Hoopoe

Last Friday and over the weekend I noticed reports emerging on the local yahoo group and other various bird groups that a Hoopoe was showing well at a location about 30 minutes drive away from my home.

On Tuesday the reports were saying that it was still there and showing well. Now, I don’t normally attend ‘twitches’ but on this occasion, as Hoopoes don’t put in regular appearances in this neck of the woods (they are classed as mega rarities) and as I’d never had the opportunity of seeing one before, I made an on the spot decision to go and see if it was as good as they were saying…and I wasn’t to be disappointed!



Once I arrived at the location the bird was easy to find…I just had to follow the direction in which all the ‘scopes and cameras were pointing and there it was, busily feeding on the ground in a small horse paddock next to a farm house, about 10 meters in front of the gathered throng and seemingly oblivious to the constant rattle of the camera shutters!



I was lucky enough to find a space between two fellow photographers, who kindly shuffled along to let me in, when to my amazement the bird came even closer, too close in fact, as it momentarily ‘disappeared’ behind the small picket fence in front of us. However, it was soon back out and giving us all good close views once again.



Slowly it worked it’s way over to the other side of the paddock and disappeared from view underneath a gate. It was eventually relocated about ten minutes later on the other side of the farm buildings (where it was less windy!).



I’d spent the best part of two hours admiring and photographing this amazing little bird, and I’d got my life tick, so decided it was time to head off home.





Hoopoe (Upupa epops)





















As an added bonus this long staying Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) was giving good, if rather distant, views as it flitted between the ground and the fence posts in an adjoining paddock.











And now a little rant……..



While watching the Hoopoe I witnessed some behaviour that made me realise why I don’t normally attend ‘twitches’. By their very nature twitches usually involve lots of people gathering in one particular place to observe a rare bird. The normal situation is that they watch/photograph the bird (which on most occasions is already lost, stressed or confused) from a respectful distance. Unfortunately some people cannot help themselves and try and get as close to the bird as possible.



On this occasion I witnessed somebody, a renowned and self styled guru  of British birding (you know who he is!), and who frankly, should know better and at least try to put on a better example, crawl along on his belly into the owners property to get closer to the bird and by default keep it from moving closer the the other watchers who had respectfully stayed back waiting for the bird to ‘come to them’. Sadly this is not the first time that I’ve seen this person display this sort of tactics.











My advice is if he wants to get better/closer photographs he should invest in a better camera and a ‘bigger’ lens and respect the birds space!

BLUEBELLS (AGAIN) AND MORE!

After not being entirely happy with the  images taken on my previous visit to the bluebell woods I went back for another go. The only mistake I made this time was to go on a Sunday, even at 8am. the place was rammed full of people!

But first a bit of a rant!...Bear in mind that these people have made the effort to get up early on a Sunday morning to go and see the stunning beauty of a woodland  floor covered in a carpet of bluebells...so why, despite the signs asking them nicely not to, do they leave the paths and trample all over the flowers?  And then to get that perfect photo (with their iphones and their ipads) they insist on plonking their babies.. their kids..their girl/boyfriends..their parents/grandparents..their dogs (as well as letting them tear around unchecked)..push their pushchairs/wheelchairs(yes!)..ride their mountain bikes onto any pristine patch of bluebells that they can find!!

 I guess all they're concerned with is their own enjoyment and they're just too ignorant to think of other people?...nature's beauty is just wasted on these morons!!...phew!..rant over.

I managed to get a few photographs but after a short while I got p****d off with dodging all the people and walked to another, less populated!, part of the woods where I could work in peace.

After a while I noticed that there were quite a few other wild flowers out in bloom and waiting to have their photos taken!

Common Dandelion (taraxallum officinale)

Greater Stitchwort (stellaria holostia)

Ribwort Plantain (plantago lanceolata)

Wood Sorrel (oxalis acetosella)

Common Daisy (bellis perennis)

Red Campion (siline dioica)

Cypress Spurge (euphorbia cyparissias)

Despite the morons..er..people I had an enjoyable few hours getting down and dirty with some beautiful flowers!

ANGRY, DISSAPOINTED AND ASHAMED

Not only is November 11th Armistice day it is also my wife's birthday. A few days previously my wife said that on her birthday she would like to go to Central Milton Keynes shopping centre for some retail therapy, we also had a desire to observe, along with the rest of the nation, the two minutes silence in memory of all those that had made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

So, at about 10.30am we found ourselves in Marks and Spencer's department store  in the CMK shopping centre, I saw prominently displayed signs announcing that " along with the rest of the nation Marks and Spencer would be observing the two minutes silence at 11am" so felt reassured that we would be able to pay our respects at the appointed hour. Perhaps I should have been a little concerned for the things to come when at about six minutes to eleven the 'house' music playing over the PA was faded out and who, from her voice, sounded like a young female very obviously started to read out in that matter of fact tone used to announce the latest buy one get on free offer that  "as today was armitstiss (sic) day and along with the rest of the nation Marks and Spencer would be observing a two minute silence at eleven o'clock...the 'house music was then faded back in...mmm!  At around three minutes to eleven the same message was repeated in the same manner only this time she managed to stutter and stumble over the mis pronunciation of armistice!   What came next made me feel angry, disappointed and ashamed......a few seconds before 11 o'clock the house music was faded out and the same female announced that "it is now eleven o'clock and we will now be observing a two minute silence".....the house music was then faded back in!! . ...and for the next two minutes customers and staff stood in uneasy and silent disbelief listening to Dianna Ross belting out one of her hits until she was briefly faded out for a curt "thank you" message!

Along with a vast majority of customers and staff  I felt angry that somebody in Marks and Spencer's management team had not ensured that things would run correctly and had not taken care to properly train the female in charge of the announcements (and to also make sure that she could pronounce armistice correctly!) I felt disappointed and angry because I had  not been able to pay my respects in the silent and contemplative manner that I had intended to.

About ten minutes later I managed to talk to a much harassed manager and express my feelings!!  He did, (just) manage to say sorry for the 'unfortunate  occurrence'  but seemed to be more worried about 'the poor girl concerned who was now upstairs in floods of tears' !  He did say that an apology was about to be broadcast on the PA, we were in the shop for about another thirty minutes but unfortunately never heard an apology.

Sorry for the rant. I just needed to get it out of my system!

A Mill, 2 Kites, some Larks and a surprise.

There was only one day forecast to be sunny last week so I decided to make the most of it and visit College Lake in Buckinghamshire (bad choice, as will become clear later). I arrived at about 9.30am and the first sound I heard was a Chaffinch singing from amongst the trees that surround the car park. I made my way through the new visitor centre to the first hide which overlooks most of the site but in particular the marsh area. Here I spotted Canada Geese, Mallard, Wigeon, Gadwall, Tufted Ducks, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Lapwing, Coot , Moorhen, Water Rail, Cormorant, Carrion Crow, Wood Pigeon and a single Oystercatcher. The next hide is situated low down at just above eye level to the marsh area, it’s just occurred to me that these hides must have names, I’ll check next time!

 I sat here for about an Hour or so watching the activity on the marsh by this time my “bad choice” had started to make itself apparent, I’d forgotten that it was half term school holidays and now groups of adult and children had started to arrive. Now I’m all for teaching children about our wildlife and countryside, in fact I think it’s a must, but should it not be pointed out to the adults in charge of these children that these types of sites are not free for all playgrounds and that they must respect the facilities and areas that have taken, mostly volunteers, lots of time and effort to create. Sorry about the rant but there were children, some old enough to know better, climbing all over the seats with their muddy shoes on, opening and closing the hide windows, running around and stamping to make a noise on the wooden floor of the hide and for the most part with no checking or reprimand from the adults in charge. If they want their kids to run wild why don’t they take them to a theme park (I guess they would have to pay to get in there though!). I left the hide after one child asked the woman with her “what’s that bird over there” pointing to a Grey Heron only to be answered with “that’s a Flamingo”. I was going to say something but decided that I might just get some verbal abuse for my effort. SORRY, rant over now.

Before leaving the site entirely I took a walk around the small woodland and garden display area, here I saw my first Chiffchaff of the year calling from a perch high in one of the trees. I also saw Snowdrops and Winter Aconites.

Honey Bees from the few hives in this area were busy on the various shrubs that were just starting to bloom.

How many times do you pass a certain place and say to yourself “I’ll stop and have a look at that one day” and never do? Well, I’ve got such a place on my route home from College Lake it’s called Pitstone Mill. This time I didn’t have a choice, I had to stop! Just before reaching Pitstone Mill there is a 90 degree bend in the road and as I drove around this bend there in front of me were two Red Kites slowly circling above the road just over tree height. So on a snap decision I turned abruptly into the next available entrance, which just happened to be the small parking area for the Mill. (Now, if it was you driving the car behind me I must apologise for the sudden braking and sharp turn and assure you that I don’t normally drive like this). Having successfully stopped the car and fumbled about for the camera I relocated the Kites, as they were slowly moving away, and managed to take a few photographs alas in my haste only this one is of any use.

 

As I had at last stopped at the mill I thought I’d best have a look.

On my way through the fields down to the Mill I could see and hear three Skylarks singing as they slowly climbed into the sky before rapidly descending in a couple of steep dives. I stood watching and listening and letting my mind wander back to when I was a kid, growing up in the Cambridgeshire countryside, laying eyes closed, in the long grass on a warm summer evening listening to what seemed like wall to wall Skylarks doing “their thing”.

So the day didn’t turn out to be too bad after all, three year ticks and some reminiscing thrown in for good measure. 

Sunday 27/2/11   The Surprise!

Although it was a nice sunny Sunday morning I knew that the weather forecast was for a wet afternoon so I decided against going out and instead opted to give the camera gear a clean and check over and generally chill out and watch the birds visiting the feeders in the garden. To my surprise just as I looked up through the window down with the House Sparrows came a female Siskin, it was just by pure chance that I had the camera in my hands and was able to fire of a burst of  four shots before it was gone. 

Then to my even greater surprise, about 30mins. later a Blackcap made two quick darts from the Buddleia bush to the bird table, this time though I didn’t have the camera to hand  and I don’t think I would have been quick enough anyway!

So all in all, not a bad week, with 5 new year ticks added to the list. Let’s hope this coming week will be as good.