It would be hard to argue against the Robin being everybody's favourite bird and these three spotted in Mere Sands Woods help confirm just how beautiful and endearing the Robin is.
Last year I took a photo of a fledgling Robin in the same spot as the first of today's images and given how territorial Robins are I wonder whether this is the same bird, it is nice to think that it is.
The second of today's Robins was a noisy and curious little chap and he looks in fine condition.
As I was stood on the path watching the birds I spoke with a couple of other visitors to the reserve and together we tried to tempt one to feed off our hands. We managed to tempt him to a small pile of seeds and mealworms on the floor at our feet but he couldn't be persuaded onto a hand.
I have been so frustrated recently because it is about five weeks since I was able to get out at a weekend to take some photos and when I saw the weather forecast for today I thought it would be another washout. However I decided that I would head off to Mere Sands Wood and if the weather turned nasty at least I could take shelter in the hides.
I had hoped to get some pictures of some of our winter visitors however I was told by the warden that due to the unseasonably warm weather the usual migrant species from Scandinavia and the Arctic haven't turned up yet (if they do at all) and so there wasn't very much in the way of bird life and waterfowl to see.
Undeterred I walked around the quiet woodland and had a really lovely day. The light was really poor so getting good shots was a challenge, as you can see from the first two images I had to use a high ISO (10,000) and the resulting images are a bit grainy. I was however pleased to get the shot of the Grey Heron just as it landed and you can see its wings extended to slow it down and the feathers along the leading edge of its wings extended further to act as air brakes.
The third picture is of a male Goosander, there is not a lot of detail in this picture but I like the reflection and the sense of motion created by the ripples in its wake.
The final picture is my first photo of a Robin this winter, I know that everyone loves Robins so thought I would add it to my blog for today.
I had a great day out, it was peaceful and quiet and although I did have to take shelter against a really heavy downpour I was happy.
I think that like the Robin the pretty little Blue Tit is another beautiful and interesting bird with lots of character and charm. They're more skittish than the Robin so getting a good shot requires a little more patience. Their feathers have an almost fur like quality as can be seen in the second picture which is a crop of the third photo.
I am quite pleased with today's pictures. Certainly worth the wait. Tomorrow I will have a few shots of another popular garden/woodland bird.
Let me know what you think in the comments field below...
Always popular the Robin is a beautiful bird and with its inquisitive personality cannot fail to charm us all.
These pictures were taken in the walled garden at Royden Park in Wirral earlier today, it was bright and sunny but very cold and this little chap was foraging for a tasty snack. It also sang a cheerful song as it sat in the tree and really helped to lift my mood. I hope it works for you too :)
I noticed today that a friend loves Robins so I decided that I would share a few photos I took in January 2009 when I had only just got my first DSLR enjoy...
they were taken at Llyn Brenig in North Wales but of course you don't really need to go far to enjoy these cheeky little birds
