watching a perched owl through my lens. My phone started to vibrate with an incoming call. I ignored it as i was still locked onto the perched bird. Tim was ringing to tell me to turn around! DOH!

The final straw was when i saw the file name........Rob missing the owl

A bit of a blow!

2011-09-14T21:22:00.000+01:00

For a few days now, the wind off of Burnham-on-sea has been blowing fairly strongly. The recent hurricane in the US & stormy weather in the North Atlantic has pushed a fair few migrating birds into the Bristol channel & marooned them in Bridgwater bay. Skuas, Shearwaters, Grey phalarope, Leaches petrels & Sabines gulls have all been reported around the bay.
Yesterday evening I joined a few other birders on the seafront at Burnham. A juvenile Sabines gull (woo-hoo......lifer) on the beach was pointed out to me as soon as i got there, quickly followed by a Leaches petrel, battling against the wind. I have heard that a couple of exhausted Manx shearwaters were rescued from the tideline & taken to Secret world wildlife rescue http://www.secretworld.org/. Lets hope they regain there strength & can be released.
I managed record shots of both the sab's & leache's (Both are massive crops & not the sharpest).

Note the missing inner primary on the above petrel. This bird was seen quite a few times during my time at the front.

Cornish pelagic 2011.

2011-09-14T20:50:00.001+01:00

Saturday 6th August saw myself & 2 companions boarding a small boat & heading out from St Ives at 5:00 in the morning. Fortunately the sea was relatively calm & the weather dry. The first sighting was not a bird, but a basking shark, just after we left the harbour. This was the first of two sightings during the trip, but was unfortunately about 100m of the rear of the boat. The gloomy light of dawn soon lifted to a overcast morning & after about an hour of steaming & chumming (around 8 miles out), the first Fulmars appeared. These were our constant companion's during the trip & afforded views down to a meter, both on the sea & in flight. Gannets were also fairly frequent, some diving onto the chum just off the boat. A little later on, many hundreds (possibly thousands) of Manx Shearwaters crossed our path, some circling & feeding nearby. A small group of Balearic Shearwaters were also spotted as they crossed to our rear. The bird of the day for me (and a lifer) though was the single Sooty Shearwater that flew alongside the boat & gave great binocular views, but too far for my 200mm lens & 1.7x converter combo to get anything other than a distant record shot.
After drifting for about 1 1/4 miles, we steamed back to our original position. Just after setting off, a large dark triangular fin was spotted again too our rear. This time the skipper decided to see if we could get a closer look & circled the area where it was last seen. After 10 minutes or so & no more sightings, we headed off on our original course. More Manxies joined us & a single Storm petrel flitted alongside for a brief moment.
By now the sun was out & it was time to return to St Ives for a late breakfast. A pair of Grey seals popped there heads out of the water to see if there was any titbit's & Cormorants & a few Shags were also noted.

Balearic Shearwater

Gannet

Fulmar

Manx Shearwater

Sooty Shearwater

If you fancy a trip out next year, have a look at this website http://www.cornwall-birding.co.uk/pelagics/ but be warned, book early as places are filled quickly.

Just unlucky? Or fewer Roe?

2011-08-10T22:07:00.000+01:00

I have been out a few evenings during the latter part of July & early august looking for Roe deer. These charming mammals are a little bit odd in that this is the time of the rutt, not during the autumn like red or fallow.
Driving around & looking in all the old favourite places, i was struck by the lack of roe. Now, the maize is growing up nicely & no doubt hiding a few, but surely not that many?
A scout around the levels reserves, turned up a few, but not as many as i would have expected.
I have a few tricks up my sleeve to coax them out of hiding & was dismayed at the lack of response in the hotspots of the past.
When i did eventually see some, they were nearly all does or yearlings. Bucks were even more scarce & all were youngsters, the oldest was estimated at around 2-3 years old.
So the question is, where have they all gone?
Have all the mature bucks been shot out or poached? Has the overall local population suffered from a couple of hard winters? Has the good weather during the spring led to early grass cutting when newborn kids are left hiding out while mum forages?
The truth is that i just dont know the answer. Its probably a combination of all these & perhaps other reasons. Was i just unlucky? I personally believe there are not the amount of mature animals around the area that there were perhaps five years ago......but i hope i am proved wrong.

A proud buck!

Young buck

A doe bounds through the summer growth.

Classic roe pose!

Yearling buck.

East Anglia 2011

2011-05-14T16:26:00.003+01:00

Our annual pilgrimage to the east of England started at 04:30 on friday 6th may When i was picked up by fellow photographer Tim Taylor. Minsmere was our first port of call & we duly arrived around 09:30. A Red kite was spotted near Reading on the way & the other party in the other car also had a Rose-ringed Parakeet near Heathrow. We had been told about a month previous that a Bittern was showing well in front of the island mere hide. No luck there, so we moved to the Bittern hide. Marsh harriers were very much in view most of the time we were there, but did not come very close. We did however strike lucky with a Bittern right in front of the hide! Now, did we get the hides wrong, I dont believe so. I think it was just our day. This particular bird was very obliging for a Bittern, occasionally coming out into full view. We witnessed it catching Sticklebacks & small invertebrates & on several occasions catching large dragonflies, even plucking them from the air. The rest of the day was abit of an anti-climax after that, so we moved on to North Norfolk. There was a few hours of daylight left so we decided to go "huntin wabbits". Choseley barns is a great area for hares & migrants. A pair of Yellow wagtails afforded close views, Yellowhammers called all around & a couple of Corn buntings were seen. There was very little spilt grain in the barns area so was relitivley devoid of the usual flocks of seed eaters.
Hares though were in most of the surrounding fields along with Partridges & Pheasant.
The following day started at again in the barns area, where we struck lucky with a pair of Grey partridge (only the second time i have seen them in England, though i have seen plenty in Scotland).
Then after breakfast, on to Titchwell & the brand new Parrinder hide. Now this really is a hide that you want to visit. Large fully opening windows, separate stools (some bolted down, others moveable) & mud banks just 25m away. Avocet, Redshank, Ruff, Ringed plover, Little-ringed plover, Dunlin, Little & Temminks stint, Grey plover & Common sandpiper were all present. A visit to the beach produced both Common Scoter & Eider. The afternoon was spent at Cley where we managed to find & photograph a party of 5 Shore lark on the shingle bank at the end of the east bank (a lifer for me). On the way back a pair of Greenshank on a small pool & 3 Whinchat allowed some record shots.
Back to Cley on sunday morning to try & connect with a Citrine Wagtail on the West bank. This we & the dozen or so others present failed at, but a Sedge warbler at spitting distance kept us entertained. A drive nearer the beach produced a pair of summer plumaged Bar-tailed Godwits on a small splash. These were more than happy to totally ignore us as we snapped away. Then back to Titchwell for a hour to mop up before moving on to Weeting Heath. A Stone curlew was seen in flight briefly, but as usual, miles away. A walk around the woodland walk failed to produce Tree pipit & Woodlark although they had been seen there earlier in the day.
The other 4 on the trip were just birding & managed a respectable total around 125 species for the weekend.

Photos below in no particular order:

Summer plumaged Bar-tailed Godwit at Cley

Bittern from Bittern hide, Minsmere.

Greylag, Island mere hide, Minsmere

Grey Partridge, Choseley area.

Brown hare, Choseley area.

The usual pose..........

Thats better, getting used to me.......

Then totally ignoring me!

But sometimes they just pop out right in front of you.

Little-ringed plover, Parrinder hide, Titchwell

Record shot of Little Stint & Dunlin, Parrinder hide, Titchwell.

Dozing Red-legged Partridge, Choseley area.

Redshank, Titchwell.

Redshank, Minsmere

Shorelark, Cley, East bank.

Ruff, Parrinder hide, Titchwell.

Sedge Warbler, West bank, Cley.

Yellow wagtail, Choseley barns.

Greenshank, Cley, East bank.

Water rail (& Bittern!), Minsmere, Bittern hide.

Garden warbler, Titchwell

Meare Heath waders

2011-04-25T16:42:00.000+01:00

The second lagoon from the Ashcott corner car park is traditionally pumped down at this time of year in order to make it more attractive to passage waders. The exposed mud & shallow open water has already attracted Little ringed plover, Ruff, Common sandpiper, Redshank & Black tailed Godwit. Wood and Green sandpiper also drop in, but not so this spring yet.

Early last week a Wood sand was reported on the sos message board as being present. Birders wishing to add this species to there year list visited & the bird was subsequently correctly identified as a Lesser yellowlegs. A breeder in N America, it is a fairly regular vagrant to europe with 5-10 records annually in the UK & Ireland.

I have made 2 visits in the past week. The first resulted in very poor, long distance (150m +) record shots with the 600mm & 1.7x converter.

This afternoon i returned & a very helpful Sparrowhawk, flushed the congregation of Godwits & Redshank, along with the yellowlegs to a much nearer point on the lagoon.

Below is a shot of one of the Black-tailed Godwits as it flew from its roost to the feeding area on the lagoon.

Two of the three Common Sandpipers present on my first visit.

Meare heath is a part of Natural Englands Shapwick heath NNR in the Avalon Marshes, Somerset.

Bad blogger..........

2011-04-06T15:49:00.002+01:00

I know, i know, its been a while! The truth is, i have had very little worth putting on this blog for a couple of months. Its not that i haven't been out, because i have. More very little in the form of subject matter (also if the truth be known, a lack of enthusiasm).
Now the sun has returned (sometimes), i feel a renewed vigour for the natural world.
Migrants have already started pouring to our shores. Wheatear, Ring ouzel, Sand martin to name but a few, have been seen in the area for at least a couple of weeks.
This morning, to my delight, i spotted a very contrasty looking small bird in the back garden. Grabbing my bins from the spare room, I confirmed my suspicions & nailed the male Pied flycatcher, flitting from branches after its insect prey.

Panic then set in as i raced back to the spare room to grab the camera, already fitted with the 600mm lens. A couple of bankers were taken quickly through the glass. I then inched open the window & managed to grab about 20 shots before it moved to another tree & was lost from sight.

Whilst driving across Tealham moor, on the look out for the reported Yellow wagtail (not seen), I flushed a Wheatear from the roadside verge. This is my first this year & i normally see quite a few over the spring & autumn period. It posed quite nicely on a roadside gate post, allowing a slow approach & a handheld shoot through the open passenger window.

A little earlier this year, also on Tealham, was this Short-eared owl. Up to 3 birds were using the same area & were seen most days during the late afternoon. This particular afternoon, it only approached as close as 100m. This shot has had a lot of post processing & is a fairly large crop of the original. Necessary to get a usable image. The watery winter sunshine & the backlit subject add something to an otherwise standard record shot. It goes to show how an uninspiring image can become something better with a little thought & a bit of computer work.

I recently visited a private nature reserve on Cary moor. The reason for visiting this delightful reserve was to try & photograph the Tree sparrows that have regularly been coming to seed, put down by Bruce Taylor.

Around 6 were present on my visit, but far greater numbers have been seen over the winter. Birders in the county will appreciate that Tree sparrows are scarce in Somerset. A site on the Mendips being the previous best place to see them. Now at Cary moor, you have the luxury of a carpeted hide only meters from the feeding birds. Also present were numerous Reed buntings, Chaffinches & a single Yellowhammer. A shallow pond lies on the opposite side of the hide & attracts waterfowl.

Anyone wishing to visit, should first get in contact with Bruce by email on brucetaylor@hotmail.com to get directions, parking instructions & the code to the lock on the hide.

Please remember that this is a private reserve & we can visit due to the kindness of the landowners. Providing we all conduct ourselves in a proper manner & follow Bruces instructions, we will be able to see Tree sparrows for years to come.

More later..........I promise!

Winter wonders

2010-12-21T17:11:00.003Z

Since my last post, I have been out a few times without a shot being taken. Other trips bagged only a couple mediocre record shots. Then there was the times when the light was just nice & the wildlife was behaving.

These Waxwings are part of the "eruption" we in Britain have been experiencing this winter. Due to harsh weather or failure of the berry crop in their native Scandinavia, they move south in great numbers, searching out berries, Rowan being a particular favourite.

These birds (a flock of up too 22 birds) was frequenting the grounds of the college in Minehead. These images were taken late in the day, just before sunset & needed a lot of processing to get them to a reasonable standard.

A drive one afternoon caught this roadside Buzzard in the watery winter sunlight. They usually scarper at the first sign of a human.

I was pleased to see a Barn owl hunting in one of their favourite haunts local to me. This was taken a couple of days ago at 2 in the afternoon, a sign that the bird is struggling to find enough to eat during the recent snow. On a lighter note though, the snow on the ground lights the underside of the bird nicely. A 2/3 stop over exposure was required to counteract the snows effect on the cameras meter.

A couple of hours at Shapwick heath on the levels, produced this fly-by Bittern. Again the snow on the ground has reflected the light back onto the underside of the bird. To prevent a silhouette, +2/3rds stop exposure compensation was needed.

To end, I would just like to wish you all a Merry Christmas & a Happy new year. Please come back soon in 2011!

Sika here, Sika there.....

2010-10-20T15:29:00.001+01:00

An early start this morning & a 11/2 hour drive found me at the RSPB reserve at Arne in Dorset. The reason for going? The rutt of the Sika deer (Cervus nippon). Sika deer were introduced to the UK from Asia during the mid 19th century. Initially confined to parks, individuals managed to escape over the years so that there are now established populations within the British countryside. Often confused with fallow deer, this species possesses a much richer coat spotted with white during the summer months.
Parking on the side of the road beside the car park (they dont get up as early as me in Dorset, the gates were locked!), I soon heard the unearthly whistling (more squealing) call of the Sika stag. If you have never heard this noise, then you could be forgiven for thinking that someone is being murdered!
Following the squeals along a path, i soon found the first deer, a hind, then further along, a few more. Then the first stag of the day.
It ended up that you could not walk around the reserve without litterally bumping into deer. They are everywhere. At one junction in the track i stopped to check my route map, when a young stag decided to check me out. He was only a few meters away when i turned around & saw him. I froze, he ran.

And to finish with an opportunistic Dartford warbler..........

Crake at Greylake

2010-10-12T11:31:00.000+01:00

For the second year on the trot, a Spotted crake has taken up residence at Greylake RSPB reserve. Although not nearly as easy to see or photograph as last years, it still thrilled the watching birders & photographers in the hide. Luckily i had only been there about 10 mins before i seen it skulking along the base of the reeds on the right hand side of the pool beside the hide. It showed on & off for the next hour at least, letting most people get a view.

I managed a couple of record shots during this time.

Also of interest were a pair of Kestrels that were continually about. This immature male posed beautifully on a nearby tussock in the autumn afternoon sunlight.

Teal are also turning up now, some didnt leave. This drake is still a little scruffy looking having not completely moulted from his eclipse plumage.

More from the seaside

2010-09-15T15:57:00.001+01:00

Continuing the maritime theme, today i visited the Parratt estuary along the Huntspill seawall. In the strong north westerlies a pair of Manx Shearwater battled up river against the wind. This was a rare chance to get some shots of this tough little seabird, not often seen close to land on the Somerset coast.
Several Wheatear were present along the rocks & on the short grass that they seem to love.
Other birds seen included a small flock of Turnstone & a single Whimbrel.

Cornish pelagic

2010-09-11T18:14:00.000+01:00

Early on the morning of the 4th september (01:30 to be precise, well i did say early!), I set off from home to drive to St Ives (via N Petherton to pick up a mate). The roads as can be expected at that time of night were clear & we eventually pulled up to Smeatons pier in St Ives harbour at around 04:15. After a short nap in the car, I boarded the boat (Prime time) which was due to leave at 05:00 & take us out around 7 miles NW. 9 others joined Dave & me & we headed out of the harbour onto the open sea, which thankfully, was fairly calm (although not calm enough for one indivdual).
After about an hour, just as the light was getting to a reasonable level, the skipper, shut down the engine & startied chumming. For those of you that have never heard of this practice, fear not! It is not some sort of sordid practice of folks of the sea, but rather the depositing of a foul brew of fish heads, guts & blood, that had been hanging around for a while (in this case, 2 weeks), into the sea. The stench coming from the barrell reminded me of drains, but at least 10 times worse! Anyway this chum has the effect of drawing in birds from a long way off, & it wasn't long before the first Fulmars turned up. A kittiwake followed us for most of the morning. The first Storm Petrel arrived around 2 hours after we stopped. More were seen during the trip, with up to 3 in a group. Unfortunately, no one managed to turn a stormie into the star bird of these trips, Wilsons Storm Petrel. Other birds seen included Gannet, Great & Arctic Skua, Herring & Great black-backed Gull, Guillemot, Cormorant & several Terns. Anyone that fancies a few hours with a barrel of chum, a bucket of sick & several other foolhardy souls, go to http://www.cornwall-birding.co.uk/pelagics/ for more info (trust me its fun, so much so i intend to have another go next year!)
The photos below were the best from a dreary day whist trying to stand up & not fall in the chum barrel. All were taken using a D2x at iso 400 & 800 with a Nikon 70-200mm VR lens fitted with a 1.7x teleconverter.

Pro video camera for sale.

2010-09-07T18:11:00.000+01:00

We have decided to sell our Canon XL2 mini DV video camera & all associated kit. The camera is in mint condition & has only had light amature use.
Extras in this sale include all you need to start producing broadcast quality video.
Please go to http://www.lnrwildphoto.co.uk/otheritems.html for full details.
Please contact us if you have any questions or to arrange a viewing.

Water voles

2010-08-23T15:00:00.000+01:00

Today I managed a few hours out with the camera (a rare occurrence of late). I decided to follow up on a tip off from a fellow photographer & birder about a local water vole population. Now I was told this information a couple of months ago, but due to other commitments was unable to visit until today. As I parked up in the rain, I wondered whether it would be a fruitless search. I decided to go on a recce to try to pinpoint this elusive species. After finding a likely spot overlooking a small weeded pond, I sat & waited. Not for very long, mind you. Because after only a couple of minutes, one of these delightful & charachterful creatures, treated me to cracking show, only a few metres away. Then further along the bank, another, and then another.

Without wasting any more time I went back to the car & got out the 600. Over the next hour, the sun came out & voles were busy going about their business all along the bank in front of me.

The Water vole (Arvicola amphibius), is widespread around Europe, living in the banks of slow moving rivers, streams and other waterways. The waterside burrows of these strong swimmers have many floor levels that hinder flooding, as well as nesting chambers and a food store for the long winter months. Although water voles are a quick meal for many predators, the UK population suffered a catastrophic level of predation by the American mink & sadly is a rare sight these days. Water voles are often mistaken for rats, but have a blunter, shorter snout, smaller rounded hidden ears & furry tails & feet. Ratty, in Kenneth Grahame's 'The Wind in the Willows', was actually a water vole. In the wild they seldom live past two years old.

Many thanks to James for the information, they really are cracking little animals!

Mini beasts

2010-06-30T22:27:00.001+01:00

Mid summer is usually quiet on the bird front & although various mammals provide some distraction, i like to at this time of year, explore the macro world. Its really hard for me to leave the big lens behind at home & travel relatively light with my 150mm lens, monopod & macro flash system. I am always glad to do it though, when i can wander through the long grasses, chasing butterflies & stare at the multitude of flies & insects visiting a bramble patch. The results of this Sigma lens never fail to impress me. If you haven't already read my review, you can read it at my main website.Apologies if the captions are wrong, please let me know if you can identify them.

Common blue Damselfly?

Bloody-nosed beetle

Small Heath butterfly.

Burnet moth (not sure which one)

Not a clue about this one!

Bitterns on the levels.

2010-05-19T12:32:00.000+01:00

I think its fair to say that it is no secret that Bitterns are breeding on the Somerset levels again this year. With up to 11 booming males across the area (possibly 20 or more birds i think is a fair estimate), even non birders are seeing this cryptic reedbed specialist. On a recent visit, i was lucky enough to grab a few images as a bird travelled from its feeding area, back to its nest. Look at the bulging crop!

East Anglia 2010

2010-05-19T12:25:00.001+01:00

A recent photography biased trip to the bird mecca that is Suffolk & Norfolk resulted in a veritable pile of Marsh harrier shots. Other subjects such as Hares, waders & Bittern were harder won. Here are some of my favourites.

Groppers

2010-04-27T20:28:00.001+01:00

Over the last week I have been lucky enough to hear, see & photograph a wonderfull little brown bird called a Grasshopper Warbler. A summer visitor to the UK which winters in tropical Africa.Named after its song, this skulker has eluded me for several years, until the other day. Whilst getting the car out of the garage, the unmistakeable reeling came from one of my garden hedges. I had to have a look. At this point I should probably mention that I have heard them on many occasions before & been within a couple of feet of a singing bird, though never clapped eyes on one, such is there skulking nature. Peering into the thick tangled vegetation, I soon spotted a movement. After moving to try & get a better view, there it was.....My first ever Gropper! It soon disappeared when it seen me, but was heard reeling later in the day. I did not see it again.

Today however, I travelled to the center of Dartmoor with fellow photographer Tim Taylor. After a slog around the high tops & valleys, seeing not much more than Meadow pipits, Skylarks, a single female Wheatear & several Willow warblers, I again heard a Gropper. Determined for a better look, we set off through the sedge & moss of a boggy area towards the sound, stopping frequently to regain a bearing. We eventually tracked the noise to a stunted willow on the edge of the boggy area & sat & waited. There it was! Typically shrouded in bramble & thin branches. After moving around to get a clearer shot, I managed a few images that were in focus & not obscured to badly. The final shot below is for me the holy grail of bird photography, a gropper in the open! (pity i clipped the toe though.....doh!)

More information & a recording of the song of the Grasshopper warbler can be found at the following link:

RSPB grasshopper warbler page

Yellow wags are back

2010-04-19T19:10:00.000+01:00

A recent posting on the SOS message board (Somerset ornithological society) roused me this afternoon into trip down onto a local moor where Yellow wagtails have returned from there wintering grounds in Africa. The damp grassland, ideal for feeding on invertebrates. Once in the rough area, i sat in the car, in a gateway, with the windows rolled down & listened. It wasn't long before i heard the call i was waiting for & looking up, saw a wagtail flying above me. I followed with my bins & saw it land about 250m away, too far for a shot. Minutes later it flew back towards me, accompanied by another! Now within range of the 600 with a 1.7x teleconverter attached, i set about recording the scene. A third bird flew back across the road in front of me.
You may notice that one of them looks a bit odd! Halfway between the usual subspecies we get in this country & the Blue-headed varient seen more comonly on the continent. Some have speculated, he may be a hybrid. What do you think?

Migrant hunt (not!)

2010-04-19T18:50:00.000+01:00

An afternoon on the Quantock hills, in a favoured coombe for the western trio of Pied flycatcher, Redstart & Wood warbler resulted in all three not being found! Probably to do with the time of day, the woods were almost silent, apart from Coal tits & the odd Chaffinch. Pied flys have already been sighted up there, so its not too early in the year.
It wasn't a complete waste of time though, as a hoot from a Tawny owl resulted in the image below, not a corker, but always great to see & photograph. There were in fact a pair present & the female called back.

While on the subject of Owls, I just could not resist another crack at the Short-eared Owls at a site near Moorland. Two have been frequenting the area for about a week & have been showing regularly during the evenings. On my last visit, they did not show untill late & i missed them. This time however, i was again in luck. A single Owl, the darker of the pair, was quatering the rough grassland about 300m away. It never came really close, so i had to make do with some habitat type shots & this lovely backlit one.

Short-eared owl at Greylake

2010-04-02T21:37:00.000+01:00

I make no apologies for having hundreds, maybe thousands of shots of the various british owls on my hard drives at home. For me they are simply majestic, gorgeous to observe & a little bit mysterious. I could watch them (& have done) for hours. A recent posting on the Somerset ornithological society message board, prompted me to travel the 10 mins down the road to Greylake RSPB reserve. The latest posting said that the shortie had been seen at approx 6pm the previous day, so i got into position early at around 4. I was joined by fellow photographer Tim Taylor a little later & we waited until approx 6:10 before Tim spotted it hunting along the bank of the ditch we were adjacent to. After moving to a better position, i fired off around 3 1/2 gig of shots over the next 3/4 hour. Below you will see some of my favourites.

Consolation prize?

2010-03-05T15:52:00.000Z

I set out this morning to travel to Steart on the Somerset coast, part of Bridgwater bay nature reserve. A first winter Common Crane has been associating with a group of Mute swans on a rape field there. After parking in the car park & unloading my gear, I set off down the rough track, only to be met by a couple of fellow birders. "Easiest Somerset tick ever" & "really close by the track" is what i was told. After saying my goodbyes, i set off again thinking it was in the bag only to be met by another birder 100m further down. "You here for the crane?", "Its just flown off down river towards Burnham" was what i now had ringing in my ears!

Oh B******* was what i was thinking in my head. If only i had got up 10 mins earlier, if it wasn't for those bloody roadworks in Bridgwater...... I consoled my self with the thought that in a few years time, Somerset will be crawling with Cranes. You wont be able to go anywhere without falling over them. Well that remains to be seen. Lets hope the reintroduction programme goes well & we will be going around saying "oh, its just another Crane".

I walked further on, up onto the sea defences & scanned the estuary. Shelduck, Teal, Wigeon & Gulls were in evidence. And then a deep Kronk call caught my attention. A Raven. But better than that it was chasing a Ringtail Hen Harrier! I managed a few shots before it drifted off with its Raven & Carrion crow ontourage closely behind, a great consolation prize for missing the Crane. The next sighting i had was of a far off Hare, that played hide & seek in the long tusocky grass on the saltmarsh. Just as i was about to press the shutter, it totally disappeared! Almost as if it fell down a hole. There ability to hide in the shortest of undergrowth never ceases to amaze me. I had no chance in this longer vegetation.

As the tide was still quite high & i was in the area, i thought i might as well have a look over at Stolford. Resting the camera on the beanbag on top of the rocks that form the seawall there, i spent the next half an hour snapping away at the numerous Shelduck, Curlew & the 11 Brent Geese that have been in the area for a while. I really ought to plan my trips to the coast a bit better & get in position earlier to take advantage of the rising tide pushing the birds towards me. Next time maybe......

Clearout- DVDs for sale

2010-03-01T19:44:00.001Z

I have added 3 great used DVDs for sale (Wildlife photography orientated) to the main website. Click on the other items for sale in the menu bar or click here to go straight to the page. FREE delivery is even included!
There is also a new link to http://www.booksbybrookes.co.uk/ Lindsays website. The site is in its infancy & still having books added. There is a good selection of new & used natural history & photography titles being added all the time, as well as fiction & many other catorgories . So please have a look, you might find a bargain!

The brave & the timid?

2010-02-12T15:39:00.004Z

A sub-adult drake Red-crested Pochard has been regularly taking bread at the Apex park in Burnham-on-sea. Now, this usually points to a captive bird that has escaped & is living life in the wild. However, this individual has no rings on its legs (usual in captive wildfowl collections) & the wings are full & not showing signs of being clipped. I personally would have thought it highly unlikely for a ring to come off on its own, but may have been removed by the owner prior to deliberate release. The other alternative is that it is a remarkably brazen wild bird from the continent or even the Cotswold water park, where there are quite a few. Whatever its origins are, it is still a beautifull duck.

A visit to Greylake RSPB reserve on the levels produced a bucketfull of Common Snipe, close to the hide where they probed the soft mud for invertibrates. Their striking markings provide a cryptic camouflage when amongst the sedge & reeds. Seldom are they seen close up & in photographic range, out in the open.

An opportunity not to be missed.

Purple patch continues.....

2010-01-02T16:39:00.004Z

Cheddar res has come up trumps yet again. An afternoon spent there on New years day provided a bit of excercise & some (very!) fresh air.

On arrival at the Shipam road car park, i could not see any birders or photographers. Could it be that my target bird(s) of the day had left? The breeze at the top of the ramp to the footpath was biting, but the sun was shining, so not all bad.

I scanned with my bins from beside the tower & immeadiatly spied a small Grebe, some way out & not really identifiable at such a range. A quick photo viewed at 100% showed a Little grebe, not my target species.

After 30 mins scanning the vast coot flock & the ducks in front of the sailing club to no avail, i decided to go around to the other car park near the Axbridge tower. There were a couple of birders over there showing some interest in something.

It was the Ring-necked duck! It was doing its best to hide amongst the rafts of Tufties & Pochard & was quite hard to pick out with its head tucked under its wing.

A fellow photographer mentioned that the birds i was interested in, had flown back towards the Cheddar end shortly before i had got there.

Another birder that had walked from the Cheddar end said he had seen one in front of the sailing club. Another scan of the margins again prooved fruitless. I decided to have one last attempt over by the Cheddar tower.

The Little Grebe had now miraculously morphed into two. Again no sign of my birds. Might as well call it a day i thought. Then a birder that had walked the entire circumference said that i should walk around the res for about 200m & that a bird was diving & feeding close in. Off i went. I scanned again, & this time i was rewarded with a distant "blob" on the surface. Smaller than the accompanying Coots. That was it, my target bird. I moved closer as it dived & positioned myself where i thought it would surface. Then, there it was, about 50m out, a single Black-necked Grebe. The D2x fired away & i was glad to have the 1.7x teleconverter on the 600mm as well. During the next half hour, i shot almost 4GB of images, moving as the Grebe dived & was rewarded with frame filling shots of this scarce little bird.

There has been reports of up to 4 birds being present & also of the rarer Slavonian grebe. This one however was all i needed!

Red letter days!

2009-12-28T15:41:00.014Z

Every now & then you hit a purple patch, when every thing falls into place with very little effort (at least on your behalf). The last couple of days have been like that for me. On sunday a drive around the levels looking for "winter swans" started off slowly with just a few mutes, here & there. I eventually got to Sharpham, where i had heard reports of Whoopers being present with a large herd of Mutes. I found the field & was delighted to find that there were 2 groups of whoopers (2 adults & 3 juveniles & a further 2 adults) amongst the 50 or so commoner mutes. For those of you not in the know, Whoopers are winter visitors from Siberia & more recently Scandinavia. They are however rarely seen in Somerset & most winter on the Ouse washes, Scotland & the north west.

Top: Adult Whooper swan

Middle: Juvenile Whooper

Bottom: Mute swans landing after being disturbed further up the field.

After Sharpham, i drove out over Kings sedgemoor where i found a pair of Ruff in a field, along with Starlings, fieldfares & a few Lapwing.

Stopping off in the carpark of the Greylake inn & looking across the road into a grass field, i noticed a large flock of Golden plover amongst the Lapwings & Starlings. A few Dunlin also put in a brief flyby.

Today was even better! Cheddar reservoir is gaining a bit of a reputation for turning up good birds. The latest "batch" have included, Great-northern & Black-throated diver, Ring-necked & Ferruginous duck & Red-crested pochard. My main target for today was the Black-throated diver, a bird i have only seen once before, miles out on Portland harbour. As i walked up the ramp onto the footpath that runs around the res, i noticed another photographer running along & then putting his gear down & waiting. A quick scan with the bins showed nothing but water. Then as if on cue, up it popped not 20m from me. For the next half hour it slowly made its way towards the sailing club. As it dived, i tried to get in front of it & waited for it to surface. I was never far enough along & it always seemed to pop up right next to me!

A wander around the res towards the sailing club, found me scanning the large flock of Pochard, Coots & Tufted duck for my secondary targets. Straight away i found the Ring-necked duck & shortly afterwards, i was put onto the female Red-crested pochard by a nearby birder.

Top: Ring-necked duck & common Pochard

Top center: Ring-necked duck

Bottom two: Red-crested Pochard.

On the way back from the res, i stopped off atWesthay moor, where a Yellow-browed warbler had been found a couple of days before. After a wait of no more than 10 mins & in brilliant sunshine, it appeared along the edge of the road, flitting in & out of the overhanging brambles. Using manual focus, i managed a few shots, some of which were sharp & in focus!

Sign of the winter to come?

2009-12-12T12:57:00.004Z

Coastal sites usually turn up a few "special" winter migrants every year, Shore lark, Lapland bunting & of course Snow buntings. Unfortunately, Shore lark is not very likely in this part of the world, Lapland bunting not impossible & Snow bunting, more or less annual.

Stolford, near Hinkley point turned up a pair about 1 week ago, but there could have been as many as 8 of these visitors from the far north, strung out along the shingle between Stolford & Steart.

My visit yesterday afternoon in the weak wintery sunshine, yielded just the 1, a few hundred meters east of the car park.

A very confiding little bird that allowed a very close approach. It was not confiding enough however, to put up with the spaniel that was running riot across the marsh though & was flushed a number of times along with the resident Pied wags & Meadow pipits. The owner was quite pleased that the bird had gone (read flushed by her dog) so she did not have to walk behind our tripods!

With the entire marsh available, why did she feel the need to disturb the bird & excercise her dog where we were? I sometimes think common sense is a thing of the past! Rant over.......

Anyway, Myself & Tim Taylor managed to relocate the bird & get a few more shots before the light went altogether.

Camera traps- good or bad?

2009-11-16T17:12:00.004Z

A lot has been said on the net about the use of remotely fired cameras to obtain images, especially when the images have been entered into prestigious photography competitions. For the last couple of years, images that were taken when the photographers were not present, have won the Wildlife photographer of the year awards. Should they have won? Personally I think not. The skill & dedication of photographers that put in the hours, often in harsh conditions to get the shot, should get the credit they deserve.
Such automated techniques do have a place though. I have recently got hold of a wildlife spy camera, not for winning any competitions though. I plan to use it for reconnaissance. To scout areas, to see what is about & at what times of day or night. It will be invaluable for checking badger setts in the spring & save a lot of waiting around.
The model I have purchased is the 8MP version shown here:
http://www.flyonthewall.uk.com/infrared-ccd-wildlife-camera-with-dvr-p-252.html
Capable of taking colour stills & video in daylight or black & white in complete darkness, thanks to it’s built in infra-red LED flash. Images & video are stored on a SD card (not supplied) & can be viewed in situ on the 2.5" screen inside the waterproof case. A USB & TV connection lead are supplied along with an adjustable tree strap, rechargeable lithium ion battery & charger. Battery life as stated on the website is up to 2 weeks depending on activity. I have had the camera on site for about a week at the time of writing, only firing at night (approx 70 photos so far) & have not had to recharge yet. Quality of the infra-red jpegs are not great, but you can easily identify any creature that wanders in & fires the camera via the distance adjustable passive infra-red (PIR) trigger. Each photo or video has the date & time embedded enabling regular patterns to be found ready for an ambush with the D2X! That’s the plan anyway.......

Catching up...

2009-11-16T15:01:00.006Z

During the last week, i have been able to get out & about a bit more as things return back, more or less, to normality. An afternoon at Catcott lows allowed me to catch up with the 3 long staying Glossy ibises that have made the SWT reserve home (for now).

One of the birds has a large leg ring that can be read from quite a distance, bearing the number "N4C". I have been told that this bird was ringed (or is it rung?) in Spain.

Other waterfowl present included these Wigeon, a species which although relatively common on the levels, i have very few images of. More to do with me ignoring the usual than through any difficulty! Also present were flocks of Lapwing, which lift at the slightest distubance from a percieved threat, in this case a Grey heron.

A later visit to Greylake RSPB reserve saw a few more Shoveller (top) & Teal (bottom) shots in the bag to bolster those files.

New beginings

2009-11-02T12:31:00.005Z

Those of you that know me personally will know that my partner Lindsay was expecting a baby.

Well here she is, introducing Jessica kim. Born on 22nd October weiging in at 8lbs 8oz.

New website.

2009-10-12T17:59:00.002+01:00

Well I have taken the plunge at last & revamped the website. The galleries are now alot more accessible & you now have the ability to buy prints online using paypal. This will speed up the whole process & allow customers that have commissioned pictures of both wildlife & pets to view the images a lot sooner.
So please have a look & tell us what you think, feedback is always welcome.
Dont forget to update you favourites!

That time of year.....

2009-10-08T17:19:00.005+01:00

That a Red deer stag foregoes the mates he has been hanging around with all year, to pass on his genes.
From the middle of September to the middle of November, the stags grow more & more irritated with each other. The bachelor herds they have spent the rest of the year in have now broken up. They then make their way to the hinds favourite feeding grounds (it is the hinds that determine where the rutt will take place, the stags just go to where they are).

What follows is better than any soap opera. Trials of strength take place between equally large stags. Roaring or bellowing signals their fitness to others & this is sometimes enough to deter a lesser stag. However, two large stags that do not back away from all this shouting could then end up testing each other. They first eye each other up by parallel walking, roaring as they go. If one is not scared off by this, they then turn to face each other, lowering their heads & engage. The design of the antlers is such that they interlock, preventing the beasts from stabbing each other. I have witnessed wily old stags turning their heads in order to get a tine through the guard & putting pressure on the oppositions neck. This is sometimes enough to make them run away while the victor chases, again roaring. On accasion, serious injury & sometimes death does occur. Stags with abnormal antlers, long tops or just single spikes can breach a bigger stronger animals defence & kill him. These abnormal animals are sometimes culled to prevent this happening. Some are killed by just bad luck. Any one who has been watching the BBC webcams from the rutting greens on Rum will no doubt know that Titus was killed on Saturday by Percy. He slipped & ended up on his back & was stabbed in the stomach. He died shortly afterwards.

Below are a few long range shots taken today at a site on the Quantock hills. A single mature stag was present along with 40+ hinds. These are wild animals & do not be put off by the fences in the background. They are there to prevent the deer getting in to the winter wheat, not to stop them escaping! This stag was also present last year & has a very impressive head.

To watch the webcams visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/autumnwatch/webcams/

Birthday escape

2009-09-29T19:47:00.000+01:00

For a few hours on my birthday, i managed to get out to Meare heath, part of Shapwick nature reserve. The recent run of cracking birds saw a pair of Pectoral sandpipers on the mud of the second lagoon. Although a long way off, i managed a couple of record shots along with the roosting Lapwing. A short visit to the Meare Heath hide produced the adult female Marsh harrier.

Above: You can see the sharply demarcated breast band that gives the Pectoral sandpiper its name.

Above: Dwarfed by the Lapwing behind it, it shows how small a bird it really is.

Above: The greater amount of pale creamy patches on this female Marsh Harrier point to it being an adult bird, the immatures being much darker overall.

Great whites, snakes & crakes...

2009-08-25T16:31:00.000+01:00

Quite a good day today......
First a trip back to Chard reservoir where the Great white Egret was showing well, sometimes down to 12m & far to close for the 600mm. The local Heron kept flushing it from its fishing spot & allowing some flight photos as well.
Whilst there, a fellow birder & photographer mentioned that the Spotted Crake was showing at Greylake RSPB reserve (thanks James). After showing me some of his shots, i had to go & have a look, especially as it would be a lifer for me. On arrival I walked out along the boardwalk towards the pool. A couple of birders were there & the Crake was only meters away on the edge of the pool, interacting with a Grass snake. I saw the bird several more times during the hour or so i spent at the pool & witnessed it chasing away the snakes a couple more times. At one point a Water Rail also joined in the harrying.
Below are some of the shots taken Today.
Above: Chard reservoir Great-white Egret.Above: Water railAbove: Spotted Crake. The Grass snakes body can be seen in the first & second photo as it slithered away.Above: One of the Grass snakes that was hunting along the pool.

July

2009-07-26T18:46:00.000+01:00

Bad weather & other commitments have kept me away from the countryside for a lot of this month. The few short trips out have been spur of the moment & without a plan. The only real exception was an afternoon at Collard hill on the Poldens, to try & see the rare large blue butterfly. Several were seen as they went about their business, but only one was brave enough to sit in front of my macro lens! Marbled whites, Ringlets, Small heath & Common blue were also present.

A trip to Bristol at the start of the month, allowed a short visit to Ashton court where these three fine gentlemen were grazing blissfully on a rare sunny afternoon.

The Avalon marshes continue to attract some good birds. Further to the Little Bittern which is still present at the time of writing, Bitterns can be seen in flight above the extensive reed beds with a little effort. Purple heron has put in a brief appearance & a Great white Egret has been present for most of the month. This vagrant from the Mediterranean & North Africa has been showing well on Meare heath, where i managed these distant shots, late one evening.

The Great white is almost the size of a Grey Heron & the first shot shows a good size comparison with a Little Egret.

Getting domesticated?

2009-06-25T20:36:00.000+01:00

I was recently asked to take some pictures of a work coleagues dog as a surprise birthday present for his wife. After a couple of hours at a couple of different locations, I had over 200 shots covering portraits & action. I then had to sift through them to delete the obvious "rubbish" & to burn whats left onto a CD for approval of the owner. His 3 favorite images were then professionally printed, mounted & framed. What you see below are some of my favourites.

Little Bittern

2009-06-09T17:26:00.000+01:00

A fellow birder found this bird on Saturday evening at Walton Heath south of the RSPB Ham wall reserve (nice one Alan). I managed to see it on Sunday afternoon, briefly in flight (twice) after a wait of about 1 hour. Several others had been there all day & not a glimpse! It didnt help that most were on the wrong part of the reseve. This is a lifer for me & I went back today & managed a few shots on its brief flights between reed beds.

D2x, Nikon 600mm f4, Gitzo G1548 & wimberley head, 1/1000sec, iso 200, manual metering.

East Anglia May 8th-10th

2009-05-20T20:16:00.000+01:00

Friday 8th- Minsmere
A 5am start allowed us to be at the RSPB’s flagship reserve, Minsmere on the Suffolk coast by 0930. A stroll through the woods down to the Bittern hide produced various common woodland species such as Great tit & Chaffinch. The Bittern hide sits on stilts about 20ft above the ground giving unparalleled views above the main reedbed. My goal in this hide was to photograph the Marsh harriers that hunt this area. 10minutes later, the first Marsh harrier drifted past the hide, a female, carrying an unfortunate Coot or Moorhen chick.
At least 5 different Marsh Harriers were seen across the reeds during the next hour.
Gadwall, Shoveller, Little grebe, Common tern a Hobby & the speciality of this hide, 2 Bitterns were also seen. A Red deer hind grazed to the left of the hide throughout.
A walk back up through the woods & out towards the scrapes produced 3 singing Nightingales, which after a bit of patience, showed quite well. Further out on to the Boardwalk, Bearded Tits flitted through the reeds, there pinging calls giving away their position.
Onto the hides on the scrapes, areas specifically made for waders, waterfowl, gulls & terns.
Little, Common & Sandwich terns were in constant view as well as Avocet, Redshank, Black-tailed Godwits & Ringed plover. Greylag & Canada Geese had broods of goslings & a pair of presumably feral Barnacle geese grazed amongst them.
After leaving the main reserve to continue our journey up to North Norfolk, a brief stop on the road out, gave us great views of a Tawny owl in a roadside tree. A Muntjac crept across the road to our left. A little further on & another stop. This time our target was Willow tit. The high pitched pee, pee, pee, calls soon gave away an adult in the tree above our heads! Doesn’t get any easier than that. Good views but unfortunately too dark & leafy for a photo. Probably also too close!
On the drive up to our B&B in Hunstanton, many Hares & Red-legged partridges were spotted, the arable landscape ideal for them it seems.
Saturday 9th North Norfolk
A quick ¾ hour before breakfast on the cliff top car park in Hunstanton saw several Yellow wagtails passing over, Fulmar, Great-crested Grebe, various gulls & a few Terns on or over the sea.
After a big breakfast it was on to Titchwell. Sedge warblers were everywhere, both singing from the reed stems & on their song flights. A small group of Beardies moved along the reeds next to the main track, allowing great views & a few photos. Manual focussing was the order of the day due to the many waving stems, confusing the autofocus. I then visited the Fen hide where a male Marsh harrier gave fairly close views.
A walk back along the track towards the sea produced Little tern fishing & a pair of Spotted Redshank at the opposite end of the salt water lagoon. A party of Greylags had a dozen or so goslings with them. A Carrion crow tested the adult’s defences & its patience & cunning payed off. When the adults were distracted by a Mute swan, the crow swooped in & grabbed an unfortunate gosling, carrying it away & dispatching it swiftly with powerful blows with its bill. The seashore added Dunlin, Sanderling, a Blackwit & Common Gull.
On the salt marsh to the west of the track, a Chinese water deer proved elusive & was only seen by a few people. The same could not be said for the skeins of Dark-bellied Brent geese that passed overhead & landed out on the freshwater pool. A single Ruddy duck showed, almost defiantly, on another small pool back towards the visitor center. The cull obviously missed a few!
A couple of miles up the road from the reserve, on top of a hill (yes they do have hills in Norfolk), is a collection of farm buildings. These are known as Choseley drying barns. This is a must do for anyone visiting this area. Spilt grain on the yard in front of the buildings attracts numerous Yellowhammers & the star bird of this site....Corn bunting. At least 6 were seen. In the past I have seen up to 60 here.
A quick check of the bare fields around the area didn’t produce the hoped for Dotterel & no Turtle doves graced the overhead wires. The buntings were accommodating though & allowed me to approach fairly closely for some shots.
The next stop was a special one. For obvious reasons i will not disclose the site but for a few years now Montague’s harriers have bred in arable crops in this area. After waiting for around ½ an hour, a large raptor was seen above a distant ridge........false alarm! Another Marsh harrier. They are everywhere! A further 20 mins & a ringtail soared above the same ridge, slowly gaining height & coming towards us. It never really came into range but allowed a few record shots. Cley & the east bank were next. Again Marsh harriers dominated the skies above the reeds & panicked the Avocets & Lapwings. At least five individuals were noted & scuffle between a pair of males was worth watching. A group of Bearded tits worked their way along the track & a few shots were in the bag.
Just up the road is Salthouse. This usually a great place to photograph waders, on the pool behind the shingle ridge. On this occasion, the pool had dried out, so there weren’t any waders present.
Kelling water meadows produced a couple of Yellow wagtails amongst the cattle but not the reported Grey-headed wagtail. A few hours later RBA (Rare bird alert) reported a Grey headed wagtail at Salthouse. We had a reservation in the Lifeboat in Thornham, so were unable to backtrack.
Sunday 10th Breckland
The Hawk & owl trust reserve at Sculthorpe moor was the first port of call after breakfast. The main reason for visiting this reserve was not for Marsh harrier, but for Golden pheasant. Splitting up, we searched the undergrowth through the woods on the way to the hides. A further ¾ hour wait in a hide next to a feeding station produced Marsh harrier, Common pheasant, a Robin feeding a fledgling & various common woodland birds. Voles scurried around the floor. Our roving member came back to the hide saying he had found one a couple hundred of metres back down the track. The bird was still there when we arrived, although a clear view was impossible in the thick undergrowth. This stunning male was a lifer for me & made the wait worth the wait.
Flitcham abbey farm gave good views of Kingfisher, but no Egyptian geese or Turtle doves this time. A male Kestrel grabbed a Moorhen chick off of the grassy area to the left of the hide.
On to Weeting heath. It was now around midday & the hides here were full of people. The Stone curlews had done their usual trick & disappeared down over the hill where they cannot be seen from the public hides. Another hide on the side of the hill would allow views wherever they were & would not disturb the birds anymore. Views had in the past have been distant (200-300m) & a new hide would not be any closer. Woodlarks which are another speciality of this area were also absent.
The next & last stop was at Lakenheath fen. The two target species were Golden Oriole & Common crane. Neither easy due to their habitat, reedbeds & poplars in full leaf, but we had been successful in previous years. On approaching a favoured Oriole area, we were told that a pair of males had just flown from the corner of one wood into another! Staking out this area, we eventually heard the flutey calls of the male as well as the jay like screech. Alas this was as close as we got & we did not manage to see them. The Cranes were deep in the middle of a huge reedbed & also out of sight. A ½ hour wait at the viewing point was not long enough! After 3 days from dawn to dusk, we decided to head for home. We have had trips to East Anglia that have had more species & perhaps more rarities, but it was by no means a waste of time After all, Marsh & Montague’s harriers, corn bunting, Willow tit, Bittern, Avocet, Little Tern & Bearded tit can’t be bad can it. And who could forget the Golden Pheasant!

A snake in the grass.

2009-04-09T21:54:00.001+01:00

Male Adders can now be seen sunning themselves, never far from cover on warm mornings. The females emerge up to a month later. The males will then seek them out & wrestle each other for the right to mate. This particular snake has been seen in the same spot at Shapwick NNR for a week or so. Its body had a bulge in the middle, indicating that he had eaten. The head was no larger than the tip of my little finger & the whole length no more that a foot long.

The middle shot was taken on monday & you can see the milky looking eye. This is because the a snake must shed its skin, including the eye coverings in order to grow. The bottom shot was from wednesday & the old eye coverings have been shed & the eyes now look clear.

I have since located another area & a quick recce turned up another Adder & a larger Grass snake. These were a few meters from a family, happily enjoying a break from their cycle ride, oblivious to there neighbours.

Up untill a week or so ago, I also was also oblivious to these marvelous creatures, inches from my feet as I walked the various tracks on the reserve.

So if visiting, please look down, as well as up & keep your kids close & off the grassy areas. If disturbed they usually slip away into the undergrowth & will only bite if handled or stepped on. Watch them from a safe distance & enjoy!

(Above photos taken with a Nikon D2x, Sigma 150mm macro & Nikon R1-C1 macro flash kit).

Badger season

2009-04-09T20:54:00.000+01:00

Well it’s that time of year again! The private wood where I have permission to photograph Badgers is starting to sprout new leaves & the nettles are already putting in an appearance. A scout about a while back did not reveal any recent digging, but signs are all around. Scrapes, the biggest patch of shed fur I have ever seen & latrines are all in evidence. A likely spot a little way from the sett was chosen & a bit of food was introduced. A follow up visit the next day revealed the extent of the badgers nocturnal foraging. The floor of the wood now looked like a plough field! A fallen log had been ripped apart & the nettles were flat.
You may ask what do you feed a badger? The answer is peanuts, raisins & sugarpuffs. The trick is to only put down enough for a treat. An appetizer before the main course of succulent worms. Over the next few weeks, I hope to gain their confidence & by the end of April be sitting amongst them during the feeding frenzy! An important factor in this is to get them to associate my scent & the noise I make when feeding, with food. If past experience is anything to go by, after a short while, they will not take a blind bit of notice of me or my flash guns. How many are present? Not a clue! Time will hopefully tell. Revisit the blog for regular updates.

Support

2009-03-07T14:50:00.000Z

One of the things that many people forget when buying a large telephoto lens is that they normally need to upgrade their tripod/ head combo to get the best out of it. No point spending several grand on state of the art glass & then skimping on support. I have been asked several times about tripods, so decided to write this piece to help you decide what you need.
A decent leg set & head can add another thousand or so to your budget, but once purchased, you will reap the benefits & you will not regret it.

So what to get?

The main consideration should be the maximum load you are going to plonk on top of it. When you know that, double it & bear this figure in mind. This is a general rule of thumb which has served me well.
The next should be the height at maximum leg extension. If the model you are considering has a centre column, leave it down! An extended column will flex & introduce vibration. Some tripods have a flat top plate which the head fixes straight onto. This is my preferred method. Remember that a head will add around 4-6 inches to the max height quoted in the manufacturer’s specifications. Also, does it allow the legs to splay out for low level shooting? How low will it go?

What are the legs made of?

Aluminium was for years the only option (apart from in the Stone Age when wood was a widely used material). Relatively light though strong. Now we also have carbon fibre which has the advantage of better vibration dampening than aluminium. You would also think that it would be a lot lighter as well. This is not necessarily the case. To gain the rigidity required, the wall thickness of the tubes is greater than aluminium legs of the same diameter, so the weight difference of the two materials is minimal, though carbon fibre is generally a bit lighter. If you can afford carbon, my advice would be to plump for that, if only for the superior dampening.

Which head?

Below : Sigma 500 f4.5/ D2x on Wimberley sidekick & Kirk BH-1 Ballhead.

For long lens work, you basically have three choices- Fluid video head, ball head or a gimbal. The ball head is great for static shots, but not so good for moving targets. You also run the risk of your pride & joy flopping over with disastrous consequences if the tension on the ball is not tight enough & you are not holding on all the time. Fluid video heads, such as the Manfrotto 501, were popular a few years back because of the smooth panning & tilting actions, which made them ideal for moving targets. They could also be locked off if need be. Again it pays to keep hold of the rig to stop the lens succumbing to gravity when unlocked. Some heads have an adjustable counterbalance to counteract this, or at least to slow the impact with earth. The third option has become very popular in the UK in the past few years. The gimbal type head. These work by allowing the lens to tilt around its centre of gravity. When set up correctly, you should be able to point the lens in any direction, let go & it will stay put. Pan & tilt are smooth & effortless & adjustable for drag. The lens effectively feels weightless. It takes a little while to get the balance right the first time, but gets simpler every time thereafter. I use a Wimberley gimbal head & I am very pleased with it. I have in the past used a Wimberley side kick which turns a ball head into a gimbal. It was fine with my old Sigma 500mm f4.5 & could handle a Nikon or Canon 500mm f4,but I would be a little worried about mounting a 600 f4 or 800 f5.6 on it. The advantage the ballhead/sidekick combo has is its flexibility. Remove the sidekick & you are ready to use the tripod for landscape or macro work.
A decent ball head, such as the Kirk BH-1 & sidekick, costs around the same as a full Wimberley.

Quick release clamps & plates.

Below : Jobu long quick release clamp fitted to Manfrotto MN393 head.

It obviously pays to have the same type of plate on each of your lenses. A long lens plate allows you to slide the lens in the clamp to balance it perfectly. Remember, if you add or take away teleconveters, your centre of gravity will be affected & the lens will need to be moved to compensate. A long plate allows plenty of movement as well as room to mount accessories such as flash brackets. You will also get more than one fixing to clamp the plate firmly to the tripod foot & prevent twisting. Wimberley, Kirk, Really right stuff, Jobu, Acratech all produce clamps & plates in the Arca-swiss style. All are interchangeable with each other & any combination of plates & clamps from any of these manufacturers is compatible. I have Arca-swiss compatible clamps on all my tripod heads & I have recently fitted a jobu clamp onto my Manfotto MN393 head. This is mounted on my monopod. Two new holes were drilled & tapped to achieve this & now I do not need a separate Manfrotto plate to fit the 600 onto the monopod.

Minor considerations.

Below : 600 f4 on Wimberley mk2 with Jobu flash bracket.

A fluid or gimbal head will need to be level to allow panning which stays in the same plane. You can adjust each leg until the spirit level is in the centre, or you can save yourself loads of faffing & fit a levelling base between tripod & head. Usually around 15 degrees of movement each way is enough. I now have fitted a Gitzo 5121lvl levelling base on my 1548 tripod & can have it all ready to go in seconds with little effort. Although a great asset to have, this is a luxury & not strictly necessary, but am I going to send it back......no way!
Weight. This is very important to some people. Ideally what we all would like is a tripod & head that weighs less than 1kg, is tall enough for Martin Johnson to use without stooping & can carry a max load of 25kg. Forget it, it ain’t gonna happen! Go to the gym or get someone to carry it for you if you can’t handle it. But I suppose that if you are prepared to lug a 600 f4 around, a couple of extra kilos is not going to bother you.

Left : 600 f4 on Wimberley mk2 with Jobu flash bracket.

Below : Wimberley Mk2 on Gitzo 5121lvl levelling base (Gitzo 1548 tripod).

Bottom : Manfrotto MN393 head with Jobu quck release clamp, on 681B monopod.

Kingfishers 0, Woodpeckers 37

2009-02-27T20:48:00.000Z

I have been meaning to go to the Wildfowl & wetlands trust at Slimbridge for a while. The weather forecast on the web looked good for today & I had a free day. An added incentive was that an American wigeon had been reported on the grounds between the river & the center. Never seen one in the wild before so this was a must see duck. Also a Long-eared owl had set up camp a few miles north of Slimbridge. The plan was to see the owl, hopefully photograph it & then nail the duck after the trust opened its doors at 9:30. Simple!
After turning down several tracks, that werent the correct one, i eventually found Splatt bridge on the canal in Frampton on Severn. A 300m walk south along the towpath turned up a couple of other birders staring into a bush. A quick scan did not turn up the bird, so i had to ask- Is the Long-ear still about? One of the chaps ushered me to his scope for a look. I still could not see it. Then like one of those magic eye pictures, the cryptic camouflage failed (it moved!) & i could make out its back, bottom of its face & then an eye. This is the third LEO i have seen & they are always a challenge, No chance of a photo though. No way would i have found it on my own & my thanks go out to the birders from Bath that pointed it out. How the bird was discovered in the first place i dont know!
On to Slimbridge. The Zeiss hide was the place to go. Around 300 Wigeon were grazing on the grass beside the hide. I was roughly half way through the the flock, when something unseen put the whole lot up & onto a small pond behind a stand of reeds.....doh! This turned out to be a godsend as the duck swam through my bins onto the only bit of open water with a clear line of sight. A few long range record shots were taken with the 600mm & 1.7x teleconverter, the best being shown here. The large white patch on the flank was the first thing i noticed. It also appeared larger than Eurasian wigeon, but not quite as big as a Mallard. The greyish head with a creamy forehead stripe was also in contrast to the chestnut bonce & yellowy stripe of "our" birds.
Now for the rest of the day...... Two good birds ticked, now off to the Kingfisher hide, to hopefully get some shots of courting Kingfishers. To my amazement, the dark little shed that used to inhabit this position, has been replaced with a much larger brand-spanker hide with larger windows, individual moveable stools & a load of bird feeders to the left. Well the Kingfishers put in a couple of brief appearances & i only took one image, which i then binned! The hide is too far away to capture decent images of such a small bird, even tooled up with a 600 & converters. The visit to this hide was saved by the feeders though. A pair of Great-spotted woodpeckers were regularly using them & perching in the surrounding trees. After a severe cut of sub standard images, i ended up with 37 keepers of a species that i had, up to now, not been able to photograph well. All in all a successful trip!

February 09- Welcome to our new blog!

2009-02-24T12:27:00.000Z

Welcome to our new blog, where you can catch up on what we have been up to. We will update as often as we can with tips, interesting sightings, photography & wildlife related news. Thanks for visiting & we hope you will enjoy!

Feb 09
Snowy weather at the start of the month had many photographers grabbing their gear & heading out into the wild. My first thoughts were to drive around, spotting hares that would undoubtedly stand out like a sore thumb against the white background. The truth could not have been more different! All the usual haunts were checked & not a single hare was seen. Could they have realised that they do indeed stand out & chosen heavier cover?

Once the wintery showers had cleared & travel to sites further away was once again an option, I decided that I ought to check up on the Short-eared owls that regularly winter at Aust wharf. A reasonably bright afternoon came & a quick dash up the M5 saw me setting up my tripod between the two Severn crossings, on the road along the edge of the salt marsh. I was not to be disappointed. Three owls quartered the marsh at various times during the afternoon, dodging each other, the local Carrion crows & a pair of feisty Kestrels. Unfortunately, they never really came close enough for decent images. I have been back several times since & managed to capture some of the shots that you can view in the galleries. However, one disturbing occurrence at this site that I witnessed, involved a pair of “birdwatchers” that intentionally flushed the roosting owls. Spreading out, they quartered the marsh until they found the birds, one shouting to the other as they rose in front of him. They then proceeded to chase them around, repeatedly flushing them. When they walked back to their car, I felt the need to tell them what I thought of them. You would have thought they would have put the bird’s welfare first & foremost & waited along the road edge like the dozen or so responsible birders & photographers. Patience eventually paid off & two owls showed well about an hour after the selfish pair had departed. Please if visiting this site in the next month or so, before the birds migrate north, do not disturb them. They will eventually start hunting & you will be rewarded with excellent views of this magnificent bird from the road. Keep an eye on http://www.severnsidebirds.co.uk/ for the up to date sightings.

It’s getting near to that time of year again........Badger time! Late march & early April are when the cubs that were born in the depths of winter, start to explore their surroundings. With this in mind, I checked out the sett, located in a private wood that I have the owner’s permission to enter. Approaching slowly & quietly, I was pleased to see paw prints & shallow holes near the sett. Badgers do not hibernate, but tend to stay underground during cold weather, so it was a bit of a surprise to see quite so much activity this early in the year. I will start putting down a little feed in an area, away from the sett, during March. They are less nervous away from the sett & become quite accustomed to a person over time, even coming up to sniff my boots in the past. If previous years are anything to go by, a week or so baiting an area will clear any vegetation that may get in the way of my lens & get them almost running to get to the treats laid out for them. This begs the question what to feed them? Well, the bulk of the feed that I put down is peanuts. I usually mix in some raisins & sugar puffs also. Peanut butter smeared onto logs is another favourite. Even custard creams, though they tend to get eaten before getting to the site! The trick is to only put down enough to hold them for a little while, to allow them to go off & search for natural food & not become dependent on handouts. Please bear in mind that badgers & there setts are protected by law. See http://www.badger.org.uk/_Attachments/Resources/47_S4.pdf for details.

Due to an ongoing favour for a friend & the chance of some free firewood, I have been tied up a bit on my days off this month. Once the job was complete & a day before I was due back on shift, I decided to have a day out. The question was, where to go? I settled on a trip to the Forest of Dean. I knew from past visits that there are various places where feeders are hung & these attract a good variety of woodland birds. A friend had told me that Hawfinches are regularly seen around the feeders at New fancy view (an old coal mining slag heap used as a raptor watch point near Parkend). I arrived during constant drizzle consoled myself to the fact that it was my last day off & I was going to enjoy myself even if it was raining! I pulled the car up slowly, close to the feeders, opened the window & placed the bean bag on top of the glass. The lens already was fitted with a Wildlife watching supplies rain cover. A quick check, that I was further than the minimum focussing distance & I was ready., Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Coal, Blue & Great tit were the first visitors shortly after my arrival. These were quickly followed by Nuthatch & the bird of the day Brambling. A total of 3 males & 2 females joined the mixed flock below the feeders. Unfortunately, no Hawfinches presented themselves while I was there. 2 miles up the road towards Speech house hotel, is the Cyril Hart arboretum. The car park has as its center piece, a large fallen log. Seed is regularly spread across the top & many woodland species can be seen & photographed here. Great-spotted woodpecker, Robins, Blackbirds, Greenfinch, Nuthatch, Chaffinch, Treecreeper, Brambling & Great, Blue & Coal tits frequented the log. In a quieter corner, a pair of Jays sat in the low branches, spying on the numerous Grey squirrels. Nuts that were buried by the squirrels were promptly nicked by the jays! A little seed placed on top of a stump quickly aroused their curiosity and I managed a few shots. By now the sun had come out & a pair of Ravens annoyed the sheep, resting between the trees. A stop on the way home at Aust was the perfect end to a great chilled out day.