Woodland wildlife

We had been half thinking about a trip down to Skomer Island in Pembrokeshire today, to see the Puffins & other nesting seabirds. However, a poor forecast last night, coupled with general over-tiredness & a lack of appetite for a 2am wake-up call found us a bit closer to home this morning. 

After a slightly more civilized start, we decided to head over to a small woodland hide in South Woscestershire. It's usually good for a wide range of woodland birds, and for me, the main attraction is probably Muntjac deer, which are fairly regular visitors.

On the drive across, we had quite a few raptor sightings, including the inevitable Buzzards, several Kestrals and a possible female Red-footed Falcon. We also saw several Jays flying across the road, as we passed through wooded stretches.

While we didn't have any Muntjac during our session today, it was still a pleasant way to spend the morning. I very much enjoyed watching the antics of a pair of Red-legged Partridge, and a rather dapper Pheasant - accompanied by a veritable harem of females. 

Male Pheasant

Red-legged Partridge

Red-legged Partridge

The hide is particularly good for Great Spotted Woodpeckers, and today was no exception. We had a pair, plus an additional female visiting frequently throughout the morning. They seem to be still on chicks at present, as they were taking lots of food off; presumably to their nest. A number of over-ripe pears had been left out for the wildlife, and these seemed to be particularly appreciated by the females.  

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Lots of other woodland birds came & went - including Jackdaws, Chaffinches, Dunnock, Robins, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Collared Doves, Blackbirds & Goldfinches. I was particularily pleased to be able to get some shots of a pair of Stock Doves - not an easy bird to get a close view of! They are quite distinct from the more numerous Wood Pigeons when you take a closer look.

Stock Dove

Wood Pigeon

Collared Dove

Lots of Grey Squirrels were busy scampering too & fro, including one rascal who carted a whole apple off by himself. While we didn't get the Muntjac, a rather shy yearing female Fallow Deer did grace us with her presence - although she was clearly very nervous and didn't stay in the clearing for long. 

Fallow Deer

Lou also took the opportunity for a quick bit of garden centre & farm shop retail therapy - always good to keep the editorial staff on side! I'm slightly horrified by the stinkiness of the cheese she has come home with; it may possibly qualify as a new species in it's own right.

This afternoon, I went to check out a Treecreeper nest in one of the local parks. I always love watching these cute little birds hopping up trunks, like little wind-up mice! While I was there, I was lucky enough to see one of the two chicks fledge. The attentive parents were still kept busy stuffing it & it's sibling full of food. Lovely to see it taking it's first steps (or flaps?) into the big, wide world.

Treecreepers

(Un)common Crane chicks

I'm still pretty tired after a busy few days at work, straight off the back of my short birding trip to Southern Spain last week. So, I was half-tempted to have a bit of a rest on my day off today.

However, a beautiful sunny morning, combined with the lure of the newly-hatched wild Common Crane chicks at WWT Slimbridge proved irresistible. After all, with what are probably the first wild-born Crane chicks to survive in Southern Britain in the last 400 years on my doorstep, it would be positively rude not to pay them a visit!

We'd been to see the pair on the nest a couple of weeks ago, so it was a real delight to see them now with their two babies. 

Chris(tine) coming back after a 20 minute break!!

Over the course of the day, the family spent much of their time in the shelter of the reed beds, however I did get some great clear views of the chicks as their parents led them around the fringes of the back of the pool. 

The adults - Monty & Chris(tine) - are amazingly attentive parents, constantly feeding their chicks. Mind you, considering that these fluffy little things will be almost the same size as their parents in only 6-8 weeks, you can see why a steady stream of food is needed! The adults are also very protective of their chicks, chasing off any other birds that ventured too close by. They seemed to have a particular hatred of Jackdaws, which they drove off very aggressively, yet strangely they didn't seem that bothered by Rooks, which I'd have thought might be more of a threat. They also saw off some menacing Lesser Black-backed Gulls, which were showing rather an unhealthy interest.

There were also lots of other waterfowl & waders raising families around the same pool, including Lapwings, Shell Ducks, Grey Heron and a pair of Mute Swans nesting just in front of the hide. It was also nice to see the water vole pass by on a couple of occasions.

Grey Heron

Lapwing

Mute Swan on the nest

I really hope that this brood of Crane chick marks the start of a sustainable recovery of a wild population of this beautiful species in the UK. I'll be following their progress with great interest over the coming weeks.

Sierra Morena Spring birding trip day 3 - Vultures, vultures, vultures (plus special guest...)

While everyday of my short trip to the beautiful Sierra Morena region of Andalucia has been cracking, the final day was probably my favourite.

Most of the day was spent in a dedicated vulture hide, with Egyptian Vultures as my main target species. These have been a bit of a bogie bird for me; we've seen quite a number at distance over the course of our trips to Spain in the last few year, but I've only really got decent shots of a juvenile to date. So I was really looking forward to getting a few at close range - and the hide certainly didn't disappoint!

The first Egyptian arrived before it was properly light, and we had around 30 fairly constantly around the hide throughout the session. Needless to say, my shutter count went up quite considerably over the course of the day!

Juvenile Egyptian Vulture 

Egyptian Vulture

Also present were about 50 Griffon Vultures. About a dozen came down to feed during our session, with the majority staying more distant over the hills in the background. There were almost innumerable Black Kites, weaving around gracefully to snatch a morsel here and there. I was particularly interested to spot one individual, who appeared to have no red pigmentation, giving it a unique white-headed appearance. 

Griffon Vulture

Black Kite - White headed

Black Kite - White headed

Black Kite

Also a large number of White Storks were present around the area, with a pair making their nest directly in-front of the hide. A few also came down to feed during the morning. We were told that some days there can be a hundred or so at the feed and I was fairly pleased this was not one of those days!!

White Stork feeding her chicks

Another real high point for me was getting some really close views of Black Vultures or as they are also known as, Cinereous Vulture- a truly huge and impressive bird; they make the Griffons look positively runtish! Again, this is a species that we have had some distant views of in the past, but I've been itching for a chance to get them lined up in my lens at close quarters! We had half a dozen visit the bait during our session, so I had plenty of opportunity to fulfill this dream. They are much more bicker-some than the Griffons, which appear positively demure in comparison. It's really quite something to see two of these enormous birds squaring up for a dispute!  

Cinereous Vultures fighting

I also enjoyed watching how they scuttle about at high speed on the ground, with their wings held out & down behind them, rather like the Skeksis from Jim Henson's film The Dark Crystal (if you are old enough to remember that one!).

As if the trip hadn't already delivered more than I'd hoped for, we were unexpectedly invited to watch a Iberian Lynx reintroduction at a secret release site, at very short notice. Naturally, it was drop everything and go, as opportunities to witness these stunning cats at close quarters really don't come along everyday. We were privileged to get a wonderful view of the young adult female Iberian Lynx as it made it's way past us to cover - at speed! I was then sent round to see if it was still lurking in the bushes, and was amazed to come pretty much face to face with it, taking a brief rest in the scrub. I was so stunned to be locking eyes with one of these rare and elusive beasties that I didn't even get my lens up until it moved off, but sometimes the moment is more important than the photo! Yes, even to me!

Iberian Lynx - (GPS collar cloned out)

An absolutely unforgettable end to a wonderful trip... already making plans for next Spring (although I'm sure I'll be back again in the meantime!).

Sierra Morena Spring Trip - Day Two; Eagles and foxes

Day Two of my short trip to the stunning Sierra Morena region was spent in the very well-appointed Spanish Imperial Eagle hide. For a full description of the set-up, see my post from my last trip in January.

It was a very early start to get to the private Finca and into the hide before the light started to come up, but well worth it. As we arrived, a solitary Griffon Vulture was roosting in one of the Stone Pines towards the back of the clearing, and it stuck around for most of the day.

We then got very excited when two huge, dark birds flew out of the gloom towards the clearing, before the sun had come up... however, it soon became clear that it was a false alarm & that it was a pair of Ravens, rather than the Eagles. Still very impressive birds; you forget just how big they can get, until you see them close up. They did briefly perch up, but light levels were still too low for a shot. 

The last couple of times I've been here, the first arrivals on the bait have been a huge, noisy flock of Azure-Winged Magpies. At this time of year, there weren't the same large flocks - presumably because most of the birds are on nests at present. However, a couple of pairs did briefly visits several times throughout the day, though they weren't hanging around; it was strictly a case of grab some grubs  head off to the nest.

Azure-winged Magpie

The pair of Imperial Eagles did show up not too long after the sun had come up, but initially assumed a watchful position in the tops of the trees right at the back of the clearing. The antics of a small group of Goldfinches kept us entertained as we waited, and it was also nice to see a couple of Crested Tit flying too & from between the pines. We also had a pair of Blackbirds about their business, and a pair of Spotless Starlings was busy ferrying a steady stream of maggots and grubs over to their nest.

Spotless Starling

Spotless Starling

Eventually, the Griffon Vulture came down to feed on the bait (most of a deer carcass, in this instance). Another tried to join it, but the original bird soon saw it off by hissing and posturing aggressively.

Griffon Vultures

I was delighted when an Iberian Red Fox vixen put in an appearance, after an hour or so. I've been hoping for an encounter with one of these stunning creatures every time I've visited this hide, but no joy - until now.  The Eagles weren't quite so pleased to see her, though. As soon as she started attempting to feed on the bait, they moved forward into the closest pines and made their displeasure very clear.Indeed, one even got so riled up that it swooped down on the fox, and managed to grab it, as she fled toward the cover at the side of the valley. It was quite something to witness, as the bird lifted the vixen off the ground; however it can't have had a proper grip, as the fox was able to escape, apparently unharmed. 

Spanish Imperial Eagle -Pair

Iberian Red Fox

Both eagles looking for the fox

Shortly after this, a small herd of about 6 Red Deer hinds, plus one surprisingly well-grown fawn crossed the far end of the clearing. I'm always happy to see a deer or two!

Eagles beating up a Griffon Vulture

The Eagles came and went throughout the course of the day, though they didn't actually come down to the bait to feed; seemingly more interested in guarding their larder from all intruders. I also enjoyed watching a Goshawk coming & going in the distance over the valley; clearly taking food back to the nest. A third Griffon made a appearance, however it didn't seem hungry for it left after a short stay. 

We did also get another visit from a second Vixen in the afternoon. Interestingly, the Eagles didn't seem at all bothered by her, which seems surprising, considering their attack on the first fox during the morning. This one, really wasn't hanging about; she grabbed a huge hunk of meat and promptly dragged it off with her. I really like the light effects on this photo of her.

On the way back to town we were privileged to stop off to check out a little owl sight. We did find the wee chap though not coming out of the trees. Further down the road another was posting nicely on top of a wooden electricity pylon but by this time my battery had run out and I had stupidly left the spare at home!!

Little Owl

Another very memorable day in this beautiful place. Final installment of the trip to follow tomorrow.