Lee Harrison's Nature Photography.: Oystercatcher

Showing posts with label Oystercatcher. Show all posts

RedStart At Night, A Beautiful Delight....

I haven't had much time this week so the family and I decided to have a couple of hours out and about on Friday night, as a last minuet decision we decided to have a walk around Lead-Mine Valley, which proved to be very wise choice in the end.

We really started off the evening my eating our tea from the Bolton view point, over looking fields and trees where I soon picked up a small Roe deer feeding and the bottom of a field, unfortunately a bit to far away for a decent picture.

Not long before we had started the walk, we stopped to watch a Mistle Thrush feeding on a fence post, as this was going on we started to here an unusual call that we didn't recognise, we stared aimlessly into the tree top for about 15minuet before my Mum eventually spotted a small bird singing high up in the branches, a quick glance through the binos and "Redstart" a fantastic new bird for the year and the first one for a long time.

soon after as we continued walking, a number of birds decided to to fly low including a curlew and 3 oyster catcher. moments later we spotted a Green Woodpecker in a near by tree, i only managed to get a record pic. but that better that nothing...

Redstart

Green Woodpecker (Peeping out)

Oystercatcher

Curlew

Many other birds where knocking around as we continued on our walk including:- Chiff Chaff, Willow Warble, gold Crest, Redpoll, pied Wag. Greater Spotted Woodpecker, all the others you might expect and one small bird that I couldn't identify, i couldn't get any picks but I'll try to describe it and see if you recognise it.. It was very small, the size of a wren but it had a very light brown back, a white chest and belly which at a quick look seemed to have bars on it. at first I thought that it could have been a leucistic Wren but the marking seen a little wrong... If you have any Ideas please comment me.

As we headed back the sun started to set and the sky was beautiful so I decided to try and take a few atmospheric photos as I went around... I'll let you judge if I achieved this...

Anyway I hope that you like my pics and I hope that you will visit my blog sight again.

Thanks always Lee Harrison.

Eventually Wednesday Arrives...

I had a fantastic day out on Wednesday, with 3 brand new ticks, I've been that busy going though the 400+ pics that I took on my day out and college work I have had no time to write this blog... But here it is eventually...

I started off at 9am parking up at Crossens and walking down to Sandgrounders in hope of getting a few pics. of the Sedge Warblers and Whitethroat, even though I waited for nearly 2 hours at different bramble patches the Sedgy proved elusive to photograph, although a flock of 7 Swift came swirling over head and a slightly more co-operative Whitethroat came and landed close by singing in a tree...

Swift

Whitethroat

Eventually reaching the hides almost 2 hours after I had set off, I had a brief look in Sandgrounders where nothing much was going on before heading off to Nells to see of the Little Stint and Curlew sandpiper where around, I got settled and started scanning around with instant results as Peregrine came soring over, sending the Blackwits in to histerics before stooping through the centre of the flock creating panic.

Peregrine Falcon

Black Tailed Godwits (Panicking)

As I sat there, my belly started to rumble "umm dinner time" I thought and I think the birds must of had the same idea, Peregrines chasing the Blackwits soon after a large female Spawk came cruising over taking specific interest in the house martins darting around and then unusually a large and what I can only presume was a very hungry GBB gull came soaring in and continued to chase a poor little Oyster Catcher in circles around the marsh

Sparrowhalk

GBB chasing Oyster Catcher

After this exciting start, thing started to settle down, all the raptors disappeared leaving me to try and scope out these little waders, I scoped, I scoped and I Scoped but nothing, no Ringed Plover, no Dunlin, not even a Redshank.... I sat there for an hour before I saw anything and then it all happened, "Zoom" 2 common sand came flying onto a nearby island with a single Ruff then a beautiful White Wag. came to join them...

Common Sandpiper

Ruff (sorry About the Pics)

White Wagtail (again Sorry about the pics)

Shortly after "flit" a Redshank appeared and then I noticed a small wader fly into the back of the marsh and there it was, the bird I'd been waiting for, a beautiful Curlew Sandpiper "Woo Hoo a First" showing fantastically between a small group of Backwits and a single Redshank:-

Curlew Sandpiper

As you can see in the 2nd and 3rd Pics you can see both Redshank and more importantly the fantastic Curlew Sandpiper.

As I wondered back, not much around so I decided to have a wonder around the sand plant were I picked up this beautiful male Wheatear who quite happily posed for about 30 second whilst I took a few snaps...

Wheatear

And Last but not least on the way home I stoped off at Martin Mere where I didn't see much, 3 Ring Plover, a Single Redshank and the usual wildfowl that you might expect, so at a last minuet decision I chose to have a walk down Curlew lane to see if the yellow Wags. had settled in yet. This is a bird that I can never remember seen although my Mum and Dad tell me that I saw 1 as a child so I class this next entry as a first,

Yes as you guessed I found them... Well after waiting 30min., I found a single Yellow Wag. on its own, the pic isn't anything to be desire but here my first every sighting and record shot of a Yellow Wagtail...

Yellow Wagtail

Yep... This is all I got of it but it but a massive smile on my face because I also caught up with a flock of Corn Bunting Whilst I was down there which accounted to another 2 new ticks for my life... Woooooooooooo hooooooooooo...

Anyway I hop that you like my blog and I hope that you will visit again;

Thanks always Lee Harrison.

Day Light Saving & Sunset to Die for.

On Wednesday I Spent day at Martin Mere, went to buy my Dad a new scope, once all that was over we had an hour walking around, the Marsh Harrier was showing very well and a heron fishing in a near by pool before flying off;

Heron

Plenty of other birds knocking around, Ringed Plover, Avocet, Blackwit, Oyster Catcher, Lapwing, Redshank and all the wildfoul and smaller birds that you might expect.

Oyster Catcher

Lapwing

Redshank

After Tea I decided to have a ride down to Marshide, parking up at Crossens and walking down to the sand plant, such a beautiful evening, I managed to see three Short Eared owls, Which two were relativly close and a merlin weaving around across the marsh.

The Pics arn't that great but here's one the of the Short Eared owls i picked up...

Short Eared Owl

After some fantastic views of the shorty, I was treated to a gorgeouse sunset just before i left...

Anyway I hope that you like my pics. please feel free to leave any comments.

Thanks Always Lee Harrison.

Singing In The Rain......or is that wind?

A beautiful Morning on Wednesday, sun shining, birds singing all looks good in life, I had an early start and dragged myself out from under my duvet at 6am, in hope of catching up with a Ross's Gull at Lytham that I heard about the day before, but no luck there unfortunately.

I spent a few hours just watching the waders been pushed up the beach and around Fairhaven lake, in hope that the gull might reappear on the in coming tide but NO... Plenty of waders round about, Knot, Sandling, Dunlin, Redshank, Curlew, Grey Plover, Oyster Catcher, Black Tailed Godwits and a single Bar tailed Godwit which was nice to see because is was my first in a while; plenty of Black headed and Common Gulls wandering around with the odd Greater Black Back Cruising over to see if any snacks had there backs turned.

Bar Tailed Godwit

Oyster Catcher

Curlew

Once i had finished at Lytham and finally convinced myself that the Ross's Gull wasn't going to return, I sulked off to the usual turf of Marshide, as i headed down Marine Drive, the clouds set in and the winds picked up but i continued on to see what was around; as always plenty of Avocets around, Ruff, Dunlin and all the other regulars that you would expect, Meadow Pipits struggling to stay in one place but still sing the little hearts out in the wind, I had a good scan through the Dunlin but they were a bit to far away to see if the Little Stint was still there, Even though it was quite quiet around i managed to get a few nice pics around the hides as the sun drifted in and out.