Bearded Tits

 I had a couple of first time experiences yesterday in that I made use of the good weather and some unexpected free time to head off to RSPB Leighton Moss in Silverdale. That was the first of my firsts because although I have been a member of the RSPB for some time and former colleagues at work had advised me many times that I should visit I had never been to Leighton Moss before.

It is an amazing wetland habitat with so much to see, there were red deer, egrets, various wildfowl species, marsh harriers, and more dragon flies that I have ever seen at one time before. At one point I was watching a great egret feasting on dragonflies by picking them off reeds and snatching them from the air with such precision.

The second of my firsts was to see a pair of Bearded Tits, or Bearded Reedlings as they are also known. I had been told there were two potential sites where I might be lucky enough to spot them although they tend to be more active at the beginning and end of the day so there was no guarantee that I would spot any. Leaving one hide I was told by some other visitors that they had just seen three of these wonderful birds and told me where I should look. When I arrived there were two other photographers who were also on the lookout but they had not seen them yet and one had been waiting over an hour so I wasn't very hopeful.

I was determined not to give up too quickly and after a little while I spotted a male on the reeds at the edge of the clearing, unfortunately it was obscured by the reeds so there was no photo op, I could at least say that I had seen one and that for me was quite exciting. It was also enough to make me stop around a little longer and see if it ventured into a better spot. I was not disappointed and finally I was able to capture a few shots of this stunning male Bearded Tit. They are a little soft because of the distance being pretty much at the effective range of my 100 - 400 mm lens. The guy next to me was using a 200 - 800 mm lens and the difference between his images and mine was noticeable and left me with a touch of lens envy, however I am happy with the shots I was able to capture and my first sighting of these wonderful little birds was a real treat making the journey to Leighton Moss well worth it.

So Much Fun

 Today I went to Burton Mere RSPB reserve. I asked my eldest grandson if he wanted to come along and take some photos with me, he is not yet 3 years old. He said yes and on the journey to the reserve he kept repeating "I am going to have so much fun". As I was driving I kept thinking "I really hope you do" because although the sun was shining it was very cold (barely above freezing) and I thought that he could quickly lose interest if he is too cold.

However wrapped up against the elements and armed with his camera he was clearly very excited. I didn't expect to take many pictures myself but that was not really the point of the trip, I was really looking forward to spending some time with him and sharing a place that I enjoy. It was really gratifying when we were sat in one hide eating our lunch when he got down from the bench and went over to a poster on the wall that I had seen he was studying, it had about 45 or 50 different birds on it, he pointed up at the picture of a Moorhen "grandpa" he said "we saw one of those on the lake" He was right and I was so pleased that he had taken note and could pick that out from so many other birds.

After lunch there was another treat when we were able to hand feed a Robin. His excitement when the tiny bird flew onto my hand and settled just a few inches from his own hand was wonderful to observe. We hear so much about how getting close to nature is good for our mental health/wellbeing it is also good for developing minds.

As we walked round, splashing in muddy puddles and cracking ice beneath our feet he told me more than once "I am having so much fun", he even asked to video call his mum and told her the same thing. His joy was infectious and I told him that I was also having lots of fun. 

I recently heard someone comment about people taking photos and sharing them online saying that he didn't get the obsession with capturing a moment and then reliving the moment 5 minutes later, when you could be living another moment. I get what he was saying and it is important not to become obsessed with that, but at the same time some moments are worth sharing and some images should be saved. Today was a special day, I was grateful that I could get out and even more grateful that I could share it with my grandson.

Here are a few images from our walk around the reserve:

Coal Tit

Reflections

Moorhen

Robin

Budding photographer/naturalist

Fledgling

 One of the nicest surprises during my recent visit to Ness Botanical Gardens was to spot this beautiful fledgling robin. I had stopped for a moment in the shade of a thatched shelter on the edge of the rock garden overlooking a pool. I could hear a rustling sound above but in the shade it was hard at first to spot what was making the noise. It was in fact two little robins that had clearly just fledged and were exploring the space above in the moss and straw of the roof. 

This little fellow had, I think, been feeding on bugs and spiders because as you can see it has some spiders web stuck to its beak.

You can get a sense of scale when you look at what it is perched on... its feet are tightly holding onto an LED light from a string of garden lights. The light fitting itself is about half the size of a typical matchstick, so not only can you see how small the bird is but also you can gauge how light it is given that it did not move the light or the cable at all.

As an adult this bird will have a striking red breast and a  beautiful song that will captivate anyone who sees and hears it. But, as a fledgling it would be easy to miss or overlook. I wonder if like the ugly duckling in the famous fairytale and song this little bird does not see its potential. 

Atlantic Puffins

 Here are shots of three different birds from my recent trip to Skomer. I will take a break from posting pictures of the birdlife on the island and go onto other subjects, so I wanted to make this post special with some really nice shots. I have already written about some puffin related facts in previous posts so I won't repeat that here, instead I will just let the pictures do the talking. These are such stunning, beautiful birds and it was a real privilege to photograph them.

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.

An Old Favourite

 Despite the miserable weather I headed out to Mere Sands Woods this morning for a couple of hours. I had a lovely time although it was pretty much useless for photography as the light was so poor and with the fast shutter speed needed to get sharp images of birds the ISO was also high so almost all of the shots are not useable due to the amount of noise. It didn't help that a large part of the reserve was closed off so some of the better hides were off limits.

Nevertheless I did manage to spot a fair selection of birds; a nesting pair of Canada Geese, Grey Lag Geese, Mallards, Tufted ducks, Moorhens, Coots, Great Crested Grebe, Grey Heron, Coal Tits, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Reed Buntings, Chiffchaff, Cormorants, Shovelers, Shelduck, a female mallard with a clutch of 5 beautiful ducklings, all manner of extremely noisy gulls, a song thrush, crows, jackdaws and a Jay which was being mobbed by blackbirds.

Despite this variety as I say most of the photos are not that great, in fact I didn't really bother to take that many shots. 

I could not resist however when it came to this robin which was pretty inquisitive and although the light was poor he came close enough for me to get a few fairly decent pics. So although they are a familiar sight I think that they will always raise a smile and so they are worthy of a share here. Enjoy...

On The Move

 I think I am spoiling you yet again with this selection.

This great white egret is such a stunning bird and having shared the pictures in my previous post of the bird actually feeding these shots show it in the process of hunting and were all taken moments before it caught a fish.

In flight the egret keeps its long neck tucked back over its body and its legs outstretched but when hunting it keeps its neck stretched forwards as it remains focused on its target.

There is so much that I like about these images, the graceful shape of the bird with wings outstretched, the movement in the feather; as they are affected by the updraft when it lands and the way the ends of the feathers curl upwards as they act as air brakes, I like the blue tint on the feathers in certain light, and the warm glow of the wings as they are backlit by the afternoon sun and then in the final image I like the shadow of the birds curled neck seen through the wing.

It was hard to walk away as this beautiful bird continued to fish close by but I hoe you will agree that the pictures I have shared over the last few days have made it worth the time I spent observing and photographing it. It felt like a real privilege to be there at just the right time.

Gone Fishing

 Have you ever sat for hours on a river bank drowning maggots? (I mean fishing of course!) It can be a nice relaxing experience and it is obviously great when you manage to catch something but there can be long periods when you catch nothing but unless your life depends upon it you can walk away at the end of the day and wish for better luck next time.

For this Egret however his life literally does depend upon a decent catch so finding the right spot , at the right time is essential.

Although part of the heron family the Egret takes a different approach to fishing to the grey heron who will stand patiently in one spot (much like the dedicated fisherfolk on the river banks) waiting for a meal to pass by and then with lightning speed and great precision it will dart forward with its long neck and powerful bill and snatch a fish, or amphibian from the water. I have even seen one catch a rat and swallow it whole. The Egret on the other hand takes a more active approach and will stir up the water a little bit or flap from one spot to another, pause, search and then move on, or it will walk slowly , head facing down looking for something in the shallows.

The egret in the pictures above had certainly picked a good time to be in the spot he chose because while I was watching he caught 4 fish, all a fairly decent size. 

Nuthatch

 

I really love nuthatches, there is something bout the way they move about the trees often hanging upside down and almost always on the move. I love their colours and the bandit face mask.

I think the first time I photographed one was in the walled garden at Royden park not far from where I live, it was feeding at a bird feeder and going back and forth to a nest. I have a nice memory of seeing several in the grounds at Sizergh Castle too and I sat for ages watching them.

This one was spotted in Boilton Wood at the edge of Brockholes nature reserve near Preston. It is probably my favourite shot that I have captured of a nuthatch because of its pose, the colours and lighting which is enhanced by the early morning sun behind me and the carpet of bluebells in the background.

A Burst Of Colour

 There have been many times when I have spotted small flocks of Goldfinches darting from  treetop to treetop, chattering away and felt tormented because they have always proved to be incredibly difficult to photograph.

I was excited when I heard this chap singing away and hoped to get a decent shot but for a while I couldn't spot him. After a few minutes however I caught a glimpse and slowly, I crept towards him hoping that he would stay still long enough.

Perched high up he caught the early morning sun perfectly, showing off his brilliant plumage. I say "he" because although the females have similar plumage they are slightly duller and have less red on the face so I am fairly confident this one is a male.

These are fairly common birds across the UK and although intensive agriculture has led to reduced numbers garden feeders have helped to maintain the population. Although they are quite common I still count it as a privilege to have got such lovely pictures.

The oldest recorded age for a Goldfinch is 14 years which seems pretty  good for such a small and delicate creature. 

In the 19th century they were popular cagebirds with 132,000 birds a year being caught in Sussex alone for this purpose. I think I would much rather see them in the wild, on the wing or up a tree than in a cage.