Eric & Lesley's Wildlife Blog - Wildscotphotos

Velvet Beauties

13/1/2020

If someone asked me what the most difficult habitat to photograph birds I would say woodland. The light is often difficult and you have the problem of not seeing the wood for the trees.
However, on reflection perhaps the sea is a bigger challenge, certainly when working from solid ground. The problem is simple - you need the wildlife to approach you. There's no easy answer but studying tide tables putting in the time and visiting repeatedly gets some results. Here we found a flock of Velvet Scoters feeding and socialising just offshore. Getting this close happens less than annually. They will be around for another couple of months but likely that's it for this year.

A Flock of Lovelies

30/11/2019

In theory winter has not started but in practice we have had a series of frosty mornings. This is good for photography, once you have scraped the ice of the car and gone to find the birds.

Over the past few days Waxwings have been present in the City. They brighten up any cold day with their gay abandon in raiding the berries from these planted trees, often around supermarkets. As well as seeing these lovelies you can enjoy their trilling call, often increasing in intensity before the flock takes to the air. Soon they will be scarce when the berry crop is depleted. We must enjoy them now.

Fast Water, Slow Shutter

11/11/2019

We have routines so it was time to visit our go-to place for Dipper. The Dippers are present but not giving great views at the moment. However it has still been profitable to go there.
On the first visit we heard a Wren making an unusual call. Remarking upon it, I turned around to see a female Sparrowhawk in the shrubbery. It had made a kill (turns out it was a Jay) and was busy feeding.
On the third visit we saw a Kingfisher. Perhaps it will get more approachable but, no matter, we have patience on our side.
But on the second visit we discovered a Heron below a waterfall. The water was flowing fast so we were able to make a more interesting picture by deploying a show shutter speed and using the trip to keep the camera steady.

The Reeds are Alive

26/10/2019

We live close to some reedbeds where it can be worthwhile visiting. In fact it is one of the more difficult habitats since it is quite possible to see nothing although you may well hear birds such as Water Rail. That said, it has been quite productive lately. A Stonechat has been hanging around which is not usual. Hopefully it is a sign that their recovery from harsh winter is complete; soon after the two consecutive hard winter there were virtually no Stonechats in the county. A much commoner visitor to the reedbeds is the (well named) Reed Bunting. They can be a bit hit or miss but are more often seen. Finally the Bearded Tit. As a breeding species they are boom and bust and are quite migratory through the reedbed system. Lately we have been lucky, seeing them regularly. Of course it is a great idea to learn the distinctive call since that it usually the first indication they are about. Pictured is a Male, doing what they do best at this time of the year, namely feeding on the tiny seeds,

What's in a Name?

17/9/2019

Autumn is underway. Cold starts, pleasantly warm day and little rain at the moment. There's plenty of food around for birds. Winter visitors to add to the bounty eater have yet to appear. The hide area is quiet. Even the Squirrel are uncommonly see; I hope they have not become road casualties.
I recently had a Song Thrush visit. In fact there was an adult(pictured) and a young bird. Often I hear but don't see them but this one came to take a sip of water. The Song Thrush has been also called Mavis, first noted in Chaucer. Throstle is also used for the Song Thrush and the Mistle Thrush. However in some parts of Scotland the Mistle Thrush is referred to as Mavis. The Mistle Thrush is also known as Stormcock but that's another story.

A mixed Day

8/9/2019

There were large tides at the start of the month so I got ready and went to my hide on the East coast. The forecast had been for clearing weather around or just after high tide and so it proved. However, it also predicted it would be very windy and unfortunately that was also correct. This can affect the behaviour of the birds but worse, it also affected the height of the tide; as a result it didn't come far enough to properly flood in front of me. I had to content myself with taking flight shots of birds, mainly Curlew.
When it was time to leave I checked and found an Osprey sitting on a post just outside the hide. (I wish it was a more attractive post). Slowly and very carefully I pulled the camera in from the front and slid it out the side of the hide. The bird stayed for a couple of photos before it flew towards me and over the hide. A nice ending to the visit,

Hill Start

25/8/2019

For health reasons we have avoided hills for almost a year. Yesterday we put it to the test and passed. Aching knees but that's par for the course. Despite the weather being sunny and bright below us we battled against a fairly strong wind and constant cloud. At one point the cloud base was below us - a warning sign.
Nevertheless, we enjoyed good views of Mountain Hare until they quickly move off. With good reason - a eagle was circling overhead being mobbed by Ravens. Searching all the rocky runs eventually proved successful when we "bumped into" a pair of Ptarmigan. By being patient we were able to get a decent picture and leave them in the same place we found them Rather satisfactory day.

Pretty in Pink

22/8/2019

Last month we travelled to the southern counties of England on the lookout for insects including some rarer ones. At Kingcombe it was moth trapping along with outings for butterflies, We failed on Purple Emperor but had success with Southern, and Scarce Blue-tailed, Damselflies as well as commoner species like Gatekeeper. It was hot but not suffocatingly so.
In the New Forest we were very pleased to see Nightjar hawking at sunset.
This picture is of a female Marbled White against the pink of Rosebay Willowherb.

Summer Warbler

3/7/2019

I spend a lot of time at my little hide. Why? Because I enjoy it. There are around seven regular birds I see almost every time. These are a challenge to see whether I can show them in a different light. Of course it is a pleasure to get a window into their lives whether it results in a picture or not. Then there are the more irregular visitor. For the past couple of months I have heard Blackcap frequently but he is only very rarely interested in the food. Sometimes one comes to bathe.
This time it neither drank, bathed or feed. It just appeared and allowed me to enjoy it. That's why I spend so much time; for these few moments.

Giving A Good Impression

25/6/2019

Come the summer months I spend less time with birds and, consequently, more with beasties. I enjoy a walk with a camera, looking down instead of up and ahead. If I find something I take a picture and then try to identify it. In past times this was tough but now it is a bit easier with so much (and better quality) reference material.
A couple of day ago I took this picture. At the time I wondered if it was a hoverfly rather than a bumble bee. It is. This is Volucella bombylans, a hoverfly that mimics a Bumble Bee. There are two versions of this species for two different hosts. The white tip on the abdomen indicates this one mimics the White-tailed Bumble Bee, Bombus lucorum. This gives it a degree of protection from predators since Bumble Bees sting. However this species of Hoverfly also begins life in a Bumble bee nest so the association is much tighter. Endlessly fascinating.