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 !

Mandarins of the FOD

Cannop Ponds, Forest of Dean

When ever I'm out and about in the forest I often come across the multi coloured Mandarin Duck. Originally imported from East Asia to bird collections in the south of England, escapees are now well established with good numbers to be found in the Forest of Dean.

Being a tree nesting species it's not surprising that these ducks have found the forest to their liking with an abundance of suitable tree nest sites, pond and lakes all close by. One of the best locations I've found to see these ducks is Cannop Ponds, particularly the top pond, in fact I have even seen them from the car on Marion's Pool on the weekly shopping drive down to Monmouth so it's always worth keeping a look out as they can turn up anywhere.

Outside of breeding season later in the year is a good time to photograph these ducks as they often group together with up to twenty individuals, the males busyly jostling each other for the attention of the females giving you the chance to get really close as they are preoccupied trying to be top dog, or should that be top duck !

Mandarin Duck

Mandarin Duck (female)

Never managed to get a decent shot of the female in difficult light and always wary of your presence

Mandarin's At The Ponds

Today as the weather was ok I thought I'd spend a couple of hours at Nagshead RSPB Reserve in the FOD. March isn't the best time to visit the reserve as the migrants are yet to arrive but as I haven't been for some time I was interested to see how the reserve had changed. Arriving at the carpark it now has a new visitors centre, well new for me, walking down the track to the old visitor centre location theres was lots of board activety in the field to the left, the track now extends further down into the forest of pine rather than the deciduous woodland associated with Nagshead, the whole area was deadly silent so time to relocate to nearby Cannop Ponds

Cannop Ponds is always an area than can be relied for bird activity even when other locations are quite, so plan B is to again photograph the resident Madarin's Ducks, the trick..."feed the ducks" with some bread and the normally shy Madarin's will come a little closer in the frenzied feeding Mallard / Tufted Ducks

Click image to view....

Mandarin's at The Ponds

Morning at Cannop Ponds, Forest of Dean, Glos to photograph the wild but resident Mandarin Ducks, the trick appears to be, feed the Mallards which then encourages the Mandarin's to come a little closer...

Cannop Ponds

Glorious autumn sunday morning walk around Cannop Ponds in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Lots of activity from the male Mandarin's jostling the females.