Interloper

Most people , I think, will be familiar with he Cuckoo's habit of laying its eggs in the nest of another species and turfing out the eggs of the resident bird. This duck has a slightly different approach in that the female Carolina Duck or Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) which is native to Canada, the United States and Mexico where it lives on shallow lakes, woodland pools and marshes is known to sneak into a neighbours nest and deposit her own eggs, leaving the unsuspecting mum to be with up to 30 eggs. Often they make their nests in the hollows of trees close to water however due to competition for suitable nesting sites (from birds of prey or mammals such as squirrels) they can nest up to one mile from their water source and this may account for the habit of laying eggs in a fellow Wood ducks nest. This is known as "nest dumping" and unfortunately leads to unsuccessful incubation. They can produce two broods in a season which is unique to this species in North America.

When they hatch young wood ducks will jump down from their cavity in the tree, sometimes from as high as 50 feet landing on the water or a soft surface such as leaf litter. The mother duck will then call to her day old chicks and lead them to where the can find their food. They have a varied diet of berries , seeds and insects, they also eat acorns which  after swallowing them they can crush in their gizzard.

It was This Big

 It is just over 11 years since I started posting photos on this blog and although I don't post nearly as often as I used to it still generates a fair bit of traffic from all around the world, which is quite reassuring. For example even though I didn't post at all since mid August I had over 41,500 views last month and over 1,000  per day this month too. In the grand scheme of things I don't really know how that compares to others but it is nice to know that what I am posting gets seen somewhere.

Sometimes I can go out with my camera and take hundreds of photos in a very short time and then on days like today when the light was  rather flat and grey I will take much fewer. Today over three hours at Martin Mere WWT reserve in Lancashire I took just 32 photos, the best of which I will share below. Even though I wasn't snapping away I still enjoyed the time there, sitting in the hides enjoying the company of like minded people or walking along the quite pathways and I was really pleased that I had made the effort to get out.

So to the pictures... Rather than split them up over several days I am going to put them all here with a few comments.

Firstly a couple of shots of a Black Tailed Godwit. These are incredibly rare birds in the UK, a Red Listed species with less than 50 breeding pairs being recorded across the UK so to see two here at Martin Mere was a genuine treat.

Next we have this very snooty looking Greylag Goose, these are fairly common and often seem fairly tame. This one, stood on the side of the lake was definitely posturing.

When it comes to superiority this beautiful Whooper Swan really seemed to be bragging about something. These are winter visitors to the UK coming down from Iceland. It is an Amber Listed species and it is illegal to disturb these birds. It is great to watch them swanning around on the lake. Sometimes they are very serene and at other times they get in quite a flap. It was amusing watching them vying for the best spots on the lake and this one, in this series of pictures appears to be trying to convince us that it really was that big, no, Really, That Big!

It is said that when Robins appear loved ones are near and today that definitely felt like it was true, and as I thought about that saying I thought among others about my mother in law who would have been 89 tomorrow.

And finally, perhaps my favourite shots of the day, not birds at all but a series of pictures of a leaf. Yes, that's right, a leaf. Don't switch off yet I promise these are pictures worth your time.  As I was walking along a path beneath the trees on my way out I saw a random leaf apparently hovering in the air. Of course it was not hovering at all, it was suspended by a gossamer thread that from most angels was completely invisible. In the low light and with the backdrop of autumn colours I thought it was fun to capture these final few images. It wasn't until I enlarged the pictures at home that I was able to see the thread by which the leaf was hanging, but not in all the pictures. I love the lighting and the bokeh in these pictures and the way the leaf appears to be floating or in free fall and I thought it was a fun way to end this post. Enjoy...

That's all for today, come back soon, and please feel free to leave a comment or share this post.

Beautiful Plumage!

 I am not referring to the plumage of the Norwegian Blue Parrot made famous by those terribly funny Monty Python chaps, I am of course referring to the plumage of the Hooded mergansers as seen in the pictures below.

I had a short break from sharing pictures due to a brief camping trip in Glencoe (Scottish Highlands) and while I have loads of images to sort through and eventually share with you I am continuing today with some of my wildlife shots from WWT Martin Mere.

I think we can agree that the Hooded Merganser is a very handsome bird. It is a diving duck and like the Goldeneye in my last post has a wide flattened tail which is uses to push itself under water in search of food. It has a long thin beak which is no doubt designed for catching small fish and crustaceans that it likes to eat. The male and female have very different and distinct markings, the male with its black and white breast, head and back with more orange coloured flanks. He looks very impressive with his tufted head fully extended. He also has bold yellow eyes.

The female on the other hand is less striking brown although she has a beautiful chestnut red crest and reddish eyes. 

When they weren't diving for food they spent much of the time circling each other, they make quite a pair. They are cavity nesters often using holes in trees close to fresh water or even in nest boxes.

These pictures confirm what I said in my last post, ducks are not less interesting or less attractive than geese.

Sweet Treat

The Wood Duck has to be one of the most handsome ducks around, just look he looks so regal and well preened.

I have called today's post "Sweet Treat" because when I looked at his bill I thought about the traffic light lollies I used to buy with my pocket money as a child

Mystery Duck/Goose

I spotted this goose at Martin Mere and thought it was really beautiful but when I chose these pictures for today's post I couldn't recall what it was. So I typed in "Goose, white head, grey throat and mottled back" into Google and straightaway it identified this as a Snow Goose or Emperor Goose . So now I know... and so do you.

Isn't it a beauty? 

Wood Duck

I don't know about you but I think these Wood Duck are absolutely beautiful. 

They have such spectacular plumage, and look really regal.

On The Waters Edge

Today here are two more shots from the waters edge at Martin Mere.

In the first shot we have a Black Tailed Godwit with its long black legs and winter plumage it looks quite striking 

The second shot is of a Ruff in winter plumage although he looks as though he is starting to develop his breeding plumage with the fluffy collar which will be used for displays in the spring to attract a mate. The warden described it as a satellite male which I believe is an immature or less well developed male that will try to encroach on a territorial male and impregnate the female, a sneaky little blighter.

Beautiful Plumage

Lapwings are one of my favourite wading birds. I think they have such beautiful plumage and the feathery plume on their heads is really elegant. I used to see huge flocks of them when I lived in the Lincolnshire Fens and it was wonderful to watch them swoop and dive in formation.

I think you will agree, this is a really handsome specimen and it was fun to watch it feeding along the shore, picking its way between the ducks and other waders. I like the first image with the bird looking out across the lake, you get a really clear view of its plume which reminds me a bit of the hoods that you would use for a falcon or hawk.

Creepy Little Fella

Maybe it is unkind to call this cute little bird "creepy" but he is a Tree Creeper so it is an accurate description. I have only photographed one once before and it was a lousy shot, low light, quick moving subject so grainy and blurry. On this particular occasion although the light wasn't great I did manage to get three quick shots. Using a high ISO the pictures are still quite grainy  but with a little bit of work I have been able to reduce some of the "noise" and produce soft but usable images.

He didn't stay still for long and quickly made its way around and up the tree trunk out of sight but it was a genuine thrill to see it and capture these pictures. You have to agree he is pretty cute. You may be able to make out his long claws/toes perfectly adapted to clinging to the bark enabling him to move nimbly and quickly up and down in his search for insects in every crevice. Hie curved beak is also perfectly adapted for the task of winkling out food from the tightest spots.

A Pleasant Pheasant

I spotted this beautiful pheasant scratting around beneath some feeders that were host to a flock of hungry goldfinches. He was taking advantage of the seeds scattered by the finches and tits feeding above.  As I watched, a Sparrowhawk flew past low and fast scattering the smaller birds in a flurry of feathers but the pheasant was unmoved.

Just look at those magnificent colours and I know that with such strong and vibrant colours most people will say that the only way to show it off is in full and glorious colour. However, I also think it looks amazing in black and white and it's worth sharing both versions.

Coming Home To Roost

Today's shots were taken at Martin Mere, I spent the day there and although it was cold and grey I wanted to wait until the end of the day to witness the arrival of the large flocks of swans and Pink Footed Geese as they returned from foraging to their roost at the reserve.

Sadly the failing light meant I had to leave before the largest flocks came in but I was lucky enough to capture a few shots of small groups pf early arrivals.

As you can see the Whooper Swans came in in small groups, possibly family groups, flying low with great swooping wing beats. In flight they are so graceful with their long necks stretched out before them. I would normally shoot wildlife in colour but because the day was so overcast and grey I decided to try some shots in black and white too. As you can see from the first image it works really well although in the second shot with the small group reflected in the water I think colour works best.

The third shot works well to show that although in flight the swans look really sleek and elegant when they come in to land they actually become awkward and ungainly. The water was quite crowded with a variety of ducks and waders so finding a safe landing spot was tricky, it was amazing to see that there were few collisions as the swans hit the water.

Wonderful Waders

I still have a few shots from Liverpool's waterfront to share but for today I wanted to post some pictures from my last shoot of 2018 at the WWT reserve at Martin Mere.

Winter is a great time to see a host of migrant species at the reserve and a chance for me to practice more wildlife photography. 

The two wading birds featured today are both in their winter plumage. Firstly there is the Bar-Tailed Godwit that has left its breeding grounds in the Arctic Tundra to spend the winter here on the food rich lakes at Martin Mere.

The second bird is a Ruff, I wasn't able to get many shots of this one as it seemed somewhat camera shy and when a flock of Lapwings was spooked nearby it also flew off and didn't return. The Ruff earns its name from its stunning summer/breeding plumage when the males grow a collar and crown of curly feathers. This one I think is a female.

Even in winter plumage I think both birds are quite beautiful.

An Unexpected Guest

It has been a month since I have been out with my camera, a bout of tennis elbow caused I think by lugging my gear around has meant I needed to take things easy so with a bit of respite I was desperate to get out and snapping again.

So today I headed over to the WWT reserve at Martin Mere, I have always had a great time whenever I have visited in the past and today I was hopeful that in between the rain and snow showers I would be able to get some decent shots.

I was sat in one of my favourite hides where there is a small pond but also lots of bird feeders. In the past I have seen lots of finches and other small birds as well as Sparrowhawks and today I wasn't disappointed as there were lots of finches and tits and a Reed Bunting as well as Magpies, Jackdaws and pigeons in the mix. None of these however compared to the magnificence of a most unexpected visitor the Great Spotted Woodpecker.

I have often heard these marvelous birds and seen them at a distance so to be able to get a few decent images has really made my day. In the last shot you can see him (it is definitely a male) in the sort of setting you would expect to see a woodpecker; up a tree. In the other shots however you may be surprised as I was to see that he was sizing up and eventually helping himself to the sunflower seeds in a bird feeder apparently having learned of the nutritional value of these seeds.

It was a rare privilege to see this bird up close, I was so excited and I wanted to share that excitement and these images with you... Enjoy!

Swanning Around

Getting wildlife photos is often quite challenging and requires a lot of patience. At this time of year it can also mean sitting around for a long time in the cold. It is just as well that I am a patient person and don't mind a little discomfort in pursuit of a good shot.

I am pleased with these pictures of Whooper Swans taken at the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust reserve at Martin Mere last weekend.  They are such majestic and beautiful birds. Even in flight they look great which is surprising given how big they are and how clumsy they look walking on dry land, however if I am to get a good shot of them in flight I need a lot more practice... like I said, it's a good job I am patient.