Red Deer & Friends

I captured these images of Red Deer and close friends on a very early morning visit to Richmond Park, London.

Stag and hind Red Deer and Jackdaw:

A visit from a small flock of Starlings:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflections

I photographed this young Grey Heron feeding close in one of the ponds at the London Wetland Centre recently.

The Black-headed Gull was shot in much better light, and unusually for the main lake, quite still water:

Dragon & Damsel Season

Common Blue Damsels mating, London WWT:

I was lucky to find a female Emperor Dragonfly egg laying, London WWT:

Broad-bodied Chaser (Female) at Stocker's Lake, Herts:

Graffiti Takes Shape

Recently on Brownsea Island, Dorset, I came across some red lines painted seemingly randomy on trees and logs.

However, if you stand EXACTLY in a certain spot, the lines take shape.

This heart is painted across five trees some distance apart:

(taken with iPhone)

Little Bittern Puts On Big Show

A female Little Bittern that has been present at Stocker's Lake in Herts for over a week was located after being missing the previous day.

I first saw a Little Bittern 28 years ago at Potteric Carr in South Yorkshire.  I never expected to get better views of this beautiful bird. 

Over the morning it was almost always visible, but in typical behaviour was generally skulking in the reeds.  After working it's way along the river bank, it climbed up into a Willow tree before flying down river. It then fed actively and despite the large crowd it finally came out into the open on a couple of occasions.  By this time I was in prime position to capture this beautiful and elusive visitor:

This may work in a pale reedbed, but the 'merge into background' pose doesn't quite cut the mustard here!

Dorset Coast June 2012

Mediterranean Gull found feeding regularly near Bournemouth pier:

And a pair nesting on Brownsea Island:

Red Squirrels on Brownsea Island:

Sandwich Terns:

Common Terns:

Sandwich Tern fishing:

Dawn Chorus in Suffolk - 5th May 2012

After 3am start, I arrived at one of the Suffolk Heaths slightly later than planned at 6am, on a dull morning.  I soon heard what I had hoped to find - a Nightingale was singing in the distance.  After following the song for around five minutes across the heath I soon found the bird singing out in the open, on a branch overhanging a road.  The occasional car that whizzed past didn't seem to interrupt its beautiful sound.  The Nightingales legendary song has to be heard at least once, and never fails to amaze. If you've never heard one it's well worth getting up early for.

For the first time I managed to photograph a Nightingale.

After the Nightingale had concluded its morning efforts I headed to Minsmere.  Flooding made it impossible to walk around the reserves, and the wader scrape water level was incredibly high.  The Marsh Harriers and occasional Bittern were performing well:

I was tempted out of the Bittern hide as a Wryneck had be relocated in the North bushes.  It briefly flew very close before heading over to a rather distant sandy bank.

A walk to the beach produced several singing Whitethroats:

The flooded scrape was very different to its normal of birds at this time of year, with no terns or waders, and only a few Black-headed Gulls hanging on desperately to the few areas that remained above water.


At Hen Reedbed near Southwold only the Sedge Warblers were particularly active, singing within close proximity:

With rain coming down an interesting detour back to London through Suffolk to Great Livermore where a summer plumaged Long-billed Dowitcher had been present for a couple of days, although distance and rain made a decent shot of this bird impossible:

Interestingly, in an adjacent field on the way back to the car, I located two fabulous male Reeves's Pheasants feeding in a field.

A Brown Hare in a field made a brief appearance as it posed for a quick shot before going to ground:

Last stop was to find a Black-winged Stilt near Paxton Pits in Cambridgeshire.  After a two mile walk, the bird was located eventually on flooded fields.  Once again it proved to be a distant view of a wader, frustrating as this is one of the most spectacular looking rare waders to visit the UK.  After a brief fly around one of the islands the Stilt went to sleep, and it was time to leave for London: