Waiting for the light

I'm glad to see the back of November. A dull, dull and pretty wet month where I was reduced to posting pictures of chaffinches on a birdtable. Last weekend there was a promise of some light between the showers so I headed for Slimbridge. If you are a member you can get in to some parts early, and I was pleased to find the one hide where you can get near the birds was empty. Not that I'm anti-social, but the punters at Slimbridge can be surprisingly noisy. Last time I was there 2 people (yeah. I'll say it - 2 women) had the water rail twitching when they were still 15 yards from the hide, and the volume didn't seem to drop as they came through the door. I know birds can tolerate noise, but there are limits. And they had all the kit - good coats, pricey bins, megaphones ...............
Anyway, there was some sunshine between the clouds, and some birds played ball. As usual the tufties dominated the space near the hide, mostly snoozing, but occasionally giving a sly wink with that lovely golden eye.
The pochards were also about, and if you can find one preening and keep waiting eventually it will have a post-preen flap.
Maddeningly, the shoveller kept it's distance - will I ever get close to one?
But it's the chance to catch birds flying in that makes the fun. The greylags kicked up a spray feet in front of themselves, before settling down and trying to swallow a ball of food that was clearly over-ambitious. Or just plain greedy.
The Canada geese went in for some touching wingtip Red Arrows display flying.
A buzzard flew past, mobbed by crows, and upset the lapwings into flight.
But it was the Bewick's swan that was the star of the show. Looking at the train of pictures I felt I could print them off, hold them in a pile, and then flick through and make them look like they were flying.
Wandering home I called in at the Rushy, to find a shellduck shining
and my favourite (beautiful bird) the pintail doing a bit of posing and then having a damn good splash,

a post-preen flap

and finally a good laugh about it all.

As always better views on the web albums HERE

- look in latest pictures.

....... And blow the birds about the sky

Well that was one windy weekend. The sun on Sunday was a bonus, and I headed over to Rich's field to see what I could find. It seems at least one of the barn owls has survived, although it was well tucked up by the time I got there. I could see some finch flocks coming down to the sacrificial crops, but they were as flighty as most finch flocks are, and I was never going to get close enough for photos. I decided to try putting up the hide near a small feeding area he has set up where I could hopefully catch birds in the crop, but if not, on the table.
Perhaps unsurprisingly the finches were twitchy and at first even the chaffinches stayed in the tree. In the Forest I have found the first finch down to food is usually a female chaffinch, but here it was a male, on, I think, quinoa - or possibly millet. Sadly the best of the crops at are the far side so the shot is a bit distant, and the angle meant the fencing couldn't be blurred out.
In the end it was only the chaffinches that came to the table, but they did provide good views in the morning sunshine, and reminded me of the full range of colours present in the male bird. I love the way they pick up a sunflowers seed and rotate it with their tongue, splitting off the shell (and all with no hands!).
I'm going to leave up some form of hide so they get used to it as he's had linnet and siskin recently. Probably needs a few 'rustic' perches popping in - never was over keen on snapping birds on feeders.

As always the pics look better here on the web album

Running rail, Stepping goose

I've been getting post withdrawal, but you have to have something to post. Slimbridge is always a good bet when the late autumn quiet patch arrives, so after an unsuccessful dawn visit to see if there was any sign of the late barn owl brood at Rich's (no sign - hope they have made it), I headed over the bridge and up to the duckponds.
A water rail had been seen quite regularly at the Robbie Garnet hide, but after initially showing quite well I had heard from Chris G that it was quite skittish. True enough, it sneaked out from the reeds, broke into a surprisingly quick run and flew across the gap to the safety of the next patch of reeds. However being the top class wildlife photographer am I caught this superb image.

Aren't you jealous - hand and eye in harmony?!
A rail often is seen under the feeders in the winter, but the only real interest was the jackdaw that had worked out the peanut feeder and posed quite nicely.

A rather distant snipe showed quite well in the sun, enabling a heavy crop of a prolonged yawn - you really need to look at the web album to see it clearly.

Otherwise we had a goose goose-stepping,

a moorhen enjoying the sunshine

and a few of my favourite duck, the pintail - you must admit he's gorgeous.

I always have a quick look at the captives and had a nice view of this goosander, showing well the 'teeth' that give rise to the name of sawbill. Again you'll need to look at the web album to see this clearly.
On the way home I took the short detour down our little valley to see if any winter thrushes were around and sure enough there were a couple in the grumpy farmer's field. Taking my life in my hands I drove down the farm track and got near enough for my best yet fieldfare shot. That doesn't mean much, mind, but creeping ever closer to an accpetable shot. And best of all I escaped without having to endure any grumpiness. (He's alright really, just a bit glass half empty in personality which isn't ideal when you run a farm with a public footpath which you don't want people to use)

I also snapped this pipit, which I presume is meadow, although I always thought they had pink legs.

As ever better quality images in the web albums HERE

Simon says ..........

When I read that last weeks Autumnwatch programme was going to feature Simon King in the Forest of Dean, I thought OK he'll be looking at the fallow deer and my dismal attempts at catching them on camera will be fully exposed. But ..... he too discussed the difficulties posed by the density of the natural forest. I felt better.
I decided last weekend would be my last chance of trying for some action shots of the bucks, as this coming weekend the Forest is out of bounds for me. So I went back to my recent patch and all was silent apart from the many squirrels delicately picking up the spiky sweet chestnut cases. Then I heard grunting from a few hundred yards up the track. The buck sounded near, so I edged over a hillock to see a buck and half a dozen does. He was fired up, pacing around his little harem, although there was no sight or sound of a challenger. I was peering through a mass of twiggy branches, so over the next 5-10 minutes I worked my way down the side of the hillock, sliding unstoppably but ever so slowly at one stage, just keeping it slow enough to avoid spooking anything and get to a fallen branch for a bit of cover. Although some of the action was hidden by the hill to my left, after a few minutes he appeared giving nearly clear views. Great for watching, but still a bit dark and cluttered for pictures.

I spent about 20-25 minutes watching, and sometimes I felt, being watched, but the deer were never spooked, so I was obviously well enough hidden in my action man outfit. Again these shots are selected because the does were looking my way, not because they were constantly looking at me. Most of the time they were grazing, making little whinnying sounds to the buck. The range of colour forms can be clearly seen.
The light was gradually coming when a bizarre combination of events brought the session to an end. There was a sudden flapping of wings as several woodpigeon hit the air and a female goshawk shot through, and down to the ground. Although it wasn't that near, the deer were spooked, all pricked ears and tails. It seemed every tree had a squirrel in it making those weird, high pitched alarm calls. Then almost immediately a group of cyclists went past on a nearby track, chatting loudly. And suddenly the deer were gone.
I waited a while, but there was no sign of them coming back and I decided that even if they did I didn't want to disturb them again. Still, undoubtedly my best morning's deer watching. As for a decent photo? There's always next year.

"Steam breaking on his brow ...."

Okay, it would be an exaggeration to say that the earth shook, but the crashing left me in no doubt that I had either finally succeeded in getting near to the rutting fallow bucks or stumbled into a kendo tournament. But let's not get ahead of ourselves ...................



Two years ago I spent a really uncomfortable morning trying to get near the grunting, rutting fallow deer bucks in the Forest of Dean, with little to show for it other than aching limbs and a lot of scratches. This year a few more free weekends meant I had the chance to try again to learn ways to get near the deer and maybe get some shots.

I started at Woorgreens where I went last time. The forest had grown even more impenetrable this time, but I could hear the odd grunt, and for a second I thought I had struck it lucky when I glimpsed two deer heads down and head-on. Sadly when they stood up it turned out to be two teenagers having a practice.





I could hear some bucks in the distance, so I headed off to try and track them down, getting lost in the process. Well not really lost, I just wasn't quite sure where I was. I knew the north south bit, but my east west turned out to be somewhat (quite a big somewhat) off the mark! However I did find some more fallow deer, and resolved to return to my new location the following weekend.
Unlike the parkland so often used to snap fallow deer, the Forest is a bit of a jungle with most of the action taking place amongst a tangle of trees. The high quality shots that follow show my point.
That said day 2 left me with some further ideas about where to try and catch the deer as they came along the well used paths (and my closest ever sighting of some boar)
Day 3 started well. I watched my first buck grunting in some relatively open forest, but as I was crawling nearer a doe I had missed over to my left (every time it's a doe!) barked and they all drifted away. Shortly afterwards I could hear some more bucks, and then the locking of antlers, just around the corner. Then .................... as I came round the corner a small group of does were standing on the path. I froze, and for once they didn't take me in.

I slowly got down into a crouch. Seconds later a buck shot across the path, head back, antlers parallel with his spine in the classic vanquished stag pose I've seen so often on Autumnwatch. He was so quick I didn't fire a single shot, but I waited and after about 30 seconds the victor stepped out, still looking a bit excited undercarriage-wise. All that testosterone, or whatever deer have, I guess.

He was evidently exhausted, and stopped on the path for about 6 minutes. Tongue hanging out, his heaving breath created a cloud in the cool morning air. Although he showed no sign of alarm I think he knew full well I was there. The pictures are a bit misleading as he looked in the other direction as often as he looked at me, but when he had recovered, and just before he stepped back into the woods, he did take a few steps down the track for a slightly closer look.
The rest of the morning was a bit of a bust photography-wise although I got some good views of grunting bucks and their entourage through the trees. A one stage a doe came running straight for me swerving only at the last minute, feet away, ears pricked, head up, wild eyes, cocked tail. Another followed, but then morphed into a muzzled lurcher which turned when it saw me and headed back into the trees. Not much chance of pictures up that way then.
Hopefully I'll get at least one more morning this year, but at least I got something in focus and in the open.
Handholding and crouching isn't ideal, but the good old Canon image stabilisation worked wonders, and if not pin sharp the shots are good record shots. Better sized and quality versions can be seen HERE - look in the latest pictures album and use the slideshow for best viewing.

Shoreline twitters

Photographing shorebirds is, it seems to me, mostly dependent on getting in the right place before the birds. If you know a spot they go and can get positioned in advance they often come into range. However when the birds are few in number and the feeding area potentially large this doesn't work. A trip to Severn Beach on a day with sun between the clouds held some promise, but the large number of anglers meant that the spots I would usually look at were not options.
I did find a few birds, but then had the fun of trying to get near enough to take some pictures. In the end, after a bit of crawling and narrowly missing some dog guano I got a spot and the birds, now hemmed in by the high tide, decided to put up with my presence. Ringed plover, turnstone and a solitary dunlin.
High tide is a time when the birds have a break, at least it is here where the tide was high enough to cover any feeding areas. My mind wandered a bit, and I got to thinking about Twitter. You see I just don't get it. My blog is, let's face it, a piece of vanity. I infrequently put into it things that might be deemed 'educational'. Most of it is a diary with pictures, that I'm sufficiently arrogant to think people will look at. And some do (thank you).
But Twitter allows you to type only 140 characters. Really, how interesting can most people's lives be to expect others to read 140 characters? Twitter says the question is 'What are you doing'? The answer might be 'Who cares'. But then I don't get all this 'texting' either and that's much the same I suppose. It's probably middle aged male communication that lies at the root of the issue (Mars and Venus and all that). I'll say something if there is a purpose, but otherwise the words blood and stone come to mind. Or so I'm gently reminded on a not infrequent basis!!

Anyway it struck me that the pictures above are a record of the sort of Groundhog Day life these birds lead, with a high tide Twitter that might be:

Tide came in. Feet getting wet so moved. Preening and stretching. Waiting. Snoozed. Waiting. Having a walk. Waiting. Waiting.

Did you notice the clever way I didn't type snoozing, but snoozed? You see the bird couldn't type while it was actually snoozing could it?

Drivel over. As always better views in the Latest Pictures web album HERE

I could get into this ................

For my birthday last year (a notable one) Kay bought me, well us, a day doing something I'd always fancied - falconry. This week we finally got to go - waited for the weather to settle again you see -and I wasn't disappointed. We went to the Welsh Hawking Centre at Barry, and had a really enjoyable and relaxed day. In the morning a chance to see some of the birds, ask loads of questions, tie one handed falconer's knots, etc. After a good lunch we watched one of the two displays they do each day and then had a go ourselves.

At first it has to be said Kay was a bit apprehensive - this was one of the more relaxed looking shots! -
but by the end of the day she wasn't phased at all.
In fact not only did she get used to the birds she even held bits of chick over my camera while I was trying for some flight shots of ................ well let's not get ahead of ourselves.
The eagle owl was a beauty. Big enough to photograph easily in flight
and who could resist those eyes.
Next up for the display was a young Harris Hawk - not even in mature plumage yet (compare it to the adult shown above and later), and displaying after only a few weeks of training. I guess it helps to know what you are doing.
The highlight of the display was the superb flying skills of the member of staff, Chris, with his radio controlled plane (what..............?)
and the peregrine that Griff sent after the lure it was towing. This could only work with a skilled pilot, but it was breathtaking to watch. I didn't manage to get any good enough shots of the one stoop it made, but it was much nearer for views of the planned level flight 'hit' - the lure was on a release mechanism and small parachute. In the second and third shots the bird looks as though it's surfing!
It landed right in front of me and immediately reacted to protect it's prize. Griff then tempted it onto something more edible.
Back to the centre to rest
and then a bath.
Finally our turn. Over lunch we had been talking barn owls, so when we were offered the chance to fly one I didn't hesitate. He was gorgeous
but so much slighter than you might think.

In flight he just glided, buffeted a bit by the wind but so graceful. Kay's kind mashed chick holding helped to get this shot, but more practice is needed here on my part. The bird knew what to do though, and kept landing on the camera.
Onto Griff junior's glove for a feed
after a bit of a detour. Brilliant. Loved it. Want one.
[A rare shot - I'm in it - perhaps even a first for the blog? Look - my six pack has migrated forwards 6"!]
To finish we went for a walk with a Harris Hawk. Bit like walking a dog! It flitted through the trees and bushes, coming over now and again for some tidbits. Again great fun.
When it was being fed at the end it showed very well the 'mantling' pose they learn as youngsters to guard their food from their siblings. Possibly more exaggerated in this Harris Hawk as they hunt in groups in the wild.
As he relaxed his table manners left a bit to be desired though!

So there we are. If you've ever thought of giving it a go I'd say go for it. I really don't think you'd regret it.

As always bigger and better views in the web album HERE