Stonechat

 For today I am taking a break from the puffin and other seabird shots and have shared a few images of male and female stonechats. I photographed these on Wooltack Point while waiting for the crossing to Skomer. There were lots of songbirds flying about and singing loudly but most were very difficult to spot let alone photograph. With a bit of patience however I managed to get these shots and I really like the colours with the gorse in full bloom as a backdrop. It is very likely that I was close to the nest in these shots because they commonly nest in gorse, and why not? with its sharp thorns it provides a natural protective barrier to would be predators. They lay 5 or 6 eggs and will generally have 2 or 3 broods in a nesting season. That seems like a lot of work for such little birds.

Boys and Girls

More correctly I should say Boy and girls...

 These shots are of one brightly coloured male and some less colourful female Stonechats. 

They were spotted along the south west coastal path near Valley of Rocks at Lynton, Devon. It was a fantastic spot, even though I had a touch of vertigo at one point along the cliff top path. I wish I was as sure footed as the goats that wander freely on the hills and cliffs overlooking the Bristol Channel. 

There was all manner of wildlife to see from the sea birds down below including Razorbills, cormorants and various gulls, the odd dolphin and then the birds in the shrubs and grass along the path.

The stonechats were busily flying around and making a good deal of noise. It was particularly difficult to capture a shot of the male as he would not settle in any spot for long and I just couldn't get close enough. I know this is not a particularly good picture of the male but I have included it simply to show the contrast between the sexes. The females as you can see are not as brightly coloured however I think they are still lovely looking birds and I think I have managed to get a few decent shots. 

It was amazing how quickly I overcame my fear of heights as I got absorbed in taking these photographs. As I look at them now I can still hear the faint echo of "Michael, Get away from the edge!"

Homemakers

 

These Black legged Kittiwakes were so busy flying back and forth from the creek where they were collecting nest building materials. What was amazing was the way they landed with precision on the narrow ledges and how they then constructed and secured their nests on the smallest of rocky shelves where very soon they will be raising their families of little Kittiwake chicks.

Loxia curvirostra

 The Common Crossbill.  I had gone out hoping to capture something different but although I could hear lots of birdsong I was finding it very difficult to spot anything. After a short while however a small flock of noisy birds settled briefly and I realised they were crossbills. I don't think I have seen them before and I know I have definitely never photographed them so I was thrilled to get this chance. 

They are not the prettiest of birds and this little chap is all fluffed up against the wind. It is easy to see why they get their name and that curiously shaped bill is exceptionally useful even though it looks like it might be a little clumsy. Tomorrow I will share some pictures of it putting that bill to use...

Wind Your Neck In...

Canada Geese are a fairly common sight on lakes and ponds, and for that reason we probably take them somewhat for granted and don't pay them much attention but they are really quite beautiful.

I was watching this one preening and I marvelled at how flexible its neck is.

As humans we have 7 vertebrae in our necks, the same number as Giraffe but geese have between 17 and 23 and that is why they can twist and turn so much. 

In The Lagoon

I have just come back from a trip to Venice and as you can imagine I have hundreds of photos to sort through.

It is such a beautiful city and so I have lots of shots of canals and buildings and lots of street life. I also have some cool abstract shots that I am looking forward to sharing.

What I wasn't expecting to shoot any wildlife but I was pleasantly surprised. The weather conditions were excellent and while there wasn't a lot of variety I managed to get some good shots of some Great Cormorants, a black necked grebe with its almost fur like feathers and a stunning Yellow Legged Gull.

Always Watching...

Tamron 150 - 600mm

ISO 2500  600 mm   F/6.3   1/320 sec

ISO 800   350 mm   F/5.6   1/320 sec

These pictures were shot in Gothenburg in Slottsskogen a fabulous park near the city centre.  There are lots of paths and wooded areas, there's even a small zoo with native animals so plenty to see and we spent several hours wandering round and there were lots of photo opportunities.

Here we have a Fieldfare and a Western Jackdaw.

At first I thought the bird in the first picture was a Song Thrush but I wasn't convinced so did a bit of research and found that it was a Fieldfare although I think it may be a juvenile because it was smaller than Fieldfares I have seen before and the head is less obviously grey.

The second bird was seated on a fence and was staring intently at me. I was somewhat surprised that it allowed me to get quite close before flying away.

In Flight

I have chosen these pictures for today because I love to see birds in flight. With smaller birds it is harder to capture the detail because they move so much quicker than larger birds (although some smaller birds like Humming Birds which I have posted before are great because they hover and so it is possible to get get shots while they are in motion).

Large birds such as those in the pictures above fly so gracefully and compared to the way they lumber around on the ground either in the water or in flight they look so elegant. Take the Whooper Swans in the first picture for example, I love the shapes made by the wings, and the way they use every individual element to control lift and direction. They also make it look effortless while in the air but they expend so much energy getting off the ground.

The Cormorant in the second image was flying a bit more quickly and seemingly with greater purpose. he looks so streamlined with his neck stretched forward and his feet tuck in tight against his body.

The final shot is of a small flock of Pink-footed Geese. Again I like the different shapes as their wings flex and bend powering them through the sky. I also like to see the cooperative nature of geese in flight as they fly in sagitate flocks, using an arrow or v-shaped formation to help give each other extra lift and lighten the load.

Birds Of A Feather...

Flock together...

These Goldfinches are so beautiful. They tend to congregate in small flocks as they forage for food so when the first one arrived at the bird feeder I knew it wouldn't be too long before more arrived and I wasn't wrong.

What surprised me a little was the fact that they were drawn to the sunflower hearts. I have tried to attract Goldfinches to my garden using Niger seeds but without any success. Now I know what to use and hopefully it wont be too long before I get some of these beauties visiting my garden.

In the meantime we can all enjoy these pictures. You just have to love these stunning colours and the way these little birds carry it off so well.

Courtship

Ok so I know this isn't the sharpest image but I was so pleased to capture this moment that I wanted to share it. It is after all undeniably cute.

I had been watching the bird on the right flying about collecting seeds and stuff and then noticed the other fly up to this high branch where the other bird joined it and offered tasty morsels of food. I was puzzled to see this as clearly the birds are both adults and anyway it is a little early for Blue Tits to be fledging. I wondered if perhaps the bird on the left was from an earlier brood but of course it is only April so again that would not explain this behaviour.

I spoke about this to a friend who regularly has Blue Tits nesting in their garden and they reported having recently witnessed similar behaviour so I decided to do a little research. I found an old research article which discusses this behaviour in detail and if your are interested it might be worth a look. 

It makes sense that while birds are nesting one adult bird will gather food and feed the partner who is sitting on the nest but here feeding behaviour away from the nest is part of the courtship rituals and is regarded as an important step in strengthening the bond between the adult birds. Perhaps it is the Tit version of taking your love out to a fancy restaurant.

Long Tailed Tit

Over the long weekend I haven't been feeling on top form and so didn't really get out very much and then today when I was feeling well enough to go out to play the weather was rubbish so I had to think hard about where to go.

One place that I love to visit is the Lancashire Wildlife Trusts reserve at Mere Sands, near Rufford and as there are several hides to observe the wildlife I figured that even in the rain I would get a few opportunities for some decent photos. When I arrived the weather had in fact improved greatly and by the time I had to leave the sun was shining and it was a perfect day.

I have recently tried a few times to get a shot of a Long Tailed Tit, they are really beautiful and endearing little birds but constantly on the move so getting a good clear image is really difficult. On the walk between two hides today I saw a small flock of these birds flitting among the bushes, accompanied by a pair of Black Caps (which sadly I didn't manage to photograph) and so I took a few minute to try and get a photo.

As I say they are constantly on the move and this little chap was quite a challenge. In the second of the images he used the upright branch as a perch and although he looks like he was posing for me he was actually scanning the air around him for flies (of which there were plenty) and he would quickly launch himself into the air, catch a fly and then settle briefly before launching another attack.

I really love these pictures and I am quite pleased with the results although I can see some room for improvement. Oh well I guess I will have to go back to Mere Sands fairly soon and try again. Not that that will be a hardship, I had such a lovely time.