25-10-2015

Autumn migration is slowly enveloping the farmlands. With the Prof finding a Dartford Warbler a couple of days ago, Short-Eared Owls coming through on their travels and a firecrest enlightening us for a day. It feels like it should bring something ' Mega ' at some point...

20 - 09 - 2015

A couple of snaps from the last week or so

02-09-2015

With my arm having gone into full retard mode and its a struggle to work at the mo i decide a midweek visit to the farm was well in order. I couldn't take the normal camera set up and had to settle for the 300mm jobbie. Even still i forgot the converter. With news that pied flycatchers have decide to occupy every part of the country i went with high hopes of finding the odd flycatcher or two. Bumped into swifty and he had had a spot fly by the hide so i decided to have a wander around 100 acre. There were two spotflys fighting over one tree when i got there. The fighting only stopped when a hobby kept buzzing the tree they were in. One spot fly obviously won as the over fecked off across to the railway track trees. The hobby whilst showing its amazing aerial ability almost lost out to a peg which passed so close to me that i could hear the wind as it went in for the attack!!!! It try to snatch the hobby from the sky above the lake but missed, the hobby much to my amazement then turned mid air and appeared to kick the peg in the head - amazing. The hobby kept me amazed for the next couple of hours with small interruptions made by a cuckoo ( possibly 2 for the day ) as it would fly around 100 acre being mobbed by crows.

31-05-2015

Got a call from Nick on Sunday to say that he had a pair of Black-necked Grebes on the Northern Lake. Now normally when i go to see Black-necked Grebes they are normally 15 miles away and just appear as dots, so it was a real privilege to see them so close.

18-April-2015

With the warm weather passing over to a stiff North East wind we are expecting coastal life to be blown towards the farmlands. What i wasn't expecting was another influx of raptors. There has been 4 Marsh Harriers ( all cream caps ), over 30 Buzzard, the majority seem to be going straight North West so I'm guessing they aren't local birds and 5+ Red Kites. With the recent explosion of Pallid Harriers in Northern Spain I'm hoping it won't be to long till one of them pops along.

15-April-2015

It's been a productive week at the farm. Frankie bumping into a couple of Ring Ouzels which quickly turned into three. Alfredo discovering a cracking male Redstart up on 100 acre. The first mallard chicks. Lrp's and Redshank currently displaying and hopefully finding somewhere they like to breed. The ringing has produced two birds ( a Whitethroat and a Blackcap ) that have returned to the farm after over wintering in distant lands - the Whitethroat was first ringed in 2014 on the 13th of April and returned on the 14th April, which incidentally was the first Whitethroat in both years. The Blackcap returned on the 15th after first being ringed on the 15th April 2014!! Mind blowing. And all capped with some jaw dropping sunrises.

04-April-2015

Bbbbbrrrrrrrr

02-April-2015

pics from the farm

18-March-2015

At last a bird i can call a true migrant. Found by Frankie on top of the mound earlier today. Out of the wind today and you could almost imagine it was spring, but wow that wind certainly had a chill to it.

An alternative view

Ok so the birding hasn't been the best over the last week or so. Looks like the winter movement we waited for just passed us by. Has taken me over a month to get a fieldfare at the farm!! and a walk round today with frankie revealed an empty farm. So what do you photograph during these times? Well I've decided to try and photograph the gulls.

As you can see there is still some work to go on this idea. But i like the initial look. Just got to try and refine the colours etc, oh and don't forget my remote release next time..