ROUND THE BACK!

As I suggested to myself on the last blog, I ought to get to the small woodland trail and check out if the Alders had attracted the normal late year Siskins? Well I was not disappointed. There were around 8 to 12 in the flock with a smaller number of Redpolls. They were not the first I had seen in this part of the year as in amongst the flock of finches feeding in my garden was a lone male just the other day.

Thinking about feeders I have noticed over the last couple of weeks that the blue feeders are needing topping up every other day whilst the green ones are every four days ! so the relevance of this? I do not know but it would be interesting to find out if others find this or something similar happens at their feeders?

What else was going on around the place? Well, in the hedge along the path toward the Oak tree, amongst the finches was a fine Brambling, hard to pick out to start as they were certainly a bit flighty from all the disturbance from the birders going to and fro. And then a nice find of a Lesser redpoll .

Every night at around 18:00 a group of Grey lag geese pas over the house of to their roost, well tonight I decided to try and get a shot of them as they passed the full moon! what a joke! 83 exposures and only managed this one as a keeper, useing the street lighting and security lights as a last resort sort of worked!!

And finally a Redpoll.

All this coupled with Mute swan's fighting as they repelled borders made for a reasonable day out in the sunshine all be it a bit cold.

So hope to see you again.

Paul

Water rising - Damn.

An early start ensured I missed the early morning traffic. Arriving at Melverly at very early o'clock. As I had said before I was going to try a different approach route! I had decided to use the track at the opposite side of the area as it presented dead ground and good hedgerows for concealment.

Unfortunately it also presented a herd of cows, and the water levels rising in the brook and fields along its route, this brook floods every winter and from the state of the Fields it was certainly on its way. The standing water in the marsh area was at welly level and took some navigation. I can imagine that the winter levels may preclude getting the hide up at the right spot!

The Whooper swans were on station with three Mute swans, there was a good group of twelve comprising of 6 adults and 6 juveniles.

It was nice to watch the family groups moving together as they feed on the grass. Sadly the area they were feeding on was on the opposite side of the field. Bugger long lens and converter, which I was hoping to avoid as the light was not the best in fact it was not light more like dark!

They were intent on watching a Fox as it moved across the field to the North of them it looked more like a casual interest than a genuine concern, a total difference to the Greylags also in the field. The mute swan were totally none plussed at the Fox's arrival.

This family group moved together throughout the morning.

On the return trip I stopped at Venus Pools, just out of curiosity! Golden eye, Widgeon, good numbers of Teal, Shoveller, Dabchick, Gadwall, Kingfisher plus the normal supporting crew.A little time at the Feeder hide produced nothing new just nice to exercise the eyeballs left, right up and down trying to follow the movements of all that was moving. Which was, big breath!

Blue tit, Coal tit, Great tit, Willow tit, Longtailed tit, Robin, Treesparrow, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Jackdaw, Kestrel , Moorhen, Mallard, Great spotted woodpecker, Nuthatch, Wren and probably some I have forgot! I think it is about time I spent an hour or two on the far side of the reserve there must be Redpoll and Siskin around there somewhere!

There you go a short resume of the day, and as usual a few shots from the time out.

So C U again I hope

Paul

Rain, Sleet, snow and bull plop!

I was determined this morning to get to the Melverley Green Whoopers, this time however I took a different approach to the area where they are normally to be found.

With special permission from the landowner I was able to use the main farm track which led directly to the spot. But nothing could be seen, now comes the rain. Then a head appears above the dead ground they were feeding in. This presented a different way of approaching, as when heads were down move forwards stopping as soon as any one of the heads re-appeared. It was like doing one of those games from childhood.

it did not take long to be sussed out, so then it was get lower than they were! OK belly down into the mud, now the snow. Glad I had not brought the big glass for this exercise, so lens cradled in the arms it was elbows and knees for the next fifty yards or so, now confronted with Bull plop to the front and Bull plop to the left and right, there was no alternative but, you guessed it! it will wash out, I hope.

That was as close as they were going to allow me to get, this was told by the calls and gathering together, the pictures obtained enabled me to record the Darvik ring numbers on three of the Swans. Might even be part of the Autumn watch group. I will let you know. Three numbers identified are from the Autumnwatch icelandic ringing trip with the WWT Whooper project, the remaining Swans will be checked out on the Tuesday, trying a different approach direction!

So thoroughly damp and smelling like one of the residents of the fields, I made my way to Venus Pools, after a well needed cup of Tea. So VP any thing interesting? oh yes! Water rail out in the open reasonably close to the Memorial Hide, the male Shoveller's had ventured into lens range along with a very nice male Gadwall and the male Teal in their new plumage.

You try and look happy with a nose like this!!

It rained but it was like water of a ducks back!!

It was that cold at VP even the ducks had nose drops!!
So there it is Sundays Blog, if you have comment and or criticism go for it.

C u l8er

Paul

Crumbs what's that !

Having had a nice lay in for a change and got the chores out of the way, I decided to go for a wander around Priorslee lake, just out of curiosity really. Not expecting to see anything much it was nice not to be disappointed!!!

However as the Gulls were coming in I noticed one of the larger Gulls was a little odd.

Large Gull, with a very dark head landed right in the middle of the water (see poor photo)

from a distance it resembled a Laughing gull, was it or not? well I will leave that to you to decide.

So in a vain attempt to draw it a bit closer I gave up my sandwich's, Should have ate themas it did not work, mind you the Black headed gulls enjoyed them!

Sadly the etcetera's were in very short supply a fly over of Redpoll going west and some large flocks of Fieldfare and Redwing going the same way and a couple of nothing attached tit flocks along the north shore. OH well Sunday is going to be rough so bound to be a few things round!!

C U Paul

Ramblings !

No not Bramblings, ramblings you know? wonder around aimlessly looking for everything and finding nothing, well nothing out of the ordinary at least. The Little Auk wreck did not reach Priorslee or the Meres! go figure.

My wanderings finally got me to the Granville Country park, a bird of prey (BOP) raising out of the fields got my attention. Definitely a hawk, bit red, odd! Harris Hawk on the Granville? until that is, I met an old friend of mine who was out exercising his Hawk, and not doing to bad, judging by the bulges in his prey sack.

It was quite impressive looking back down into the vale of Wellington, the mist was obscuring everything, even looking abit photogenic! A pair of Jays squabbling in the nearby trees brought me back to reality, or was it despondence, at the lack of movement. The Gull flock over the landfill was impressive but as far as I could tell, did not find anything in amongst them.

The Mist was clearing slowly as the temperature crept up and produced a good few sightings along the edge of the wood by the old washing ponds. Bullfinch was a pleasing record for the day, that splash of colour in the otherwise sort of monochrome backdrop really stood out. The final total was five, three males the rest females. A group of Long tailed tits dribbled past carrying a couple of Goldcrests and a Treecreeper, along with the normal blue and Great tits. Odd I don't recall finding Coal tits moving in these flocks, something to look out for I suppose?

Enough ramblings from me, I will drop a couple of shots from the other day under here, as usual would appreciate comments and or dialogue.

Paul