Tuesday 12 December 2017

Winter Garden Visitors

Yesterday a Stoat spent half an hour in the garden.  It seemed interested in a squirrel, but wasn't able to deal the death blow.  The rest of the time it ran around on the lawn.  It jumped down a hole and popped up another.  We've had a female Brambling for over a fortnight, and the flock of local Long-tailed Tits passes through the garden from time to time.  Meanwhile even the Blue Tit looks good among the reddening cotoneaster leaves.  Unfortunately, all these photos were taken through glass sometimes on very overcast days.
Up Pops the Stoat
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 Licking its lips

 Down it Goes
 Having a Good Look
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 Emerging
 Full Length
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 Climbing out the Largest Hole
 Forcing itself out the Smallest Hole
 More Lip-licking
 Female Brambling 
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 Goldcrest
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 Goldfinch
 Long-tailed Tit
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 Blue Tit
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Tuesday 5 December 2017

Book Now on New Year Course!

Waxwing
Bookings for the 10-week New Year term are now open for all.  At the time of writing there are a couple of vacancies on Friday afternoons, and Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.  I'm afraid I cannot take any more bookings on the Wednesday morning session.  If you are interested in another session, please ask.  For at least 2 hours a week encounter the natural world as a completely new sensual experience.  You'll be amazed what you'll find just by listening, and not only by looking!  In the Winter we'll be paying special attention to our large birds of prey, wintering wildfowl, and any special visitors.  
 Short-eared Owl
Hen Harrier
We will be going to venues where in the past we have seen Short-eared Owls, Hen Harriers, Peregrines and Merlins. If there is a reliable site for Long-eared Owls, Hawfinches or Waxwings then we may change venues to observe them.  So, if you are interested in learning more about your local wildlife in beautiful and secluded venues for less than £10 a week, then this is the course for you! We visit a different local hotspot each week and identify all the birds and as much other wildlife as we can. At other times of the year this includes mammals, and fungi with butterflies, and dragonflies. The course runs twice daily Tuesday to Friday. If you are interested in more details of the course, or wish to be placed on a waiting list, please leave a comment next to one of my posts or email me on the address at the top of this page.
Brambling


Thursday 30 November 2017

2018 Wildlife Calendar Still Available

Do you have a family member who enjoys wildlife, but who would like to know what time to spot things, and where to find them? My unique 2018 Yorkshire Wildlife calendar contains over 300 suggestions on what to see, when to look for it, and where you may find them. Photos include: Puffins, Peregrine, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Little Owls, Hen Harrier, Lapwing, Turnstone, Broad-bodied Chaser, Grey Wagtail, Bearded Tit, Wheatear, Woodcock & Waxwing. More details here: 


Wednesday 29 November 2017

Final 2 Weeks of Term

There were some good photographic opportunities in the final 2 weeks of term.  Some of these have already been posted - Red Kites on the ground.  What follows include some aerial shots of the Kites, plus some becalmed in still weather in trees.  At the some location the grey Wagtail showed well, but the marsh Tit was much harder to capture a Nuthatch was the trickiest of all to track down.
Red Kite
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Taking Off
Redwing 
Still a Difficult Subject
A little better
Even Better?
Face the camera
Turning its head
Good enough for the calendar?
Marsh Tit
Grey Wagtail
Ditto 
Goldcrest
Female Bullfinch 
Fungi
Record Shot of Nuthatch
Red Kite
Marooned by no wind
One taking Off
Perched
Taking Off
Red Kite (c) 2017 Margaret Richardson
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 Buzzard (c) 2017 Margaret Richardson
 Hawfinch (c) 2017 Tony Robinson



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Earlier in the term, when the tides were perfect we had to miss out on Paull because the winds were atrocious.  However, toward's the end of term the winds eased, but the tides could have been better for us.  Despite the conditions and the distant birds, some photos were acceptable.
Curlew
Bar-tailed Godwit & Knot
Bar-tailed Godwit & Knot (c) 2017 Mike Woods
Curlew (c) 2017 Mike Woods
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Bar-tailed Godwit
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Grey Plover
Herring Gull with Crab
Lapwing
Redshank
Snipe
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Stonechat through a hedge
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Several groups went to Potteric Carr, which seemed much quieter than usual.  However, Richard managed to get a really close-up photo of a Bittern 
Bittern (c) 2017 Richard Watson
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Willow Tit (c) 2017 Richard Watson
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Coal Tit (c) 2017 Richard Watson
White Stripe on Neck (c) 2017 Richard Watson
Bullfinch (c) 2017 Richard Watson
Buzzard (c) 2017 Richard Watson
Snipe (c) 2017 Richard Watson
Peregrine (c) 2017 Richard Watson
Wigeon (c) 2017 Richard Watson
One participant couldn't manage our visit to potter, so he went earlier, and managed close views of a Jay, which we failed rot duplicate.
Jay (c) 2017 Hugh Wood
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We had at least 2 visits to Stone Creek.  A Little Egret sat in a hawthorn bush was a surprise, but surprise turned to shock when it started to consume the succulent-looking berries.   
Little Egret 
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Back to Relaxed Mode
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Little Egret (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
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Mute Swans (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
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Record Shot of Kingfisher 
Kestrel
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Fieldfare (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
Fieldfare
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Curlew
Teal
Black-tailed Godwit (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
One morning the muck heap was swarming with birds, but most flew off - a Grey Wagtail was more obliging.  
Grey Wagtail (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
Black-tailed Godwit (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
Curlew (c) 2017 Mike Woods
Let's conclude with some photographs taken in a Friday morning participant's garden.
Mistle Thrush (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
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House Sparrow (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
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