Well I think we're all a bit sick to death of the wind and the rain that has swept across our country over these past few weeks. Up here in Yorkshire we've escaped the worst of the damage this extreme weather has wreaked in the southwest and I wish them all well with the clean up .... surely some telling solutions will now be arrived at given that this kind of weather looks like becoming the norm.
My only hardship, a few fence panels down and a bit of water through my windows .. oh and the lack of opportunities to get out! Up until the last few days there's been just 2 or 3 days in as many weeks when it hasn't been either raining or blowing a gale!
Aargh, who am I to complain, me who's just taken 6 weeks off in Spain .... wanna guess how many times I've wished I was back there in the past month? Plenty of times! Still, in all the time I was there I never got as good a shot at a Sparrowhawk as this unexpected opportunity along the Pocklington Canal today .....
Female Sparrowhawk1_Pocklington Canal |
Female Sparrowhawk2_Pocklington Canal |
Female Sparrowhawk2_Pocklington Canal |
Talk about a welcome committee! This was the first bird I saw after I got out of the van .... I'd parked nr Melbourne and there's a steeply raised bridge over the canal there (Church Bridge), and there was this majestic female Spar perched right on top of the bridge wall ... I stood stock still and somehow manoeuvred the camera with amazing agility for a man of my age and got a few good shots off. Best perched Spar pics ever in fact.
So this was one of those 2 or 3 good weather days I was talking about earlier, a bright and breezy afternoon on Strensall Common, no bird action to speak of but just to be out under a blueish sky was good enough for me!
Strensall Common_Feb2014 |
Male Bullfinch_askham bog |
A rare moment of brightness on Askham Bog recently and this was one of nearly a dozen Bullfinches on the reserve.
Nuthatch_moorlands |
Nuthatch2_moorlands |
Nuthatch3_moorlands
When food is plentiful, these birds are in the habit of secreting seeds & nuts away in the crevices on tree bark and I think this is what's going on in a couple of these pics.
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Nuthatch5_moorlands |
Robin_moorlands |
Singing Wren_moorlands |
...... and never bet against one of our smallest birds in a full on singing contest!
mmmhh...... think this wee Wren needed a rest after that outburst!
Wren_moorlands |
Last weekend was when all the Snowdrops came up around here and what a welcome sight they were too ..... these look so fresh and new, especially with a bit of sun on their tops.
Snowdrops_moorlands |
Snowdrops2_moorlands |
Crocus in local fields |
...... and just today I noticed many Crocuses (or is that Crocii!?) in the fields near my house. So delicate and I think quite exotic, we would marvel at their beautiful colours if stumbled upon on a far flung foreign holiday wouldn't we?
Crocus in local fields |
Lovely photographs Tim, especially the Sparrowhawk. Great Blog! Jim
ReplyDeleteCheers Jim, glad you've enjoyed the blog. The Spar was just one of those rare lucky moments!
ReplyDeleteYet another excellent blog Tim. Cracking pictures all through!
ReplyDeleteCheers mikey, be good to get as good a shot of our local goshawks to go with the spar!
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