Not So Ugly Ducklings!

Great news this weekend from one of my local sites with the first new Mute Swan arrivals for 3 years.
I first noticed the Pen Swan on eggs about a month ago and I've been waiting eagerly for the hatching ever since.
There was a clutch of 5 eggs and 4 of these hatched successfully on Friday evening.

Worryingly the newborns have already captured the attention of a Mink that has been 'seen off' by the adult birds on at least two occasions.

I kept a good distance away from the nest this morning and after a 2 hour wait, the new family took to the water for a very brief swim...


The Cygnets never strayed further than a few feet from their mothers side and even the proud Cob Swan didn't get much of a look in!

I'll be visiting the site again in a day or two to hopefully get some close ups of the Cygnets, so watch this space!

Up With The Larks

First visit in almost a month to the Derbyshire Peaks this morning and a very early start.
In fact you could say I was up with the Larks.
Well to be precise, I was up with the Skylarks and they were showing pretty well today...

The Peaks are a very special place at this time of year, full of birdlife and song. A close relative to the Lark family are Pipits and this Meadow Pipit was doing his best to provide the song...

He was posing very nicely in between bursts as well...

The Moors look very different at this time of year with plantlife recovering from the very harsh winters that are a feature of this high country.
The heather is starting to thicken and it will only be a few weeks before it's in bloom with it's beautiful purple flowers.

While we wait for the heather to bloom, I think we can be more than content with the lovely Hare's-Tailed Cottongrass that covers large areas of the landscape at the moment...



This singing Golden Plover seemed to be enjoying the change of scenery too...

Local Specialities

We've had some pretty lousy weather here for the past 5 days which has been very frustrating because I've been dying to get out with the camera!
The lack of photography has however given me the chance to look through some recent shots and I'd thought I'd share a few from a couple of weeks back on a sunny afternoon spent at one of my local stomping grounds...Etherow Park.

Etherow is quite unique because it is home to a couple of species that are pretty scarce around the north of England and visitors come from far afield to tick them off their lists.
I have touched on both the following birds before in this blog, but they are a couple of beauties and I make no apologies for doing so again!

Both of the bird species were originally imported into the UK in days gone by to satisfy wildfowl collectors, but escapees have bred in the wild for many generations and are doing rather well.

First the Egyptian Goose, which as the name would suggest is a bird of African origin.
These birds have seen had a steady rise in population over the last few years, especially in the wetlands of Norfolk.
There has been a single Egyptian Goose at Etherow for a number of years, but last winter the population increased when another pair flew in from somewhere...

Next the Mandarin Duck, a very colourful bird of Asian origin.
These amazingly beautiful birds have started to populate a wide range of territories in the UK over recent years and there is a very healthy breeding population at Etherow and also in and around the River Goyt through Stockport.

Mandarins have recently been seen on the River Tame in the neighbouring Greater Manchester borough of Tameside, and I also spotted a single bird at Poynton Pool in Cheshire a few months back...Good news indeed!

Finally a rather exotic creature that has bred well at Etherow and many other local waters at a near epidemic rate...The Terrapin.
The only time you spot these reptiles is on warm sunny days when they like to bask out of the water.

It really is a bit of a mystery to why my local waters have such an abundance of Terrapins (Red-Eared I believe) but maybe it's no coincidence that this population boom started in the late 1980's around the same time as the hit children's TV craze 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'!

Terrapins are very small and cute when youngsters, but quickly outgrow their tanks and develop into a quite large animal...

Caught In The Oil

As a nature lover and one who cares deeply about the environment and the welfare of animals, I must say how disgusted I am with the incompetent way that British Petroleum have handled the operation to stop the oil slick off the coast of America.

I've watched and listened to the television in bemusement for the last few weeks while the BP bigwigs have said 'Well we can try this or do that...Maybe this could work!'

I find it unimaginable that here we are in the 21st century and these oil companies don't seem to have a clue on how to deal with this man-made disaster...It's not like this is the first time this has happened!

If these massive companies who basically rule the world and dictate our global economy don't have a proven strategy to deal with these disasters quickly and effectively then they really should not be allowed to operate!

I'm sorry, I really am struggling to put into words the amount of anger and frustration I feel about this and as the slick reaches the coast of Louisiana, I'll leave you with these poignant images of Sea Birds taken by photographer Charlie Riedel...

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/caught_in_the_oil.html

Local Heroes

I've spent the last couple of evenings exploring farmland close to my home and despite the insect bites, I've had a very enjoyable time in the sunshine...

The Lapwing is a bird that is sadly in decline in the UK, largely due to loss of natural habitat.
It's always very pleasing to see these beautiful birds in their traditional countryside surroundings and my local farms have a steady population.

In fact the local population has taken somewhat of a boost with some new arrivals...

Another dwindling British species is the Starling and I'm pleased to report that there are very good numbers of youngsters at my local patch this year...

This particular location also has a very healthy population of the very charismatic Pied Wagtail and this little beauty was posing very nicely...

Derbyshire Heronry

Regular readers of this blog will know that of all the wildlife I encounter, there is one species that I have a special admiration for...The Grey Heron.

So when I was invited to visit a Herony at a location in the High Peak area of Derbyshire, I didn't have to think twice!
In fact I had made some provisional plans for today, but they were put on hold when this chance arrived.

This particular Heronry is beside a fairly remote reservoir with a backdrop of rolling hills and not too far from a river and canal network...A perfect spot for these birds to rear their young.
Although the reservoir was very low and there was plenty of 'beach' and what looked to be good crossing points over small channels, there was an almost quicksand-like mud, so we decided the best and safest option would be to walk through a wooded area around the waters edge to gain close views of the birds.

There was some early morning sunshine on arrival and at first glance the first nest we approached appeared empty...

After about 10 minutes, we might have been forgiven for leaving and assuming the nest was indeed vacant, that is if we hadn't of heard the loud calls of the youngsters from the other side of the water a little earlier.

We stood quietly and waited and pretty soon a young head popped up out of the nest...

This was quickly followed by a second head...

These two young birds, kept understandably quiet while we were around and when we saw an adult Heron circling the area, we decided to move on and give the birds chance to get a feed.

A little further on from this nest, there was another with a slightly older youngster in it who was keeping his eyes firmly on us...


He wasn't the only one keeping a watchful eye, because a couple of trees further down, an adult was also keeping us and her youngster firmly in sight.

It is very important when photographing birds near nest sites is to do it as quickly as possible and without any disturbance.

I also like to keep as far away as possible and use my longest lens.

Although I could have stayed all day and watched these magnificent birds, the actual time spent in their presence was only a few short minutes and because this particular site was in a rather exposed location with very little cover it was only fair to let them go about their business without the risk of causing them any distress.

Special thanks to Margaret, Brian and Dave for their help and hospitality.

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.

Love Is Blind

One of the most beautiful things about nature is it never fails to surprise and the adaptability of even some of the smallest of God's creatures quite often leaves me with a sense of wonder...

Tonight was one of those occasions when nature like it so often does, warmed my heart...
I came across a female House Sparrow, who was sadly blind in one eye.


This of course is a huge disadvantage for such a small and vulnerable bird and it got me thinking about how she must struggle going about her daily business, even more so because she had a young offspring close by.

I needn't have worried too much though, because this female had a very loving male companion, who tirelessly took turns feeding both fledgling and mother...

New Life (2)

A trip to the Vale early this evening and following on from the last post, I thought I'd share with you some more images of the springs new arrivals...

It really was a very hot evening and definitely not the sort for roaming about, so I sat on a bench close to one of two broods of Canada Geese and watched the youngsters explore their new world...

New Life

Yesterday, feeling a lot better after the cold from hell, I decided to visit a couple of locations close to home and take in some sunshine on what was the warmest day of the year so far...

First stop was Brabyns Park in Marple where on the small pond, the Moorhen family seemed to be getting on very well and I'm glad to say that the young have escaped the attention of the Grey Heron that was stalking them a couple of weeks back...

The pond is now almost entirely covered in Lilly pads and I shall return in a couple of weeks when the Lilly's are in bloom.

Next I visited another location close to home and I was very pleased to see a new family of Greylag Geese, including this little cutie...

The young Coots are doing well also and they really are funny looking creatures when they reach this stage in their development, with their tiny heads, tiny wings and huge feet...

Red Grouse Study (5)

Back up the moors this morning for another trip to see how the Grouse were getting on...

Unusually for me, I overslept this morning and didn't leave the house until 7.30.

Actually, I've had a stinking cold for the last couple of days and I really didn't feel like going anywhere, but I had been looking forward to seeing the Grouse for the first time in a couple of weeks and decided to make the effort.

I was really hoping that there might of been some youngsters to be seen today, but sadly I didn't manage to spot any.

In fact it was an unusually quiet day for Red Grouse and I only saw 4 males and just the one female.

I must admit, that feeling so lousy restricted the amount of searching I was prepared to do and although it was a nice bright morning, the usual cold wind wasn't making me feel any better and my energy levels were very low.

You always have to be careful when approaching birds, especially at this time of year when they are tending to their young and I was very conscious this morning of not getting too close to the Grouse in case there were any juveniles around.

I've become very familiar with the Grouse in this area and I knew that if I set my camera on the tripod and waited, then the birds would come to me.

Sure enough after a short time, a curious male bird came within a few feet...

By this time, I was losing the battle with my cold and after foolishly forgetting to bring any water with me, I decided to call it a day and head back to the car.

The long walk back to the car seemed to take forever and I really was beginning to regret getting out of bed.

The only thing keeping me going was the occasional wildlife sighting, which included a very distant Mountain Hare and a few beautiful Golden Plover...

I was the only human being in this lonely part of the Peak District this morning and although I normally revel in the isolation, it became slightly worrying at times as my tiredness started to get the better of me and my thirst became more and more of a problem.

The sights and sounds of the moorland birds lifted my spirits and helped to keep my focus away from self-pitying state of mind.

There are always good numbers of Skylark about at this time of year, but spotting them isn't easy in the thick heather landscape.

Now and again, you do get lucky and one will make it's self known to you...

Finally, the views are always stunning in this part of the world and it's always nice to stop for a while and take them in...