Meadow Rabbit...

A couple of posts back I shared some shots of Rabbits taken at a picnic area close to the River Goyt in Stockport.

You may recall I mentioned a wild flower meadow which is the usual place to spot these creatures in this particular area and this reminded me of a shot I took a few years ago of a Bunny hiding amongst the wild flowers.

I've always been quite fond of this picture because it proved very tricky to get somewhere near the effect I was after and I must have shot 50 frames to achieve it!

I was trying to focus on the Rabbits eye which was easier said than done because I was shooting through tall grass and flora.

Everytime I thought I had the focus right, the auto-focus would decided otherwise and it became a very frustrating business!

In the end I switched to manual focus and got this shot...

Ok, it's not by any means the greatest photograph in the world, but I like the colours and everytime I see it, it reminds me of the troubles I had getting it!

Bold Bunnies!

Wildlife is always all around us, but so wary is it of human beings it can quite easily go unnoticed.

There is an old saying about siting still and quiet in some wild place and within 15 minutes everything will return to normal...That is nature will carry on with it's business.

A good case in point occurred on my travels this morning...

I took a walk to a spot along the River Goyt close to my home which is usually a good vantage point for species such as Kingfisher, Dipper and Grey Wagtail to name just a few.

To gain access to this spot, I have to walk by meadows full of tall wild flower and grasses before passing through a mowed picnic area by the rivers edge.

The tall meadows play host to a variety of species and are a favourite feeding place for Rabbits because of the excellent cover it provides against predators such as Foxes and Buzzards which are plentiful in this area.

I arrived at the riverbank at around 8am after spending two hours trying to motivate myself to actually get out with the camera!

After spending 20 or so fruitless minutes scanning the river for the before mentioned target species I decided to try my luck elsewhere and headed back towards the picnic area which I had walked through before.

To my surprise the place had come to life and a dozen or so Rabbits were spread around busily feeding on the plentiful Clover flowers that were thriving on this patch of maintained land.

The Clover certainly was proving irresistible to the Bunnies, because these usually most timid of creatures were so intensely eating that they didn't seem to mind my presence and even allowed me to get within a few feet of them on open ground!

All Quiet On The Local Front!

Everything still seems to be a little quiet on the local front, so tomorrow I'll probably head to the coast to try and capture some Sea Birds and Waders.
Over the last few days, I've ventured out a couple of times locally, but there has been a distinct lack of photo opportunities.

My old friends the House Sparrows are always a welcome sight especially when there aren't a lot of other species about...


I came across this solitary Greylag Goose on a quick visit to the Vale last night...

At another location this morning, birdlife was scarce, but at least there were plenty of Rabbits about...

Common Buzzard

Ask most people who don't have more than a passing interest in ornithology, what is Britain's most numerous bird of prey and you would have to excuse them for saying it would be the Common Kestrel.
It often comes as a huge surprise for these people when you tell them in fact it is the Common Buzzard.

It's also very surprising just how many people don't even know that the UK is home to Buzzards and a lot of people seem to have this childhood image of Buzzards circling the dead or dying, just like in the old Westerns!

Buzzards were persecuted just like many other Raptors in the 1800's and the UK population faced extinction.
They made a comeback in the 20th century but again faced a major threat to their survival in the 1960's due to farmland pesticides that were making the birds infertile.
The banning of such pesticides has meant a population boom since then and British Buzzards now number over 40,000 pairs.
You're likely to spot Buzzards in just about every habitat these days and one reason for their success is their excellent hunting skills.
No small animal or bird is safe from the grasp of these superb predators and a few weeks back, I watched a Buzzard make light work of a young Rabbit...

So the future looks rosey for the beautiful Common Buzzard and land owners are now beginning to understand the benefits of having these splendid birds around.

After all, I guess you could regard them as natures Gamekeepers...

Morning Glory

A few more images from yesterday mornings session...

An early start normally means there is a good chance of seeing Rabbits who are very active in the first hours of the summer sunshine...
The hedgerows are always bustling at this farmland location and this Dunnock must have had young close by judging by the amount of insects collected in its beak...

Posing nicely in the sun was this Song Thrush...

Still plenty of Youngsters about and not quite ready for this years Christmas cards was this juvenile Robin...

Down By The Riverside

I took a 7am stroll along the River Goyt close to home this morning.
There was a very unseasonable cold breeze early on, but despite this, the light was lovely and I managed to get a few shots of some of the wildlife that lives along the river...

This stretch of the Goyt is home to a variety of different species of bird including Kingfisher and Dipper.
Wherever you see Kingfishers and Dippers, there is also a good chance that you will see Grey Wagtails and out of these three fine looking birds it was the Wagtail that showed itself this morning...


Not far from the waters edge there is a meadow and behind that a dense area of woodland, making a just about perfect location for Rabbits...

Also showing well and allowing me to get some pretty close views was this lovely Song Thrush.
He did seem a bit preoccupied pulling a very large Snail out of it's shell and not even I was going to stop him in his quest...

Dee Estuary

First visit for a couple of months to the Dee Estuary and a mini tour of the usual haunts...
I must say, it wasn't the best day on the photography side of things and matters weren't helped by some very strong winds.
It was however a very good day for sightings...all be it many at a distance!

Things started well enough at Burton Marsh with a lovely close encounter with a male Reed Bunting...

If there is a better place in the north west of England for seeing Little Egrets then I'd like to know about it!
I counted 12 Egrets at Burton this morning, which is the most I've ever seen in one place at one time...

Next stop was the short trip to Inner Marsh Farm RSPB, where I was greeted by this Goldfinch as I walked down the path past the meadows...

A couple of distant Avocet on the main spit and 20 or so Black-Tailed Godwit threatened to come closer until all hell broke loose at the sight of a Peregrine Falcon patrolling the reserve...

The Peregrine soon flew off in the direction of Burton and order was restored.

Not long after, the Black-Tailed Godwit, flew in for the closest (but not as close as I'd like) views of the afternoon...

Numbers of Little Egret at Inner Marsh were somewhere approaching double figures, but there was a lot of toing and froing between here and Burton so getting an exact count proved difficult.

It wasn't all about birds today and the mammals were represented by this Rabbit who seemed to have a liking for the grass at the edge of the path...

Last stop was Parkgate and yet more Little Egret sightings...Another 3 to be precise!

Despite the wind, it was a lovely sunny day and quite warm when the gales subsided.

Any birder will tell you, that on a warm sunny day at Parkgate, there is only one thing left to do after the birding is finished...Visit the famous Nicholls Ice Cream shop!

A great day's birding and a Rum & Raisin Cornet made up for any photographic disappointment.

Recent Rabbits

During the spring months of April and May, one of the UK's most abundant mammals, the Rabbit is at it's most active and many times in the last couple of months I've encountered these very timid creatures on my travels...


The best times of day to find Rabbits are early in the morning or late in the evening before sunset.
During the spring months, Rabbits seem to be very active throughout the daytime also and are surprisingly easy to spot at known locations.
The image below was taken at a site close to my home in early April, shot back lit into the early morning sun...

If you remain downwind and use a bit of cover, getting close to Rabbits can be a fairly easy exercise...

However, Rabbits are well equipped and have eyes on the side of their heads, giving nearly 300 degrees of vision which proves a useful tool in spotting any unwanted guests on their manor and of course their hearing is super-sensitive too...So it's best to avoid stepping on any twigs like I did on this occasion!

Another early and dew soaked morning Rabbit, this time from early May...

Finally at my favourite local location, there is a small population of Black Rabbits. I'm not sure, but I don't think that these Rabbits are a naturally occurring melanistic variety...More likely I think to be escaped pets that have joined local colonies fairly recently and have adapted well in the wild.