Eric & Lesley's Wildlife Blog - Wildscotphotos

Bogey Bird

10/11/2018

We all have a bogey bird - one that we feel we should have seen better, or more often, or in better circumstances. The Sparrowhawk is one for me. Not having a feeding station at home I have only rarely seen one there. My feeding stations in the countryside seems not to attract them or, if at all, rarely.
Today I had a break. In the car I saw one flying low and settling on a post. Before I could get my gear into place two cars came the other way whilst the bird remained. I then approached slowly and enjoyed the male Sparrowhawk for some time. Another car came approaching from the other direction; by this time I was nearly off road and the car approached to ask if I was all right. Yes, it was my day, made by a beautiful bird.

Birds do the Funniest Things

14/10/2018

Early on during our Namibia trip we undertook a pelagic at Walvis Bay. There are a few boats of various sizes that do this. Naturally ours was the smallest. That said, there was no noticeable swell and the provided lunch was just the job.
Over time, the operators have begun by taking people to see the Fur Seals which are interesting and quite attractive. Lately they have managed to get Jackals to come to fish bait. That was a real surprise.
However the real fish fanciers are the Pelicans. They have learnt that fish is available to they get in on the act. You might think they are clumsy. No so, the they can catch fish in the air no bother. Nowadays they also land on the boats to "encourage" the fish production line. Yes, they are almost cute. My strategy was to stick close to the fish thrower and got some pleasing pictures.

Plumage Problems

24/8/2018

We are not long back from a short visit to England, incorporating Lincolnshire, the Rutland Birdfair and the Zoological Photographic Club (ZPC) 2018 Convention.

After that we spent a couple of day looking for birds and butterflies. Many Butterflies were nectaring, in preparation for winter. Birds are feeding too but the other noticeable impression is that there's a mix of young and adult birds. Often the young birds are changing plumage. One sight that is fairly uncommon for us was to see this juvenile Water Rail. Out of the nest it would be black; later it will be much greyer, with a red bill but for now it more resembles a Crake. The striped Crake perhaps.

Swallowing

11/8/2018

Its a quiet time away from the coast where bird migration is in full swing. Around us, we are seeing plenty of butterflies enjoying the sunshine and warmth, notably Painted Lady and the locally uncommon Commas.
The dry weather has one obvious benefit in that the remaining water attracts wildlife more than ever. The pool in front of my hide is attracting more bird bathers than any previous year but I needed a bigger pool for today's photo. I noticed a wet flush where Swallows were drinking so I waited and over a ten minute period I only took one burst of two pictures. As you can see, Swallows are able to drink on the wing such is their flying skill.

Northumberland Coast

25/7/2018

A change of scenery was needed, so we decided to head south and visit the Northumberland coast for a couple of days. Not a county we know well. A particular target was Roseate Tern, but there were plenty other things of interest to seek out along the coast. Visiting one of the many coastal wetlands to look for Barn Owl (which we failed to see!) we passed a farm with this Little Owl sitting outside on the wall. Another highlight was a damp meadow with a Grasshopper Warbler in full song.
We did a couple of boat trips and did see Roseate Terns as well as plenty Sandwich and Arctic, but never close enough for good photos.
Butterflies were abundant too with lots of Small Skippers and Dark Green Fritillaries around the wet ponds.

May Time

12/6/2018

Last week we spent the whole week on the Isle of May in the Forth. Like other places we visit on our travels it felt a real privilege to be there as part of a fairly exclusive club.
It was the height of the bird breeding season. Oystercatchers were widespread, piping away, protecting their young from the marauding gulls, however the Terns were causing anxiety since they were late to arrive and even later to settle down.
The stars of the show for us were the auks, and in particular, the clowns of the sea - the Puffins. From the start of the week they began hatching their eggs. We know this by the fact that they carried sand eels increasingly as the week wore on. Being resident meant being able to use the whole of the day for photography which was a hoped-for bonus once the sea haar dispersed.

Romanian Adventure

24/5/2018

Our most recent foreign trip has been to Romania where we spent a good part of it in the Danube Delta. First of all, we stayed in the southern end which is quite reedy and marshy before going on to the main river channels. In the main river we travelled by boat, taking our pictures from that platform. We have very many pictures to sort but I thought that a Pelican would best characterise the Delta.
There are two - the White Pelican which feed cooperatively and the Dalmatian which is a bit more solitary - especially when feeding. This is a Dalmatian in the process of taking off from the water.

Hair of the Dog

2/5/2018

Its been fairly quiet at the hide lately with the usual suspects only. The Red Squirrels are active, chasing one another and gradually their coat is shedding to be replaced by the rich red of the summer months.
I was given some dog hair in a bag so it has been sitting in a corner of the hide for some months. Naturally the plastic bag holding it has been damaged by rodents but its otherwise intact. As soon as I put out the hair the tits - Great, Blue and Coal went for it and teased it before collection and removal. This shows clearly that they have not yet laid their eggs but are close. I'm sure they would advantage of the opportunity of good lining even a few days beforehand - they wont waste a good resource.

An Early Start

20/4/2018

Its been a long time in planning but I was able to have a hide session for Black Grouse locally. After being refused permission that I did not think I need two years ago we have been building towards using a different site.
Getting to the hide meant half and hour driving following by half an hour walking. The birds appeared in the dark almost one hour before sunrise. With that in mind you need to get up at silly o'clock.
Once you have light you are treated to one of the greatest spectacles of British wildlife watching and, of course, you cannot forget the unique soundscape. It's a good lek with at least 15 males struttng their stuff. The intensity noticeably increased when females appeared to watch the show,

Loch Visit

30/3/2018

Officially Spring is here but the appearance of the countryside says otherwise. We have still to see a genuine migrant. Farmers are reporting that grass growth is 2-3 weeks behind schedule. The immediate weather forecast predicts continuing cold with an east wind to deal with. No doubt the seasons will catch up but there's not much to suggest it at the moment.
We visited a local loch and were in for a treat. Some birds are defying the weather and displaying. These Great Crested Grebes are performing their ritual displays despite people walking fairly close by. They are banking on the Spring with small fish fry available to feed their chicks in a few weeks time. I hope the nest does not get washed out.