Wednesday 6 March 2024

Barn Owls

 04.03.24 I got talking, as you do, to a couple of blokes in the hide at Clara Vale and they were saying that the Shorties were showing well up in the Dales and that they had at least four together. After a bite of bait my wife and I decided to have a drive up into the Dales to see if we could spot them. Unfortunately, we only saw one distant Shortie and I didn’t get any shots however we did get a couple of, again, very distant Barn Owl at two different locations and this time I did manage to get shots (which are all heavily cropped).

The light was great but the Owl was too far off.




The light was rubbish and once again the Owl was too far off.











Tuesday 5 March 2024

Clara Vale

 04.03.24 A couple of hours at Clara Vale didn’t produce the bird I was hoping for but there is nearly always something to photograph.

A small flock of Yellowhammer showed well now and again.





A couple of Long-tailed Tit were visiting the feeders.

Nice to see the Tree Sparrows back although I only saw two.

Reed Bunting.

Stock Dove.


Sunday 3 March 2024

Far Pastures

 29.02.24 I’ve been out of fettle for a while so I haven’t been out with the camera as much as I would have liked. On one of the few occasions I have been out I was lucky enough to catch Red Kite H5 gathering what, hopefully, turns out to be nesting material. There were three Kites Flying around the horse field so fingers crossed.

H5 with what I hope turns out to be nesting material.

He was constantly passing it from his beak to his talons.







One of the other Red Kites this one has what looks like a satellite tag on its back.


Male Kestrel.


Female Roe Deer.

Male Roe Deer.

There were three in the field however I only managed to get an image of two of them.

Willow Tit

Siskin.

Blue Tit.

Magpie hitching a ride on one of the many Shetland Ponies in the field.




Friday 23 February 2024

Crossbill

 22.02.24 After lunch in the Derwent Arms (for my birthday, my wife even paid) my wife and I had drive to Pow Hill to see if there were any Crossbill around. The ones that we saw didn’t unfortunately come down to drink they were always high in the trees making photography challenging.

Female Crossbill.




Male Crossbill.


Monday 19 February 2024

Lizard

18.02.24 I haven’t been out with the camera for ages so I thought I would do my first official insect hunt of the year at Burdon Moor. Unfortunately, I saw more dead Shieldbugs than live ones and only saw four 7-spot Ladybirds. However, the star of the show was undoubtedly the first Lizard I have seen at Burdon Moor in years and I nearly walked past it as I thought it was a small dog turd. It was worth all the aches and pains I have now (legs still not good) to see it. 

Lizard sunning itself on the grass. I carried on walking down the line after I took this shot.

But it was still in the same spot, despite a few dog walkers passing by, when I returned.

Gorse Shieldbug.

Infected Gorse Shieldbug. I saw quite a few of these.


7-spot Ladybird.

Drone Fly? Sitting on the information board.