BIRDING FROM MY CAR

A couple of days ago I decided to see if I could find the Corn Buntings that had been reported as showing well  about ten miles from my house. I arrived at the location, a small car park,  around mid morning. The weather was quite windy and overcast with just a few brief glimpses of the sun (so what's new!!).

I positioned the car so that I had a good view over the car park and almost immediately I saw that a few birds, Yellowhammer, Chaffinch, Meadow Pipit and Linnet  were coming down to bathe in the puddles left by the recent rain. Unfortunately they were frequently spooked by walkers crossing the car park and also by other cars arriving and leaving making photography rather difficult!

Linnet

Yellowhammer

 

It wasn't long before I heard the "little bit of bread and no cheeeese" song of a Yellowhammer coming from the overhead power lines, closely followed by a singing Corn Bunting (another tick for the list!) and after a few minutes a Dunnock started to serenade me from the bushes close by.

Corn Bunting

Dunnock

 

I also had a fascinating few minutes watching two Magpies (juveniles, I think!) as they explored, constantly chattering to each other,  all around the car park  with one spending some time interacting with a discarded yogurt pot.

 

So, without leaving the car, I'd had a couple of hours of good birding and had noted sixteen different species, apart from the above I'd also seen Jackdaw and Carrion Crows in the adjacent fields, Starling, Goldfinch and Great Tit in the bushes, a hovering Kestrel, two soaring Buzzards, as well  as overflying  Woodpigeons and Swifts.

The Videos...

 

This weekend and next week promises to be warm and sunny here (Summer at last!!) and I'm looking forwards to getting out and about in some descend weather for a change. Wherever you are I wish you all a great weekend and upcoming week.

A VISIT TO WILSTONE RESERVOIR

Last Friday  (27-01-12) I went on a visit to Wilstone Reservoir, part of the Tring Reservoirs in Hertfordshire.  The sun was shining in a bright blue sky unfortunately there was a strong, bitterly cold, NW wind blowing.

A quick scan across the water revealed all the usual suspects, Mallard, Coot, G C Grebe and Pochard all in varying amounts, accompanied by small groups of Teal and Wigeon and of course the ever present Black-Headed Gulls!

Over the last few weeks there have been two long staying 'celebrities' a Dark-bellied Brent Goose and a Water Pipit. After a short walk, to its regularly reported favourite spot, I soon caught a rather fleeting glimpse of the Water Pipit, just enough time to grab a couple of quick record shots before it was gone!

 

Pied Wagtails were constantly flitting along the shore line accompanied by a single Grey Wagtail and, by the Reed beds in the far corner, a flock of around thirty Linnets.

Grey Wagtail

Linnet (female)

 

I then spotted  the other Wilstone 'celebrity'  the Dark-bellied Brent Goose just as it took off from the water to make a series of close fly by's before landing in its normal grazing field, soon to be joined by Canada and Greylag Geese.

 

Then there was a quick visit by two Red Kites who made a few lazy circles overhead before being 'seen off' by a group of Jackdaws that had until then been noisily minding their own business in the nearby tree tops.

There were also quite a few Redwing and Fieldfare busily looking for food in surrounding meadows and also searching the hedgerows for any remaining berries.

Redwing

Fieldfare (he thinks I can't see him!)

And finally I spent some time watching the Teal and Wigeon 'dabbling' in the shallows.

Wigeon (male)

 The video...

Images from a walk. Part one - Birds

                            

                                                           BEACON HILL AND SURROUNDS 

                                                         BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

With the weather forecast predicting a fine, warm and sunny day I decided to make an early start and left home at 6.30am. for the short drive to Ivinghoe Beacon.

On arrival at the already busy car park I started off by heading across the road into an area mostly containing Hawthorn bushes. The birds were being very vocal with mainly Linnets and Willow Warblers vying to see who could sing the loudest with the accompaniment of a distant Song Thrush.

Linnet

Linnet

Willow Warbler

Walking further on along the track towards Incombe Hole there was a disturbance in the bushes up ahead and five or six small birds flew across the track in front of me and quickly dispersed into the denser bushes on the other side, bar one, who seemed intent on ignoring mum or dad’s frantic calls and instead decided to see what this strange being with one big eye was going to do (take it’s photo of course!) 

Willow Warbler junior

Emerging out onto the heath land above Incombe Hole the first encounter was a Dunnock who kindly stopped by long enough for a couple of portrait shots.

Walking further round the escarpment that overlooks the Vale of Aylesbury and on towards The Beacon I saw a Buzzard, being half heartedly worried by a couple of Carrion Crows, settle on top of a small bush not far in front of me. The Crows however soon managed to ‘dislodge’ it and it made its lazy flight off and out of sight.

There were also quite a few Linnets busily flitting from bush to bush in this area. This female stopped to pose for a few seconds.

Other birds seen but not photographed included Yellowhammer, Whitethroat, Meadow Pippit, Blackcap, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Rook and Jackdaw. 

I did manage quite a few shots of a Red Kite that made a close flypast but craftily it managed to stay out of focus!!

And on the walk back along the track up to the car park I came across a group of juvenile Long-tailed Tits noisily flitting from tree to tree.

 To follow later, Part two - Butterflies.

Catching up time - part 1

I find it much easier to go out and take the photographs than I do sitting at the computer processing and sorting them, especially when we have decent weather like we`ve had recently (I guess I`m not the only one!), but at last I’ve managed to find some time to catch up and process some images of my recent outings.

Images taken on and around Beacon Hill in Buckinghamshire on 28th  March. 

Pitstone Mill

Gorse (ulex eurupaeus)

Male Chaffinch in full song

Meadow Pipit

Male Linnet

A proud mum

Images taken at College Lake Buckinghamshire on April 6th

Redshank

Snipe

 Images taken at Caldecotte Lake Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire on April 7th

Two images of Keith`s Bramblings. Sorry Keith, this is the best I could do, the birds were very skittish due to the numerous dogs and joggers!!

(Keith, could you please do a little pruning before my next visit,Thanks).

And finally my first Brimstone photograph of the year, this Female settled just long enough for me to get a couple of quick shots.

 Part two of Catching up time to follow later!