We have managed a few short excursions to some of our local sites, with varying results. I got really frustrated when, after I'd spent several hours patiently in position waiting for the water voles to visit a particular spot I'd lined up with a series of shots in mind, an extended family of noisy kids appeared, just as the male was climbing out where I wanted him. I'm all for kids getting interested in nature & wildlife -after all, that's how I got started - but needless to say, I was not best pleased with their grandparents for encouraging them to run over to see what I was looking at! Nevermind - next time. We did get to see 5 different individual voles while I was waiting - my 'usual' male, plus a female with two youngsters, and interestingly another huge male which I haven't seen before. I hope I get to catch a closer view of him again soon.
I mentioned in one of my recent posts that I'd been really pleased to see the lonesome male Great Crested Grebe I've been observing for the last 2 or 3 years on a private lake had finally found a mate. Sadly, when we paid the pair a visit at the weekend, it appears that their eggs have either failed or been predated. However we did witness them doing a short courtship dance, followed by the female getting into mating position and they seem to be constructing a new nest, so hopefully they may succeed with a second clutch. There are also two pairs of Little Grebe nesting along the same stretch, who were having a massive barney, as one of the more distant pair kept trying to cross the near pair's territory & they were not having any of it. The mute swan pair are doing well, with half a dozen signets all growing strongly at present. Also lots of moorhen & coot chicks of varying sizes keeping their parents very busy.
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| Great-crested Grebes - Ready to mate |
A quick early evening drive around the Aldbourne area gave me a fairly close encounter with a lovely Roe Deer buck, now looking rather splendid in his russet summer coat. I'd also hoped for a few hares, but the difficulty is that the grass & barley crops are now so high in their favoured fields that it is nigh on impossible to spot them! We saw a couple towards the field margins, but too much in the way to be any good for photos.
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| Roe Deer - Buck |
On the subject of Little Owls, on Tuesday evening I was lucky enough to be able to do a session at a private hide with a breeding pair and their youngsters. I spent the whole evening there, and had both parents visiting a post in front of the hide throughout the evening - and was able to play with a few different settings, particularily as the light changed as the day wore on. I got some great views of the parents feeding the youngster in a nearby tree. The 3 owlets were very active, hopping up and down the tree with lots of energy, so I'm sure they'll start exploring the wider world very soon. A great session with one of my favourite birds to photograph - I had a whale of a time, & already wondering if I can squeeze another visit in over the next few days.
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| Female one of the Owlets |
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