Just my little joke there !
However it could of course just be my photos. I am now changing to a different site which will provide better quality images.
THE NEW SITE IS......
www.birchamramblings.co.uk
Saturday 31 March 2018
Time for a change
Having used this blog site since 2009 and posted some 245 blog days I have becoming increasingly frustrated by the image upload quality of photographs - this isn't a criticism of the blogger site as I fully appreciate it's not a photography site and it has served me very well over the last nine years..........
Haring about (groan)
Sunday 25 March 2018
To and from work and quite a few Hares about in the fields.
To and from work and quite a few Hares about in the fields.
Rock It !
Tuesday 20 March
Morton Harbour and this Rock Pipit was flying around the boats. This is the Scandinavian Rock Pipit and quite a painful bird for me as I had a Lundy record of Spring Water Pipit rejected many many years ago as I hadn't distinguished it properly from this race of Rock Pipit. In Norfolk they all appear to be the Scandinavian race littoralis in winter when they are very similar to pterosaurs , the nominate British Rock Pipit.
Morton Harbour and this Rock Pipit was flying around the boats. This is the Scandinavian Rock Pipit and quite a painful bird for me as I had a Lundy record of Spring Water Pipit rejected many many years ago as I hadn't distinguished it properly from this race of Rock Pipit. In Norfolk they all appear to be the Scandinavian race littoralis in winter when they are very similar to pterosaurs , the nominate British Rock Pipit.
Sculthorpe
Monday 19 March 2018
With heavy snow in the south-west I decided to ditch my trip to The Photography Show in Birmingham, and as consolation I visited Sculthorpe Moor, near Fakenham to have another look for the Mealy Redpolls. I am pretty sure I had 5 different individuals and the bird table just by the window of the volunteer's hide had Bramblings and Bullfinches almost in the hide itself !
With heavy snow in the south-west I decided to ditch my trip to The Photography Show in Birmingham, and as consolation I visited Sculthorpe Moor, near Fakenham to have another look for the Mealy Redpolls. I am pretty sure I had 5 different individuals and the bird table just by the window of the volunteer's hide had Bramblings and Bullfinches almost in the hide itself !
Saturday 17 March 2018
Look up
Wednesday 14 March 2018
Pre work wander at Titchwell in search of an obliging Woodcock that had been showing for the last week or so. Today it wasn't there, or I couldn't find it and I had to leave to open the shop. However by the car park I could hear Bramblings and looking up saw five birds feeding and wheezing away. Normally straight above your head shots don't work for me but due to the great plumage on these birds there is enough to see to warrant posting a picture.
Pre work wander at Titchwell in search of an obliging Woodcock that had been showing for the last week or so. Today it wasn't there, or I couldn't find it and I had to leave to open the shop. However by the car park I could hear Bramblings and looking up saw five birds feeding and wheezing away. Normally straight above your head shots don't work for me but due to the great plumage on these birds there is enough to see to warrant posting a picture.
Brown things
Tuesday 13 March 2018
En route to/from work and it was all things brown and the more common deer following the Water Deer sighting previously.
In posting these pictures I am as ever quite disappointed with their upload quality. Having tried loads of different settings to cope with blogger compression I am sort of loosing the will...... The blog is my diary so I guess it doesn't really matter but in future posts (when I get it sorted) I will have a link to my website where images can be viewed at better resolutions - many will still be out of focus of course ! More on this anon.
En route to/from work and it was all things brown and the more common deer following the Water Deer sighting previously.
In posting these pictures I am as ever quite disappointed with their upload quality. Having tried loads of different settings to cope with blogger compression I am sort of loosing the will...... The blog is my diary so I guess it doesn't really matter but in future posts (when I get it sorted) I will have a link to my website where images can be viewed at better resolutions - many will still be out of focus of course ! More on this anon.
Snow again
Sunday 11 March 2018
A good start in the morning with the return of a Brambling to the feeders along with Siskin and Tree Sparrow so I was pretty content to start off with (must clean the kitchen window glass).
Then news came through that the Snowy Owl had been seen again and was now at Snettisham. Just time to finish chores and meet up with Oli at Snettisham. It was easily found (due to people watching it) beyond the hides lazing around in some tussocks.
Much better views this time than the distant Scolt Head sightings a few days ago. Not too many people present, fifty or so, but it was mid afternoon, so presumably many had already been.
We stayed for about 45 minutes watching this wonderful female Snowy Owl as it preened and generally surveyed the scene. Assuming it would become active only at dusk as per previous days (even through they hunt in daytime ) we moved on to get back home and for me to continue with chores etc. I discussed with Oli our retreat and he agreed it would be most probably sat in the grass all day. We left well chuffed.
Wrong ! about and hour after leaving it popped up onto a post and dazzled the crowds - the resulting pictures on websites were indeed stunning and I'm sure my return to domestic duties that afternoon were hugely appreciated Hmmmm We were still well chuffed though.
A good start in the morning with the return of a Brambling to the feeders along with Siskin and Tree Sparrow so I was pretty content to start off with (must clean the kitchen window glass).
Wrong ! about and hour after leaving it popped up onto a post and dazzled the crowds - the resulting pictures on websites were indeed stunning and I'm sure my return to domestic duties that afternoon were hugely appreciated Hmmmm We were still well chuffed though.
Vampire Deer
Saturday 10 March 2018
I should have been in the south-west today at the Lundy Field Society AGM but consequences of the snow and various other work and domestic related activities had me firmly in Norfolk for the weekend and mostly working. However the trips to and from work can often be wildlife rich and today was no exception. With the roads almost all passable now and clear of snow it was travel as usual. The road from Docking to Deepdale is usually the most productive.
I have only seen a few Chinese Water Deer but know the are regularly seen by others with many people getting really good views, but apart from a very brief roadside glimpse, I've never managed to catch up with them - all my sightings being Titchwell and at distance. Today was different and as I slowed down to look at what I presumed was a Muntjac I was delighted to see a Chinese Water Deer in the field.
I was a little surprised as I know they prefer wet marshy habitat but they are expanding in Norfolk so I guess not surprisingly areas around the coast will have them. They originally came to this country as introductions to Woburn Park in the late 19th century and have subsequently escaped and it's alleged some deliberate introductions from Bedfordshire. The good news is that while they are declining in their native South-east Asia they are doing well in the UK with around 2100 animals which makes up 10% of the world population.
On a rather less encouraging note males with long tusks are prized by Trophy hunting in the UK - an argument I am not getting involved in. Ecologically they appear to have little impact as they mostly graze on grass. I look forward to seeing these again soon.
I should have been in the south-west today at the Lundy Field Society AGM but consequences of the snow and various other work and domestic related activities had me firmly in Norfolk for the weekend and mostly working. However the trips to and from work can often be wildlife rich and today was no exception. With the roads almost all passable now and clear of snow it was travel as usual. The road from Docking to Deepdale is usually the most productive.
Saturday 10 March 2018
An interesting day
Friday 9 March 2018
I started the day with an hour at Sculthorpe Moor near Fakenham and got lucky with a touch of early morning sunshine. The paths at this lovely nature reserve were less than lovely and covered in ice so tentative walking slowed me down a bit I a modelled myself on a Penguin type approach, bit of a slow moving waddle. I ended up at the Volunteer's Hide and was confronted with a mass of movement around the feeders. Blimey there seemed to be everything there, Bullfinches, Bramblings, Siskins, Redpolls, Goldfinches etc etc. I decided to concentrate on the Redpolls in case they stopped feeding, a mistake because it was the Bullfinches that fed early and then disappeared, but nevertheless these Redpolls were looking great. There were about a dozen Lesser Redpolls and a couple of Mealy Redpolls.
In the previous month I'd made several trips to see Coues's Arctic Redpoll and had at best only poor views. Mealys had proved better for views but no decent photos and while it seemed everyone who owned a camera was posting crippling pictures of all three species I was still struggling to even get decent views. Well this morning was different for two of the three as these birds were close.
Many people with experience of this group advise caution and rightly so. The differences can sometimes be subtle and overlap between the species makes it even harder. Lesser Redpolls like the picture immediately above are the smallest of the three and when you get to see a male like this one are relatively easy due to all the red in the above the bill, around the face and on the underparts. The fringes to the flight feathers and wing bars are yellow buff in colour.
Compare that to the bird in the top picture and the fringes are pale. Overall the bird is paler than the Lesser . Other characteristics are the under wing coverts which typically have multiple blackish arrowheads on a white background as seen here when it was giving some grief to another Redpoll on the feeder.
I definitely need more practise with these but the Challenge Series Winter by Martin Garner is great and I have lifted some text from it here in my descriptions. A few more Redpolls: Mealy, Lesser then both
Also arriving at the feeders were Siskins although after about twenty minutes the Bullfinches had disappeared. Here a few Siskins:
With only an hour available I had to drag myself away for a meeting at Pensthorpe. Following the meeting which took significantly longer than it should have done due to punctures (it's too long and painful a story but bet not many people have had 7 in eight months) I headed for Holkham Bay to look for the Shorelarks. While watching some 9 of these delightful birds running around on the dunes news came through of a Snowy Owl. I don't really twitch but as this was some 50m from the shop I was off !
A very short walk down the drove and there on the sea bank was a small group of people with scopes ! And out near Scolt Head sat unmoving was a first winter Snowy Owl. Nice. A long way off for pictures but you can just see it below:
and to finish the day off a Barn Owl at Bircham
I started the day with an hour at Sculthorpe Moor near Fakenham and got lucky with a touch of early morning sunshine. The paths at this lovely nature reserve were less than lovely and covered in ice so tentative walking slowed me down a bit I a modelled myself on a Penguin type approach, bit of a slow moving waddle. I ended up at the Volunteer's Hide and was confronted with a mass of movement around the feeders. Blimey there seemed to be everything there, Bullfinches, Bramblings, Siskins, Redpolls, Goldfinches etc etc. I decided to concentrate on the Redpolls in case they stopped feeding, a mistake because it was the Bullfinches that fed early and then disappeared, but nevertheless these Redpolls were looking great. There were about a dozen Lesser Redpolls and a couple of Mealy Redpolls.
In the previous month I'd made several trips to see Coues's Arctic Redpoll and had at best only poor views. Mealys had proved better for views but no decent photos and while it seemed everyone who owned a camera was posting crippling pictures of all three species I was still struggling to even get decent views. Well this morning was different for two of the three as these birds were close.
Compare that to the bird in the top picture and the fringes are pale. Overall the bird is paler than the Lesser . Other characteristics are the under wing coverts which typically have multiple blackish arrowheads on a white background as seen here when it was giving some grief to another Redpoll on the feeder.
Also arriving at the feeders were Siskins although after about twenty minutes the Bullfinches had disappeared. Here a few Siskins:
A very short walk down the drove and there on the sea bank was a small group of people with scopes ! And out near Scolt Head sat unmoving was a first winter Snowy Owl. Nice. A long way off for pictures but you can just see it below:
A Fare Day
Saturday 3 March 2018
Birds and snow again starting with a Snipe just outside of Hunstanton.
and then a flock of Fieldfares in the fields between Snettisham and Bircham
But still no Fieldfares in bushes or trees just all on the ground, until a phone call from Oli to say that Fieldfares were at his old house in Hindringham and there were trees in the garden plus bushes with berries - I was on my way ! Twenty minutes later and there were indeed Fieldfares and bushes and trees. The birds were very confiding, intent on feeding. This was indeed a window of opportunity as that evening the big thaw happened and the Fieldfares left. Here a selection of Fieldfares:
Birds and snow again starting with a Snipe just outside of Hunstanton.
Roadside Birds
Friday 2 March 2018
Fieldfares were becoming increasingly easy to see as their normal flighty nature gave way to a food foraging preference. I couldn't find any birds up off the deck so most of the pictures were of birds grovelling about in the snow.
Later that afternoon
(cont'd 28 February)
Snow = snowball fights and we were no exception that afternoon. I was mostly taking the pictures but then put the camera down to show Tom what a real snow fight was about - luckily there is no record of this otherwise social services would have paid us a visit!
Here a few images of Sam Tom and Teasel at the playing filed:
and as you can see Sam wasn't taking prisoners either !
My particular favourite !
Snow = snowball fights and we were no exception that afternoon. I was mostly taking the pictures but then put the camera down to show Tom what a real snow fight was about - luckily there is no record of this otherwise social services would have paid us a visit!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)