Feed Me! Now!!!

 A few days ago I went to visit Sizergh Castle in Cumbria. It was an interesting day to be sure. I took some rather nice shots of the castle itself as well as some of the flowers and insects in the gardens. I also spent some time watching this group of hungry young swallows, lined up along the ridge of an old cottage, and their harassed parents trying to keep up with the constant demands for food.

For this series of shots I was on the wrong side of the building as I was shooting into the sun and so I will start by using that as an excuse for the images being less sharp than I had hoped, even shooting at 1/5000 sec. Nevertheless I think the series as a whole tells a nice story. There were a couple of families of birds lined up and each time an adult bird flew in all the young would cry out demanding to be fed next. Sometimes they would sit waiting but more often than not they would leap up into the air to get their parents' attention and snatch the tasty bugs from their beaks. The parent birds never settled down, each food exchange was done on the wing and as quickly as they flew in they would swoop off again in the hunt for more food.

Willow Warbler

 I wasn't sure what this was at first, it was a toss up between a Chiffchaff or a Willow Warbler, the two species are so alike they are often mistaken for each other. from a physical examination they can be identified by the number of flight feathers or the colour of their legs and few other subtle differences, but the easiest way to distinguish them, especially from a distance is their song. Willow warblers have a much more melodious song whereas the Chiffchaff has a much simpler call.

I am fairly sure this is a Willow warbler and this one with a beak full of tasty grubs was hopping around this lone hawthorn bush waiting to feed its young. 

Little Birdies

 A little break from flowers for today (and maybe for tomorrow too) 

On May 1st I made the most of the sunny weather and visited Sizergh castle in Cumbria. The castle itself was closed to visitors but the gardens were open and I spent a few very pleasant hours there.

For a little while I sat in a quiet spot watching birds feeding, I had thought I had taken a lot more pictures of birds than I actually did so here are a few of the better ones.

First off we have a nuthatch. There were a few of them that were feeding on some seeds that had been scattered on the ground. They would fly in grab a beak full and then just as quickly fly off. This one took to perching in the tree waiting for its turn.

The Robin perched on the willow arch and then searched among the wood chippings for some tasty treats.

Poised for the Kill

I know these aren't the greatest shots of (what I believe is a female kestrel); I can blame the poor light, or the cold wind, or the fact that the bird was moving and that it was quite a long way off. However I really like these images, really like them. 

I love the layers of light and the way the little light there is brightens up the plumage. I love the form of the bird as it hovers searching for its next meal.

I watched for some time and three times it plummeted down but each time coming up "empty-handed" before moving on to another patch of ground where from a different vantage point I later saw it devouring its prey

Smiling Buck

Tamron 150mm - 600mm f/5:6.3

ISO 100   600mm  f/6.3   1/160 sec

At Dunham Massey I had spent most of the time in the gardens photographing the spring flowers but before going home I wanted to wander into the deer park and see whether I could get some nice shots.

At this time of year the herd of deer is spread out around the park in small groups and unlike the autumn months when there is a lot of activity in early May the deer seem much more relaxed and were contentedly feeding as the many visitors walked by. 

It wasn't really the best time of day to get really interesting shots but I do like this one of a young buck who was gently munching on some grass. He was completely at ease as I approached and seemed to pose for me. You can see that his cheeks are full of food but with his lips parted slightly I think it looks very much like he is smiling.

Reed Bunting

The first of today's pictures is of a cute little male Reed Bunting with a beak full of seed, he really is a handsome chap but I think the female in the next two images is actually a much prettier bird.

They are so delicate and light and I love the way they cling to the reeds. I like the way they use their long tails to keep their balance and love the expression on the face, particularly in the third picture as the bird is looking directly at the camera.

All Day Breakfast

A few weeks ago I shared a series of photos taken at an owl and bird of prey sanctuary and while it was a thrill to see so many beautiful birds of prey up close it cannot match the thrill of seeing one of these birds close up in the wild.

Today was my first chance to get out with my camera for a while and I was hoping for some good photo opportunities. I went to the Lancashire Wildlife Trust reserve at Brockholes near Preston. 

Top of my list of species I hoped to see was the Kestrel and so I was really excited to see this male Kestrel as I pulled into the car park. The bird in all four pictures is the same one, the first image though was taken at the start of the day when it was very dull, the other shots were taken about an hour later when the bird was tempted back by a handful of tasty mealworms put out by another visitor.

As you can see from the second shot he didn't waste any time at all snatching his first mouthful before he had even settled on the post and then in the third shot that expression seems to say "stay back, these worms are mine!"

These pictures were shot at 300mm (or thereabouts) but with fairly low shutter speeds and high ISO because of the poor light meaning they are a little grainy. I was able to get really close though so I haven't needed to crop these pictures at all.

Meet Bo and Co...

I love otters, they're so incredibly cute. Seeing them in the wild is wonderful but very difficult so seeing them in the zoo has to be the next best thing.

These are part of the Asian Short Clawed Otter family at Chester Zoo, these were super excited as it was feeding time and as well as some tasty roach they were chomping down some delicious Crayfish.