Owls

There have been up to five short-eared owls at Papercourt Meadows in Surrey recently.  I love short-eared owls so I've been down there a coupe of times with my camera gear hoping to get some decent shots.  So far nothing great but I'm starting to learn their behaviour at this site so hopefully I'll get some decent shots next time I visit. 

The owls haven't failed to entertain.  At around 15:00 at least two or three seem to appear from nowhere and then continue to quarter the fields looking for voles.  They often have disputes when they meet each other and this results in a short chase, accompanied by lots of barking.  A barn owl has also been showing nicely at dusk.   

Short-eared owl

Short-eared owl being photographed

Short-eared owl

Barn owl

  

Otters on the Stour

An early start paid off on Sunday when I was rewarded with some great sightings of otters on the River Stour, Dorset.  The torrential rain and terrible light prevented any meaningful photography but I managed to get some interesting behavioural shots of a female leaving the holt. 

Coastal Birds of North Berwick

I've been working on the east coast of Scotland a lot this summer and have managed to get out and about a few times with the camera.  Here are some images of the coastal scenery and breeding sea birds near North Berwick.

Gannet taking flight

Gannets at Bass Rock Colony

Male Eider

The sunset at Dunbar

Male Eider

Kittiwake colony

Evening light

Kitiwake pair

Lichen on old harbour wall

Bass Rock

Red Deer Rut

I headed down to Bushy Park at the weekend to watch the red deer rut.  Luckily, two males were locking horns at sunrise, but it didn't last long.  They'd stopped by about 8:30 and headed for the shade.

Kent's Chalk Grassland

I recently visited Burham Down and Queendown Warren to look for early flowering orchids.  Both sites are SSSIs managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust.  They represent excellent examples of unimproved chalk downland and have some amazing plants.  I was lucky enough to find both lady and man orchid while other species of interest included ground pine and the adonis blue butterfly.  A few of the best shots below:

Lady Orchid Orchis Purpurea



Man Orchid Aceras anthropophorum



Lady Orchid

Marden Meadows SSSI

I visited Marden Meadows SSSI this weekend for some flower photography.  I've cycle past this site several times and never stopped but last weekend the floral display was pretty amazing.  It's managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust and is one of the few traditionally managed hay meadows remaining in Kent.  The site supports thousands of green-winged orchids, meadow saxifrage and adder's-tongue in addition to numerous other less common grassland species.  Below are a few of the best shots.

Marden Meadows SSSI



Adder's-tongue Ophioglossum vulgatum

Green-winged orchid Orchis morio



Spring Reptiles



A trip to my local reptile site today revealed plenty adders and common lizards making the most of the fine spring sunshine.  I was particularly pleased to see several of last years juveniles for both species, indicating a healthy breeding population.  The weather is still a little cold for grass snakes but I'm sure they'll be appearing soon.

Slow worm Anguis fragilis

Male adder Vipera berus

Juvenile common lizard Zootoca vivipara

Common Toad Photography

Check out www.davidgreenphotography.co.uk/Latest.htm for my latest toad photographs

Common Toad Bufo bufo

Isle of Lewis

A very brief trip to the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides for work.  Unfortunately there was little time for wildlife viewing or photography.  However, I did manage a brief visit to my favourite spot one evening at sunset.  A good viewpoint sits high on the bend of a small track, overlooking Loch Seaforth, flanked by steep mountains on both sides.  It's stunning and is one of my favourite places.


Red deer stags

Shortly after arriving and switching off the engine, a juvenile white-tailed eagle flapped laboriously up the valley.  Scanning the shoreline revealed an adult white-tailed eagle sitting on a large boulder at the tip of a headland.  An otter was fishing just a few feet away and the eagles head turned slowly to monitor the otters progress.  I was hoping the otter would catch something.  Interested to see the eagles reaction.  Alas it didn't and it was time to depart. The following day, on the way back to airport, I saw several red deer, raven, and the ubiquitous oystercatcher.   

Loch Seaforth



Christchurch Harbour - Peregrine and Otter Spraint

On the Stour at Christchurch Harbour

I joined my girlfriends family today for the maiden voyage on her Dad's new boat.  Ian has been restoring the boat for months so today was pretty exciting. We'd just boarded the vessel and whilst brushing 'dirt' off the seats I suddenly realised I was staring at a big pile of otter spraint! The boat hasn't been covered with tarpaulin and the cavities in the bow of the boat had been providing a nice shelter for an otter.


The trip was a quick one,as the light was fading, but we had great views of peregrine falcon perched on a fence post close to the shore at Stanpit Marsh.  I'm looking forward to a bit of fishing and otter spotting in the summer!





Toads on Roads

Spring is fast approaching in Kent and with the recent mild wet weather, toads have started their annual migration towards breeding ponds. In Paddock Wood toads have always been common, but every year huge numbers die on the roads. Particularly because they struggle to climb steep kerb stones. This is happening throughout the UK and toad numbers are rapidly disappearing from previous strongholds.

I've been out and about with my bucket and torch to help as many toads as possible cross the roads safely. This season, the migration is just starting but despite helping 31 toads to reach the breeding ponds, I've sadly already seen plenty of squashed toads.

The charity Froglife runs a National 'toads on roads' campaign which provides advice and support for volunteers, to help reverse the decline in our toad population. Anyone wanting to get involved should visit http://www.froglife.org/toadsonroads/



Releasing the collected toads at a nearby breeding site



Dungeness - Glossy Ibis and Bittern

A stunning day at Dungeness RSPB reserve, with hardly a cloud in the sky.  My family came with me today so I was hopeful that we'd see something interesting.  We weren't disappointed!  The Hanson hide at the ARC pits was the first point of call.  A male smew, several red heads and a few golden eye were present on the ARC but the real highlight was a bittern just 10ft from the hide. 

We watched the bittern creep through the reeds, before submerging its entire head and probing deep into the base of the reeds.  We watched this unusual (or at least rarely observed) behaviour for several minutes.  A sudden splash and the bitterns head emerged, a large pike speared on its beak, bloody and thrashing about wildly.  The bittern took several minutes to swallow the fish, only to regurgitate and start all over again.  It was a breathtaking spectacle and something I wont forget in a hurry.

Later on at the rspb reserve, numerous ducks included a female scaup and lots of pintail.  Large numbers of wigeon, across the site, regularly rose into the air to evade the attention of persistent marsh harriers. Other birds of note were a firecrest and cetti's warbler.

The final highlight of the day was the sight of a glossy ibis.  This rarity was observed feeding on pasture close to the access track.  The bird was surprisingly inconspicuous amongst a group of coots.  The ibis finally sought solitude from the many lenses and green anoraks, flying west and out of view.

Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

A good day of birding on a rather overcast day at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve included fantastic views of bittern and water rail in front of the Castle Water Hide.  Other birds on Castle Water included several snipe, large numbers of common duck species plus several pintail.  

Raptor sightings included several marsh harrier over the reedbeds and a common buzzard passing over at height.  A peregrine perched for several minutes on a fence post across from the castle water hide for several minutes before departing unnoticed.  A male sparrowhawk was observed actively hunting along the gorse fringe to the water whilst a female of the same species attempted to flush birds from the reed beds in the distance. 

Finally on the walk back to the car I was treated to wonderful views of a barn owl quartering the rough grassland.  The owl hunted for several minutes, before catching and immediately swallowing a field vole.  Small mammal specialists such as owls must have struggled during the recent cold spell so it's reassuring to see one hunting so successfully.  The owl continued to hunt before plunging rapidly into the edge of the reed bed.  It remained there for several minutes before emerging with a water vole grasped in its talons.  The vole looked far too large to eat as the owl carried its quarry off over the reed bed.  A pair of kestrels looking for an easy meal harassed the owl several times in an attempt to steal its prize.  The barn owl eventually found solitude in a lone tree on the horizon before the light faded to dark and it was time to head home.