White Sawbills

Top Barn, Holt, Worcestershire - 8.12.18

I'm a little undecided what to do this morning the options being Worcester to photograph two male Smew or Wood Duck in a park in Ebbw Vale both being about an hour drive but in opposite directions. It's seven am and sat in the car ready for the off and I've decided the opportunity to see not one male Smew, but two together is too much of a temptation, so with the decision made I'm heading back up the M50 motorway.

Smew a rare winter visitor to the UK breeding in Sweden, Finland and Russia. The smallest duck of the sawbill family of ducks with the male being almost white in its plumage, the female "redhead" for some reason being the most commonly seen, seeing a white male is a rare special encounter.

The sat nav says "you have arrived at your destination"...I'm not recognise any of the location viewed on Google maps so it's out with the iPhone and maps, a quick review and I'm about half a kilometre from where I need to be.

Now parked I'm next to a small commercial fishing lake that's currently not in use and where the Smew are reported to be I scan the lake from the adjoining track... nothing, I'm beginning to think maybe in the wrong location. After checking out the immediate area and returning back to the car there is now another vehicle parked up with a birder peering down a telescope, he has the two Smew in view. Note to myself try harder ! after a chat all was ok I head off alone round the lake for the right sun angle.

The Smew are aware of my presence and always keep a constant distance but I have a plan for such occasions, when the ducks dive move as close as possible before they surface.

Over the next hour or so apart from one or two viewing from the track, it's just me alone photographing these scarce sawbills and quite different to the usual scores of people I've recently encountered on trips in the North West of England, a real pleasure to be out and about in this part of the country.

Smew 1 (first winter male)

Smew 2 (first winter male)

Local Day Owls

Greater Manchester - 6.11.18

It's at this time of year that you start thinking about trying to get images of one of those iconic birds, the Short Eared Owl. In the North West there are some traditional locations where SEO frequent but this morning I'm on the lookout for a "shortie" thats turned up locally a few days back.

Short Eared Owls being partly diurnal there's every chance they can be seen at any time of the day, and when I read this morning that the bird had been seen an hour earlier despite the drizzly grey day I thought I have a go to get some images.

Now at the location where the owl was seen earlier this morning I settle down taking it the sites and sounds of this urban countryside with underlying hum of road traffic noise. I'm wearing my new Paramo rain jacket just as well really as it's started raining not the conditions you really want for flying owls. A couple of Ravens croak as they fly passed and a lone Kestrel hunting is being mobbed by a Magpie taking exception to its presence.

I'm probably a little optimistic expecting to see the shortie in the middle of the day, never the less I'm happy to be out and about. Looking around I decide to head to a fence a couple of hundred meters further on before I calling it a day and heading back, several cows are looking at me so I guess I've failed the field craft skills test again.

Standing for maybe ten minuets optimistically scanning the small marsh area its all looks very quite, then to my left I see a light brown coloured object low down in the grass...its the Short Eared Owl sat on a log ....don't panic Mr Mainwaring !

I grab a couple of shots just in case the owl decides to take off and depart...

Short Eared Owl

Slowly with a great deal of creeping about I get as close as I think I can without disturbing the bird, I'm sat down in the wet grass motionless and manage some images in the low light gloom.

The Short Eared Owl has now moved to a post and in the next two images show the owl rejecting a food pellet - wide open !

After umpteen attempts submitting images to BirdGuides weekly photo competition I've finally managed to get not a "notable" but....."Picture Of The Week" for the above image of a Short-eared Owl. 

What's special about this images is that it was taken locally within ten miles of the house. Special thanks to RA the original finder and the morning update that enabled me to get some terrific shots. 

And out comes the rejected pellet....right place at the right time !

The owl is constantly looking around and skyward and of course always keeping an eye on what I'm up to, the stare says "I see you"

The next couple of shots show the owl shaking off the rain droplets, the light conditions aren't that great so to keep the iso to reasonable levels I'm shooting at 400/sec, ok for static shots but a little blurry for any movement but I think this adds to the image.

The shortie now starts quartering the tall marsh grass occasionally taking to a post

Distant Diver

West Kirby Marine Lake - 4.11.18

Over the last few days I have been keeping a keen interest on a Great Northern Diver that's turned up on the marine lake at West Kirby, the only reason preventing a trip to this small Wirral town overlooking the Dee estuary and Hilbre Island being the poor weather. Reports are the diver is still happily fishing the marine lake and it looks like the sun is going to shine.

I've managed to be on site for around 8.30am after negotiating the Manchester commuter traffic which is no big feat giving me most of the day to try and get some images of this uncommon winter visitor to the UK. With the last of the cloud stubbornly hanging it's still a little dark so I'm taking a time out for some refreshment after my drive in the local Morrisons supermarket.

It's turning out to be a grand day after all the rain over the last few days bringing out many walkers enjoying fine weather with great views over the Dee estuary and Wales beyond. But there always a downside...the diver is keeping to the centre of the marine lake obviously aware of people walking round the lake.

For the entire time of my visit it proves frustratingly impossible to get close enough for any sort of worthwhile shot, and with rain on the way again tomorrow unless the diver stays for another week it looks like I my not get the image I was hopping for. Sometimes that's the way it goes.

Not wanting to post loads of poor images I have included this two images as a record.

Great Northern Diver

December Picture Of The Month

San Felipe Centre, El Hondo, Elche - January 2018

New feature for the blog in which I will post a stand out image from my travels on the first of every month. December's image is a White Spotted Bluethroat that I came across in the garden at San the Felipe Centre, El Hondo Reserve.

It's January and I'm enjoying warm break out in Murcia away from the cold, rain and snow back in the UK. Saturdays mornings is a regular meet up with the expats amongst others at El Hondo's North Gate, after the 11.30 am kick out some like me continue on to the reception centre which forms part of the west side of main El Hondo reserve.

San Felipe in January is quiet, a little different to the summer when it was a cacophony of sound. After doing the regulatory reception lake I'm walking through the garden when I spot what looks like a Robin, scarce in Murcia, but it isn't....it's a White Spotted Bluethroat, my first ever sighting of this bird and a first in Murcia.

Sitting on the ground I spend the next thirty minuets or so photographing the Bluethroat happily hopping around feeding below tamarisk....one of my memorable visits.

White Spotted Bluethroat

Return To The Bolton Sea Duck

High Rid Reservoir, Bolton - 26.11.18

It wasn't my intension to make another visit to view the Scoter after yesterday grey and bitterly cold day, but after seeing the weather forecast this morning for the remainder of the week I thought I'd have another trip especially with glimmers of sun light making an appearance early morning.

Conditions today are quite different from yesterday, it's still cloudy but windless with flat calm water almost mirror like in its reflection and useless for photography, add to that the Scoter isn't doing much either sleeping with its head under its wing. looks like its going to be a waiting game.

Surprisingly for a weekday there maybe fifteen non workers viewing not a lot of action. The odd camera shutter clicks but I'm not interested having already images in better conditions from yesterday so I'm happy just to watch and chat. Now around midday the cloud has cleared showing that there is some blue up there after all, it also seem's to have prompted the Scoter in to action as it starts diving eventually moving to the road side of the reservoir. Time to change location.

Now on the opposite side of the reservoir the light conditions are the best they've been at any time on my two visits, slowly the Scoter move towards the awaiting clicking cameras presumably having a preference diving closer to the reservoir edge. For the next thirty minuets or so the Scoter happily dives surfacing in water now with some great colour of greens and yellows and a big contrast to yesterdays grey and flat light.

All too soon the Scoter moves back out into the middle of the reservoir, coupled with the sun dropping lower in the sky it looks like the best of the conditions might be over before the Scoter next comes close enough photograph.

With some eight hundred images in the bag in the best light to date, I'm happy I made the effort to revisit again today. Time for home and keen to see the results in computer.

Until the next time..

Velvet Scoter