Better days

I popped out to another site not too far from me wthat has ben kind to me in the past with Short Eared Owls, and it has been reported that there have been sightings so thought it was time I gave it a go.

With still airs and great light, risp air, the weather was playing its part.

I wasnt disappointed.

Within two minutes of the first stop, I grabbed these following images. Not as critically sharp as I would quite like as they are large crops so suffer, as well as being handheld.

But it was great to get and see lots of bird activity again

In the next part, I will bring you a species of bird that I am really pleased to see spreading much closer to home in large numbers, as well as tell you about other exciting species that I had the pleasure of watching.

It was good to get back out again.

Martin

Mini Trip Report - Part 6 - Buzzards

As mentioned in my last part on the 'White' Kite, I said I would bring you some Buzzards.

Buzzards appear at Gigrin in significantly less numbers than either the Kites or the Corvids, and will often wait until the corvid frenzy has eased and they will come in to eat.  They get heavily mobbed either by ground running marauding corvids or dive bombing kites.  This can be fascinating to watch.  Sometimes they sit it out and try to eat, while other times they give up the struggle and move on.

The Common Buzzard buteo buteo has a very wide range of colour variations from very pale through the browns to quite dark.  These next two images show the light and brown variations.

 Pale Buzzard and incoming Red Kite

 

A couple of regular brown coloured Buzzards

 Coming in for food

 About to Land

 Optimistuc food take

 Butter talons!

 I think that is probably about it with images from that trip now.  Hope you have enjoyed these posts

Martin

A few from the Cotswolds and the garden

I had to take an early trip up to the sawmill yesterday to sort out some more timber for the ongoing garden project.  As I knew I would be going near one or two places where there would or could be some wildlife, I put the 7D/500f4 and the 1.4 TC plus bean bag in the car on the off chance.  Well what a fabulous morning it was.  Silence in the countryside thanks to the Icelandic volcano stopping all UK air traffic.  I got out the car at one point to hear six Skylarks, two Yellowhammer, a Corn Bunting and a Raven all calling at the same time.  What a great pleasure.

I went to a site where I have seen Dipper and Grey Wagtail, but no signs of Dipper at all, buut I did get the Grey Wagtail in bright early morning sunlight.

Further up the lane I managed to get an image of a female Yellowhammer, and a male Chaffinch.

I went along a lane where I had seen Corn Bunting before.  Sadly, I didn't see any but did get a good sighting of a Common Buzzard on a fence rail.

Back home and on with my work, but I was fortunate enough to get three Peacock butterflies in.  This image is quite the best as I wasn't able to get fully square so have lost a little bit of focus on one of the wings.

Another first for the year also was the first Speckled Wood butterfly through the garden, but it did not set down.

Martin

Look out for - Buzzard Behaviour

Two things for you to look out for in the forthcoming period and an unusual observation today to tell you about.

The first I was reminded of the other day when I witnessed it again.  I have now seen it three times, in each case at this time of the year.

It was this week two years ago that I went and stayed with Dave and Marion while they were still in Switzerland.  We were driving back towards Dave's apartment, having had a great day out.  There had been quite a bit of heavy rain while we had been in a hide, fortunately.  I noticed a couple of buzzards out on a  freshly ploughed field, then I noticed more and more and more.  It seemed that the rain had bought the worms to the surface and the Buzzards were down for a feast.  There were at least 12 of them if I recall correctly.

Then twelve months ago, after a similar heavy rain shower near to Stratford , I saw the same phenomenon on my way to work, except this time I counted seventeen in two adjacent fields.

Finally, last week, the same but only five this time.

The next bit of behaviour to watch out for is the mating aerobatic flying.  Hopefully on a good sunny day at this time of year, you can observe the male displaying with an almost roller-coaster type flight where it stoops, ball shaped, then pulls out and zoom climbs with the speed gathered in the dive to carry it back up.  It is fantastic to see - so keep your eyes peeled.

The observation that surprised me today happened very early as I was driving to work.  I needed to get in even earlier than normal, and it was still pitch black.  It was near a reasonably lit roundabout that I noticed movement to my left, and then watched a buzzard flying low, making small stoops from about a metre above the ground.  Clearly this was one hungry bird after some very small prey, but very early.  And I thought they were traditional day time hunters.....I guess when needs must at this time of year.

Now have we got a treat for you later this week.

My good friend Robbie Brookes has written an article as our next guest photographer, and I am so excited to be able to share his words and images with you.  The article covers four seasons of wildlife on Shetland

So make sure you stay with us.

Martin