Trip To The Far Side

Donna Nook - 11.12.19

After the trips to the Farne Isles in July seeing Atlantic Grey Seals at some distance a trip over to Donna Nook on the east coast viewing seals at close quarters was on the "bucket list" during the brief end of year breeding season. The weather over the last week or so has been pretty grim but tomorrow for one day only the forecast is looking pretty good so not wanting to miss out we decide to go for it.

Never having visited Donna Nook previously I really didn't know what to expect other than a few images I've seen online. After a two hour drive and parking up in basically a large field flanked on one side by a sea embankment I asked for directions, I'm told the seals are just on the other side of the embankment, sounds good not having to hump loads of gear around. A short walk and I mean a short walk over the embankment....boom !...the sight isn't quite what I had expected with literally hundreds of seals laying out over the mud flats even right up to the grass embankment no more than half a meter away, an unbelievable sight.

Resisting the urge getting the camera out I'm happy to just view the the action of one of the UK's most successful seal breeding colonies to-date, males fighting each other, females chasing off other females that have strayed into their territory, young pups being sent packing attempting to suckle the wrong cow, it's a fantastic sight, even better the sun's out shining too !

The camera's now brought out into action trying to pick animals on slightly elevated ground giving a nice clear background. Now normally by the end of the day I would have racked up approach 2K of images but some days it's good just immerse yourself and experience the sight and sounds.

Probably three weeks late in the season for the best of the action so I've marked the diary for a return trip,...see you next year.

Atlantic Grey Seal

Park Parrots

Country Park - 5.12.19

Ring-necked or Rose-Necked Parakeets normally a resident in sub-Saharan African countries with feral populations now widespread and increasing across Europe, quite common in London parks but not so much in Northern England. In Greater Manchester I'm aware of two locations where these noisy colourful parakeets in are residence one being only a short travel distance so always on the look out for information current sightings.

At this time of year the parakeets seem to be constantly on the move looking for food occasionally even turning up on garden feeders. I've never previously tempted try for images but my interest all changed after seeing images of the birds visiting a possible nest hole thinking why not give it a go for some images.

Work in progress...

Ring-neck Parakeet

The Bowlee Run

Bowlee - 15.11.19

Over the last couple of days I've noted quite a group of mixed Corvids feeding on the remnants of a recently cropped maize field, Jackdaws, Carrion Crows and Rooks are all in evidence balancing on the crop storks feeding on the few remaining maize cobs. The field is bathed in sunshine with some nice autumn colours well worth an hour with the camera so it's back to the house to collect the gear.

The field is located close to a busy road and the odd juggernaut sends the birds skywards and despite my best efforts my presence is having the same result so it's back into the car. The Rooks seem more happy to tolerant with my presence inside the tintop hide but it's a bit hazardous sticking the long lens out of the car window, I just make sure I look in the mirror for the next wagon and pull the lens back in !

The corvids having now moved off further into the field out of range it's a good point to call time as I don't want to push my luck getting the lens whacked. A return visit next week....may be

Rook

Rook - juvenile

Local Birding

Lo Romero - 12.11.19

Lo Romero Golf being quite close you would imagine gets quite a bit of coverage from me when out in Murcia which can be full of small passerines in the scrubbier undeveloped areas easily photographed with the aid of a mobile hide...a car.

It's a five minuet drive to the golf coarse but on route there's a few locations I like to check out on the way at various times of the year, the Sand Martin colony at the end of the road and the Orange groves that can have quite a few Stone Curlew that congregate during winter months, but thats for another day and another post.

Driving around the golf coarse I always like to get the camera ready mounted on the bean bag out through the car window driving at a slow 5 mph, you just have to make sure don't drop the camera ! Waiting for a photo op first I more often than not missed the shot so I try to avoid this more relaxed (lazy !) approach.

Between the seasons it can be a little quite but there are a few resident birds that you can always rely on to provide some action.....Stonechats and marauding groups of finches. The undeveloped areas with its low scrubby bushes flanked orange groves providing some great even colours and shooting wide open isolate the subject perfectly as shown in the first image of a male Stonechat perfectly.

Stonechat

This male Stonechat liked to use a tree support cane as a perch, and of course anything the male can do so can the female.

Linnet 

Shrike's !

Lo Romero - 10.11.19

On of the first locations I visit on any trip this time of year to Murcia is Lo Romero Golf course particularly to check out if the Southern Grey Shrikes have returned. Over the last couple of years there have have been several over wintering and you would be unlucky not to see at least one occupying the scrubby undeveloped areas.

In this part of Spain it's the norm to build the infrastructure first before building homes, it's rather strange to drive around the lonely roads complete with street signage, pavements, street lighting all planted with flowering shrubs, you will even see bins with plastic liners for whom I can't imagine.

Sun rise at this time of year is around 7.30am and as it's a five minuet drive you don't have to get up at some unearthly hour. A quick drive around for a rece the usual suspects are present and over three or four visits you can rack up quick a decent list which I list below. With no sign of any SGS I have one more location to check out before I draw a blank, now on the top the hill I scan the scrub area which flanks the road and in the distance sat in a small sea tree is my target...a Southern Grey Shrike.

Now shrike's I find can be one of the most difficult of birds to approach, but I have a plan that has worked pretty well over the years so I going to give a go once again. As I'm parked at the top of the hill I'm going to "free wheel" the car at snails pace with camo over the window and the camera already on the bean bag hopefully the shrike is preoccupied on the lookout for some unsuspecting prey and let me get within range. It take me about ten minuets to get within maybe twenty meters of the bird, general shooting into the sky not the best of shots...but it's a shrike for goodness sake !

Always battling to get a shot through the branches the shrikes remains unperturbed so I edge forward a little more for the last remains shots. With a bagful of images the shrike has had enough and it's gone. Usually at best I only get one chance a day to approach the bird so I'm really please to meet up what seems like an old friend.

Iberian / Southern Grey Shrike

Brief list but is not extensive includes :

Green Woodpecker, Red legged Partridge, Little Owl, Kestrel, Linnet, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Stonechat, Monk Parakeet, Wood Pigeon, Collard Dove, Crested Lark, Blackbird, Southern Grey Shrike, Crag Martin.  In season on passage, Woodchat Shrike, Spotted Flycatcher, Summer resident, Red Rumped Swallow, Turtle Dove, Cuckoo

Lo Romero Re-start

Lo Romer Golf - 8.11.19

It's been a trip up to El Hondo's Palm Farm Track, Vistabella Hides and San Philipe today mainly to try and get images of the reported Temminck's Stints in the flooded field off the Vistabella Road, although there appeared to be several present unfortunately they were way off in the distance so getting images was out of the question. So having trudged around all day for litlle reward other than distant views of Osprey, Marsh Harrier I returned back to home ground with batteries full and memory cards empty, so days are good some not so.

Now around 4.30pm there's a brief period when the light becomes ideal for photography so why not call in to Lo Romero to see if I can get more images of the Southern Grey Shrike in residence. Entering the Lo Romero I soon spot a male Black-redstart on a stoney area which are common in the area this time of year, I wait for maybe forty five minuets and only have one opportunity as the start hops between some low bushes...all is not lost, some images for the day efforts.

Black-redstart...male

Now the following day I've manage to catch up with a female on a different part of the golf course, initially quite skittish but as per usual waiting is the name of the game.