Pennington Flash - Bunting Hide

The Bunting hide is always my final stop off when I've been to Pennington Flash. The real action happens in the vastness of the rest of the country park with its varied and wonderful habitats. So what better way to finish off a few hours walking around than to sit and watch birds feeding at close quarters. All sorts can be seen. Here are just a few.

Male Bullfinch.

An inquisitive looking Magpie

 

A Robin on the well stocked feeding table.



Sedge Warbler - RSPB Otmoor

The reeds were alive a few weeks ago when I visited Oxfordshire en route to the New Forest. Reed and Sedge Warblers were in their finest voice. The sun was out and the volume was turned up.
The song of the Sedge Warbler is quite mesmerising to listen too, and it's even better if you've managed to locate the bird and you can watch it in full flow.
I was lucky enough to do so on a number of occasions. Here are a few of the shots I got.

Dunlin and Sanderling

I stopped off recently at Farmoor reservoir in Oxfordshire. I was in the area and a Black-throated Diver had been reported, so it seemed daft not to go and take a look. Unfortunately the reservoir was huge and the diver was asleep right in the middle of it. I got some good views through the scope, but   photos were an impossibility.
A lot closer on the banks of the reservoir, were a nice Dunlin and Sanderling, both in really lovely breeding plumage. I don't think I've seen a Sanderling in this plumage before.
They were both very confiding and gave me a great opportunity to get close. At close proximity you can really appreciate how small these birds are. No binoculars needed, and they are small.

Dunlin with the black front.

The Sanderling, which doesn't have a black front.

Black-headed Gull

Often much maligned, the Black-headed gull will rarely be at the top of anyone's list of favourite birds. When birds are common they hardly get a second look. And when they are noisy too (as they are at this time of year) they just become a pain.
I don't know why, but I started to watch some of the Black-headed gulls at Elton reservoir a few weeks ago, just watching their behaviour. They are very agile birds and skilled at dipping over the surface of the water to pick up food. Almost Tern like, but without the "phwoarr".
I grew to like them a little more just by paying them some attention and noticing them.

Bempton

Some more pictures from Bempton Cliffs. The cliff top paths allowed us to get very close to all the birds, but it was the Gannets that really stole the show for me. I spent a lot of time trying to get good flight shots, but then I also found myself concentrating on the birds that were sat on the rocky cliffs.

A Gannet giving me the eye.

 

And in flight.



A Guillemot possibly with a Sand Eel .

A very good looking Razorbill.



And applying the breaks for landing.

Reed Warbler - Pennington Flash

Go anywhere near a reed bed right now and you're likely to hear the sound of a Reed Warbler. I found a few pairs on a recent visit to Pennington Flash where I was fortunate enough to get some really good views.
They were busy pairing up and chasing each other around, or off territory.
The song has a real range of short bursts. Up and down pitches. Quite often the bird can be hidden down in the reeds, especially if its windy, and that can make it very frustrating to see.

This bird took a moment out in the open.

The view from the back.

Close up

Cuckoo

The song I look forward to most in the Spring (after the first Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers) is that of the Cuckoo. I've heard many in recent years, but they have on the whole been very tricky to track down.
Last year I managed to locate one at Holme in Norfolk and this year I've seen several. In the New Forest there seemed to be a constant call of a Cuckoo wherever I was. It was great to step out of the hotel at first light and hear two or three different birds calling. Amazing

The bird pictured below was actually seen in Manchester. Next years aim will be to get some better shots. In the meantime, these will have to go as record shots and no more.

Puffin - Bempton Cliffs & Flamborough

I've been meaning to head over to Bempton Cliffs and Flamborough on the East Yorkshire coast for quite some time now. The promise of thousands of sea birds, and of course Puffins, was a big draw. So the chance finally presented itself and off we went for a weekend by the coast.
RSPB Bempton is famous for attracting upwards of 250,000 sea birds to its chalky white cliffs to nest and raise young. The site of so many Gannets was quite mesmerising, and the smell, well quite something else.
The Puffins were one of my main reasons for going. Having only seen them as little specks on the sea on Anglesey before, I really wanted close up views. I wasn't disappointed, with several very close on the cliffs and others flying overhead as we moved to sea level at Flamborough.
I'll be sharing other birds from the trip soon, but for now, here are some very cute looking Puffins.

Checking out a Kittiwake on its nest.

It wasn't easy to capture these guys in flight. So fast and almost directly above me.

Like a torpedo.

Oh good, you're awake now.

Singing in the Rain

A stroll in the Macclesfield countryside is always nice and there is usually lots to see. Even in the rain there is still a lot around. I feel very lucky to live so close to somewhere so naturally beautiful and almost untouched. Nature thrives and long may that continue.

These lambs made me laugh out loud when I saw them. Wasn't expecting to see them, but there they were, sat in the middle of the stinging nettles. Ouch!

Another unexpected surprise. A Little Ringed Plover on the road.

Rain or shine, there's work to be done.

Nice female Pied Flycatcher.

Wood Warbler

I spent a good while in the New Forest with my ears open for a Wood Warbler. None were forthcoming, although they had been around. Strangely when I got home it appeared there had been one almost on my doorstep and showing itself very well.
I'd only seen one previously that had stuck around for a couple of weeks in Bramhall a few years ago.
Brilliant little birds, with a great song that makes their bodies shudder. It's similar to the Willow Warbler but has bright yellow upper parts and lovely white under parts.
This one was still singing as the rain and then hail came down. It made it a lot easier for me to find him.