Heading into winter 2017

Time for an update, my apologies to followers of my blog for the lack of recent posts.

We have had some difficult family issues to deal with and that takes precedence over everything else, my love of wildlife is great but my love of our family is greater.

An "accidental" holiday in Fuerteventura brought us some nice temperatures, 25 to 28 degrees Centigrade is very comfortable. We should have been birdwatching in Portugal but the flight was with Monarch Airlines, fortunately the holiday was booked through a travel agent, they immediately refunded us but other holidays were limited as ex Monarch customers re-booked flights.

Fuerteventura has much to offer, glorious sunsets on the west of the island...

An endemic kestrel, slightly rustier looking than the common kestrel...

Lots of southern grey shrikes

Spectacled warbler which took us an age to spot after we heard its characteristic call from a shrub!

Plenty of waders and gulls were seen and we had an enjoyable week.

Back home a big number of hawfinches had arrived, the largest of the finch family they migrate here in winter but not usually in such big numbers. Our best opportunity to see them in numbers was at Yorkshire Arboretum part of the Castle Howard estate.

Superficially similar to female chaffinch their size and massive bill makes them fairly easy to spot!

Another bird species has been appearing locally, and one close to my heart as the relentless persecution of them continues...hen harrier at my raptor watchpoint.

Yes a murky day but the sight of a hen harrier always gladdens my heart!

We had a few days in SW Scotland with some good friends, a magnificent starling murmuration was one of the highlights.

And a tiny goldcrest

Red squirrels at Eskrigg Nature Reserve nr Lockerbie are a delight!

Back at my raptor watch a sparrowhawk flew overhead

A chance sighting of a jay as we drove down a quiet country lane!

And then...a joyous day, a full adult male hen harrier not too far from home. Local birders disclosed the location to a few trusted people, fortunately that includes me. Along with a good mate we searched, searched and once again searched to no avail! Driving along a quiet road we finally spotted it flying along side us!! Car parked as carefully as we could picked it up heading further away, a quick study of the map disclosed a path that may get us closer. I drove a short distance to the area we chose, fortunately a small car park was nearby. What started as a decent path on the edge of woodland quickly became a muddy gloopy slippery mess, several ditches had to be crossed, logs had been placed as bridges but they were icy. Carrying long range camera gear makes you top heavy and more slip prone, feet sunk into bogs but on we trudged, laughter can make you forget how cold and wet your feet are.

Eventually we crested a small ridge and there below us about 100 yards away...the male hen harrier!

We took care to keep concealed to minimise any risk of disturbance and then retraced our muddy steps back to the car, a great experience!

I seem to be having good fortune with hen harriers at the moment, a third location has a juvenile female showing well...

 Work hard and you get lucky maybe? Be respectful of wildlife and it rewards you? Keep in touch with others who love wildlife? A combination of all three probably and I would not have it any other way. There is definitely a correlation between the frequency you get out and the rewards you get, respect for wildlife is always key, disturb a bird or creature and you may never see it again, earn the trust of others and they share things. Three easy steps for all aspiring birdwatchers and or photographers.

Many thanks to all who read the blog, please don't forget if you do comment that they do come to me first for moderation.

Cheers hope you all had a great Christmas and I wish you a Happy New Year.

Not the best summer weather!

Summer can be tough for birding with heavy foliage, the compensation should be in the better and warmer weather. This year has provided neither improved or warmer weather with quite a lot of cool and grey days with chilly winds, not ideal for birding or photography!

Another concern for me is the commercial hide photography set ups, one that I have become concerned about recently published a sparrowhawk photograph captioned "Raw, primeval predatory carnage" fine that describes what a sparrowhawk does, except....the greenfinch it was devouring was nailed down, the nail head clearly visible.

Now for me there are some serious issues, as the hide is open year round how is there a supply of dead birds available? Small birds are rarely killed on roads. Another issue is that sparrowhawks are not scavengers and rarely eat carrion, so the birds hunting instincts have been compromised to suit the pleasure of photographers and the pocket of the hide owner, despicable really.

Sat in the garden one rare sunny afternoon, camera and binocs always near to hand and a lovely buzzard flew close overhead...

The peregrine watch team have an end of season de-brief with the RSPB and YDNP and this year Snaizeholme Woods was the destination of choice, situated near Hawes it is a delightful place.

After some morning coffee and a chat about the peregrine season we took the short drive to the woods and Yorkshire's only area for our beloved native red squirrels.

A few shots for you to enjoy...

A super day and what delightful creatures they are. They have feeders, filled by YDNP staff a couple of times a week only to encourage them to forage for natural food.

I had a day out on the east coast with a birding mate, on the way there we called at Wykeham Raptor Watchpoint.

Even with my new 150-600mm lens I could only get a couple of very distant shots as this pair of juvenile goshawks tussled in mid air. A long way away believe me!

On the top shot you may just make out the very thick legs which are a characteristic of these magnificent and rare birds.

We also saw honey buzzards, summer visitors and even further away so no shots!

On to the coast and gannets...

Juvenile herring gull

Juvenile kittiwake

And more gannets

A grand day!

A week in Wales promised much, a lovely cottage near Machynlleth just below the Snowdonia National Park.

Long and tedious drive but on our first day we visited the Dyfi Osprey Project and surprise surprise we saw an osprey, tired from driving I did not get the settings right for sharp shots!

A couple of shots of the cottage's resident house sparrows feeding a youngster.

We had a good week with visits to some lovely beaches for long walks, a boat trip dolphin watching...no dolphins appeared!

Plenty more osprey sightings at another location which I was requested not to divulge, grey and dull skies limited photo quality so I will spare you those!

Anyway a good week and an area to return to.

Back home and spotted flycatchers are showing well...

A robin takes off just as I focus on it!

A visit to RSPB Leighton Moss and a life tick for me, a juvenile purple heron!

...and an encounter between our native grey heron and an eel, fascinating to watch the story unfold...or unwind as it were 😀

The heron finally flew off to dry land where it could manipulate the eel more easily prior to consumption, fascinating to observe the watch, the catch and the battle.

And that for me sums up wildlife photography, I will happily sit in observation hides watching nature unfold its beauty and at times savage beauty too.

I will sit on riverbanks waiting, often unrewarded but when the rewards arrive they are appreciated, a sight of a dipper or kingfisher stirs and heartens the soul.

Waiting at my raptor watchpoint knowing we will see our regular birds of prey but will a rare bird show...and if it does what a glow, what a buzz. Compare that to a sparrowhawk devouring a greenfinch nailed to a perch in front of a hide full of photographers who carried away memory cards full of something that had no wildlife content, sad isn't it.

I'll leave you with a proper sparrowhawk image, small in frame yes but it must have been desperately hungry to chase swallows and house martins...but that is nature.

Many thanks to all who read the blog, I really appreciate it. Don't forget if you do wish to comment that they come to me first for moderation.