Film of a red Kite sitting in her nest on Eggs

While not the best film I have ever shot, nor is there much happening, but you can see the yellow wing tag, otherwise the Red Kite would be very well camouflaged. The film was shot at some distance, so that this protected bird was not disturbed. If I can return and watch over the bird again I hope to film the chicks when they hatch too.

Shoveler Duck in Eclipse Plumage

Here is an interesting bit of film of a Shoveler Duck in his Eclipse plumage. When I shot the footage I could see that it was a Shoveler from the shape of its bill but it was the plumage that had me fooled until I was able to look it up in my field guide. This I had left at home as when I first ventured out it looked as though it was going to pour with rain. But it was one of those days when the right things just seem to happen at the right times. Thus when I arrived at the location the clouds had parted and I was blessed with bright sun and even when the clouds did obscure the sun it was a nice diffuse light.

I am hoping to return to this location in the next few days as with winter here now, I just never know what to expect there.

The Flight of the Red Kite

I hope that my reader will forgive me for this ego massaging posting. Earlier I tried and failed to film a Red Kite, I went back to my cataloguing of my footage. This was a clip that I shoot a little while ago.

There is an analogy with shooting film or taking photographs with the way that a field biologist works on collecting trip. The scientist will collect specimens over a few weeks yet it will then require months of work as a result of that expedition. In effect that is what I am doing with my video film. As I catalogue the film so that I can find them again, I am also listing clips that will eventually get put together into films. Also I frequently discover that if I film other establishing shots or linking footage I can then do something justice. Even if it is rough justice.

However this clip of the gracefully flight of the Red Kite stands on its own.

I am fully aware that while my filming is not yet up to the standard of the pros, I can see where I am getting better the more I film. The trouble is that with wildlife I cant say cut and ask the bird or mammal to do that again. Their union don't allow it and its in their contract.

One of the things that has surprised me was when I looked at the number of people that have viewed my junk on you tube, I have clocked up over a thousand views. As my stuff doesn't involve gratuitous violence nor crass and juvenile behaviour, I am surprised that anyone has viewed them at all.

Well that's my ego massaged, I had better get on with some work.

Bullfinch and Springwatch

I will start with an apology as I realise that my American readers will not have seen the Springwatch programme on the BBC. But while it is quirky and rather British I personally have loved the past three weeks. This year I think that it has been the best so far, and having had my fix of TV wildlife I can now happily ignore all the Football (Soccer) and the Olympics later on in the Year. Although with the Olympics had I been a sports fan I would have not watched it as a protest to the Chinese governments treatment of Tibet. Anyway before I get on that soapbox, back to Springwatch.

One of the things that Simon King had this year was an ultra slow motion video camera and if it were not that it costs a couple of houses to buy, I want one... Seriously, I love to see the details that filming with something like this reveals. It makes me want to buy a better camera myself but high definition suitable for filming wildlife is out of my league at the moment, perhaps I will win the lottery... Don't I have to buy a ticket for that?

Keeping on topic though, on Thursdays show, the last of the series (until Autumnwatch), there was a clip of film that showed a chaffinch dominating at a bird table. Now a couple of months ago I filmed the same behaviour but it was a Bullfinch doing it. However, other birds did come in and snatch a feed so this one was not quite as dominant. But I did it in slow motion and it does make the birds look very graceful.

Also as I do listen to my readers needs, I will just post the link to it at you tube rather than make it difficult for the folks on dial up to access this. Although I do listen for the two cats that are my other readers, I will not be posting the address of the birds as they requested anonymity.

A Difficult Day Became A Red Kite Day

Today I was expecting to be a difficult day, but my stars were saying would be a lucky one. As I was meeting with my bank manager, I thought I would need some luck. I changed my bank account a number of years ago to my current bank when they were a building society. However I was just outside of the date that would have given me free shares when they floated on the Stock Exchange. As this was only by a few days, I made a complaint then. That marked me out to the local Manager as a difficult customer.

The situation never improved. Then when my ex and I split up, because of the debts and bills she had I aided her by acting as guarantor for her rent and other commitments so that she did not end up homeless. However, when my bank heard of this, my bank placed restrictions on my account that made a difficult situation nearly impossible.

I helped my ex clear her debts but because I never had any extra cash, the bank kept the restrictions in place. This also meant that it was impossible for me to move my account as the restrictions normally only apply to people that have been irresponsible. When in fact I was being responsible.

In spite of complaints made at the time, I was stuck in a situation not of my making. Therefore, when I got an invitation to go and see the Bank Manager, I was not looking forward to it. However, because of the Credit Crunch, the bank has been reviewing its customers accounts and couldn't work out why these restrictions had been put in place. I told them why, and even then the advisor I was speaking to could not understand what was happening, as that seemed just plain wrong to her.

Well the upshot is that the restrictions are to be lifted and they will be investigating as it appears that the then manager overstepped his authority. I did ask if I was going to be compensated, but all they were prepared to say was that they would look in to that. Well if I am I think I will buy a pig and give it flying lessons.

On my way home I actually felt more angry about it, but while passion can be useful, I could not see any way to channel it positively. Also what I had expected to be just a couple of hours had dragged on to being all afternoon. As I had planed to go and film at one of the birds nest sites, I had missed that chance.

So, I switched on the computer and looked up out of the Window: RED KITE. I grabbed the video and was out the back door like a bullet. I cant help it but the moment see the Red Kites I am five years old again. There are some of my readers who know that I am childish anyway, but I really do get excited by seeing these birds. Anyway I got some film out the back of my place, including some shots of the kite being harried by a crow. It also serves to illustrate just how large the wingspans are of these magnificent birds. I would have gone chasing the bird and got more but I realised I was standing in the street with bare feet. Well at least I keep the neighbours occupied and while they are talking about my antic's they are not gossiping about anyone else.

So what started out as a difficult day became a Red Kite Day.

Birds Fledging and Foxes in the Yard

Yesterday, I mentioned that I had see the newly fledged chicks of Tree Sparrows in the yard. I could tell they were newly fledged as they had tufts on their heads and you could just see the last of the gape. So being enterprising I set up the video, sprinkled a spot of ground with Black Sunflower seeds, and set the camera to record. For three hours.

I did not review the tapes until today, as last night I went on my rounds of the Badger Setts, but to hear about that you will need to read on. From three hours of filming I got less then two minutes of footage. So that was an interesting three hours for me. I did not get the chicks but I got both the adults, and they had a good feast, refuelling ready for a second brood. I am quite pleased with the film and the last bit I repeated in slow motion as the male flying off looked so elegant.

While I was reviewing the footage I spotted a pair of starlings. Only to be joined by five more. While they do flock together, at this time of year that can only mean a family of newly fledged birds. I know that just out back of me in a neighbours roof space starlings are nesting, so I went out and watched as the last of six fledged. My neighbours are now convinced that I am a total odd ball, as I set up the camera to film any more over the six coming out, and stood there for three hours, but without seeing any more emerge. I have to say that it my antics did draw comment and its the first time that I have been handed a mug of Tea while standing on the street corner watching wildlife.

As I said I was out in the night checking on the badgers, I know that there are several with cubs, and I wanted to discover who the parents were. But while I saw the sows with the cubs, I was not able to say for sure who was the mother of which cub. The badgers here are rather exceptional as younger unmated females seem to play a greater role in the care of the cubs that is normal.

Anyway I always type up my notes straight away so that I get everything down while fresh in my memory. While doing this I heard a cat, looking out into the yard, I saw one of the local cats in there. It was hissing at something, so carefully removing my cat from my lap, and yes it is difficult to type while stroking a cat, I went down stairs. When I opened the back door I was greeted by the sight of a fox cub. It could not have been more than ten or twelve weeks old. I dashed to grab the Camera, but it was gone when I got back there. It must have rushed off, as did the cat when I appeared. Did I save it from the Cat? I don't know, but I can be sure that the vixen is close by somewhere. So I guess I will be out looking for her now too.

Bird Taxonomy

There is true story that I was told years ago of a woman who after living all her life in London and only ever seeing pigeons, moved to a house with a garden and started noticing birds for the fist time. When her son visited he would reel off all these elaborate names for the birds, to the delight of his mother. She became so interested that she bought a field guide to birds. To her amusement she discovered that her son had just been making the names up and most of the birds she had seen were the common species found in the garden.

I know that story was true as it was the woman herself who told me. It however sparked a real interest in birds and wildlife.

I mention this as an American friend made a comment about my posting about the Great Tit; saying that it looked like a Black Capped Chickadee. I think that she is revealing something I have long suspected, that the pilgrim father's took over our British birds and just renamed them. I think that there are Americans, even as I speak, painting the wings of our native Blackbird and passing them off as Red Winged Blackbirds.

I bet that most of the exotic sounding species of birds over there are really ours, just renamed. Only kidding! But I do wonder if there are species in the Americas that are evolved from old world birds? While I know that many were named because they reminded the early colonists of European birds, but are unrelated, there will be some that share a common ancestor with old world species.

Anyway, I have had one bit of disappointing news today. The farmer on whose land sits one of the Badger setts that I watch has suspended permission for access. This is because over the Bank Holiday someone started a camp fire near the sett and cut down a couple of trees. Not only that the location was strewn with broken bottles and cans. While I helped with the clean up, he want to prevent anyone going there at all so that he can protect the Badgers and prevent any more damage occurring. I can understand him taking this action, and while it may seem unfair on me, he will stand a better chance of catching who is doing this if no one has any access. Once he can say “Get off my Land” to them, I should be able to gain access again, but I will miss the Badgers.

On a much more positive note though, something I saw on Springwatch last night solved a mystery for me. Back in the first winter in the village and exploring the woods, I had spotted an extraordinary looking mass on the trunk of a tree. I had been watching a tree creeper, but it disappeared from my view. As I scanned the trees for it I saw this strange looking mass on a tree trunk. I fought my way through the Brambles to try and get closer, and the sound of my approach disturbed the tree creeper and I saw a couple of them fly off. But I could not find the strange mass that I thought I had seen. Anyway, on TV they showed something that looked identical to this. Mystery solved, as the mass was a family of newly fledged tree creepers huddled together. This apparently they will do in winter too to keep warm. So what I probably saw was a huddle of adult Tree Creepers keeping warm. Well I learn something new each day!

The film is a clip of a Nuthatch feeding off a bird table.

The Bank Holiday

Yesterday, Monday, was a bank holiday. But unlike a normal bank holiday we had brilliant sunshine. Well we did in the north (Self satisfied Grin), in the south it was torrential rain. So it looks as though the south got the weather we were supposed to get. As nature often does though we are paying the price today. (Drip, drip)

After having a nice long lay in today, over the last two weeks I have been surviving on just four to six hours of sleep, I indulged myself. I only really had some shopping to do, and this enabled me to follow my diet and indulge in a Coffee and Cake. I say follow my diet as I have lost three inches off my waistline so I need to put on some weight so that my clothes fit me.

Yesterday, I went out and stood watch over an area that the Kites regularly visit. However I did not see the Kites at all. It may well be because of the number of people about enjoying the sunshine. I did however, get this short clip of film of a Wall Brown Butterfly.

Early in the morning I was trying to check my mail and such like, and I saw a procession of birds visiting my yard. The prettiest of them was the Collard Dove.

Later I was able to put up my do not disturb sign and watch the start of Springwatch on the TV. I can report for my overseas reader, that the Ospreys have two chicks!

Great Tit

As my regular reader will have realised, I am nuts about wildlife, although those that really know me would tell you that I am just nuts! Therefore it will not surprise my UK readers that I am looking forward to the start of Springwatch this Monday. Now because I want to share this with my now confused reader from overseas, Springwatch is a programme that Aunty Beeb (the BBC) has done for the last four years where the Natural History Unit descend upon a farm in Devon and watch birds in their various nests. While reality television bores the pants off me, and yes I would rather run around naked than watch Big Brother, this is the only form of live reality TV that I would watch.

I don't think that anyone apart from the BBC could have or would have ever tried something like this. Nor do I think anyone but Aunty Beeb could have made it work.

So for the next three weeks I will be putting up my do not disturb sign (I am disturbed enough) and I will do more TV watching in these three weeks that I normally do in three months.
Because of listening to things like Natures Voice the RSPB podcast, I already know that the Springwatch team are moving from Devon to Norfolk this year, and Simon King will be up in Scotland watching an Osprey Nest.

As I have been so busy getting out and about watching wildlife for real, it will be a welcome break to have all the hard work done by professionals for a change.
So if anyone wants to find me for the next three weeks, I am sitting on my nest, letting Kate Humble and Co entertain me.

Here is a very short film showing a greedy great tit, part of my own Spring watch. Also just to ensure that I don't make my overseas friends jealous, here's a link to the web cam that is watching the same Osprey nest that will star in the show.

Dippers on the River

On Tuesday when I saw the weather forecast, I knew I wanted to be up and out early the following day. By early, I am talking about before sunrise. As the night sky was going to be clear, following a warm spring day, a mist was going to form. While this would be quickly burnt off by the sun, it was likely to make the wood and the river a magical place, and visually interesting. Further, it is the way that this mist deadens sound and reduces visibility that I most wanted to use.

I have been observing the Dippers down by the river. Like so many species, they are creatures of habit especially during the breading season. Therefore I wanted to use the vale of mist to enable me to get close and set up the camera to film the dippers. By setting up the camera so it overlooked a known point that the Dippers use, I stood a good chance of getting some good footage.

The walk though the wood to the river was an aural delight, and I dare say I could have stopped and filmed any number of birds as I headed towards the Dippers Territory. When I got to the point on the river where I know a pair have established a territory, I was greeted by the sight of one of them already sitting on a rock in the river. I set up and started filming straight away, expecting the bird to flee as I was not that well hidden, but I got a long sequence before this male noticed me.

I was pleased to have something so quickly, but I still intended to follow my plan. I set up the camera, and I moved off and watched. I could switch on the camera remotely so I pressed my form against a tree reducing my chances of being observed.

I did not have to wait to long before the Dipper alighted on the perch I was observing. I started the camera rolling, and as I did I realised that just behind me a group of Roe Deer had come down to the river to drink. I dared not move. While I had another camera with me, it was in my bag that was sitting at the base of the tree on the other side of me. So I just stood and watched. All three females were in pristine condition, having just shed their grey winter coats and were resplendent in their red summer coats. However I was also trying to keep an eye on the Dipper, and I saw the other half of the pair arrive, the female I think.

I wanted to adjust the zoom, but if I moved I knew the Deer would scamper. So I missed getting the pair together. I waited patiently as the Deer drank and as they started to move off one appeared to catch my scent and they bounded off. If I can get similar conditions and the right place to set up, I hope that I will be able to film them drinking. I may need to work by setting up on the other bank, but this requires a little more thought. Further, as I have not previously seen any signs of the Deer being there, I will need to ensure that this is a regular location for them.

In the time that I had allowed the Deer to move on I had lost track of the Dippers. Searching yielded no further sightings, and while the mist had aided me initially, it now hampered my relocating them. So I decided that it would be better to try again another day.

With the film I wanted, I had a pleasant walk back through the forest. Its been a while since I went via this particular route and its a delight to see the trees bursting their buds and spring flowers in bloom. The delightful thing about experiencing any morning like this is not the film or pictures, but the memories created.

Pied Wagtail

As I have been experimenting with editing software, here's another short clip of film that I shot when I was first leaning to use the old camera back when I first moved to the village.

Shoveler Duck

As my last couple of posts have been serious ones, I thought I would share this image of a Shoveler Duck that I saw recently.

International Dawn Chorus Day

Today, 4th May, was International Dawn Chorus Day. I decided to mark the day by heading out to listen to the dawn chorus. While I was tempted to try and record it, as I had other matters on my mind, see previous posting, I just wanted to absorb myself in the experience.

I headed off to a track in my local woods where I know that many species of birds sing in the morning. Even though it was before four in the morning, and before sunrise, there was still enough light to see reasonably well. I spotted a barn owl out hunting almost the moment I got to the edge of the forest. I spent the next hour watching this pair of Barn Owls as they were hunting on some marshy ground. The ghost like forms were a delight to watch. As one flew silently from one side of this open ground to the other and landed in it perch, so the other would fly back. Initially I thought it was one bird, but I soon realised it was a pair. The behaviour was rather unusual so I stayed to observe. Eventually, one of the birds, I think it was the male but as they kept crossing the field I lost track of which was whom, caught a vole or a mouse and upon regaining its perch next to the female gave her the food. When she ate it, they both flew off in the same direction. I tried to track and follow, but I lost clear sight of them.

I did find a pair close to where I know a pair do nest, but I don't know if they are the same pair, but based upon the direction the pair I had been watching flew off in it is a reasonable hypothesis. Yet being honest I cant say for sure.

I was by this point quite deep in the woods and as the sun was now begging to rise, I walked home slowly and shared my joy with the birds who were singing for me. I never saw anyone else in the forest, even though I was traversing the most frequented areas of the wood, so there was no one to share my joy but the birds who were singing their hearts out for me.

Breathing Places

The Wildlife Trusts

April Showers and Red Kites

The other day after being out, I returned home not long before the rain came. As its April and it has been a wet month, that should not be surprising. However, the reason for mentioning it here, is as that shower tailed off, I opened the back door to take out the rinsed milk bottles and put out the rubbish. I found a pool of water lapping at the door seal. The reason was a blockage in the drain. This is something I still need to clear properly, but I did do a temporary job. Anyway, last night more heavy rain was forecast, and it must have been playing on my mind as I woke up and knew I had to check the drain. While I had not flooded but I had to clear the drain again.

This caused me to get up latter than I expected. While I wanted to be out early, I was the only person that was effected by this. However, because I was still in the house at the opening of office hours, my attempts to leave the house was disturbed by the telephone. While I was tempted to ignore it, I would only have wondered who it was. It turned out it was the food hygiene department of the local council regarding the “Eggs Incident” While I don't intend to disclose the nature of the conversation, I am heartened to see the authorities taking the matter seriously. And to those readers that feel this matter is trivial, in some ways selling caged eggs as free range is. However, if there were a disease outbreak or a salmonella contamination and a recall occurred of all eggs from caged production, there would be people put at risk by thinking that what they had thought were free range eggs were safe.

Anyway, this lead to me having to stay home. As I sat at my desk, I could see in the distance, over the treetops the Red Kite that I had been hoping to film. What was even more frustrating was that the bird was around for well over an hour. So close but so far. Yet from my distant vantage point, I witnessed the kite do something I have only seen previously on film, a Red Kite hovering. For anyone who has not seen a Red Kite, we are talking about a bird that has a wing span of over one and a half metres, so to see such precision flying is amazing. Had it not been for the trees in my line of sight, well at least in my mind I was getting some incredible footage.

Anyway when I had finished dealing with the council officer, I was able to head out to get some lunch, and much to my surprise the red kite was still in the area. While beyond the range of vision from my windows, I was pleased to see the bird still around. Following a quick bought sandwich rather than my buying bread to make my own, I was out like a shot.

I had the tantalising prospect of the kite in my vision, but at a distance. Not willing to be deterred, I headed into the direction the Kite had been flying, although graceful gliding is a better description, and for over an hour was tantalised by the occasionally glimpse of the Kite. I lost site of the bird, but I continued searching.

Eventually, I realised that the bird had landed in a tree. I was not totally sure, when I spotted it, if I had found the Red Kite or not. I am not used to seeing them perched, so I approached with caution. The difficulty was the trees were obscuring my vision. Finally I got this picture, just before it took off again, and I could be sure it was the Kite. By this time I could not follow as I was well and truly caught in the wood with no way of extricating myself easily nor with any clear view of the bird.

While I am starting to get some rather good (types with smug grin) pictures of late, it has actually been the months of hard work tracking and working out territory that has really paid off. As well as a lot of luck.

Painted Lady and Red Kite

I can always tell when I've been neglecting my wifely duties, as is normally manifests in the running out of underwear. So while I was out this morning, and knew I had to return fairly early so that I could get some washing ton. Therefore, I was in the House to hear the radio four programme World on the Move. While I do listen to this as a podcast, it is rare for me to be able to catch it as a live broadcast.

I have mentioned in previous postings about this programme, and I dare say it will again, as this is quite inventive of the BBC to broadcast such a project. However my reason for mentioning the programme today is that of the two of the species that they're asking listeners to track, one of them I have seen already just three days ago. While sitting at the computer when I noticed something fly past the window, I looked out expecting to see a bird, and there was a painted lady butterflies sitting on my window ledge. I quickly grabs the video camera, but in the time it takes for the electronics to warm up the butterfly has flown off. Had I got the film of the butterfly I would have mentioned it at the time here, as I thought it was early for this species. Yet by listening to the programme today, I realised that the butterfly painted Lady is at least two weeks early here. Another effect of climate change.

While my wildlife watching this morning had not yielded up much that was worth reporting, it is still been pleasant to be out. And it was wild if I was having a cup of tea following a late lunch, that out of the living room window and saw one of the red kites fly over.

My poor neighbours must wonder what goes on in my place at times as I ran straight up the stairs to grab both video and still camera. When I got back downstairs, the red kite was no longer incite. But awaited as I know from experience, when they are all about they tend to fly in a pattern where there quartering the fields looking for false or shoes or beetles. My decision to wait was rewarded as into a very clear expanse of sky the red kite gracefully gliding over.

After taking the still images, I waited at longer to see if that kite returned but it is policy flown off. However it did find it rather amusing that one young mother returning with her child from infants school, had to, mildly, chastise the child after it said something mildly rude about me that was obviously a repeat of something that an adult had said, previously in the child's hearing. Personally I don't worry about what the neighbours think, if they think I'm eccentric then so be it. The one thing I haven't lost as an adult is the ability to see the world as a child, with wonder and excitement.

A Link to the World on the Move Website

Protecting Eggs and Nests

Over the weekend I had to adjust my plans. On Saturday I was supposed to go out with friends walking in the Pennines but as I am also volunteering as a body guard for one of the rare raptors that nest in the region, I had to cancel going on the walk for guard duties.

When at the nesting site, I was told that as the wind was gusting sixty and seventy miles per hour on the Pennines, I realised I had made the right choice.

I have been given permission to talk about this here, but obviously I can not say anything that will disclose or reveal the exact location of the nesting site. Its unfortunate that there are still people who collect eggs and deliberately disturb and destroy the nests of raptors. Thus the reason for helping protect the nest and the site. I, or better to say We, are not too close to the nest, but still close enough to have the reasonable view of the pair. But as the main reason for being there is to stop people approaching the nest, my main task was people watching rather than bird watching.

Just at the point that my relief arrived, a group of walkers decided that they were going to move off the public path. So I was not involved in trying to dissuade them from taking that route. Even informing the walkers that they were at risk of disturbing rare wildlife didn't dissuade them. Normally people will respond positively to requests like this, but this group were determined and militant.

I guess that I need to explain to my overseas readers, that in the UK we have a “Right to Roam” enshrined in law. However, this can be suspended to protect wildlife or if work using heavy machinery is being used, such as the tree felling that has been going on in my local woods. These walkers were adamant that they had the right to walk where ever they wanted. This stand off went on for over twenty minutes, so my fellow volunteer asked me to call the land owner. This I did. It took some ten minutes or so before he turned up, what surprised me was that the police arrived too. This changed the attitude of the walkers and suddenly they were keen to leave.
Following the police checking who the walkers were, it emerged that one was related to a person previously convicted of raiding nests.

It shows that the role of guarding this nest site and the many others up and down the country is vital. I had been thinking that I would have been having more fun had I gone off walking, but this experience shows why this work is so important.

Then on Sunday, I got a call from one of the people I would have been walking with and it turns out that they an eventful time too. As I said the weather was rather windy, when I heard the where they were walking I realised just how silly (I could use stronger words) they were. Two of the party came back injured as they were blown off their feet on the ridge top. I told my caller that I thought they had been irresponsible to even attempt to walk in such a location in weather conditions like that.

Fortunately, while late back, they all got back safely. But even my friend agreed that it had not been wise. The problem is that the boldest person in a party can lead others into danger. Anyway, I looked up this article about some of the stupid things that people do when out walking.

The Article

The Last Peanut

Just a little something to prove that I have not had a sense of humour bypass!

Birds adding to my Life List

On Wednesday morning I was up very early as I wanted to get out the the Quarry pond again. I was even on the first bus out of the village. Its not the first time I have been on that bus, and it remarkable the number of people who do use it. Also, as most of the people who do utilise this are regulars, I am on nodding terms with the people from my village that are up that early.

I got to the pond and started filming what was there, nothing very remarkable and I was starting to feel that I may have wasted my time going down. While I was thinking this a small flock of Mallard swam past. I was not really taking that much notice, as they were not doing anything that extraordinary. But as I looked I realised that one was not a Mallard at all, it was a Shoveller. That adds to my life list. I did get some film of it but they were to far away really to get anything of quality.

Its funny because a good friend had said in her blog, on the subject of waiting patently, that I would pour scorn on her just stopping and peeking rather than waiting long hours. It is true that I do spend a lot of time waiting around for the wildlife to appear, but equally, I have had some remarkable chance encounters. This is further illustrated by what happened next.

I heard a bird calling a short “Teck” from over in the reed beds. I scanned very carefully and finally I saw what was calling, I tried to line up the camera but it flew off before I could start filming. However, I was reasonably sure I knew what the call was, another new bird for my life list, a Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti It cant get better than this.

As my time there was limited, I got this lovely bit of film of the Mute Swan grooming before I had to leave.

Sand Martins

Yesterday following a phone call, I changed my plans. As I have been so busy with the arrival of spring getting out and looking for the wildlife, I had planed to get some house work done, as well as spend some time cataloguing my images and footage. Also as I have spent so much time out in the cold, a persistent cold was making me feel under the weather.

However, this phone call alerted me to something I wanted to see. About a week ago, I had been out filming the waders and water birds on a local nature reserve, a former quarry. When at a distance I thought I saw a Sand Martin. I could not be sure of my identification, but when another birder came along I told him what I thought I had seen and after a while he said that yes he had spotted it too.

Now as is the way with us wildlife watchers, we are a sharing bunch and we swapped telephone numbers. Anyway, yesterday I got a call from this chap who told me that the Sand Martins were back. So I got myself organised and went down to see if I could see them myself. I arrived just as he was leaving, but he told me where they were flying and in less than two minutes I had located them.

I was at to greater distance to film them, and as they can fly so fast, getting a picture was impossible, I set about working out were they were likely to be nesting. After much searching I have discovered to probable location, but I will need permission to access the land to get close enough to film them, but it is a very clear sign that Spring is here.

Grey Wagtail

Yesterday, I spoke about trying to film the Grey Wagtails, while quite common, they are not easy to photograph as they are quite skittish. However, I set up and laid in wait for them. I was very close to giving up as I had finished my flask of coffee (Fair Trade), and I was getting hungry and thirsty. As well as a couple of miles of walking, I had the assent from the river valley to the elevation where my home sits.


But the wait had been worth it, I spotted a pair of juveniles flitting from rock to bank and moving towards me feeding at the waters edge. I swung the camera round in readiness and both flew to the shore up the river around the curve, just out of field of view. I looked intently, I knew that if I moved that would be it, they would disappear, so I had to wait. Even though I was looking carefully, I nearly missed them as their grey plumage hides them so completely among the stones of the river and shore. Even as I zoomed in one flew off back up the river. I started recording, and the beautiful little bird stayed feeding totally oblivious to me.


The tail bobbing so characteristic of many insect feeders, is believed to help break up the birds outline to the invertebrates its feeding on, creating the illusion of a branch, twig or leaf just blowing in the wind.


And before anyone asks, I know this is a juvenile by incomplete yellow underbelly, and that at this time of year any mature adult is busy building a nest.