This morning he turned into the sentinel at the gates of dawn, still intent on wreaking havoc upon the local amphibian population, but much more photogenically.
Showing posts with label Grey Heron. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grey Heron. Show all posts
Saturday, 10 April 2010
Digital Heron aid
This chap has been appearing on our neighbour's roof in the late afternoon and early evenings for about a month now. Consequently, the light has always been low and behind him, which produced some quaint, pink heron effects.
This morning he turned into the sentinel at the gates of dawn, still intent on wreaking havoc upon the local amphibian population, but much more photogenically.
This morning he turned into the sentinel at the gates of dawn, still intent on wreaking havoc upon the local amphibian population, but much more photogenically.
Sunday, 21 March 2010
Equinox - a horse-powered nuclear reactor
The fresh air of a fortnight ago seems but a distant memory, as since then I've been AWOB (absent without blog) with a viral infection. I struggled back to work a couple of days ago but the season appears to have stolen a... er... March on me? Friends and acquaintances have reported lots of Springy action, newts, chiffchaffs etc, so today I had a short wander out to sample the sights and sounds of a pleasantly warm, equinoctial morning.Certainly, the bees were a-buzzing around our winter-flowering honeysuckle, making the most of the available pollen, as I set off for Linford Lakes.
On leaving the car, the first sensory experience was the sheer amount of birdsong from the, mainly, resident congregation. It was all rather splendid, with the added bonus and singular charm of a Goldfinch leisurely running through his repertoire. Glorious sight, wonderful sound. Chiffchaffs were indeed "chiff, chaff"-ing, and from one of the hides I observed a Grey Heron collecting twigs for its nest.
Out on the lake, several male Goldeneyes were visible, resting up on their journeys northwards to their breeding grounds in Scotland and beyond. This didn't stop them reacting to the seasonal hormones coursing through their veins, and partaking of a spot of displaying.
I find this a most amusing sight. There is much foot splashing and then the head is thrown back, accompanied by a comedy duck quack. Priceless. I must admit that this shot was a complete fluke, it wasn't doing that when I pressed the button! To prove it, when I did try to capture the moment, I failed miserably.
Great Crested Grebes were being rather amorous too, though well out of camera range, so at least I was saved from having to make the decision of whether to photograph them mating or not. I believe that this photographic behaviour is referred to as pornithology.
Whilst walking back to the car, I spotted a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly and, upon arriving home, there was a Brimstone in our neighbour's garden. Late in the afternoon, while I cooked dinner, our lass went for a walk with the Admiral, to ease the stress of her working day. Along the canal, they spotted Pike spawning in the shallows, and, in a nearby pond, there were about twenty frogs a-courting. Yep, Nature is definitely stirring.
On leaving the car, the first sensory experience was the sheer amount of birdsong from the, mainly, resident congregation. It was all rather splendid, with the added bonus and singular charm of a Goldfinch leisurely running through his repertoire. Glorious sight, wonderful sound. Chiffchaffs were indeed "chiff, chaff"-ing, and from one of the hides I observed a Grey Heron collecting twigs for its nest.
Great Crested Grebes were being rather amorous too, though well out of camera range, so at least I was saved from having to make the decision of whether to photograph them mating or not. I believe that this photographic behaviour is referred to as pornithology.
Whilst walking back to the car, I spotted a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly and, upon arriving home, there was a Brimstone in our neighbour's garden. Late in the afternoon, while I cooked dinner, our lass went for a walk with the Admiral, to ease the stress of her working day. Along the canal, they spotted Pike spawning in the shallows, and, in a nearby pond, there were about twenty frogs a-courting. Yep, Nature is definitely stirring.
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Kite Amble, innit!
As you will know from a previous blog, I find that there’s nothing quite so tedium-relieving on a long car journey than spotting a bird as you careen along. Raptors figure quite highly (though I did spot a Great Spotted Woodpecker on a telegraph post by the A5 the other week). Top raptor for me tends to be the Red Kite, as sadly, I don’t have a commute that includes mountains or moorland.
In fact, the majority of my Red Kite sightings have been from behind the wheel at 60-70mph. I know, I know, I shouldn’t let them drive, but they do thrive on road kill. And you thought they were just scavengers!
Seriously though, there have not been many non-vehicular moments in the Tense/Kite relationship.
Little persuasion was required, therefore, in the decision to visit the Red Kite Centre just outside Rhayader (or Rhaeadr Gwy, for my Welsh readers), to sample a bit more of the spectacle that shines from this charismatic bird.
Large birds of prey are always impressive to see, but combined with the kite’s wonderful colours, markings and aerial agility, they are a joy to behold. A bit like a Spitfire painted using the autumnal palette, with razor sharp talons replacing the Brownings, though without the Merlin engine, cos that’s a much smaller raptor, obviously.
The trip from Shropshire, down through Herefordshire and into Powys was reasonably uneventful so we arrived in Rhayader requiring the adrenalin rush that only a tea shop can deliver. Suitably sustained, we then pootled the short distance out of the town to Gigrin Farm, which is the official Red Kite Feeding Station. Sleet and snow showers were sweeping across the area, but fortunately, we made it to the hides without becoming soaked. Thankfully, the sun appeared as feeding time approached, its weak light mixing with the tangible sense of avian and human anticipation.
On cue, a tractor chugged onto the field in front of the hides, and chunks of meat were shovelled from the rear bucket. Somehow, the raw redness of the situation was heightened by the whiteness of the snow, a feeling probably lost on the assembled Crows, Rooks, Ravens, Buzzards, Red Kites and, bizarrely, two Grey Herons. The corvids were the first to begin feeding, followed by the raptors once they felt safe. In contrast to all the other species, the Red Kites did not land to feed, but would swoop between the assembled throng to grasp the meat in their talons and then gain height to eat it whilst flying. Their aerial antics, experienced at such close quarters, were something to behold, but the best was yet to come.
Needing to move our cold muscles, we abandoned the hide to wander around a nature trail above the feeding site. From this vantage point, we noticed that as the food stocks were depleted, the Kites would harry any bird flying from the field carrying food. Ravens, Buzzards, even other Red Kites, were chased in a whirling, soaring, diving dogfight until the food was dropped, at which point the nearest Kite would twist in mid air and swoop to retrieve it before it fell more than a few feet. It was absolutely amazing to watch and I suspect that we will return to sample the magic again.
In fact, the majority of my Red Kite sightings have been from behind the wheel at 60-70mph. I know, I know, I shouldn’t let them drive, but they do thrive on road kill. And you thought they were just scavengers!
Seriously though, there have not been many non-vehicular moments in the Tense/Kite relationship.
Little persuasion was required, therefore, in the decision to visit the Red Kite Centre just outside Rhayader (or Rhaeadr Gwy, for my Welsh readers), to sample a bit more of the spectacle that shines from this charismatic bird.
Large birds of prey are always impressive to see, but combined with the kite’s wonderful colours, markings and aerial agility, they are a joy to behold. A bit like a Spitfire painted using the autumnal palette, with razor sharp talons replacing the Brownings, though without the Merlin engine, cos that’s a much smaller raptor, obviously.
The trip from Shropshire, down through Herefordshire and into Powys was reasonably uneventful so we arrived in Rhayader requiring the adrenalin rush that only a tea shop can deliver. Suitably sustained, we then pootled the short distance out of the town to Gigrin Farm, which is the official Red Kite Feeding Station. Sleet and snow showers were sweeping across the area, but fortunately, we made it to the hides without becoming soaked. Thankfully, the sun appeared as feeding time approached, its weak light mixing with the tangible sense of avian and human anticipation.
On cue, a tractor chugged onto the field in front of the hides, and chunks of meat were shovelled from the rear bucket. Somehow, the raw redness of the situation was heightened by the whiteness of the snow, a feeling probably lost on the assembled Crows, Rooks, Ravens, Buzzards, Red Kites and, bizarrely, two Grey Herons. The corvids were the first to begin feeding, followed by the raptors once they felt safe. In contrast to all the other species, the Red Kites did not land to feed, but would swoop between the assembled throng to grasp the meat in their talons and then gain height to eat it whilst flying. Their aerial antics, experienced at such close quarters, were something to behold, but the best was yet to come.
Needing to move our cold muscles, we abandoned the hide to wander around a nature trail above the feeding site. From this vantage point, we noticed that as the food stocks were depleted, the Kites would harry any bird flying from the field carrying food. Ravens, Buzzards, even other Red Kites, were chased in a whirling, soaring, diving dogfight until the food was dropped, at which point the nearest Kite would twist in mid air and swoop to retrieve it before it fell more than a few feet. It was absolutely amazing to watch and I suspect that we will return to sample the magic again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)