Viewing entries tagged
Tree Creeper

Re-edits and new Fungi

Seems standard to be ill over Christmas but I finally got out of the house today and had a short walk at Llandegfedd. Pintail and Jacksnipe were notable birds, though no pictures to show for them as they were too fast for me! I’d love to know what the first Mushroom is? If someone could let me know. There is a small patch growing on the clay mud banks possibly growing on the roots of the surrounding willows if that helps with the ID? Candlesnuff Fungus seems numerous this winter and hang on, is that Daffodils already?! They’re almost in flower! I wonder if our native Daffodil is coming out this early too.. I very much doubt it but it certainly made me feel better seeing them today, knowing that spring is just a couple months away! Won’t be long now before the Reptiles start emerging and spring migration begins. For some, it’s already began! that is a great feeling. Guaranteed to get another cold snap before spring though.. it’s always the same.
I’ve included some older pics of Rock Pipit, Fulmar and Tree Creeper just to add some birds into the mix.

WWT Slimbridge Winter Special

Theres nothing quite more thrilling than a stunning sunny winters day at Slimbridge WWT nature reserve. What an incredible place, not just for wildlife, but for people of all kinds. Families having a fun filled day observing, playing and learning, all the while, serious birders getting some fantastic views of truly massive numbers of wintering wildfowl & waders with their predators in the mix. Every now and again you're reminded of the amount of conservation work that has taken place their also, with plenty of ringed / satellite tagged birds out on the reserves. It's by far the best place for photography out of all of the WWT reserves I've been to, as the hides are setup with photographers in mind, with the sun at your back and the wildlife up close and personal. How they've achieved all this is beyond me, but it proves it can be done! I know you have to pay to get in, or pay membership fees, but in my opinion, it's worth every penny because you get so much back from it. You only need look at my photographs below to see that and these are only a hand-full of photo's that I took yesterday. Two views of hunting Peregrines in a place that I last saw a hunting Goshawk over the meadows on my last visit. I hope you enjoy my images below. The Water Rail has to be my favourite as it needed to cross the ice to get to the other side of the pond where the water had thawed in the sun. That said, there were lots of incredible moments, perhaps I'll post the images separately and talk about them individually on a later date. For now, enjoy.

Staying Local

Tree Creepers, Goldcrests, Mistle Thrushes, Meadow Pipit, and much more on todays outings. I love finding local wildlife. It means so much more than travelling half the country chasing around after wildlife that other people have found for you. Of course, I love seeing the country and all it's beauty, but I also seek to find the beauty right here on our doorstep. Who would have thought that we had localised Hawfinch? I certainly didn't. Though this winter is a particularly good year to see Hawfinch with a large influxes turning up all over Europe from places like Russia. There are a few theories as to why we've had such a large number of Hawfinches this winter, some say it's due to mass de-forestation in combination with food shortage.. Who knows?, but I'll certainly be making the most of them. Keep an eye on your local Yew tree's, often planted around Churches and you may just find some yourself if you haven't already. I'd even be bold enough to say that most Yew Tree's in the Uk would have had a Hawfinch visit at some point this winter, so it's well worth keeping your eyes pealed for the Uk's largest finch!