Location - Location - Location

I'm back!!...well I've never been away really. I've just not posted for a while due to various reasons, lack of time, lack of inspiration or, more to the point, I guess it's just been down to shear laziness on my part!!  Although you'll be pleased to know that I haven't forgotten you all and I've been keeping up to date with reading all of your blogs. (sorry for the lack of comments!!).

                                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 This is the first in a series of three posts (not many words of wisdom just a selection of images that I hope you will enjoy) each one dedicated to a different location that I've had the pleasure of visiting since the beginning of the month.

The first day of February dawned cold and frosty and at around 5.30 am I arrived at Keith's house on the start of our 200+ mile round trip to the RSPB's reserve at Titchwell Marsh in Norfolk. We arrived just after 8am, after experiencing a beautiful red sunrise during the journey, to a cold sunny blue sky morning. It looked like being a good day weather wise, little did we know that out on the reserve a strong bitterly (and I mean BITTERLY !!) cold Easterly wind was blowing directly from Siberia!! 

After a cup of coffee and some sandwiches (thanks Keith) in the car park and a photo session with the numerous Robins that soon appeared to greet us, they're well fed I think and hence quite confiding, we set of on our walk around the reserve.

 

Around by the back of the back of the visitor centre Keith soon spied a group of Redpoll feeding high up in some Alder trees and it was not long before he had spotted that they were not only  Lesser Redpolls but also Common, or Mealy, Redpolls, and then he exclaims "there!, look!, that one's much lighter than the others, I reckon that's an Arctic Redpoll" And sure enough once the visitor centre was open it was confirmed by the staff and the sightings book that it was indeed a Coues's Arctic Redpoll! So it looked like we were off to good start, and within minutes of leaving the car!

Common Redpoll (I think!)

 

As soon as we left the cover of the trees we felt the full force of the cold wind which made it very difficult to hold our bino's and cameras steady and as most birds were at a distance picture taking opportunities were mostly curtailed to 'fly byes'.

Brent Geese

Greylag Geese

Pintail (male)

Shelduck (male)

Black - Tailed Godwit

Grey Plover

 

We had pre booked a guided walk (highly recommended, and free to RSPB members) for 12.30pm so, after more coffee and sandwiches, we met up with our guide, David Pelling, for a very enjoyable and informative  tour were he explained all about the history and objectives of the reserve as well as pointing out some of the birds that we had missed previously!

 

So, after around 8 hours of excellent birding (apart from the wind, that is!) and a count of 63 different species of bird it was time to set off on the two and a half hour journey for home.

Time for Home

 

A short video  mainly of the wind!!!

Christmas and New Year outings. Part 1 of 2

                Caldecotte Lakes Milton Keynes, Boxing Day (26/12/10)

The South Lake was almost completely frozen over with only a small area in front of the houses free of ice. The snow was six inches plus deep making for tiring walking. Although the temperature was nudging  - 9*C the mainly sunny conditions made for beautiful views around the lake.

There were a great number of Wildfowl concentrated in the ice free area, all eager to take food from the many people who had kindly brought bread along with them. Not the ideal food, but in these conditions it certainly helps.


Some photographs of the stars of the show, against all the odds they still put on a fantastic display.

Mute Swan

Canada Geese

Cormorant

Black Headed Gull

Greylag Geese with Barnacle Goose

 Pochard (male)

 Tufted Duck (male)

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Tufted Duck (female)

 Wigeon (male)

My Friendly Robin - not! (Part 1)

Over the last few cold and snowy days I have spent a couple of hours just watching the goings on around my bird feeders and table in the garden, and I`ve noticed one individual who seems to think that he owns the garden and everything in it! Yes it`s the friendly garden Robin, you know, the one that has its picture on countless greetings cards at this time of year, accompanied by such phrases as Seasons Greetings, Peace and Good Will, Merry Christmas, Best Wishes etc. etc. Well ‘my’ Robin certainly doesn’t live up to these sorts of greetings, oh no!!

I`ve got an evergreen bush in the garden (I`m not up on garden plant names so I can`t tell you what it`s called) that the House Sparrows love to sit in with just their heads poking out just before visiting the feeders, a lowly Dunnock was employing this same tactic when suddenly a brown streak shot across the garden and hit the bush in an explosion of snow right next to where it was sitting. Then on the bird table happily feeding away was, what I thought was ‘my’ Robin when, BANG it was knocked off the table by the same brown streak. So far I`ve seen my seasonal bringer of goodwill messages attack House Sparrows, a Dunnock, Blue tits, Great tits, Goldfinches, a Blackbird and Starlings in the same way. The only things that seem to be too big for him to attack in this manner are the Wood Pigeons and the Collared Doves although he does treat them to a lot of scalding and wing flicking to which they seem suitably unimpressed.

"Now, let`s see who`s next"

"I want my mum"

"Is that him over there?"

"Oooo help"

"I`m scared"

"I`m not, bring it on pal!"