Wednesday 14 December 2011

A Day of Firsts





Over the last  few days there have been reported sightings of three species of birds  in my local area that were all potential lifers for me. So today I decided to make the effort and brave the elements to see what I  could find.

I arrived at Startop's End Reservoir  on the Buckinghamshire/Hertfordshire border to find a small group of birders, braving a bitterly cold South Westerly wind, watching a stunning  first winter male Snow Bunting.  




 
Next it was a short drive to Wilstone reservoir in Hertfordshire, where the wind seemed to be getting even colder, and a quick word with another  birder who was just leaving and I was directed to my second lifer of the day a juvenile Dark-Bellied Brent Goose grazing in an adjacent field with some Greylag Geese.




 
The third lifer of the day I have seen before in captivity but never  in the wild consisted of a family group of four Bewick's Swans who were  unfortunately too distant for a decent photograph! 

 
So, that's three firsts for the day... and now the next first is... the very first time that I have posted a video on my blog!  Yes - after much deliberation I've purchased a video camera and have been trying to get to grips with it for the last few weeks!!

So here are my two very shaky  (well it was windy!!) first videos...hopefully the quality will improve for future posts!!







 
So  I had a very successful, if very cold, day of  firsts, and the final first is that for the first time I've managed to post photographs (and videos!) on the same day as I took them...that's a lot of firsts for one day...phew!!

12 comments:

Bob Bushell said...

I love it, the Snow Bunting is special, excellent photos

ADRIAN said...

Congratulations. A wonderful day out.
I look forward to some synchronised video from Caldicote. So...g Boat People! Included.

holdingmoments said...

Great bundle of firsts Trevor.
I've never seen a Snow Bunting before; you got some great shots of it.

Now, this camera. What is it?
Excellent videos. Let's see some more. :-)

The Herald said...

Thanks Bob. The Snow Bunting is a pretty little bird, a pleasure to watch....[;o)

The Herald said...

Adrian, thank you...yeah it was a productive and enjoyable few hours, even though it was b....y cold!!

Two camera action a?...sounds good...but we'll need somebody to stand out in the middle with the clapper board...know any volunteers?...[;o)

The Herald said...

Thanks Keith. After seeing the weather forecast was predicting cold winds and wintery showers I was in two minds about venturing out, but the potential for three lifers was too good to miss, in the end I'm glad I did!

The Snow Bunting was a smashing little bird and seemed not to be bothered by a group of eight or so watchers only yards away!...[;o)

I'll email you later about cameras and videos...I need to pick your brains on a couple of things!!

grammie g said...

Hi Trevor...your back...Christmas shopping all done? ; }
Well you sure had a day for yourself now didn't you!!
Lovely shots of the Snow Bunting..they are so pretty and love to see them in a large flock when they fly...just like waves ..gorgeous!!
I was surprised that it seemed to be alone..was it??
Here in the late fall until spring we see them in large flocks!!
My daughter has gotten photo's, but they don't stay still long enough to get many odd that this one seems to be okay with it all!!
Sorry I'm rattling on here..
DBB Goose now there you have me beat..I probably will never see one of them ...
To bad the Swan was not available for a photo shoot ; }
Congrats on your day of first....video was not bad for a first timer...
Keith going to have competitions? I still love Keith's...that voice gets me every time...I just love listening to him!!
You may have to do some narrating..; } so pratice!! lol...
Sorry so long..
Grace

The Herald said...

Hi Grace, yeah shopping all done, I hope!!
Yeah just the one Snow Bunting although there is a roost not far away. It's been there for about five days now and seems happy in its own company!

There is a Pale-bellied Brent Goose (branta hrota) which breeds in Spitsbergen, Canada and Greenland so keep your eyes peeled you may be lucky enough to see one, one day!

Not to worry there'll be no competition with Keith, my voice lacks character I'm afraid!...[;o)

Roy said...

Wow! great shots of the Snow Bunting Trevor, I have never seen one.
Videos as well, is there no end to your talents.

The Herald said...

Thanks Roy,

That Snow Bunting was a very obliging, and beautiful little bird.

I'm still on a steep learning curve with the videos! I hope the quality improves as time goes on...[;o)

theconstantwalker said...

Sorry I am a bit late seeing this wonderful post Trevor.
The Snow Bunting is a real beauty to see (and I havn't) lovely images of the goose as well..
Have a lovely weekend.

The Herald said...

Thanks Andrew. That Snow Bunting sure is a stunner and still showing well again today by all accounts. Enjoy your weekend...[;o)