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My blog will predominantly feature a selection of photographs and reports of recent wildlife photographic trips, mainly in the UK
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A walk around King's Meads, but the Wood Sandpipers had moved off on their journey North. Warblers were calling everywhere and this Greater Whitethroat was singing loudly and showed off well against the blossom and the blue sky.     The Cuckoo was calling again, but I couldn't spot him today. However, I did take a picture of Lady's Smock, which is otherwise known as Cuckoo Flower as it blooms as Cuckoo's arrive in the country.  My target today was trying to find the male Mandarin Duck that has taken up residence on the Lea Navigation. An introduced species, they now have a healthy breeding population in England. Their exotic appearance somewhat different to our usual wildfowl! I tracked him down under the A10 viaduct where the reflections on the water from the graffiti on the bridge made for some interesting shots.        What a stunning bird! Keep an eye out for him when walking along the river. Good to bump into Joe Aggio, keeping watch over the swans.
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It had been a while since I had made the short trip to Coopers Green GP on the edge of Hatfield and the process of turning the gravel pit back to farmland is rapidly progressing. Sadly, this will limit the number and variety of birds present, but it still attracts some good birds. The first of these was this male Wheatear, probably the Greenland race which arrive a bit later.  The many posts and wires make ideal perches, firstly for this Greater Whitethroat.   And of course the Skylarks!   The birds I had really come to see and photograph were Yellow Wagtails and there were probably six birds chasing each other and setting up territories. At first they were distant as this shot shows, which also gives an idea of the amount of work that has been done.  This female was more confiding, perching up high, more traditionally.   And then on a gate!  This super looking male choose barbed wire instead.       Always great to have these birds back for the Summer and good to have a chat with patch birders Rupert Evershed and Steven Pearce.
After a morning at Rye Meads news broke of a Hoopoe in the grounds of the old Briggens Hall Hotel just off the A414. A 15 minute drive later and a short walk soon had me there where already a few familiar faces had gathered. The bird was on a lawn in front of Briggens Lodge and we were able to observe it from the public footpath. It was feeding happily, flying into a tree when a delivery van turned up.  This was my 2nd Hertfordshire Hoopoe (after the Hinxworth bird) and fourth in the UK. Despite seeing lots in Spain and Portugal they are a real treat here. A few more shots taken from the footpath.      A great way to finish the day and special thanks to Laurence Drummond for his excellent directions!
Five Wood Sandpipers had been reported on the flood on King's Meads late on the 28th. As they are one of my favourite waders I popped down at 5.50am to see if they were still there. Luckily they were, and feeding up before moving on to their breeding grounds in Scandinavia. There were actually six birds present which increased to eight the following day. The most I had ever seen before together was two. The record for Hertfordshire is 13! Apologies for the photo overload!              What fantastic birds! But while waiting, this Sedge Warbler was very showy.     A grasshopper Warbler was reeling behind me and this female Reed Bunting put in a brief appearance.  A pair of Gadwall were expected.  But more of a surprise was the long staying female Goosander which flew over, heading for the river.  And the final treat of the morning was a Cuckoo passing overhead.    It's so good to have this precious place on my doorstep!
Just a brief blog following an RSPB SE Herts Group coach trip to Stodmarsh. Great weather but the heat haze made photography very difficult so not too many pictures! We had some good birds including singing Nightingales, Cattle Egret and two Greenshanks. The air was filled with the sound of love sick Marsh frogs as well. I did have my first Hobbies of the year though.   A distant Common Tern was another year tick and it was good to capture the often overlooked Mallards flying in.     There were quite a few Marsh Harriers on site and here are a few shots of one of the males.    A great reserve at this time of year.
A beautiful morning so a quick stroll down the hill for a look around the Meads. A few Orange Tip butterflies were showing and this male landed for a few seconds.    It was also good to see that the Swifts had returned and 7 or 8 were feeding over Park Mead.    One of the birds seemed to have a patch on its back and I am not sure if this was due to preening, ticks or a tracking device. The jury is out!  Merlin did pick up a fly over Yellow Wagtail but I could not see it. Sedge and Reed Warblers were calling everywhere as were Blackcap and Chiffchaff. I also managed to get a shot of this Greater Whitethroat.  And a common bird now, but often very difficult to photograph due to their skulking nature - Cetti's Warbler. This one sang out in the open for a few seconds.   And finally, a Reed Warbler which broke cover and instead of skulking in the Reeds, sat up low in a small tree.    A great couple of hours within walking distance of home, on the edge of Hertford!
A few good birds had been reported in Cambridgeshire so time to pay a visit. The first port of call was near Gamlingay where six Dotterel had been reported. However, despite an extensive search with other birders (it was good to see Ian Conn) on site we could not locate them in the vast arable landscape. Annoyingly, they kept being reported over the next few days. Undaunted, we moved on to Little Wilbraham which was a lovely village with this attractive Windmill.   The reason for coming here was to try and see Ring Ouzel on the common. This time after a brief wait we were lucky and saw both the male and a female. The male is pictured here, but not the best images due to the heat haze.    A few Garganey had been reported across the county so the next stop was Tubney Fen, a small National Trust reserve. A few Linnets were in front of the small viewing screen.  A short walk to the other end of the water body eventually revealed a pair of Garganey, loafing in the reeds. This is the male, and just the one shot as they were both distant and the heat haze still very strong.  A good day out with some great birds, but certainly difficult with the light for photography.
Just two more days to cover of the Speyside holiday and it was a very early start as we were going to a Black Grouse lek. Again, the weather was ideal but at the first site we tried, there were no birds present. A sinking feeling, but our excellent guides knew of another site about 20 minutes away. Luckily we arrived and six males were showing. It is very important not to disturb them so we viewed from the roadside, screened by the vans. These images were taken from distance, but have not come out too bad.        It really is an amazing experience and certainly one of many highlights of the break. Here is a short video of the birds. It was then time to head back to the Hotel for a well earned breakfast before heading out again to the Findhorn Valley where we saw another Golden Eagle and more Ravens. A very spectacular location.  We then headed to the coast, specifically Udale Bay. Here, a lot of birds were pushed up by the tide into a corner of the bay, so we had some good views, starting with this male Red-breasted Merganser.   Wigeon were feeding or resting and this small group flew in to join them.  We had distant views of a Slavonian Grebe and there were still a few Greater Scaup in the bay. I managed a distant shot of a few of them in flight.  There were still a lot of Pink-footed Geese in the fields as well as some large skeins flying overhead, again possibly returning to Iceland.    Quite a few waders were in evidence, including a large number of Oystercatchers.  The commonest species were Knot and Bar-tailed Godwits. They were usually resting, but every so often were spooked and took off, allowing for some flight shots.    The last picture clearly shows the difference in size with the Godwits considerably larger than the Knot. One of the reasons they were spooked was due to this Osprey which came in to fish. Fairly distant, but good to get a couple of shots.   Our next stop was Loch Ruthven for the Slavonian Grebes. We saw four birds in total but they were too distant for meaningful shots (we did visit another site the following day so don't worry). We then headed back over the Farr Road, a single track road over high moorland. I managed to grab this Wheatear shot through the window.  Ashley then spotted a Mountain Hare and we were able to pull in and watch it. It was starting to turn brown from its Winter white, but still looked very pale on the front and underside. These are the primary food source for White-tailed Eagles. Golden Eagles tend to go for Brown Hares.   Dropping back into the Findhorn Valley a few of the group had had good views of Red Squirrel and then we spent some more time scanning the Valley with views of Golden Plover. Another great day, and here is a shot of the group in action!  Our final day dawned, and it was a tad cold and windy to begin with. We headed up to Cairngorm again to look for Ring Ouzels. The weather defeated us and this view sums it up.  Lower down in the valley, the weather was kinder and we headed to Avielochen which is a small private loch attached to the hotel where we were staying. It seemed popular with these Herring Gulls.  As well as a pair of Goldeneye. The male was displaying, throwing his head back in a forlorn attempt to attract the female.    The stars of the show were no less than six Slavonian Grebes which were a lot closer than the ones on Loch Ruthven.      We headed back to the Loch Garten area but failed to find more crested Tits, though some of the group had brief views of a Common Redstart. We then had a longish walk theough the ancient woodland at Forest Lodge.   It is a tricky birding environment but we did find another Tree Pipit as well as Great Spotted Woodpecker, Chaffinch and Coal Tit.    The best bird however, was this female Scottish Crossbill which happily fed on pine cones above our heads for a good 15 minutes.       And finally on to Nethy Bridge where we had a couple of Goosander on the river.    But I have to end with one of my favourite birds - Dipper! A pair were nesting and we spent some time watching them from a safe distance.       A great way to end the day, and still some time for some "team photos".    A truly memorable holiday spent with a lovely group of people (Edde we missed you!). Special thanks to the staff at The Grant Arms for looking after us and especial thanks to Ashley & Nick from Oriole Birding. I don't think we would have seen half of those birds without you!
Welcome back to the 2nd instalment of our Scottish trip. Oriole always do a trip to the West coast and this time we went a bit further North to Handa Island as the weather looked superb for the day. The last time I visited was over 40 years ago and it is still as magical. I will start off with a few views.       After being greeted by the two volunteer Wardens we headed inland watching Pink-footed Geese heading off to their breeding grounds in Iceland.  Just off the landing beach was a confiding Skylark.   And a Wheatear.  As we climbed slowly upwards across the island we spotted a Red Grouse on the ridge.  Willow Warbler, Hooded Crow and distant Dolphins were added to the list and we soon spotted a few Great Skuas, or Bonxies as they are known in Scotland. They came to check us out but as they were not yet breeding they decided to avoid dive bombing us!    The North end of the island has sheer cliffs and already a number of sea birds were starting to nest including these Razorbills.  About 5 or 6 Puffins were on the sea as well as Shags and Guillemots. It was also good to see quite a few Fulmars and I always enjoy the challenge of photographing them.        All too soon we were heading back but had a final surprise on the way back, finding some Black Guillemots. The boat skipper even took us round for a closer view!     On the way we had passed a few lochs that looked good for Divers and on the return journey eagle eyed Steve spotted one which had the vans screeching to a halt! A beautiful Summer plumage Black-throated Diver which slowly got closer, giving super views through the scope. These two pictures do not really do it justice.   The following day started with us looking for Crested Tits at Loch Malachie and here is a view to set the scene.  I'm sure Ashley, our guide has bionic hearing as he soon located a Crested Tit before we left the car park. They are very flighty, and it is quite dark under the pines, but I did manage some shots.     An easy to spot bird was this Mistle Thrush, singing away on the top of a Pine.  It was then off to the Loch Garten centre car park which is always a good spot for birds including Siskin.   A male Scottish Crossbill perched briefly, but I did not have time for a picture, however shortly after a female Crossbill flew in and perched. The bulkier body and bill identifying it as a Parrot Crossbill.   It was then time to head for the coast, trying again for White-billed Diver. First stop was Port Knockie.  Scanning the sea produced views of Bottlenose Dolphins.  Nesting Shags.  Kittiwakes.  And finally Guillemots, one of which is the bridled form.  It was a great spot as we also had Rock Pipit and Wheatear, but no White-billed Diver! It was almost as if these Herring Gulls were laughing at us.   Determined to track the Divers down, we then headed to Portsoy, a very pretty little town.   The small harbour was good for Rock Pipit.   We also had great close views of Eiders in the sheltered harbour.        Some concerted sea watching again failed to find a White-billed Diver even with leading ornithological legend and RSPB SE Herts Group Coach & Car Outings president Paul Ballantyne doing his utmost!  There were some other great birds including this adult Gannet which came in close.      It was also great to see a few Long-tailed Ducks on the sea which eventually drifted a bit closer to shore.     And a Diver at last! Not the one we wanted but a lovely Red Throated Diver, close to shore.    We were in the last chance saloon so a final stop at the caravan park in Cullen. Here's a Linnet with a caravan backdrop!  And a happy ending to the day when Ashley located a very, very distant White-billed Diver and then located another closer one. Through the scope you could clearly see the distinctive bill which separates it from the similar Great Northern Diver. The ground was tricky, and Sue took a tumble in the gorse after viewing the bird, bravely waving away help until everyone had seen it. A fantastic end to a great day, and a view of that Gorse bush!  The third and final Speyside blog will follow soon.
A long awaited trip to Scotland that I organised for the RSPB SE Herts Group with Oriole Birding. As the minivans were leaving Norfolk at 6am some of us went up the day before for a spot of birding. Our first stop was Lakenheath Fen. We were a bit too early for Hobby and Cuckoo, but did have good views of a fly by Bittern. As usual at the feeders, this Goldfinch was quite confiding.   And a singing male Blackcap.  At the first viewpoint we heard Common Cranes and I managed a distant shot of two birds flying overhead.  The next step was to walk back along the river looking for Garganey but sadly no luck. This male Reed Bunting proved a photographic distraction.   Apart from a few Avocets, the only other bird of note on the Wash was this Great Egret.  Time then to head for Weeting Heath for a guaranteed year tick in the shape of a Stone Curlew. Luckily, one was relatively close, and we did find two more later in the field opposite.   Watching the small pond at Weeting is always a joy, with close views of the birds as they come down to drink. Firstly this female Reed Bunting.  A Coal Tit was next up!  This Goldcrest seemed to enjoy a prolonged session in the pond.   A short drive up to Fakenham and an early night before a 5;30am departure for the Minivans. A massive thanks for Ashley & Nick driving us up to our overnight stop at Dunfermline and after dropping the luggage off there was still time to try for the Stejneger's Scoter at East Wemyss. Although distant, it was easy to spot, as it was on its own with only a few Velvet Scoters near by. A lifer not only for me, but for all of the group. This was the only image I could manage.  Next stop was Methil where we could not pick out the White Winged Scoter amongst the thousands of Common and Velvet Scoters present. I did manage a couple of flight shots of the Velvet Scoters.   There were also Eider out to sea. Just one shot here as they will feature in a later blog.  And my first Sandwich Tern of the year.   Methil is home to East Fife FC and it was a strange experience birding with a match going on less than 100 yards away. After the match, it was lovely to chat to some of the fans who came up to see what we were looking at. For the record, East Fife beat Peterhead 2-1. From the shore, we looked out to the famous Bass Rock.  A final stop at North Queensferry where we failed to spot a reported White Billed Diver, but did have a view of the Forth Rail bridge.  The following day dawned with another dip for the Diver at North Queensferry but we did have Razorbills, Peregrine, Red Breasted Merganser and Bullfinch to compensate. It was then a couple of hours up towards Grantown on Spey with a stop off at Loch Insh. Here we were treated to the amazing sight of a male Osprey displaying. The pictures don't really do it justice.     A Snow Goose had been present at Insh Marshes. Sadly, the bird that was now being reported in error on Birdguides was a large White Duck! We did however add Whooper Swan and Greenshank to the bird list.  Time then to check in at The Grant Arms, our home for the next few days.  The weather forecast was good for Monday so we made the decision to head for Cairngorm for one of our main target birds - Ptarmigan. It was freezing at the top with ice on the viewing platform. Clive came up trumps spotting three birds some distance away. No chance of a picture, but they were in this general area.  And a spectacular view from the top.  There is always a chance of Snow Bunting in the Upper car park, and we were not disappointed. Such beautiful birds, so please forgive the overload of images as I go a bit " Bunting crazy"!             We tried the Lower car park for Ring Ouzel but were probably a few days early, so here is a Meadow Pipit on a pine tree.  We had a distant Black-throated Diver on Lock Morlich as well as another Osprey before trying our luck at Alt Mhor where we had our first views of a Dipper. It was also good to see four Bullfinch in the car park.   This Treecreeper was also very obliging.   We had seen a distant White Tailed Eagle earlier in the day, but this young Golden Eagle showed closer over the car park.  We had some time scanning for raptors in the Dorback Valley before heading back for a well earned pint. A wonderful start to the holiday with a great group of people and two excellent guides. Part 2 of the Speyside blog will follow very soon.
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