Not too late am I?..
Managed to get out on my local patches (Other than Llandegfedd) today. Was nice to be greeted with birds in full song! Heard my first Song Thrush, Goldcrest, Blackbird, Robin, Blue Tit, Dunnock and Coal Tit singing together on what ended up being quite a lovely evening. Goosander and Kingfisher were quite entertaining but hearing that Song Thrush really made my day.
I've never really used flash, especially considering that most of my subjects are Birds and I don't exactly want to frighten them off. That said, flash is regularly used in wildlife photography and with great results (when used properly). There is a balance and skill required to get the most out of a flash, I certainly don't have that just yet but I'm going to practise. Even if it's only on ornamentals for the time being.
Finally got around to recording the Winter Robin Song! Not ideal recording conditions with all this wind and rain but I just about managed to get some clear isolated recordings while hiding out of the wind beneath some thick bushes. You'll hear plenty of other Robins singing in the background back and forth this guy so I was spoiled with choice a bit. In the last section when the wind picks up, you'll also hear that this Robin has mimicked a couple phrases from either a Blue Tit or Great Tit.
There is a distinctive difference between a Winter song and a spring/summer song of a Robin. There are a number of theories as to why this is the case; 1. The birds that sing in the winter are often migratory birds off the continent 2. They expend less energy on the content of their song as it serves a slightly different function to that of a spring song. 3. Colder Weather inhibits their ability to produce a full spring/summer song as it does require a lot of energy that they cannot afford to waste. Personally, I think all of those points play a part in why their song is slightly different in winter. Some may not even notice the difference but if you compare this song to another recording that I did closer to spring - https://soundcloud.com/gavin-vella/sets/favourite-recordings - you can certainly hear a difference in melody and see a difference in the length of phrases. The linked recording is more melodic and clearly has more energy. That said, I do love a Winter Robin, it keeps me going throughout the winter months.
My last post was about Reed Buntings and the photograph featured 'a really nice perch' that I intended to use for something else.. Below you'll see a different bird, this time a Nuthatch and this still isn't the intended subject but everything seems to look good on this perch so I'll have to use it lol. Any guesses what bird I'm trying to get on this perch?
It's got to be said, the Reed Bunting is a fairly hardy bird! Below is a striking looking female and our new visitor to the feeding station at Llandegfedd. They are present all year around at Llandegfedd, though still undergo local movement in the winter to warmer, often lowland areas. That said, Reed Buntings can be found in all sorts of habitats, their typical habitat is Wetland and Moorland but have recently branched out and are quite commonly found in and around farmland. In winter, we're even starting to see Reed Buntings turn up to peoples Gardens. Even though they are an amber listed species, I personally think we'll start to see more of these birds for these reasons alone. This broadening of breeding habitat isn't happening for every species in the Uk however and some are really struggling. Not all birds like the Reed Bunting are able to jump breeding habitat because certain species have stricter dietary needs. Being able to eat both insects and seeds gives this Reed Bunting a fighting chance, especially if we start to see them on our feeders more often.
Not a great photograph but just wanting to speak about the Redpoll that are proving hard to tempt into the feeders so far despite there being plenty of them onsite. I've noticed that the Redpoll and Siskin are still finding plenty of natural food, even in the trees surrounding the feeding station. That said, I have put a new feeder in today called a 'Niger Seed Feeder' which has been made with these sorts of birds in mind. I think we may need some more cold weather and even more finch activity before we tempt them in. Still plenty of winter left for things to change. This picture was taken from the hide today so just a matter of time I think.
I do apologise! My website is becoming some what of a Llandegfedd feature this year. I've naturally spent a lot more time there this winter due to the feeders. I've been visiting nearly every day to keep them topped up and as a result, have a lot to share about Llandeg.
The usual on the feeders today with 2 Redpoll taking an interest but not quite coming in as of yet. I did however erect a new Niger Feeder for the finches so I'm hoping that pics up soon.
At the end of the day, I met up with Craig Constance and Tom Chinnick to have a scan in the Gull Roost from Petingale Hide. It was looking pretty standard with the exception of 2 Yellow-legged Gulls until just after Dark when thousands more Gulls turned up and Tom managed to spot a Mediterranean gull amongst the Black-headed. That saved the day really! (No pictures sorry, it was after sunset). Other than that, we had 15 Goosander, 3 Mandarin, 10 Wigeon and 80-100 Teal.
I've wanted a nice photograph for a long time of a Long-tailed Tit and this is my favourite so far despite it being pretty poor light conditions. I'll be working much more closely with these guys as they start to make more regular visits to the feeders.
long-tailed Tit
You'll already know at this point if you live in the Uk that the weather has been pretty.. wet. Today being probably the worse rain we've had in a long time! It seemed pointless to go out in this but I had half day so I went straight out to the feeders. Between downpours came some really creative light which made it feel very festive. I hope the images prove this festivity.
On that note, I wish you all a Merry Christmas!
