Still No Rain !

Tales From The River Bank - 11.05.2025

The sun and heat continue any one would think it was summer but confusingly it's still only spring. This morning I'm having a couple of hours down on the river, maybe I'll get lucky and get some shots of Dipper or even a Grey Wagtail.

It's around 9.30am and the temperature even this early is getting hot in direct sun, lugging the gear I'm get a fair sweat on so when I finally make it down near the waters edge I'm happy in the cooler temperature. A quick scan a Dipper is diving quite close around some rocks and a couple of Grey Wagtails busy gathering bill fulls of insects which I assume are feeding young nearby, might be worth an hour to see what's on offer !

I'm tucked up under a bank, I'm waiting for a Dipper to land on a rock three meters in front of me...no chance...wishful thinking ! after the initial sighting they never come close...hey ho !..Then out of the corner of my eye a Mink appears, it's searching the river bank for it's next meal then disappears only to appear further down the bank on a concrete wall, I rattle of two seconds of shots and it's gone.

An hour by the river with surprisingly quite a lot of activity and even an image of a Mink Ive not seen for sometime, you don't get a bagful of images all the time !

Mink..

Mallard....male

A Forest Morning

Cannop, Forest of Dean - 21.4.19

This week bird migration seems to have finally be getting up to speed unfortunately I've been travelling back and forth to the Forest of Dean missing out on a lot of the action and to add I've only managed to get out in the forest for a few hours on each occasion today being no exception.

It's 5.30am, as my mother has the temperature like a hot house where you could grow bananas I tend to sleep with the window open, the "dawn chorus" has just started and to kick it all off is a solo by a Mistle Thrush...just magical, the Blackbirds join and its all over in maybe thirty minuets. Now wide awake can't go back to sleep, time to get up and get out.

I'm in the Cannop valley mainly due too it's easy photography which is a benefit to this mornings limited time. The sun's just poking over the tree tops the low light creating a richness in colour that will soon disappears later in the day so I hopeful for some nice images of the resident Mandarin Ducks.

Sat on one of the fishing platforms it's a case of waiting for the right photo opportunity rather than casing birds which never seem to work, in any case I have a great angle for the sun which is sure to be a little harsh later on in a cloudless blue sky.

The lowish sun angle is creating some nice colour with yellow and green of the surroundings reflected in the water but change your angle slightly and it all disappears to grey-white. Now 10.0 am I've exhausted the photo ops on offer so one last try for the Grey Wagtails and I call time and head for home.

Mandarin Duck - male

Mandarin Duck - female

Little Grebe

There's always several Little Grebe's on the top pond constantly chattering with that high pitch shrill occasional after a dive surfacing where you least expect right in front of you, this chap surfaced tussling with what appears to be a Roach far bigger than I would normally expect, a case of bigger the better I suppose.

Gadwall - male

Cruising around was a paired up male and female Gadwall, the grey and black bottom male looking a little scruffy in its mottled plumage.

Gawall - male & female

Mallard - male

Not so often I get to photograph these pretty common ducks but in some great light why not !

No Show & Rained Off

Day three attempting to photograph the famous Yarrow Kingfisher. Another long wait but a no show has been logged again, never the less I'm occupying my time photographing more common species that seem to be everywhere, including Dippers that are busy nest building at the weir at the top end of the country park.

Its now started raining so I'm calling it a day... maybe I'll be lucky on another day?

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