Woodland and Water Voles

I finally start my new job next week, so I'm making the most of the opportunity to cram in a few more days of wildlife watching while I've still got a bit more free time to spare.

After a frosty night, today dawned sunny and clear, so my friend Tony & I decided to take a run out to Savernake forest to see if we could track down the elusive Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. There are known to be a number breeding in the area, but although I've heard them several times, I've yet to have a really clear view. Today wasn't to be the day either, with no sign or sound of them whatsoever. It was still very pleasant to spend the morning walking through the ancient woodland though, with lots of other wildlife activity. Walking along the main path, we watched a female Muntjac Deer picking her way through the understory.

We saw almost the full range of tits; Great, Blue, Long-tailed, Coal and Marsh -as well as lots of Nuthatches calling & hopping around up in the canopy. We also flushed a pair of Wood Ducks (descendants of escaped birds) from the pond. A pair has bred here a few years back, so it'll be interesting to see if this pair stick around. 

On leaving Savernake, we took a little drive through some of the back roads around Aldbourne. It was a good morning for raptors, with 6 Red Kites, a dozen Buzzards, and 3 Kestrels all spotted in the course of a couple of miles. Lots of Red Legged Partridges scurrying around too. We stopped for Tony to have a looked at a pair of Brown Hares and were both surprised when one lolloped towards him, ending up almost at his feet!

After dropping Tony off, I decided to head out again, this time on the hunt for Water Voles. The population in the local area seems to be holding strong - fingers crossed - and there are several streams and waterways where there's a good chance of seeing them, with a little patience. 

I was rewarded with some good views of this cheeky chap at the second site I checked today. I'm hoping to work with these entertaining little rodents a bit more over the coming months - got a few shots in mind!

Day of the Dippers

After getting a tantalizing glimpse of my first pair of Dippers in Scotland last week, I've really been itching to have a better look at these amusing little birds - and to have a chance for at least a record shot or two!

So, today I joined my friend Phil Morgan on a Dipper quest in South Wales. We started off at the National Trust's Aberdulais Falls - a well known site for Dippers. There was certainly no difficulty in tracking down the birds; we had views of a pair on the falls pretty much instantly from our arrival. We also spotted what I think was another individual distantly further up the gorge.

Dipper displaying

It's a great place to get close view of the Dippers - although not ideal for photography, as you are looking down on the birds from above. We also spotted a pair of Grey Wagtails, who seemed to be setting up home inside the wall.

There was quite a bit of work underway at Aberdulais today, and one of the workmen kindly pointed us in the direction of another local spot where he had seen Dippers in the past, so we headed off to check it out. While we didn't see any Dippers ourselves, it did look like there could well be a pair in the area, as there were lots of tell-tale poo-speckled rocks mid-stream. It's a very pleasant spot to visit, though - I enjoyed wandering through the woods, with lots of Grey Wagtails and a couple of Nuthatches to look at.

Our final destination for the day was at another site where Phil has had good luck in the past - and we struck gold, with a pair busily coming and going. I was really chuffed to be able to get right down level with the water to get some eye level shots at last. Today's overcast skies and dull conditions made for slow shutter speeds, but I'm still pleased with these after striking out in Scotland. Think I may have been bitten by the Dipper bug now though - will definitely have to go back on a brighter day in the next few weeks.

Thanks again Phil for a great day out!

Sierra Morena Winter trip - day 1

I'm currently in Southern Spain, on the first day of a winter trip to the beautiful Sierra Morena range in Andalucia.  It's a wonderful area for wildlife, with the possibility of seeing some really rare species, including the majestic Spanish Imperial Eagle, Black Vultures - and my main target species, the Iberian Lynx. I'll be spending the weekend in search of these elusive felines, but today the pace was a bit more relaxed, as I spent the day in a purpose-built hide for woodland birds.

As the site is quite shaded, the light is very low unil about 9.30am at this time of year, so I was quite pleased to get a little lie-in after a long day in transit yesterday!  The hide is located deep in mature Cork Oak & Stone Pine woodland on a private estate, with a view directly out onto a raised pool constructed from an old walled pen. It's very well set-up for extremely close views of the birds; if anything some were a bit too close for my 500mm lens! 

I've got masses of shots to go through from today alone, but I thought I'd share a few straight away to whet your appetite. These are pretty much straight as they came out the camera, apart from a quick crop - so bear with me!

Crested Tit

The day got off to a great start, with Crested Tits and Hawfinches making an appearance almost straight away. I had 4 different Crested Tits come to the pool - mainly in the morning, although one did stop in for a few seconds in the afternoon. I could hear more of them trilling away in the trees all around throughout the day too.

Crested Tit

   The Hawfinches ( or 'fat beaks' as they are known here) were coming and going frequently throughout the day. It was really nice to get a decent look at these shy birds, as they are generally very hard to get a good view of in the UK.

Hawfinch

Hawfinch 

Hawfinch

Another highlight for me was the Common Crossbills. I had great views of a female and a juvenile, but only managed record shots because they were just too close for my lens. Still, really good to see them.

Juvenile Common Crossbill drinking

I also had a couple of Greenfinches -  mainly in the morning. Several gangs of 12-20 Serins were present for much of the day, as well as very familiar woodland birds such as Blue Tits, Great Tits, Chaffinches, Robins,and a Dunnock. A solitary Pied Wagtails and a flock of Yellow Wagtails were also feeding on the ground around the site. The tits were particularly entertaining and I enjoyed watching their antics.

Greenfinch

Serin

Several Nuthatches came and went. They're one of my favourite woodland birds to watch; I love the way they hop up trunks like little wind-up toys.

Nuthatch

Several Griffon Vultures and a Buzzard flew by overhead, and the local Goshawk did put in a special guest appearance... frustratingly, by landing on the roof of the hide with a kill! So I only really saw the shape of the bird, but there is a decent population in the region, so I'll keep fingers crossed for a better view!

Off to watch the Imperial Eagles tomorrow, so I'm hoping for another sunny day - and obliging wildlife, of course!