Balearic Spring Day 5 - In search of a Warbler

Early morning saw us once more heading down the dusty trail towards the coastal garrigue. We decided on a return visit to the area we had visited a few days earlier to see what else it could produce for the cameras. I was really hoping I could find one of my target birds for the trip, the Balearic Warbler. The reason for this becoming a target was that on a previous visit several years before I had caught a very brief glimpse of one. This had created a long running spark of facination and curisoity that needed to be satisfied.

10 minutes after arrival the throbbing blister on my foot had been numbed by new species on the camera memory card in the shape of a Tawny Pipit. A promising start to the day.


Further wandering around amongst the coastal scrub produced the by now identifable Thekla Lark.


I was scrutinising every bush I passed and listening hard for any sign of a Balearic Warbler. However, all I was seeing was the occasional Sardinian Warbler flitting between the low scrub. The habitat looked perfect but the birds, if here, were keeping a very low profile. I continued my search for quite some time and then while walking up a small track, a small dark long-tailed bird darted across the path. My first thoughts were 'another Sardininian Warbler' but then from the low bush rose an unfamilar scratching warbling song. A Balearic Warbler at last. I settled down close by and the bird put in a couple of brief appearances, which seemed to be more for the satisfaction of its own curiosity.
There birds really are a Dartford Warbler in all but colour. I managed to find another bird a little further down the same track that was occasionally popping up on to perch to sing. I waited and waited, and waited but eventually the bird appeared.

That was the last I saw of these endemic Mallorcan warblers but it had been a memorable morning.

After much careful creeping through the undergrowth and using the available cover I managed to sneak in to close range under the vigilent watch of a Woodchat Shrike. This was to be the last bird photographed that morning.

We had worked hard for the photographs that morning and so after lunch decided to have some R&R and finish off the rest of the day at S'Albufera. Snipe fed in close to one of the Bishop Hides.

A little further out a Black-Winged Stilt was bathing.


and beyond the Stilt it was bathtime for a Spoonbill.

The afternoon 'siesta' was only occasionally disrupted by mating Stilts. A delicate operation to perform when legs are so long.

It is easy to forget the length of a Stilt's legs when they are wading around in water and it is only when they come out on to terra firma that you appreciate how bizarre they are.

As the sun set on the day there was not much to photograph in front of the hide but with the light being so beautiful even the common species took on a whole new look.

Strange Spring

It has been an odd spring locally for the influx of migrants after our very cold winter. Back in March it looked liked everything was going to arrive a bit earlier than usual and then there seemed to be lull as the winds shifted to north-westlies. It has only been in the last couple of days that the birds seem to be on the move again, so I popped out at first light yesterday morning hoping to try and find some grasshopper warbler. I must admit I failed on that quest and the usual bramble bushes they inhabit were eerily forlorn and deserted. The only migrant I did find was some Chiffchaffs so spent a while with them taking photographs. They are not the most visually interesting birds and while they lack the looks you certainly have to admire such a tiny bird making that epic voyage back and forth to Africa. They are tricky birds to photograph as they tend to be either in the tops of the trees or deep in the undergrowth. Fortunately the very slow spring progress of tree foilage helped in their photography.

Given the general lack of migrants to photograph I decided to see what resident birds could be found for the camera.

Nearby a dunnock was taking in some early morning sun.

Coots were battling it out amongst themselves on the local pond.

Together with Little Grebes bobbing around and occasionally uttering their strange calls.

and a lone cormorant looking for some fish breakfast.

Another cormorant was encountered flying close to the water along the sea wall that borders the area of scrub, ponds and reedbeds I was searching. This was an adult bird in breeding colours showing the white thigh patch they develop.

A further fly-by, but below the Icelandic volcanic ash level, was made by one of the resident Little Egrets.

A lone Mistle thrush was busy listening to the ground for eathworms below.

A patient female Kestrel waited for that rustle in the undergrowth signalling the arrival of a breakfast rodent.

So despite the lack of spring migrants, my search for resident birds and watching them going about the daily early morning routines provided some comfort that prehaps things were not as odd as they appear.

Merely Waterfowl

Under a sky filled with spring sunshine I recently took a trip to the local Wildfowl and Wetland Trust Centre at Martin Mere. This is always a relaxing break from my usual wildlife photography pursuits with no early alarm and bleary eyes, no crawling through mud, lurking for long periods in the undergrowth or being a dining table for mosquitoes.

A winter or spring visit to 'The Mere' is always productive due to the large numbers of wild waterfowl that take up winter residence. I started my session with a wander around the captive bird enclosures which offers the opportunity to photograph some interesting and beautiful birds and also often offers a bonus as I will shortly reveal!

Here is a small selection of some of the captive birds and they do not come much more colourful than the Wood Duck.

I am always fascinated by the beautiful rainbows hues on their iridescent heads.

The striking black and white patterns of a captive drake Smew.

My final captive bird was the Australian Black Swan which caught my eye as it sat peacefully on calm golden water.

If you are photographing captive birds or animals then please do not try to pass them off as anything else. I have no problems with photography in zoos or waterfowl collections as they not only provide great camera practice but can also really test your skills. However, I have seen photographs of the captive Goldeneye at Martin Mere, a difficult shy species to photograph in the wild, being claimed as non-captive. This is not only misleading but really undermines the significant efforts and patience it takes to get photographs of the wild ones. A good example of the problems such mis-labelling can cause was well demonstrated in last year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition.

The main reason I always check the captive enclosures, apart from simply being good fun, is that the free food handouts also attract wild birds. It became quickly obvious the large numbers of wild Shelduck were present amongst the captive birds and so busy in courtship that they were relatively oblivious to the passing human traffic. By this time the sun was high and bright and difficult exposure conditions for photographing these birds. Only mad dogs and Englishmen photograph Shelduck under the midday sun.

I moved over to the 'wild side' where a number of hides overlook the mere that attracts diverse and dense populations of wilds ducks, geese and Whooper swans during the winter months. I often find bird hides slightly frustrating, as you are often forced to shoot from a slightly elevated position whereas I prefer to be at water level when photographing waterfowl. If only they would cut some hide slots low down!
I began with the elegant shape of a drake Pintail.

My main target species for the session were the drake Wigeon which I have not photographed for a while and were in wonderful condition.

While photographing the Wigeon, a Coot came running across the water in front of me in pursuit of another bird. I managed to capture the sequence of which this was my favourite image in terms of wing and leg positions.

Overall a fun and relaxing session which recharged the batteries for the busy spring period ahead.

On Golden Ponds


I was out by a local pond recently photographing some Coots and Tufted Duck. To get the best from waterfowl I think there are three key considerations, firstly to get down low to the water, to go in the winter when they look at their best and also to carefully select your position in terms of the water colour. You will find the water colour is dictated by reflected bank side features or the sky and so varies from grey to blue and green to gold depending on the site and conditions. On this particular pond I noticed that a yellow / orange shrub was casting a narrow shaft of golden orange water across the lake and so positioned myself accordingly. A coot appeared first and photographed here just on the edge of the golden water area.

I had my eye on a drake Tufted Duck which was preening and slowly drifting towards the target zone. Many birds after preening and bathing will give their wings a flap to shake of excess water. Fortunately this one did it in just the right position.

I was back out with the camera two days ago following reports of a Velvet Scoter on a small pond near Clitheroe. This gave a rare chance to photograph one of these marine ducks which I had not seen before. I awoke to thick fog but a quick look on a local webcam showed the weather at my destination to be clear. The low winter light combined with bank side reflection again offered some opportunities for photos on a golden pond.

The bird was continually diving and surfacing with large freshwater mussels which it would swallow whole.

During the few hours I was there the bird must have consumed about 15 large mussels which makes you wonder firstly what kind of digestive system it must have and secondly why it was still floating! In this photograph the bird is manoeuvring the mussel before swallowing.

I will take this moment to also give a quick overview of the last 12 months as we are rapidly approaching the year end. It has been a relatively productive year with 108 wild bird species photographed including a dozen new species such as Black-necked grebe, Grey phalarope, Whimbrel and Shorelark. This has been despite a good deal of background trauma with the life threatening post-operative condition my partner found herself in earlier in the year and the serious illness and departure of a family member. I have probably spent more time in hospital during these last 12 months than I really care to think about. If this is combined with an extremely heavy work schedule and I am surprised I have managed to photograph anything! It really has been a case of grabbing as many fleeting moments as possible. For 2010 I already have an overseas photographic trip booked that I am really looking forward to and will give some details of that in the New Year.

To finish off I would like to thank all my friends, particularly Steve and Andy for their support during this difficult year, and you the readers for your kind words and taking the time to read the Blog. May I wish you all a very Happy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year.

Capital Birds - Waterfowl

This will be the last bird post from the recent trip down to London, as the next will actually deal with the main purpose of the visit, some deer. As usual my lens ended up getting pointed at some waterfowl. In fact the Egyptian Geese were so friendly I decided to have a bit of fun with a wider angle and dusted of the 70-200mm lens and used it at 70mm. This is a bird which at present seems restricted mainly to the south and east of the country and I certainly have never seen one in my local area.

Incoming goose....

and some 'wide' shots

A coot speeding across the surface caught my eye However, what was real attracting my attention was a small group of Gadwall that were resting through most of the day but came alive as the afternoon sun start to sink. We do not get many Gadwall in the north-west where I live, so I always make the effort to try and photograph some while I am down south. From a distance they are quite a plain looking duck. It is only when you get close that there true beauty is revealed with the intricate patterns on the drake's feathers. They looked even better than usual in some late afternoon autumn sun which produced some great reflective autumn colours on the water off the bankside trees.

Not forgetting the female of course which look very similar to a female mallard.To finish off, one photo of a drake floating on some golden autumn water in the last of the afternoon sun, a perfect way to end a day.