My First Visit to Tophill Low Nature Reserve

I had a fantastic day at Tophill Low Nature Reserve in East Yorkshire today. Although some two and half hours drive away, I was drawn there by some wonderful photographs on the Tophill Low Facebook groups, particularly of Kingfishers, Greenshank and Green Sandpipers. There's a members' hide which is set up for photography being only about a foot above the water level and for once well-positioned to take advantage of the afternoon sunlight, which so often isn't the case.

Hopefully these photos will soon be followed by a longer report.

Ospreys Raise Three Chicks

This shot of an Osprey nest is at an undisclosed location somewhere in England.

Got the Little Bustard!

News of  a mega rare Little Bustard was rife on the internet this week and, as I'm struggling to increase my UK life list, I just had to go for it. Fortunately I had a good idea of where it was from the descriptions on BirdGuides as I often pass close to its location when visiting St. Aidan's RSPB.

I also knew that photographs would be difficult due to the distance, fences and heat haze as I seen some photos from well-known photographers which were only record shots at best. But that didn't deter me or hundreds of other birders descending on Methley, near Mickletown Ings this week - it truly is a very rare bird.

The bird showed quite well at times when viewed through a scope, but it was just too far for a decent shot, although some people on different, less hazy days, have done better.  I was just happy enough to see its distinguishing features and decided that video might be a better record for me today.

From here I was originally going to visit St. Aidan's RSPB but problems with workmen and builders parking in my usual spot made me change my mind and I headed off for Adel Dam instead. I was hoping for some close Kingfisher shots here, but in the end I only got a couple of fleeting glimpses.

 

The Mandarin Ducks were in eclipse, but I was surprised how nice the males looked

Little Owls in Old Lancashire

I was in desperate need of a Little Owl fix and so I checked with someone on Facebook if the ones I know about in Lancashire were still around.  When he confirmed that they were, I headed off for old Lancashire (now actually in Greater Manchester, just) to see if I could get some shots.

More text will hopefully follow ...