L.O.S. Trip to Blacktoft Sands RSPB

 

L.O.S. Trip to Leighton Moss RSPB

A good day was had yesterday at Leighton Moss RSPB with Leigh Ornithological Society. Highlights included Long-tailed Duck, Marsh Tit, Marsh Harrier and Great White Egret along with a large supporting cast. The Bearded Tits didn't show for us unfortunately, perhaps we were a bit late.

Marsh Tit

Drake Gadwall

Female Marsh Harrier

Female Long-tailed Duck

Cormorant

Drake Shoveler

Great White Egret

Common Snipe

Grey Heron

Backlit Robin

Drake Teal

Female Marsh Harrier 

Back For Second Helpings

Today I returned to South Yorkshire to try for some more Osprey shots. This time I was at Sprotbrough Flash near Doncaster, a place famous for its crazy Bittern dancing and Kingfishers.

Lesser Yellowlegs at Marshside RSPB

This beautiful juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs has been at Marshside RSPB in South port for the last few days. and I was very pleased to catch up with it today.

  

Bird Guides have just published an article on the new National Nature Reserve being created around the Wigan Flashes and have used my Willow Tit photograph as an example of why it has been chosen.

Full article here: https://www.birdguides.com/news/former-industrial-area-becomes-one-of-uks-biggest-urban-nature-reserve/

A View To A Kill - Osprey Dive and Catch

Last Sunday I spent a very enjoyable day at Ecclesfield Dam in Sheffield photographing this juvenile Osprey. It was great to meet up with some familiar faces as well as some new ones, Martin Byron, Mike Barth and Martin Fairbairn amongst others.

Before I knew it an incredible 10 hours had passed (7am until 5pm) and I thought I had blown my chance of the 'money' shot - one of this magnificent bird catching a fish. But through the magic of Photoshop and Topaz, I managed to resurrect photographs that were almost completely black on the back of the camera (see last photo) and produce some half decent images with which I am very pleased.

 

Please make sure the video is set in HD mode (using the Settings cog, bottom left of screen).

Red-tailed Shrike - 300 UP!

What a cracking bird to see me reach 300 UK bird species!  This mega rare Red-tailed or Turkestan Shrike has been at Bempton Cliffs RSPB for a few weeks now and today I finally made the two and a half hour drive to see it.  

I just can't bear the heat, so there was no way I was going to spend a day in sun at Bempton in the recent unprecedented heatwaves we've been having.  But with the promise of slightly lower temperatures as autumn progresses, I decided to go for it and I really wasn't disappointed.

There have only been seven previous recorded sightings of this bird in the UK, with the first being seen in 1995.  It normally breeds in Asia and overwinter in the Middle East.

Shrikes are carnivorous passerines or songbird, but sometimes I think they should be classified as raptors as they eat small birds, mammals and amphibians as well as beetles, wasps, bees and flies.

It was feeding well today and its tail feathers have mostly regrown after being damaged a few weeks back.

So who knows, it may well be shortly off back home soon.