Eric & Lesley's Wildlife Blog

Dipper

26/1/2018

Winter weather comes and goes. When its bad you don't want to leave the house but the good times can be fleeting.
We have studied our local Dippers for many a year. On this visit we saw a pair with a displaying bird but since they were not in profile I couldn't make a picture!
Although the temperate was above freezing there was patchy snow and ice around and eventually this bird posed beautifully for me. Dippers can be a difficult subject in winter since the light is lacking, they inhabit the shadier parts of the stream and also because there are quicksilver movements that show up on the picture that you didn't notice at the time.
The icy snow was a great bonus in giving more and softer light than usual.
At the moment the sun is shining but I have man flu so will not be venturing out.

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Return of the Stoat

18/1/2018

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Winter is here - lots of snow and unpleasant weather. That said, it is probably worse both to the North and the South of where we live. The roads can be tackled with care so I ventured out to my hide to get photos of the smaller birds that visit, in particular the Long-tailed Tits. A snowy backdrop is generally very photogenic.
At one point I saw a movement in the distance and thought it was a Squirrel then No, it must be a Stoat. It soon approached giving me an all too brief once-over before departing. Last August I witnessed a Stoat take a vole in exactly the same spot. This time it left empty handed.
A rare moment of thrill for a cold day and it was soon time to return to the car, try to warm up, then head home.

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Highland Chile

17/1/2018

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Following on the previous blog: after our trip to the Falklands we spent a few days in Chile. Above all else there was one special target - the exotically named Diademed Sandpiper-Plover. If you are a fan of wading birds (shorebirds) then it is a must since it is in a family of its own.
The birds is found, uncommonly, from Peru to Chile in mid altitude Andes, often in boggy, marshy ground.
We were successful in finding it. A pair was with chicks so we were extra careful not to disturb them. We were able to leave them exactly at the spot we found them

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Dipper

Return of the Stoat

Highland Chile

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