Along The Coast With The Camera.

I managed to part with my 7d camera prematurely back in January and its taken till now to get it replaced. keen to get out with it I set off for the coast together with Steve Ashton to put it to test. We arrived at langdon hole Dover shortly after 0800 and walked along the coastal path. Not much on offer here, a glimpse of a female Black Redstart a few Skylarks and Meadow Pipits and a rather tired Wheatear allowing a few shots. We walked towards St Margaret's scanning the sky for a Peregrine but that  proved fruitless so we moved on to Kingsdown near Deal and walked along to the riffle range. Here we watched a few Fulmars flying around allowing a chance of a few flight shots which was the main objective of the day for me .Our last stop was Sandwich bay,  from restharrow we watched Lapwing, Little Grebe,an assortment of ducks and a brief visit of a Whimbrel and a Black Tailed Godwit .Finishing the morning with a walk around the elms also gave the camera action with many Chiffchaff, cracking little birds, shame about the bling. All in all I was  pleased with the cameras performance and enjoyed the morning.

No Gain Without Pain

I looked out of the conservatory window this morning and was greeted with what to expect on a English bank holiday from the weather,squally rain and dull overcast skies.  I wanted to try and see and photograph the male Goosander that has been around for a few days on the cold harbour lagoons at Reculver.Its a very exposed location and the dilemma was did I want to see the bird and risk a soaking. Time for my hobby is precious at the moment with me starting a new job so with my flask made and a bag of mini chocolate eggs I set off via the fisherman's car park by the river Wantsum where I  met Steve Ashton. We endured the weather seeing hardly anything of note let alone photograph and were soon on our way back as there was no sign of the Goosander,  typical of my luck,  maybe I should get out more.  We did see a few Thrushes,  Meadow Pipits and Shoveler Duck for our troubles. So a little wet and with Mike Gould who also had braved the elements we decided a visit to the feast hide at Grove was our best option where we could at least get out of the wet and have a warm cup of tea.  On arriving at the feast hide we did wonder if we should have stayed at home as there was nothing much on show,  a pair of Marsh Harrier,  Coots and a single Mute Swan was about it.  We were aware that there were a few Garganey further up the track at harrison's hide so we walked up as we were already wet for a look,  here we spent the most productive hour or so of the morning. We soon found two male and a female Garganey showing well about half way out,  we watched them with a pair of Gadwall, Teal,  three Snipe,  a few Mallards and two Egret,  all going about their business.  I got my camera out of the bag, wishful thinking perhaps but just in case anything came close,  then to our surprise another two male Garganey dropped in and allowed a few shots. Strangely just after they arrived Mike picked up two Little Ringed Plover,they landed in font of us as well along  with a scruffy Dunlin . We fired off the cameras and it was hope for the best in by now really poor conditions with decreasing light.  .A small group of Shelduck circled a few times and a Marsh Harrier Quartered.  The Garganey up and moved and we soon followed agreeing it was the right decision to visit Grove and not give in to the weather.

A Day Out In Spring Sunshine

With the promise of sunshine I was woken as normal this time of the year by the wakey wakey bird as my wife calls it. A blackbird seems to enjoy being in the tree next door and is the prime instigator of the dawn chorus with its prominent song. Sadly there is not a Song Thrush in the bird choir any more, I hope this is just  temporary. I started my day with a visit to Stodmarsh. I met Martin Wilson And Mark Chiddwick walking along the lane looking for spring arrivals, I then made my way to the village  where I was greeted with the welcome sound of Chiffchaff on arrival at the car park .It was not long before a male Blackcap was located along the track to the reed bed hide, he was singing his heart out, no doubt excited as he anticipates the arrival of the females shortly. Much of the norm in the alder wood, the Great Spotted Woodpeckers showed well along with a pair of Stock Doves and spring sound was superb with little wind in the wood, the highlight by far being two male Wrens in competion with each other. Further along the track I bumped into Steve Ashton, we chatted about spring arrivals in bird land and the local Marsh Harriers, we watched several along the Lampern wall either side but not coming in reach of the camera. My first Swallow of the year was next to greet me, by far a sign that spring has sprung. After an hour or so we decided a visit to Oare might be good as high tide was midday and we had just about exhausted what there was on show here. Of interest there seemed to be chiffchaffs every where lets hope its a good year for Warblers. Its a 40 min drive to Oare from Stodmarsh, parking by the east flood I was able to photograph a Black Tailed Godwit that was close to the fence, it did not seem  bothered by the sound of the camera shutter.We spent a good few hours here noting my first Yellow Wagtail, another Swallow, two Wheatear, a few Bearded Tits and on high tide lots of Godwits and Golden Plover in summer plume. The bright sunshine was nice but made photographing difficult however I managed a few shots through the day. Mike Gould arrived for the last hour, the sun slowly shifting behind us gave a warm glow across the east flood.

Peregrine Privilage

Peregrine Falcons

Although a week has passed since my short encounter with a Peregrine Falcon whilst walking on Dover cliffs last week,  there has not been a day that I have not thought about it at some time or other.Steve Ashton and I had hoped there may be a chance of a sighting as a few had been seen through the  previous weeks however to see one as close as we did must go down to being in the right place at the right time. An unforgettable moment captured,  In Birdland With A Camera.

Amble In The Alder wood Stodmarsh.

With a bit of spare time on my hands I decided that a little relaxation was required and where better a location than the alder wood at Stodmarsh.  We all have different perceptions of birds some of us its about patch watching, some how many species can be seen, others how many winter etc, the list go's on but we all arrive at the same nucleus which is the love of birds. Personally I enjoy watching them all and if I can record the moment with my camera then I am well contented. I arrived with the wood bathed in sunshine, it looked pleased that winter was passing and there was an air of expectancy within the local birds that it will soon be time to pair off. First to greet me was a pair of Great Spotted Woodpecker,  they chased each other around noisily. I could clearly see where they would raise their brood this year. A pair of Stock Doves showed well along with 6 Goldcrest, 8 Long Tailed Tit and many Blue and Great Tit. A pair of Jays making so much noise came with in sight of me but did not settle and there were 6 Dunnock,  2 Water Rail,  Coots and Moorhen scurrying about in the undergrowth. Making my way along the board walk towards the lampern wall I came across a wintering Chiffchaff, it has done well to survive the cold snap. Here I watched a pair of Marsh Harriers, we take these for granted and expect to see them, they are magnificent and exciting to watch this time of the year.On reaching the Lampern wall I scanned the main lake noting Teal, Shoveler and Shelduck along with a distant flying Bittern. I headed along the path to the bigger trees,  somewhere here there will be a Tawny Owl in residence,  we probably wont be aware until May when the owlets will be noisy just before dusk. Along the path  I watched a Goldfinch feeding on the teasel and a very loud Cetti's Warbler in the reeds .Where the trees blocked out the sun the path was still frozen and slippery in places, I was conscious of the fact that I took a tumble last month and proceeded with caution. At this point I would like to say it only takes a second to come to grief so take care. It took an hour or so for my walk seeing lots of common birds on the way, nothing exciting but lots of enjoyment none the less. On my way back to Canterbury I noted a Little Owl and a pair of Mistle Thrush, lots of Rooks busy in the Rookery and a magnificent Buzzard.

The February Freeze

Its been a while since I posted a blog, to be honest the short days and long hours of darkness together with little sun do little to inspire me this time of the year. However I have been out, Dungeness to photograph the Tree Sparrows, Hythe for the Purps and a few walks around the woods with the reward of a life tick two weeks ago at Bossenden woods, Blean, near Canterbury.  A stunning Firecrest showing well in a holly bush with three others near by. ( Thanks to Steve Ashton for pointing them out)  Other birds of note here were Lesser Spotted and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Coal, Great, Blue and Marsh Tits, three Nuthatch and a pair of Chaffinch.This weekend with the threat of snow I visited Stodmarsh and walked to the marsh hide together with Andy Hills, Steve Ashton and Alan Ashdown,  along the path by the fishing lake we contacted a small flock of Bearded Tits, fleeting views were had and they looked in fine condition. We walked across the meadows putting to flight umpteen Snipe and  watched a rapid flight of female Wigeon.  On reaching the marsh hide  we noted Peregrine and  Marsh Harrier going about their business on the winter winds. Earlier in the morning before I arrived Alan and Steve together with Martyn Wilson had watched nature at its most cruel moment.  A hungry fox had fallen through the ice and was desperately clinging to life trying to get out, sadly the cold water took its toll and the wretched creature slowly slipped beneath the water. We made our way back to the alder wood and watched the local residents feed on a few nuts that we put out. Saturday night gave us the threatened snow and I could not resist a revisit, the whole place looked stunning when sprayed with the cold white stuff. I noted two Woodcock and along with Goldcrest and  a few Tits not much else. I stood on the lampern wall and looked across the frozen lake, one of the lucky ones to be able to enjoy what nature has to offer.

A New Years Wander To Dover Docks.

With the weather forecast not looking good for the week I took advantage of Mondays bright blue sky and for a change of scenery I drove to Dover Docks. Parking my car by the Prince Of Wales pier I was soon scanning the sky's to see what was about. First to come in to view was a Great Black Backed Gull it looked magnificent controlling the skies, several Black Headed and Herring Gulls joined the fun,  it was as if they owned the air space in front of them as they went about trying to out manoeuvre each other. I had hoped to see a Gannet as there has been a few seen of late, within minutes one flew into range of the camera  a near adult bird it was huge, I was well pleased to see one so close as the only other sighting I have had was a distant Skommer bird. I rattled off a few shots and hoped for the best. This was  the only close view  as the  other Gannets about stayed distant.   Moving along the pier I scanned the water either side where there were lots of Auks swimming about, Razorbills and Guillemots in plenty, they spent most of the time diving making a photo difficult however I managed a few.  Cormorant, Shag  and a juvenile Gannet were also on view and a lone seal was often seen. Two Great Crested Grebes a Great Northern Diver and plenty of Kittiwakes completed the days tally. By mid morning I had reached the end of the pier and was joined by several like minded camera friends, with plenty to catch up with after the Christmas period we nattered away putting the world to rights and attempting to capture with our cameras the excellent aerial ability of the Kittiwakes, a pleasure to watch. Sadly one trailed fishing line, a 21st century hazard, surely its time that more safety rigs were used by anglers both fresh water and sea alike perhaps then we would not have so many avian fatalities.  Finally I would like to thank all of you who read my blog and wish you a very Happy New Year.