Friday 23 October 2015

Mid Autumn!

The Summer was not really very good insofar as taking pictures were concerned.  There was a lot of grey days and a lot of rain.  A trip in early June to Brenne in France was pretty good albeit rather short. It was great to catch some Bee Eater.  At home things eventually picked up in September and October although a trip to Norfolk was really disappointing, again due mainly to poor weather.  The food was good!!!

Bee-eater taken early June in France



























This Sparrowhawk visited my garden in September, he had caught a Blackbird the previous morning and I think he had returned for another catch from one of my feeding stations.


Wednesday 10 June 2015

A NEW VISITOR, JUNE, 2015

  • I love Wrens, they are one of my favourite birds, but they do keep well hidden even though they have a most recognizable song.  Usually I can hear them  most of the year round, but rarely see them.  This year has been different.  
  • They built a nest in my garage!!  It meant I had to leave my car out, I didn't want the diesel fumes to bother the youngsters.  They fledged about two weeks ago but still stayed in the nest, sometimes they flitted about the garage waiting for the parent birds to feed them. 
  •  They left yesterday, leaving  me with a bit of a mess in my garage but also the opportunity to take some photographs some of which are shown below.






Thursday 2 April 2015

Odd Birds from March

I spent a couple of weeks in France in March and saw quite a few nice birds so this is a sort of hotch potch of what my camera caught.  There were loads of Stonechat popping up on every gorse bush and they really are the most obliging little birds in the way they will sit right at the top of a twig or bush.






As well as the Stonechat I saw my first Wheatear (female) of the year
 Blackwinged Stilt




 Little Egret


 Spoonbill













 Reed Bunting - being blown about
 and last but not least
Pied Wagtail












I was really delighted to get a Dartford Warbler but still did not manage to get a decent shot of a Crested Tit.

At the end of May we will visit the centre of France and just hope we can manage to see Golden Oriole and Hoopoe




Wednesday 25 March 2015

This morning I went to N Wales- to the moors at Worlds End, it meant getting up at 4.30...not easy getting to the site for dawn!!!
It is always worth it to see the Black Grouse and the Lek.
Not so easy to get decent pictures though in the early morning and they are quite some distance away.

  These are a few that I managed.









Saturday 21 March 2015

Bickerton Hide in Winter 2015

I like to go in the hide early morning when the light really is superb on a good day.  These are a few of the pictures I took in February 2015