Gone Local

Friday 23rd February

The weather over the last couple of days has mainly been grey and dark so with a forecast today of some sun I fancied a day out..but where. I don't want to travel any great distance so I've decided I'm going local and try to get images of the Hooded Crow that's been in residence in the Haydock area for the last couple of months.

Arriving at a large grass area where the bird has been regularly seen feeding, it strikes me a little odd why this particular location should hold such an attraction for a bird that's more often seen north of the border in Scotland. Anyway the plan for the morning is to remain in the car as close as possible to where the bird is has been reported hoping for a close encounter, but the road location is all wrong with the sun directly facing me, to make matters worse there's a constant stream of dog walkers criss crossing the area, surely the chances of the bird being disturbed flying off is highly likely.

I've been on site for about twenty minuets and a crow fly's over the trees and lands on the grassed area quite close to where I'm parked, it's the Hooded Crow....panic..the camera gear is in the boot of the car as I wasn't expecting it to turn that quick! eventually I grab some images of the bird with what looks like a large piece of bread, two Carrion Crows take an interested and chase the hoodie back over the trees not to return for the remainder of my visit.

A quick review of the images reveal what I expected that all were a little washed out. Time call time and move on to Pennington.

Hooded Crow

Pennington is busy as it's half term school holidays, I didn't think of that ! and I head for Pengy's hide. Shoveler's are now pairing up for the breeding season with rival males jostling each other for potential mates. One individual is busy carrying out some maintenance which makes some nice images with green and reds colours from the vegetation on the far side reflected in the water.

Happy I have some useable images time for home.

Shoveler

Monday 26th February

The "Beast from the East" cold weather is forecast to arrive dumping snow on the UK early morning on Tuesday but today Monday it's sunny and cloud so before I get snowed in it's a repeat of Friday trip to try again for better images of the Hooded Crow at Haydock.

I'm more organised this morning with the camera ready in the car and parked up as before, quick check for mail on my phone, I look up and the Hooded Crow is already there in front of me...not that organised then ! I grab some images but it's the same wash out images as my previous visit so I move to the other side of the area but now with the light behind.

Over the next forty five minuets the crow happily feeds in front of me and I get some decent images but the bird is always wary keeping an eye out for any dogs that get a little too close thinking it's a soft toy !

A quick review of some of the many images all looks ok, but in hind sight I would have wished to have shot wide open to give better background separation as there is no loss of image quality with a Big White.

Happy with the recorded images it's time to move on to Pennington.

Hooded Crow

With the large open water of Pennington it's a cold wind blowing, my best option is to head to one of the hides and get out of the wind. Often it's a case of waiting to see turns up at one of these hides hopefully getting a more unusual shot, that's what happened in this case.

To my right from the undergrowth an incredibly tinny Weasel darts out towards the waters edge, it's on the hunt for a meal looking below tree roots and searching various holes only momentary stopping to look for any movement of startled prey, it's so quick it's all over in no more than twenty seconds. The fact that I had the smaller lens already fitted for possible Water Rail meant that I was able to get shots of the Weasel otherwise I would have been a missed opportunity, not the best image but it's a record of the event.

Weasel

Every so often a Water Rails can be seen slowly making there way from the reeds into the open area to below the bird feeders benefiting from seed dropped to the ground, trying to get images is never usualy successful due to the tangled mass of roots and branches that are always present in the image, never the less it's an opportunity to see an otherwise very secretive bird.

Water Rail

Return to Plock

It's Saturday16th of December and I'm in the Forest of Dean enjoying a beer and up pops a news feed on the Mac that a male Penduline Tit has been found earlier that day on a small set aside nature area in Gloucester. A quick check of Google Maps and the bird is located about twenty miles away at Plock Court just off the ring road, amazingly it's only about half a mile from where I'd seen two male Penduline Tit's at the Horsbere Flood Alleviation area back in 2016.

Plock Court, a small residential housing development located on the edge of fields of a sports complex with in one corner a set aside nature area with two small ponds, oddly this small area is where this bird has decided to take up residence.

It's now the following day, Sunday, on arrival two birders have already located the Penduline Tit, but it's dark and grey and the theme for the rest of the day with rain forecast for later. I manage a couple of images of the bird that mainly remained in the hedge that boarders the reserve and the dual carriage way but not really quality I was after, to make matters worse I see some fantastic images posted of the bird over the next couple of days...hey ho!

With no prospect of improving conditions or better images, I decide to call it a day around midday.

Sunday 17th December 2017

It's now some two months on and after a couple of abortive attempts I back in the Forest of Dean with another much anticipated return to Plock Court Reserve. On my previous visit in January the area was completely flooded and in December dark and wet, so with a forecast of good light I'm optimistic for some decent images can be had.

Saturday 17th February 2018

Arriving at first light the carpark gate is locked and dosen't open until 8.0 am.....doh ! Making my way across the field to the larger of the two ponds a fellow birder has already picked up the bird, thats a good start and it's only 8.20 am. The bird remains low in the reed bed only making brief appearances, then the bird fly's to a small bush next to the pond, I manage a couple of images, then fly's off in the direction of the Premier Inn.

There must now be twenty to thirty birders and togs all stood next to the small ponds and I'm sure the bird knows this, I hang around until mid day and with no sign of the bird reappearing I decide to pack it in and try another day.

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Saturday 17th February 2018

Sunday 18th February 2018

With the disappointment of yesterday I'm keen to return but the weather forecast for Sunday is cloud and light drizzle. Saturday night the weather forecast has now changed to just cloud, weather forecasters....hopeless, I decide to go for it.

Arriving at 8.0 am, quick learner ! I'm the only person on site, Long Tailed Tits and the resident Stonechat keep me occupied, a group of Redwings feed on the grass close by, but it's back to the task in hand. The conditions are cloudy but ok with the occasional appearance of the sun breaking through the cloud, then...the bird is located in the small reed bed on the right of the large pond feeding low down in the reed bed making it almost impossible to get clear a shot.

Over the next two hours it's a case of waiting for the opportunity to get a clear shot, some times the bird stays low in the reeds, at other times it's perched in that classic shot on top of the reed mace head but always hard to get a uncluttered shot with the tangle mass of exploding wool like mace heads either side of the bird.

Now 10.30 am and with only three birders on site we have all managed to get some clear shots of the Penduline Tit, clearly you will have more success when there aren't so may people present and probably why the bird departed on Saturday.

Happy I may have some decent images I call it a day. I believe my wife has some shopping planned for this afternoon, I'm looking forward to that !

Cold Morning at Hollingworth

A quick trip up to Hollingworth Lake to see if I could get some flight shots of the Glaucous Gull that's been in residence now for a few weeks. On my arrival the gull is at the waters edge on the slipway eagerly waiting to grab any food it can thrown to the geese and ducks, I guess one of the reasons why the gull has stayed around for so long.

The gull spends most of it's time just stood only remotely interested in moving when there's food on offer, occasionally it manages to grab a full slice of bread swallowing it quickly before being robbed by the hoards of Black Headed Gulls. I grab some flights shots that I was after of the gull and the occasional goose honking over head.

This is the fourth time I've photography this gull and at such close distances that I don't expect to see again any time soon. Make hay when you can as they say.

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Scoter Time !

I first viewed images of a Common Scoter on a lodge near Clitheroe on Sunday but as the weather was pretty poor I decided to give it a miss. With improving conditions later in the afternoon I thought why not have a look...it’s only twenty five minutes away. 

This is a new venue for me, never the less I’m pretty familiar with the area as there’s some great driving roads all the way up to the Lake District. Arriving early afternoon the light is still not the best for photography, a quick scan of the lodge there's no sign of the Scoter, I also have a quick look on the top lodge dodging the race like traffic as I cross the dual carriageway...another blank. Having parked near the bottom lodge I have one final look…nothing, hey ho that's how it goes some days and call it a day.

The following day I note on local site the Scoter had been seen early morning so I'm in the car and twenty minuets later I’m back on site. It’s late afternoon and the conditions are sunny-cloudy, at times the light is a little harsh and together with the low sun angle makes it even more difficult to get a decent image. A review of the images on the back of the camera are all disappointing and with the light disappearing fast it's unrealistic to expect any thing decent so I call it a day and try again tomorrow.

Day three, its sleet or been raining all morning so ditch any plans for photography, but with improving conditions and a forecast of better light in the afternoon I decide to go for it.

No need for bins at this location as the lodge is quite small, the Scoter is in the same location as yesterday but is difficult to get near so I need a plan. I’ve noticed the Scoter has a tendency to move to the opposite side of the lodge when a dog walker appears along the track, so positioning myself near one of the small reed fringed bays, I wait.

A dog walker appears along the track and as predicted the Scoter moves to other side of the lodge into a small reed fringed bay, then it dives...that’s my cue, I move , sprint into position no more than twenty metres away, the duck surfaces but it’s obscured by the reeds, slowly it moves in to the open happy to keep feeding and I rattle a shed load of shots.

From time to time the Scoter on seeing people will move away, over the next hour it’s a case of repeating the plan of moving away and waiting, eventually the duck returns to the small bay and dives, to then move quickly back in to position before it surfaces.

After a couple of abortive attempts today has been a success with better diffused light with some close encounters. Now that's what I call implementing a plan.

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Common Scoter