Month: June 2022

Last night we went off looking for Nightjars.  Unfortunately the males on our favoured common have stopped displaying around us and have moved to more inaccessible locations, making it unrewarding, until a female came and sat in front of us for a minute in reasonable light (reasonable for observation that is).  The picture is bad, but remarkable that there’s a picture at all, at 2149.

A trip to the New Forest today was disappointing: only a brief view of a Goshawk and very few other raptors , and little else enlivened an otherwise pleasant walk.

A Swallow on the down behind us

Skylark. It's rude to sing with your mouth full.

Female Nightjar

It'll take your arm off - the Sundew is a carnivorous plant.

Silver-studded Blue

We had two more visits to  Bempton while we were in Yorkshire, but both times the Albatross decided to hide from us, leaving me nothing to do but take pictures of Auks.  Well, someone had to do it…

Yet another Puffin

An angry Kittiwake

Hello Kitty

Guillemot

Homemaking

Razorbill on final approach

Some Sand Eels were hurt in the making of this picture.

Two contrasting challenges over the last two days: yesterday photographing fast-moving, unpredictable, Sand Martins in good light, and today woodland birds in appalling overcast light in the Dales.

The Sand Martins proved two things: 1) take several hundred photos and you’ll get something decent by accident, 2) they’re easier to take when perched.

The woodland birds were tough, but the camera produced some decent high ISO shots, that aren’t too bad after a bit of tweaking.  The highlight was finding a Wood Warbler.  They’re getting so scarce in Yorkshire that I’d given up on seeing one, so having an hour being trilled at by one was a real treat.

Sand Martin

A female Pied Flycatcher in the gloom

Strid Woods, is there anywhere better in spring?

Dipper

A male Pied Flycatcher

A Wood Warbler sings his heart out

Lapwing

We’re up in Yorkshire for the jubilee holiday, and no visit to Yorkshire is complete without at least one visit to Bempton, particularly when there’s an Albatross.

Unfortunately, Albert didn’t cooperate very much, with only a brief show of circling more distantly than last year, before flying out and settling on the sea at a distance.  However, there was lots of opportunities to practice birds in flight…

In Sompting, the Little Owl was grumpy to be photographed.

Kittiwake

Razorbill

A Puffin brings breakfast

Gannet

Jackdaw

Fulmar

Finally, Albert puts in an appearance.

This Skylark was too lazy to fly while singing.