Woodland Feeding Station

At the start of the year myself and a friend set up a feeding station on the edge of some private woodland, follwoing gaining permission for access at the end of last year. The various feeders have been regularly kept filled and there are now plenty of birds of many species arriving. The other day I gave it a short test with the camera for the first time with many of the birds seeming oblivious to my close presence. Here are the first few shots.

Blue tit

Great titCoal tit

Chaffinch and Robin

Parkgate Flood

I saw the big spring tide come over the salt marsh on the Dee Estuary at Parkgate for the first time. A bird watchers paradise as all the birds have to take flight from the marsh to escape the flooding waters and predators come in to pick off the fleeing rodents. However, a lot of the action is at too far a distance for photography. However, I did still manage to get a couple of shots.

A Mute swan on a fly-by

Water rail flushed from the vegetation try to take cover to avoid being prey. Several were drifting on small floating islands of grass.

Until the island starts to sink !!!

Its not only the birds seeking cover. This field mouse was using a log as a raft.

Snow on the beach

I have been waiting all winter for some Snow bunting to be reported locally as they are one species I had on my 'wish' list for this year but they have been scarce with the mild weather. Heard a report of two on the beach at Point of Ayr and went off to investigate. Took a while to find the two male birds as I walked off up the beach in completely the wrong direction!!! The two birds were working along the base of the dunes so where a little shaded from the light which made for some interesting exposure settings.

A dog walker flushed the birds and they end up on the base of the lighthouse where I took a couple more shots before leaving them there.

Back to the hatch

Having located some obliging nuthatch last weekend, I thought I would revisit first thing Sunday morning for another attempt at them. I arrived before light and wandered around the woods placing peanuts and sunflower hearts on various stumps and fallen trees. It took abot 90 minutes before some birds appeared and he light had improved enough. A ringed Great tits appeared first ..

but was soon pushed out the way by two Nuthatches.

That typical Nuthatch pose

Saturday Morning Sanderling

I really enjoy photographing Sanderling and as I had taken no photographs of them this year, I thought I would pop down to the local beach for an hour this morning. I was little late going which meant I had to put up with the frustration of the dogwalkers disturbing the birds. Found a group of about a dozwn birds working along the edge of the rising tide.

Staying local

Just a couple of shots of some local birds of the Wirral pennisula for this post.

I spotted this Bar-tailed Godwit already in some unseasonal summer plummage amongst a big flock on New Brighton shore.

Decided to pay a brief visit to the Curlews on the way home one day as I have nottaken any shots of them for a while.

Its always easy to overlook the common when you are taking bird photographs but couldn't resist taking a shot of this cooperative Carrion crow

and to finish off I found another Mediterranean Gull, know that I have my 'eye-in' for them, last night on the way home from work..

Sunday Nuthatch

Went out early this morning seeing what was about to photograph. Ended up in some woodland by a fallen tree.,just seeing what turned up to a few peanuts scattered on top. There wasn't much light available and really I should have chosen a better spot. The first arrival a robin

Shortly followed by a ringed Blue tit

Finally what I was hoping may appear, a Nuthatch

Living up to its name

Holiday Snaps

I have been thinking about booking a holiday so I thought I would sort through some of last years holdiay photographs to make a compilation. First up was a trip to the NE of Mallorca in April.

Hoopoe in the garden!!!

On the local beach Audouin's Gull

The star for me of the local marshes, the Black-winged Stilt.

Mid-summer found me in Austria. Black Redstart where common around the hotel. Together with their young.

In the alpine meadows there were no shortage of Goldfinch and Serin.

and up on the local summit, Alpine chough

Birthday Tour

I had the day off yesterday as it was my birthday and decided to go over to Bingley in West Yorkshire to see if I could find the American Robin that has been reported there for a couple of weeks. The bird showed briefly on my arrival and managed to get a few shots. Good bird to see and saved a Trans-Atlantic plane fare!!!!!

While I was there I went to see if the reported Firecrest was still around but failed to find it. However, there was a great looking wild Mandarin Drake on the nearby canal.

Decided to head back towards home but took a small detour to see if there were any Barn owls about and managed to get just the one shot.

The Long Search For the Gull is Over

For months I have kept stopping at flocks of Black-headed Gull trying to find a Mediterranean Gull and failed miserably. I decided to pop out briefly on Sunday morning despite the fog to see what was around along New Brighton sea front. I thought if nothing else I will take a couple of shots of Common Gull. Fortunately the fog was clear just along the front and sunlight was occasionally managing to get through.

Common gull

Earlier I had spotted a Mediterranean Gull out in the middle of the Marine Lake, out of range. I then drove up to a large group of Black-headed Gulls and suddenly realised the one at the front didn't look quite the same. Found what I had been looking for after looking at all those thousands of sea gulls over the weeks.

Farmland Pheasant

I was out looking for more owls the other day but they were not playing the game and were only at long distance. While I waited a couple of pheasant came up the side of field. One in regular colouring the other the dark morph. It was the latter I really want to get some shots of but it had other plans so I settled for the regular colour oned which was in great condition and beautifully coloured. The diffuse light was great for showing of that array of colours.

This was the moment it realised that all was not as it should be up ahead, with me being there.