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Image of the Day Archive & Upcoming List

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Date: 06 Apr 2010
View: DF1_20100302_1052_040 Sparrowhawk in flight (crop).jpg
Description: The sparrowhawk passed over the house with the camera for once pointed in the right general direction so we caught this overhead view.

Date: 05 Apr 2010
View: P34_20100227_1238_639 Snowdrops in drainage channel at micro-planting (crop).jpg
Description: Despite the cold weather we have a good show of Snowdrops this year. Here a tiny Snowdrop struggles up through the snow and mud.

Date: 04 Apr 2010
View: D45_20100302_0333_097_FB1 Fieldmouse with cherry that was gone 13 mins later (crop).jpg
Description: These frozen damaged cherries seem to be a favourite of the mice once they have cleaned up the peanuts. This cherry had vanished in the next frame 13 mins later.

Date: 03 Apr 2010
View: DF1_20100301_1644_879 Barn Owl in field to South flying to camera briefly following item on ground 06 of 15 (adjusted crop).jpg
Description: This is the most characteristic frame from a sequence that makes any sense on its own. The owl was flying generally towards the camera and obviously spotted something and followed it with its head (an Owl's eyes can hardly move in their sockets so the whole head has to follow).
It was not hovering - just a momentary glance on the way by.

View: DF1_20100301_1644_935 Barn Owl in field to South at sunset against pineham farm building works (crop 2 @ 576).jpg
Description: Within the same minute it flew onto the sunlit side of the photographer, but now rather distant, and dived down into the grass out of sight.

Date: 02 Apr 2010
View: DF1_20100301_1640_793+796 Barn Owl in flight 2+5 of 6 (contracted montage).jpg
Description: A chance glimpse through a gap in the hedge and a trudge over the fields brought us our first close encounter with a barn owl which disdainfully ignored both photographer and camera noise to hunt over some rough grass. These two images were 3 frames apart (so accurate positioning would completely spoil the effect!)

Date: 01 Apr 2010
View: D35_20100303_1735_019_FB4 Pair of Robins at dusk.jpg
Description: The imminence of Spring has just about everything pairing up. This is obviously a pair of robins - they can see each other and are not fighting!

View: D45_20100304_1816_116_FB1 Fieldmice Nuzzling.jpg
Description: And two fieldmice getting up close and personal.

Date: 31 Mar 2010
View: D35_20100301_2301_009_FB4 Badger reaching up to tree trunk top (crop 1).jpg
Description: This is the first time we have seen a badger standing on the ground reaching up for the food at the top of the sawn off tree trunk.

Date: 30 Mar 2010
View: DF1_20100301_1003_189+1002_187 Kestrel Hovering (montage).jpg
Description: A Kestrel hovering always into the wind with some lovely detail of the feathers. 2 images from the same 'hover' shown side by side. They keep their head position amazingly still while the wings, tail and body move all over the place.

Date: 29 Mar 2010
View: DF1_20100301_1323_591+1324_592+593 Buzzard in flight (accurate montage).jpg
Description: Some sunshine on a cold day brought out the buzzards to use the thermals. But this one was flying by - these are accurately positioned successive frames.

Date: 28 Mar 2010
View: DF1_20100222_1632_038-040 Rook breaks twig it lands on while another flies overhead 4-6 of 8 (mirrored montage).jpg
Description: In failing light a pair of rooks separated in flight - the top bird just flew by but the bottom one chose a totally inadequate twig to land on which immediately broke (see it in the claw in the middle shot) and it flew off. All over in half a second.

Date: 27 Mar 2010
View: D35_20100222_0852_040_FB4 Robin landing on Snowy trunk top.jpg
Description: A sudden strongly wind blown but short staying snowfall gets sent flying by this arriving robin.

View: D35_20100222_1459_055_FB4 Robin on tree trunk top and another in flight threatening each other (crop).jpg
Description: Later the same day with snow still about: "Stay off - this is my patch ..."

Date: 26 Mar 2010
View: D3A_20100222_0246_030_FB2 Badger (with ear swelling) in Snow (crop 1).jpg
Description: This Badger visited different sites before and after an overnight snowfall over a 5 hour period. 5 days later he visited briefly again and knocked over various bits of our photo kit just after midnight. Maybe we should christen him 'Demolition Brock'.

Date: 25 Mar 2010
View: D45_20100223_0025_153_FB1 Fieldmouse leaping vertically with tail downwards almost touching rock (crop).jpg
Description: Mouse trying the 'Indian rope trick' with it's tail? They really are wonderfully agile little creatures.

Date: 24 Mar 2010
View: DF1_20100224_1341_087 Buzzard soaring overhead (crop).jpg
Description: A solitary buzzard found a thermal right over our patch and up it went, but not before we caught this portrait.

Date: 23 Mar 2010
View: DF1_20100224_1348_124 Muntjac deer male with Magpie (adjusted crop).jpg
Description: The return of the muntjac deer. The first image was it 'playing' tag with some magpies - we felt this image helps give a sense of scale normally missing for this tiny deer. The white spec at the bottom of the head immediately below the eye is his tusk - a vampire Bambi?

View: D3A_20100225_0700_003_FB2 Muntjac deer male (crop 1).jpg
Description: Near dawn next morning he passed through a camera site and took his head-on portrait that unfortunately is so straight that the tusk is hidden.

Date: 22 Mar 2010
View: D45_20100226_1639_109_FB1 Bluetit (crop @576).jpg
Description: Bluetits often feed on the peanut grit we leave out at the photo sites, but rarely oblige with such a nice portrait.

Date: 21 Mar 2010
View: D3A_20100218_0016_034_FB2 Fieldmouse clambering up log with legs and toes spread.jpg
Description: Looks a bit like a mountain climber with limbs and finger/toes spread for grip on this now slippery log.

View: D45_20100221_0131_207_FB1 Fieldmouse with tail curled round to top of head.jpg
Description: Add your own caption ...

Date: 20 Mar 2010
View: DB1_20100220_1013_132 2 pairs of Jackdaws and 1 pair of rooks on Black poplar.jpg
Description: Pairs of corvids are everywhere. Here we see 2 pairs of jackdaws and one pair of rooks at the 'Black-Poplar Dating Agency'. Genuine single frame.

Date: 19 Mar 2010
View: D36_20100219_1616_031_FB3 Great Spotted woodpecker male.jpg
Description: Both sexes of Great Spotted Woodpeckers are regular visitors outside the kitchen. The red patch on the back of the head indicates the male.

Date: 18 Mar 2010
View: DB1_20100220_1144_334 Buzzard soaring staring downwards.jpg
Description: The first good spell of morning sunshine for 2 weeks created some weak thermals and 4 buzzards took advantage. A single call alerted us and we caught this image before the bird disappeared into the haze.

Date: 17 Mar 2010
View: D3B_20100206_0639_047+0700_049_FB1 Fieldmouse carrying off hazelnuts 1+2 of 2 (Montage).jpg
Description: 3 successive frames show what we assume is just the one mouse removing 3 hazelnuts from the site over 2 minutes (the middle frame was poor).

Date: 16 Mar 2010
View: D35_20100209_1010_010_FB4 2 Jackdaws sharing the trunk top.jpg
Description: A pair of jackdaws so besotted with each other they squeeze onto the little tree trunk top together. This was not a one-off but the best single frame of several.

Todays image (view it Here)

Date: 15 Mar 2010
View: D3C_20100210_1831_117_FB1 Field Vole.jpg
Description: Voles are not regulars, but showed up at this site for a few days. The first we are confident is a Field Vole.

View: D3C_20100210_2133_123_FB1 Bank (q) Vole.jpg
Description: Correspondents have pointed out that this second image has many characteristics of a Bank Vole (difficult to tell apart even 'in the hand when biting you') which would be a first sighting here.

Image Archive arch 2010 mar.htm (view it Here)

Date: 14 Mar 2010
View: D3C_20100212_0300_057_FB1 Badger with grazed muzzle (crop).jpg
Description: Badgers have suddenly returned. On 1 night we had 6 photos of two very similar individuals both who looked like they had been in the wars - one with a swollen ear and this one with a graze on the muzzle.
We don't see them often because their obvious foraging routes are well away from our patch.

Date: 13 Mar 2010
View: DB1_20100212_1217_080+099 Goldfinch on Common Alder twig while feeding on fruits (montage).jpg
Description: Just about all the seed eaters are trying hard to destroy next year fruits! But Goldfinches are ALWAYS welcome almost regardless of the mischief they get up to. Prior to these images the Goldfinch had lifted the out-of-reach fruit by its stem and then clamped it at reachable length under one foot.

Date: 12 Mar 2010
View: DB1_20100212_1400_008 Robin on house sign post (crop 2).jpg
Description: We have dozens of robins each defending a territory. At the territorial boundery one bird becomes hesitant and another arrived. This one was perched on the top of a little post that holds our house name board.

Date: 11 Mar 2010
View: D35_20100131_0111_017_FB4 Tawny Owl (crop 1).jpg
Description: According to the CCTV this tawny owl spent several minutes on our 'raptor perch, then visited the perch outside the kitchen window for a minute, but took a poor picture only as it left. Then 20 minutes later an hour after midnight (we assume the same bird) took it's portrait at the tree stump.

View: D35_20100131_0111_017_FB4 Tawny Owl (crop 2 @ 768).jpg
Description: We couldn't resist this closer and enlarged crop from the above.

Date: 10 Mar 2010
View: D3B_20100130_1840_050_FB1 2 Fieldmice with one eating unident berry.jpg
Description: One mouse is eating an (unripe?) berry we haven't identified - it was NOT put out as 'bait'.

Date: 09 Mar 2010
View: D3B_20100103_2257_056+20100204_0016_062_FB1 Size comparison of Fieldmouse and Fox 2 hours apart (Montage).jpg
Description: This montage really points out the huge difference in size between lunch and the diner. Actually the mouse was there about 2 hours before the fox, and reappeared afterwards.

Date: 08 Mar 2010
View: DF1_20100205_1242_081 Fieldfare about to land in black poplar.jpg
Description: Just a few fieldfares are about now. This one was landing high up in a Black Poplar.

Date: 07 Mar 2010
View: DF1_20100205_1400_137+140 Bluetit feeding on cherry buds 4+5 of 6 (montage).jpg
Description: The Bluetits (and Great tits) are enjoying the swelling cherry buds

View: DF1_20100207_1218_013 Bluetit dashing around Ash tree to eat buds.jpg
Description: A couple of days later the bluetits were busy wrecking the buds on an Ash tree. This one was leaping from twig to twig every few seconds, and we were lucky to get even this marginal image of the bird attacking the bud on the other side of the twig in the heavy overcast light.

Date: 06 Mar 2010
View: DB1_20100121_1253_048 Rook flying low over grass field to East with food pellet.jpg
Description: We often see Rooks carrying 'something' flying North to South on a flight path to our east. This bird flying close and low over the field resolved the mystery - a seemingly endless supply of animal feed pellets from a nearby farm. They must be a godsend for these birds in the depth of winter.

Date: 05 Mar 2010
View: D36_20100127_0246_055_FB3 Barn Owl in Flight (crop).jpg
Description: A CCTV recording of the same event shows that this Barn owl was making chance flyby behind the kitchen window feeder in the early hours. Its a bit behind the pre-focus on the perch but a rather unusual view. The wing on our left falls into the shadow of the feeder and disappears but you can see the tip at the extreme left at the top of the frame (edge of the original).

Date: 04 Mar 2010
View: D3B_20100126_0242_108_FB1 Fox (crop 3).jpg
Description: A fox has been visiting this site every few days to pick over the stored apple windfalls & other fruit we put out. We couldn't resist this close-up - count the whiskers!

Date: 03 Mar 2010
View: D3B_20100126_1827_035_FB1 Fieldmouse chewing on fruit stone.jpg
Description: We often find chewed fruit stones with their kernels removed, but don't remember such a graphic illustration that this mouse is more interested in the kernel in the fruit stone than in all the fruit lying around it. Perhaps it likes 'nuts' as much as we do!

Date: 02 Mar 2010
View: D3B_20100129_2036_097_FB1 Fieldmouse carrying hazelnut (crop).jpg
Description: Fieldmouse taking off with a stale Christmas hazelnut. Different creatures open nuts in different ways - Google search for
    hazelnut AND dormouse AND vole AND "wood mouse"

to find description and illustrations of how they each open the nut.

Date: 01 Mar 2010
View: DC1_20100130_1352_043 Green woodpecker on ground just North of Standing dead-wood 1 (crop).jpg
Description: After a bit of an absence a green woodpecker appeared for a forage in a rather photogenic leaf litter.

Image Archive arch 2010 feb.htm (view it Here)

Date: 28 Feb 2010
View: DB1_20100117_1230_126-131+134 White (q) Wagtail taking insect from slates to swallow on roof ridge 02-07+10 of 11 (montage).jpg
Description: Just one day of sunshine in the week brought out a wagtail to hunt for insects on the roof.
Here the insect before it is caught is just below the foot of the second bird from the right. The frame rate was about 5 fps.
In omitted frames 8 & 9 the bird has already landed but by frame 10 it has raised it's tail so that it didn't obscure frame 7.

Date: 27 Feb 2010
View: D3A_20100120_1529_019_FB2 Pheasant male (crop 2 @ 768).jpg
Description: The magnificent colours of this male pheasant have been left exactly as they came from the camera.

Date: 26 Feb 2010
View: P34_20100107_1522_299 Icicle on Lodgepole pine (crop).jpg
Description: Thawing and re-freezing produced some interesting effects. including the growing of these icicles.

Date: 25 Feb 2010
View: D3A_20100121_1601_060_FB2 Rook trying to move log (crop 2).jpg
Description: This log used as a photographic prop is often thrown aside by the bigger birds to get at food trapped at the base, but in the rain is stuck down in the mud, and won't move even with the rook bracing its legs in a wide stance.

Date: 24 Feb 2010
View: D3B_20100121_2232_121+20100122_0331_122_FB1 Fieldmouse on stone & (next frame 5Hrs on) Cat sniffing stone (montage).jpg
Description: These two successive frames were taken about 5 hours apart, but appearing consecutively in the 1000's of images we review each week, suggested this 'fun' (for us, not the mouse) lineup.

Date: 23 Feb 2010
View: D3A_20100122_1920_040_FB2 Fieldmouse mid-leap from ground or log (crop 1).jpg
Description: We don't see many mice at site 2, but this is a delight. The lack of vertical blur indicates it is near the top of a leap from nowhere to nowhere - the nearest above ground level launch platforms are at least a metre away in every direction.

Date: 22 Feb 2010
View: D3B_20100123_0129_033_FB1 Fox in rain with slug on stone (crop 1).jpg
Description: The first large mammal appearance since a fortnight of freezing weather saw this fox on a rainy night just stepping over the stone and hopefully missing the slug on it.

Date: 21 Feb 2010
View: D3B_20100123_2246_091_FB1 2 Fieldmice.jpg
Description: Entry for Twee picture of the year - pairs section!

Date: 20 Feb 2010
View: D3A_20100108_1522_034_FB2 Rook beak detail against snow (crop).jpg
Description: Rooks in the snow are better lit than normal. We don't use multiple flash heads or other shadow filling techniques because the extra clutter puts off the visitors. Here the snow provides a natural 'fill-in' reflector.

Date: 19 Feb 2010
View: D3A_20100109_1929_133_FB2 Rabbit in Snow.jpg
Description: It's a difficult time for rabbits with their primary food source of grass locked in by snow and ice. Here one leaves it's burrow for a look about before going back in the warm.

Date: 18 Feb 2010
View: D3B_20100111_1919_187_FB1 3 fieldmice on snow in a line facing the same way - first time 3 mice at this location (crop).jpg
Description: 'Three (not) Blind Mice, ...' - actually a rather Macabre nursery rhyme.
This is the first time we have seen 3 mice together at this site, and its unusual to ever get such a neat lineup (un-fudged single frame).

Date: 17 Feb 2010
View: D3B_20100111_2007_204_FB1 2 fieldmice eating Niger seed in snow.jpg
Description: The black specks are Niger seed originally bought to attract Goldfinches. But the finches much prefer the hundreds of teasel heads we leave ill-kempt for them. Anyway, the mice also seem to like niger seed although it may be all that is left by 8 p.m. in difficult weather.

Date: 16 Feb 2010
View: D35_20100113_1102_091_FB4 Robin in fine snow.jpg
Description: Days of freezing and snow encouraged us to load up our feeding sites with stored food. Here a robin visits in light snow long after all but fragments have gone.

Date: 15 Feb 2010
View: D3A_20100113_0737_052_FB2 Song Thrush looking up in light snow (crop).jpg
Description: The thrush is undoubtedly not finding much by way of snails and insects with the ground frozen, and we have seen them filling up of stored fruit we put out.

Date: 14 Feb 2010
View: D3A_20100113_0805_060_FB2 Jackdaw in light snow with snowy beak (crop).jpg
Description: Jackdaws pounce on the feeding sites as soon as we leave.

Date: 13 Feb 2010
View: D3A_20100113_0835_067_FB2 Chaffinches males squabbling (crop 1).jpg
Description: These male Chaffinches can't resist a bit of a squabble even when food is short in the snow.

Date: 12 Feb 2010
View: D3A_20100115_0827_075_FB2 Moorhen covered in sparkles with muddy beak.jpg
Description: A pair of moorhen can be seen on all of the larger ponds but it has been unusual to see one at a photo site. Judging from the open beak the melting snow has allowed the bird to have a good probe in the mud.

Date: 11 Feb 2010
View: D35_20100103_1036_039_FB4 Blackbird female launching with blackberry jam waste (crop).jpg
Description: The strained pulp from making blackberry jelly (from frozen blackberries stored raw in the freezer is a big hit with the animals in cold weather.

Date: 10 Feb 2010
View: D35_20100104_1535_022_FB4 Head detail of magpie picking up food.jpg
Description: Delicate use of a powerful magpie beak.

Date: 09 Feb 2010
View: D35_20100106_1106_026_FB4 Fieldfare with snow on beak tip.jpg
Description: We don't remember a fieldfare on this trunk top before. The snow will be making finding food difficult and the birds are searching new areas for food.

Date: 08 Feb 2010
View: D3B_20100104_0749_136_FB1 Fieldfare in frosty ground.jpg
Description: This Fieldfare spends a ridiculous amount of time at this site usually well out of focus when other creatures trigger the camera.
The Site http://www.mybitoftheplanet.com reports 'territoral' Redwing in the 10 Jan 2010 diary entry and we may have something similar here in this similar bird (they often flock together).

Date: 07 Feb 2010
View: D3B_20100104_1818_043_FB1 2 Fieldmice.jpg
Description: At last more than 1 mouse at a time at this site relocated some weeks ago.

Date: 06 Feb 2010
View: D3B_20100104_1843_048_FB1 Fieldmouse taking huge stride to get up stone.jpg
Description: 'I'm thinking about a petition to have this rock lowered'.

Date: 05 Feb 2010
View: DB1_20100105_1018_064 Kestrel on high voltage cable staring downwards.jpg
Description: Not much hovering in the cold weather - easier to sit on the wires and wait!

View: DB1_20100105_1028_094 Kestrel female taking off from high voltage cables 02 of 16 (crop).jpg
Description: OK - lets try further along the wires. This bird made several stops over 10 minutes or so but didn't catch anything on the snowy ground.

Date: 04 Feb 2010
View: P34_20100104_1024_269 Hogweed seed head covered in frost (orig).jpg
Description: The frost has been so severe it doesn't have much sparkle. But we have had a try ..

View: P34_20100104_1025_272 Hazel catkins covered in frost (crop).jpg

Date: 03 Feb 2010
View: D3A_20100106_1451_014_FB2 Jackdaw on snow.jpg
Description: A slightly mad looking Jackdaw taking off from the site.

Date: 02 Feb 2010
View: D3B_20100109_2027_151_FB1 Fieldmouse holding Rowan berry to eat it (adjusted crop).jpg
Description: Rowan berries (stored in the freezer since autumn) seem to be a last choice of what we are putting out but the mice either like them, or its all that's left and they are glad to have them. The RH edge isn't our choice - its where the mouse was.

Date: 01 Feb 2010
View: DC1_20090827_0842_016 Moorhen standing on buckled iris fronds.jpg
Description: From 4 months ago and found in a cameras 2nd memory card slot were some images of a moorhen using one of it's summertime favourite perches on folded over Iris fronds. We still often see it there overnight on the CCTV.

View: FJ1_20091225_1057_008 Moorhen on Frozen Dragon Pond.jpg
Description: Christmas day 4 months later a couple of moorhen are frequenting all of the ponds. The main pond is shaded by the house in the winter and stays frozen longer than the others, but a bit of mixed corn sprinkled on the ice keeps just about everything walking on the ice - Moorhen, corvids, robins, blackbirds and even Pheasants.

Image Archive arch 2010 jan.htm (view it Here)

Date: 31 Jan 2010
View: D35_20091225_1026_008_FB4 Robin (crop).jpg
Description: Sweet looking robin probably taking off.

Date: 30 Jan 2010
View: D3B_20091225_1648_021_FB1 Fox with iced snow (crop).jpg
Description: A fox has returned and found our re-located site 1

Date: 29 Jan 2010
View: D3B_20100101_2131_123_FB1 Fieldmouse clambering up stone.jpg
Description: This rock looks so small to us (even if it is currently stuck fast to the icy ground) but we can hardly stop ourselves thinking that the mouse is trying to push it.

Date: 28 Jan 2010
View: DB1_20100102_1304_135 Pied Wagtail flying vertically about to catch insect (crop 2).jpg
Description: We see wagtails persuing insects in free flight, often after they have disturbed them trying to catch them on the warm slates or a wall. This is a genuine single frame.

Date: 27 Jan 2010
View: DB1_20100102_1044_033 White (q) Wagtail taking insect from vertical wall (crop).jpg
Description: These wonderful agile Wagtails can hover in front of a wall and pick off flies and such.

Date: 26 Jan 2010
View: D36_20091231_1856_036_FB3 Tawny Owl landing on perch (corrected time) previously seen on Raptor perch at 1849 (crop).jpg
Description: We first saw this Tawny Owl in Infra-red on the CCTV monitor on 'Raptor' perch. It flew off and 'disappeared' but 7 minutes later landed outside the kitchen window and stayed for about a minute. It triggered the camera just the once as it was landing - see the claws still stretched forward.

Date: 25 Jan 2010
View: D3B_20091219_1511_012_FB1 Thrush with snail (crop).jpg
Description: Long after installing and removing a camera at a known thrush anvil (which got some nice images) two existing sites each took some images of a thrush with a snail. At this site we found a few snail shells round the stone.

View: D3A_20091222_1552_108_FB2 Thrush with snail (crop).jpg
Description: This site doesn't seem to have a suitable 'anvil' anywhere near.

Date: 24 Jan 2010
View: DB1_20091221_1136_035 Bullfinch male on frosty brambles outside living room window (crop).jpg
Description: A surprise and delightful visit outside the living room window (unfortunately with brightly lit snow behind) of 'Mr and Mrs' Bullfinch. First the male.

View: DB1_20091221_1136_039 Bullfinch female on frosty brambles outside living room window (crop).jpg
Description: And here is his 'wife'.

Date: 23 Jan 2010
View: D35_20091221_0907_002_FB4 Bluetit landing on trunk top.jpg
Description: The tree trunk top camera got a lot of snow related portraits of which this Bluetit is a sample.

Date: 22 Jan 2010
View: D35_20091222_0755_049_FB4 Robin scattering snow on tree trunk top.jpg
Description: The tree trunk top camera got a lot of snow related portraits of which this Robin disturbing the fresh snow is a sample.

Date: 21 Jan 2010
View: D3A_20091222_0251_058_FB2 Fieldmouse jumping down into snow.jpg
Description: Humans consider 30cm of snow a 'problem'. For mice it looks like a 5cm is already too much.

Date: 20 Jan 2010
View: DB1_20091225_1303_186 Kestrel over house (crop).jpg
Description: Hanging around trying to photograph a wagtail on the roof we were surprised by a fleeting flyby of this kestrel.

Date: 19 Jan 2010
View: D01_20091211_1400_345+347+349 Robin singing in conifer (montage).jpg
Description: While photographing the fieldfares a robin landed in conifer that partly obscures the hedge, and started singing. Here is a little impression.

Date: 18 Jan 2010
View: DB1_20091213_1059_154-159 Kestrel hovering & slowly losing height 04-09 of 10 (vertically accurate montage).jpg
Description: Despite the difficult lighting, this kestrel hovering in a strong wind with wings and claws all over the place had to be included. In this sequence the bird was basically stationary horizontally but gradually losing height relative to a cloud line near the top.

Date: 17 Jan 2010
View: D35_20091218_1451_033_FB4 Rook with background snow.jpg
Description: Rook lands in wonderful flurry of feathers.

Date: 16 Jan 2010
View: D36_20091218_0720_058_FB3 Robin landing on perch disturbing overnight snow (crop).jpg
Description: An early morning visitor to the perch after overnight snow generating a lovely fall of powdery snow.

Date: 15 Jan 2010
View: D3A_20091216_0743_043_FB2 Magpie with heavily frosted tail (crop).jpg
Description: After freezing night we often see birds with a touch of frost or snow on their feathers, but this encrustation is unusually heavy.

Date: 14 Jan 2010
View: D3B_20091218_1857_151_FB1 Young fieldmouse in snow (crop).jpg
Description: Brrrr... Probably this young fieldmouse's first encounter with snow.

View: D3B_20091213_0226_162_FB1 Fieldmouse.jpg
Description: Fieldmice seem to take these heavy landings in their stride.

Date: 13 Jan 2010
View: DB1_20091219_1248_034 Pied Wagtail sliding down roof gulley (not continuous) 4 of 4 (crop).jpg
Description: This wagtail seemed to like the lead (metal) gully to stand on but couldn't quite keep it's footing and kept sliding down. This is the last of a sequence over a few seconds where it slid about half a metre down the roof and finally flattened it's tail against the dry metal to stop itself.

Date: 12 Jan 2010
View: P34_20091209_1021_063 Water droplet on sycamore (q) bud with inverted image (crop 1).jpg
Description: We are fascinated by images in water drops (all that early philosopher/scientists had for magnifying lenses) and are always delighted when we find a drop positioned to give a microscopic inverted world. Genuine 'found' drop - you have to be so careful not to bump the twig or its all gone.
This is the best of dozens of tries - you have to find a drop with a radius of curvature that brings the drop, what it is on and what it is imaging all into reasonable focus at once - very much trial and error.

View: P34_20091209_1021_063 Water droplet on sycamore (q) bud with inverted image (montage with inverted image 2).jpg
Description: A silly montage of course, to turn 'the world' right way up.

Date: 11 Jan 2010
View: P34_20091218_1046_085 Snow imprints of bird taking off (crop).jpg
Description: On the undisturbed snow in the middle of our trackway something blackbird or pigeon sized left these takeoff foot and wing prints.

Date: 10 Jan 2010
View: D3B_20091205_1536_034_FB1 Magpie eating apple (crop 2).jpg
Description: You don't normally think of magpies tucking into the fruit and veg, but here is one having a good hack at an apple.

View: D35_20091203_1252_018_FB4 Magpie flying downward with carrot top in beak.jpg
Description: And a couple of days before we got this messy image of a magpie carrying a carrot top in it's beak

Date: 09 Jan 2010
View: D35_20091210_0813_016_FB4 2 Chaffinch males skirmishing over the trunk top (crop).jpg
Description: The chaffinch males as territorial (or hungry) as ever.

View: D35_20091210_1521_028_FB4 Robin on trunk top with Great tit flying up with dark and translucent shadows (crop).jpg
Description: Looks to us like a robin is guarding his heap of food and this great tit is trying a 'pop-up' approach. The shadow of the great tit particularly appeals - note how the shadow of the body is black but the shadow of the wings is much lighter as the light shines through the wings.

Date: 08 Jan 2010
View: D3B_20091209_2028_043_FB1 Fieldmouse eating rotten apple.jpg
Description: The fieldmice are enjoying the autumn bounty.

Date: 07 Jan 2010
View: DB1_20091211_1446_111-116 Carrion Crow losing balance in treetop & taking off backwards 1-6 of 7 (flipped montage).jpg
Description: We noticed this carrion crow land in the thin twigs at the top of this tree and have trouble hanging on so got the camera ready and lo - it overbalanced backwards and flew off. The images are over about 1 second and are approximately correct vertically but stretched and with some repeated branches horizontally.

Date: 06 Jan 2010
View: D01_20091211_1303_117 2 Fieldfares (crop).jpg
Description: Two fieldfares on the same substantially overloaded twig.

Date: 05 Jan 2010
View: D01_20091211_1304_168 Fieldfare reaching down for hawthorn berry (crop).jpg
Description: Fieldfare flocks hang about until they have stripped the hedges and trees of hawthorn berries. We love the moment when they pluck the berry.

View: D01_20091211_1406_432 Redwing tossing Hawthorn berry into throat to swallow 06 of 10 (crop).jpg
Description: Fieldfare flocks always seem to contain a few Redwing and this year was no exception. This is the Redwing (red wing not showing particularly well but the facial & breast markings are distinctive) Both birds generally 'toss' the berry back into their throats rather than manoeuvring it with the tongue.

Date: 04 Jan 2010
View: DB1_20091201_1058_050 Kestrel on bending twig looking at camera.jpg
Description: As the days length approached minimum and the temperature drops kestrels need to hunt more intensively. Here a female is perched on a hedge top twig that is bending under her weight.

View: DB1_20091201_1055_019 Kestrel launching from power lines (crop 2).jpg
Description: But she started off on her favourite perch on the high voltage wires watching for a minute or two, moving a few 10s of metres and so on for hundreds of metres. A lot less effort than all this hovering stuff (though she does it perfectly well). We have deleted the brutallic wires bottom left to better enjoy the bird.

Date: 03 Jan 2010
View: DB1_20091204_0833_066 Magpie on black poplar top centred on moon (crop).jpg
Description: Dashing around to find a place where this magpie was centred on the moon before the bird flew or the moon moved too much was for once successful. Genuine single frame.

Date: 02 Jan 2010
View: DB1_20091205_0957_058+059 Fieldfare in flight (mirrored arbitrary montage).jpg
Description: Fieldfares are a regular delight this time of year, though they are very nervous birds that it is very hard to get close to. So one flying past (as opposed to 'away') is a nice bonus. Here 2 successive frames are montaged, mirrored to give a 'left to right' feel, but the positions are for appearance rather than accuracy - the bland blue sky provides nothing to register the images against.

Date: 01 Jan 2010
View: D3A_20091201_1331_019_FB2 Robin singing.jpg
Description: A little joy for the start of a new year - may it rub off on you all.
There didn't seem to be any target for the song - maybe a little joie-de-vie brought about by the opportunity to get a full crop!.

Image Archive arch 2009 dec.htm (view it Here)

Date: 31 Dec 2009
View: D3A_20091204_0839_062_FB2 Pheasant male at dawn.jpg
Description: The Pheasants are back in numbers - probably now 'stuck' here by the lack of cover on the sheep cropped grass all round us. The pheasant don't from choice cross ground with nowhere to hide.

Date: 30 Dec 2009
View: D3B_20091121_0857_017_FB1 Pheasant female eating berry (crop).jpg
Description: One of the female pheasants fastidiously picking up a berry cluster.

Date: 29 Dec 2009
View: D35_20091126_1517_010_FB4 Chaffinch female coming in to land.jpg
Description: Female chaffinch coming in to land on the well laden trunk top off to the lower right.

Date: 28 Dec 2009
View: D36_20091124_1555_063_FB3 Marsh Tit on perch and another flying under (crop of single frame).jpg
Description: In just a few years Marsh tits have moved from seeing occasional individual to regulars - and in this case 2 at once in the same frame.

View: D35_20091128_1320_047_FB4 Marsh Tit.jpg
Description: One visited the tree stump some 70m away for a decent portrait.

Date: 27 Dec 2009
View: D3A_20091126_1541_027_FB2 Rook (head crop).jpg
Description: A cheeky looking rook with all that interesting white face detail.

Date: 26 Dec 2009
View: D3B_20091124_1758_123_FB1 Fieldmouse sniffing top of stone.jpg
Description: A quick look and sniff to see if clambering up is worth the trouble. Drat - the cat has licked up the peanut butter!

Date: 25 Dec 2009
View: Xmas Card 2009 (web version).jpg
Description: This is a simplified version of our 2009 Christmas card.
Best wishes to you all.
Front:
We haven't seen a lot of the Muntjac deer through the year, but early on midsummer day this beautiful fawn took it's portrait.
Back: (View 'Landscape')
We have been enjoying owls again this year - not in the same variety as last year, but this magical Barn Owl flew over the pasture to our North in February.
Building works at a neighbouring farm displaced the Little Owls (proper common name) that lived in a now demolished barn. We now have at least 2 of them increasingly visiting around our house. This one took it's picture mid October outside the kitchen window, and we now see them lurking in the orchard at dusk and dawn, and hear them duetting over the CCTV audio!

Date: 24 Dec 2009
View: D35_20091115_1523_009_FB4 Great Tit.jpg
Description: A portrait of a great tit hanging from the top of the tree stump with unusually clear view of the claws.

Date: 23 Dec 2009
View: D3B_20091115_2210_030_FB1 Mouse on rotten fruit.jpg
Description: The more disreputable the fruit, the more the mice seem to like it.

Date: 22 Dec 2009
View: DA1_20091115_1635_004 Little owl through orchard branches (web crop).jpg
Description: This is a short audio recording of a pair of Little Owls calling in the orchard (in mono unfortunately but you can hear the difference). Click to hear: MT2_20091113_1637_038_CCT 2 Little owls calling (crop).mp3.
We typically see the little owls like this - peering through the branches of nearer trees. The 'red eye' is the standard problem with flash close the camera reflecting off the bird's retina & we decided to leave in it's dramatic effect. A more conventional Little owl image can be found at 11 Dec 2009 and another in-flight 20 Nov 2009.

Date: 21 Dec 2009
View: D36_20091118_1305_122_FB3 2 Greenfinches on perch.jpg
Description: The perch by the kitchen window peanut feeder is the site of many disputes, including one between this pair of greenfinches.

Date: 20 Dec 2009
View: D3A_20091118_0332_022_FB2 Polecat (web crop).jpg
Description: Not since the strange CCTV captured event with the cat (see 10 Nov 2009) have we 'seen' a polecat. It obliged with just this one frame in the middle of the plot.

Date: 19 Dec 2009
View: DB1_20091117_0923_028 Kestrel on high voltage wires (web crop with upper cable removed).jpg
Description: This female kestrel was hunting from the wires in a strong wind.

Date: 18 Dec 2009
View: D3B_20091120_0743_066_FB1 Dunnock chasing off another bird with only tail in frame.jpg
Description: At the right of the site one bird is just disappearing and wouldn't you be with such an energetic pursuer. The curved wings are genuine flight stress bending and not some camera artifact.

Date: 17 Dec 2009
View: D3A_20091107_1546_012_FB2 Robin.jpg
Description: The robins are all in splendid colour.

Date: 16 Dec 2009
View: DB1_20091108_1508_114 Magpies harassing kestrel on pole top 2 of 2.jpg
Description: This kestrel had taken a meal to a distant phone pole and just wouldn't be removed by either a jackdaw or these 2 magpies which followed up the harassment.

Date: 15 Dec 2009
View: DB1_20091107_1240_127 Sheep eating thistle (web crop).jpg
Description: The wonderful defense of thistles doesn't seem to be very effective on this sheep at least, who spent several minutes carefully selecting thistles rather than the (poor) grass also available.

View: DB1_20091108_1501_016 Magpie climbing up sheep face (crop 2).jpg
Description: You would think that this sheep would be really annoyed by a magpie climbing all over her face, covering an eye and pecking at the wool, but they seem very tolerant. In this photo the magpie wasn't landing but had walked down the face and was climbing back up.

View: DB1_20091108_1503_030 Magpie climbing pecking sheep face.jpg
Description: But eventually she did shake off the bird. Maybe it had managed to scratch an itch at one of the sheep's acnestis.
acnestis (pronounced AK-nist-uhs) means 'The part of the body where one cannot reach to scratch' - a word we picked up a few days ago from the Wordsmith.org daily mailing a few days ago and couldn't resist using - we had no idea a word for this existed!

Date: 14 Dec 2009
View: D36_20091109_1337_012_FB3 House Sparrow (1st time at this perch).jpg
Description: Lets have a rave for the house sparrow in sad decline.
This is the first time we have recorded one at this feeding station outside the kitchen.

View: D36_20091109_1541_056_FB3 Greenfinch back view with wings spread.jpg
Description: Unusual view of a Greenfinch showing more green than you usually see. Looks almost luminous - we haven't 'wound up' the colour.

Date: 13 Dec 2009
View: D3A_20091109_1601_017_FB2 Chaffinch male in flight (web crop).jpg
Description: A glorious male chaffinch showing us all his colours except for the blue beak he has only in the breeding season.

Date: 12 Dec 2009
View: D3A_20091113_1913_023_FB2 Leopard slug on apple.jpg
Description: The Leopard slug seems to have found a whole windfall apple to rasp at with his radula.

Date: 11 Dec 2009
View: DA1_20091113_1635_005 Little owl on Telephone pole top (web crop).jpg
Description: Having finally identified a night-time bird call as little owls we are now clued in to finding them. At the moment we have at least two visiting and they have been momentarily spotted together about 25cm apart on a tree branch. But more often they are calling to each other in a wonderful ping-pong stereo effect. Here is one of them at the top of a telephone pole.

Date: 10 Dec 2009
View: DB1_20091115_0823_127 2 Starlings on high voltage cables.jpg
Description: We think starlings look wonderful. The bird on the right was calling.

Date: 09 Dec 2009
View: DB1_20091102_1258_500-505 Kestrel chasing jackdaw down behind hedge 1-6 of 6 (montage).jpg
Description: The kestrel and a jackdaw had a little spar up in the distance but the kestrel finally got the upper hand and drove the jackdaw down to the ground (always, of course, out of sight!). The is an accurate montage at about 7 fps.

Date: 08 Dec 2009
View: DB1_20091102_1244_249+267+1245_284 Kestrel carrying and eating mouse 02+07+15 of 16 (montage).jpg
Description: This kestrel caught a mouse in the grass, flew to a fence post with it in one claw and proceeded to devour it.
(The montage is mirrored to provide left to right flow so the prey is in the right foot should it matter to anyone.)

Date: 07 Dec 2009
View: DB1_20091105_1245_047-051 Kestrel diving onto hidden prey in grass 1-5 of 6 (montage).jpg
Description: Watching a Kestrel bird dropping in height in steps before diving onto prey never ceases to thrill us. This is an accurate montage at about 7 fps (so this sequence lasts a bit less than a second).

Date: 06 Dec 2009
View: DB1_20091105_1326_180-1327_217 Kestrel on wires harassed by Rook 1-38 of 39 (ad-hoc accurate montage).jpg
Description: The kestrels really are resisting corvid harassment very determinedly this year. This rook spent several minutes flying over this kestrel from one side of the wires to the other, waiting a few second and doing it again (we think about 5 times). This accurately positioned but arbitrary selection of images was from a right to left flyover (into the wind where it could hover). The kestrel only moved it's head to watch so we started assembly of this montage using the kestrel belonging to the top rook.

Date: 05 Dec 2009
View: DB1_20091105_1336_464-469 Kestrel diving on to prey 1-6 of 7 (accurate montage about 7 fps 2-6).jpg
Description: Watching a Kestrel bird dropping in height in steps before diving onto prey never ceases to thrill us. The top bird is accurately positioned where it made it's final hover. The 5 lower images are an accurate montage at about 7 fps (so this part of the sequence lasts a bit less than a second).

Date: 04 Dec 2009
View: DB1_20091107_1102_038 Pied wagtail on roof ridge with insect.jpg
Description: The Pied Wagtails visit from November through February and the most likely place to find them is on a sun warmed area of roof slates - they work round the house as the sun moves round looking for insects drawn into action by the warmth. From 2 years ago we include a montage of bird chasing after an insect. This year we so far have a victorious capture on the roof ridge.
Click for Image


Date: 03 Dec 2009
View: D50_20091025_1212_110_FB5 Grey Squirrel (web crop 2).jpg
Description: The Grey squirrels are feeding like mad to fatten up for the winter cold and leaner pickings. Contrary to what many people believe they do not hibernate but only come out of their drays for short periods to feed.

Date: 02 Dec 2009
View: D3B_20091024_2338_036+042+2009_1025_0455_060_FB1 Fieldmouse over 1 night (fantasie montage).jpg
Description: A bit of fun with probably the same fieldmouse over some 5 hours on 1 night. So far we think we are seeing just this one young mouse at this new site.

Date: 01 Dec 2009
View: D50_20091028_1053_006_FB5 Jay.jpg
Description: Jays are just so beautiful! They are about the same size as magpies (and belong to the same family of corvids). No doubt this one will be burying loads of acorns for winter feeding, many of which will sprout next year.

View: D50_20091028_1135_007_FB5 Jay.jpg
Description: After preparing this we enjoyed a BBC Autumnwatch TV program also eulogising about Jays and Magpies.

Image Archive arch 2009 nov.htm (view it Here)

Date: 30 Nov 2009
View: da1_20091029_0903_013+1044_329_ft1 Feathered Thorn Moth male in flight with Blackthorn (montage).jpg
Description: Probably the last outing for the moth-trap this year only collected some 50 insects but some were new species for us. This is a male 'Feathered Thorn Moth'.

View: da1_20091029_0926_087_ft1 Feathered Thorn Moth male ID on pale blue card showing antennae (detail web crop).jpg
Description: You can here see the male antennae more clearly in a static image taken on blue card. Some references say that the antennae can detect the female pheromone from possibly a single molecule.

Date: 29 Nov 2009
View: da1_20091029_0944_150+0909_029_ft1 The Satellite Moth in flight with Blackthorn (montage).jpg
Description: Probably the last outing for the moth-trap this year only collected some 50 insects but some were new species for us. This moth gets the name Satellite Moth' from an interesting 'dot' pattern on the wing with two 'satellite' dots by each main spot marking.

View: da1_20091029_1001_185_ft1 The Satellite Moth (brown markings) in flight (web crop).jpg
Description: We found we had another with much less obvious marks in orange. A completely normal variation according to the 'book'.

Date: 28 Nov 2009
View: da1_20091029_1036_295_ft1 Ophion Luteus (q) Ichneumon ID in Box (web crop).jpg
Description: Probably the last outing for the moth-trap this year only collected some 50 insects but some were new species for us. First this quite large Ichneumon. It is a parasitic insect that lays it's eggs in other species larvae (ugh!). Nature doesn't think 'cruel' or not - it just finds ways to survive.
This preliminary image we took in an insect box shows the amazing carapace and head/eye much better than the later in-flight images.

View: da1_20091029_0954_162_ft1 Red-green Carpet Moth in flight (web crop).jpg
Description: A red & green mottled moth with a name that matches it's appearance (not that this helped us discover what it was called).

Date: 27 Nov 2009
View: DB1_20091018_1450_037+038+040+1451_044 Kestrel flyby 1+2+3+5 of 5 (montage).jpg
Description: A Kestrel flyby - we definitely felt 'watched'. Artistic layout only - just an 'impression'.

Date: 26 Nov 2009
View: D3B_20091019_1510_108_FB1 Bluetit.jpg
Description: The moved site is now properly adjusted and obtaining some nice portraits of small birds. Here a bluetit perches on a carefully positioned stone.

View: D3B_20091019_1523_112_FB1 Great tit.jpg
Description: 13 minutes later a Great tit gazes upwards from the same place.

Date: 25 Nov 2009
View: d50_20091022_0053_126-128+130-0310_132_fb5 Snail on tree trunk montage.jpg
Description: The setup at this site got slightly disturbed by wind or an animal causing the camera to be triggered at random during the night. The dozens of otherwise identical frames showed us this snail spending 2 hours or so feeding on the top and side of the log. Start top right & go anticlockwise and then down.

Date: 24 Nov 2009
View: DB1_20091023_1105_260 Buzzard flying to bridleway post 18 of 21 (web crop).jpg
Description: A Buzzard spent a glorious 20 minutes on the bridleway fence posts about 100m from us, hunting from one and then flying along a few posts to try again.
Here the moment as the bird is about to land on a post top.

Date: 23 Nov 2009
View: DB1_20091023_1050_088-091 Buzzard taking off from Bridleway post 1-4 of 4 (montage 3 horizontally stretched).jpg
Description: A Buzzard spent a glorious 20 minutes on the bridleway fence posts about 100m from us, hunting from one and then flying along a few posts to try again.
We tried a number of ways of presenting this sequence, and stretching the horizontal separation about 50% was the most successful.

Date: 22 Nov 2009
View: DB1_20091023_1054_117+119+121+123-126 Buzzard flying onto prey 1+3+5+7-10 of 10 (tight montage).jpg
Description: A Buzzard spent a glorious 20 minutes on the bridleway fence posts about 100m from us, hunting from one and then flying along a few posts to try again.
Off the bird goes and we expected it to fly along, and instead down it goes claws first on some unfortunate creature we never saw. The first 4 images (from the right) are alternate frames about 300mS apart in order to prevent serious overlaps, while the remainder are about 150mS.

Date: 21 Nov 2009
View: DB1_20091023_1105_243-248 Buzzard flying to bridleway post 1-6 of 21 (montage).jpg
Description: A Buzzard spent a glorious 20 minutes on the bridleway fence posts about 100m from us, hunting from one and then flying along a few posts to try again.
The whole sequence is accurately positioned over about 1 second of real time.

Date: 20 Nov 2009
View: D36_20091013_0655_039_FB3 Little Owl (web crop).jpg
Description: This is a Little Owl (actual species common name) launching itself from the perch viewed through the kitchen window. The previous frame on the automatic camera was for the evening before at 17:35 and was also of a Little Owl (we have to believe the same one) but with it's back to us. A little owl has since been spotted camouflaged as dead wood in an old apple tree.

Date: 19 Nov 2009
View: DB1_20091016_1236_489 Sparrowhawk in flight.jpg
Description: Sparrowhawks are generally seen flying at high speed in purposeful fashion, as here, but for once right by us, giving a chance at a portrait.

Date: 18 Nov 2009
View: DB1_20091013_1610_140-145 2 jackdaws mobbing kestrel 1-6 of 6 (accurate montage with tidied backdrop).jpg
Description: This sequence over perhaps 1 second is accurately assembled to make this montage. The maneuverability of the birds is fantastic.
View it as vertical slices from left to right.
In the 3 birds at the right the lower jackdaw broke off the close pursuit and just tagged along while the other jackdaw continued the chase.

Date: 17 Nov 2009
View: DB1_20091016_1233_436+438+440_444-448 Kestrel diving down onto prey in grass 1+3+5-10 of 14 (1-3&4-10 accurate montage).jpg
Description: Its unusual for a kestrel to dive on prey where they don't get obscured by a hedge or foliage before they reach the ground, but this one obliged for us.
The top 3 and bottom 5 images are accurately montaged as groups but the gap between them is a discontinuity and should be much larger. Frame rate for the groups was about 7 fps.
The final image has the kestrel mostly hidden by grass with just wing and tail tips showing where it spent about 30 seconds with wings flapping. Inevitably the camera ran out of continuous frames and missed the takeoff. A blurred fly-away photo (not included) shows the bird with something mouse sized in it's talons.

Date: 16 Nov 2009
View: D3B_20091018_0039_212_FB1 Common Shrew.jpg
Description: A completely new species for our cameras - a common shrew. We knew they live on the plot & have been surprised not to see them on camera. They are very small and the IR trigger beam here is unusually low (about 2cm) over the stone, so this may be the reason for missing them before.

View: D3B_20091018_0357_226_FB1 Common Shrew.jpg

Date: 15 Nov 2009
View: D50_20091009_1416_054_FB5 Squirrel on trunk top.jpg
Description: A lot less damaging to the rodents and birds than the feral cats who also clamber up here, but a lot more damaging to the trees.

Date: 14 Nov 2009
View: D50_20091010_1826_051_FB5 Jay.jpg
Description: The first jay was spotted a week before this, but a re-arrangement at the tree-trunk top camera setup bagged with portrait.

View: D3B_20091013_1105_017_FB1 Jay.jpg
Description: And at the recently relocated site 1, probably a different jay gazes up from a feed on the ground.

Date: 13 Nov 2009
View: DB1_20091010_1233_401 Buzzard in flight (web crop).jpg
Description: A buzzard making a flyover.

View: DB1_20091010_1457_680 Carrion Crow harassing Buzzard in flight (web crop).jpg
Description: We like to see buzzards, but the carrion crows are a lot less keen and mob them, usually without much success beyond a minor evasion. Although only one bird is in this frame, 4 of them were wheeling round the action.

Date: 12 Nov 2009
View: DB1_20091010_1514_885 Southern Hawker Dragonfly male with 2 wing tips torn a on branch of lodgepole pine.jpg
Description: To our delight we still have Southern hawker Dragonflies on the wing in mid October on sunny days even when chilly enough for coats. This one was sunning itself in a stand of pine trees near the pond. Both its right wing tips are a little the worse for wear, but he appears otherwise immaculate.

Date: 11 Nov 2009
View: P34_20091002_1012_406 Horse chestnut candle on tree south of Duck pond (web crop).jpg
Description: Our initial planting included only 3 Horse-chestnut trees, but they grew so well we added another 30 or so about 15 years ago. Most are healthy and producing conkers. Here a husk has dropped one of its conkers but not the other.

Date: 10 Nov 2009
View: CCT_20090925_2035_056 Cat waiting for Polecat (q) to catch up with it 4 of 6 (web crop).jpg
Description: A strange bit of behaviour with feral cat and what we think is a polecat. About a minute before this the cat went left to right across the shingle followed a couple of seconds later by the other creature. The cat then returned, looked back, sat down and waited a few second until the second creature paused on a rock & then walked towards the cat who turned and continued unhurriedly on its way with the other following along. There seems no doubt they were companions on the night time forage/hunt.

View: cct_20090925_2035_045-059 Cat waiting for Polecat (q) to catch up with it 1-6 of 6 (montage).jpg
Description: This is a sequence of 6 images from the CCT at reduced resolution. The untidy time block is moved from the top left of the original frame and is in format yyyy/mm/dd hh:mm:ss.

Date: 09 Nov 2009
View: DB1_20090926_1444_041-044 Kestrel female diving down off wires at about 7 fps (accurate montage) 2-5 of 5.jpg
Description: This is an accurate montage of a kestrel diving down off 11KV wires. Missed the start as seems inevitable with conventional cameras, but this makes a rather pleasing sweep.

Date: 08 Nov 2009
View: D01_20090928_1929_005 Long Eared Bat in flight (web crop).jpg
Description: Another Long eared bat this time flying straight at the camera but veering off well in time.

Date: 07 Nov 2009
View: D50_20091002_0708_064_FB5 2 Chaffinch males in aerial skirmish (web crop 2).jpg
Description: Above the tree stump two chaffinches squabble in the air.

Date: 06 Nov 2009
View: DB1_20091002_1029_050+051_053 Rook harassing kestrel 1+2+4 of 4 (accurate montage at about 7 fps).jpg
Description: This year the Rooks are harassing the kestrels again, but there are now more kestrels and they seem determined to stay. One distant encounter presented here as a montage. The 3rd frame overlaps 2nd & 4th so have left it out. All the positions are accurate at about 150mS between the first pair and 300mS the second pair.

Date: 05 Nov 2009
View: P34_20090929_1116_360 7 spot ladybird on fir cone.jpg
Description: A visitor spotted a 7 spot ladybird hiding in the depth of one of these fir cones, and search revealed several out and about.

Date: 04 Nov 2009
View: DB1_20091002_1042_154+173 Kestrel females (normal and blonde) flyover (montage).jpg
Description: A lovely surprise was 2 female kestrels flying overhead within the same minute - first a 'normal' and secondly our 'blonde' bird. We have montaged two similar aerial positions together to show the different colouring.

View: DB1_20091002_1042_162 Kestrel blonde female flyover (web crop).jpg
Description: But the TOP view of the blonde bird is much more striking than the bottom.

Date: 03 Nov 2009
View: DB1_20091004_0918_020 Small copper butterfly (Lycaena Phlaeas) blue-spotted form (caeruleopunctata) 11 deg C on ground.jpg
Description: At 09:20 on a breezy and chilly (11C) early Octover day this little beauty unexpectedly fluttered down to this thistle leaf right to sun itself.
It is a variant of the normal Small Copper butterfly that has with blue spots on the hind wings.

Date: 02 Nov 2009
View: D12_20091003_1557_022 Grass snake skin head detail (web crop).jpg
Description: The fragments of this Grass snake skin add up to about 0.5 metres.
The head end is intact though the top of the head is dented or was pulled down as the snake extracted itself.
It may not be obvious that the top and bottom jaws are separate and can be 'opened' as when attached to the snake. The amazing part-spheres of the eyes are intact and appear perfectly formed. Judging from size this snake is probably the one Shown Here

Date: 01 Nov 2009
View: CF1_20090918_1452_885-889 Common Darter Dragonfly male vertical takeoff @ 30fps (vertically accurate montage of 2-6 of 7).jpg
Description: This a montage of 5 images showing a common darter dragonfly taking off from a branch. The spacing of the first 3 is forced horizontally because they would overlap, but the vertical rise is accurately montaged.
The transition between still and having left the branch takes 66mS (2 frames at 30fps). Hooray for a camera that can store what happened before you press the button even if the quality is not 'premium'.

Image Archive arch 2009 oct.htm (view it Here)

Date: 31 Oct 2009
View: D50_20090925_0731_047_FB5 Chaffinch male in flight.jpg
Description: A Chaffinch male caught in a very dynamic position.

Date: 30 Oct 2009
View: DB1_20090927_0915_014 Spider web soaked in dew showing rainbow colours (web crop).jpg
Description: Never seen a rainbow in a spiders web before. No faking or winding up the colour, nor camera effect (have similar pics on two completely different camera designs). Angle of view was very critical and this was an attempt to get as much of the spectrum at once. The sun was low in the sky to the cameras right shining from the same side & there is no reason to think it is not following the normal rainbow angular rules.

Date: 29 Oct 2009
View: P34_20090927_1353_304 Grey Dagger Moth Caterpillar on Blackthorn (web crop).jpg
Description: This beauty was on the top of a 1.5m high hedge. The moth that will emerge is a rather drab affair in shades of grey that we don't seem ever to have photographed. The 2 bumps and strange angle are quite normal according to 'the book'.

View: P34_20090927_1613_332 Grey Dagger Moth Caterpillar eating Blackthorn leaf.jpg
Description: This side view shows it chewing successive arcs out of the leaf.

Date: 28 Oct 2009
View: DB1_20090913_0854_043 Grass snake under corrugated iron 30m WSW of Duck Pond (head crop).jpg
Description: We have several corrugated iron reptile warmers but only one gets any snakes and then only one at a time. This one was a little more tolerant than usual and we managed a head portrait without it slithering off. A day or so later we found a nearly intact snake skin (well it WAS intact until we had to extract it tangled in bramble thorns) under the same cover. See image for 2 Nov 2009.

Date: 27 Oct 2009
View: DB1_20090914_0919_072 Sparrowhawk single flyby (selected) 1 of 8 (web crop).jpg
Description: We don't see much of this bird except as Wham-Bang-Grab-Gone visits to take tits at the bird feeders, so its nice to get a few pics. The bird actually got so close it filled the frame for a moment but horribly blurred and human necks don't bend far enough backwards to follow it.

View: DB1_20090914_0919_073 Sparrowhawk single flyby (selected) 2 of 8 (web crop).jpg

View: DB1_20090914_0919_087 Sparrowhawk single flyby (selected) 8 of 8 (web crop).jpg

Date: 26 Oct 2009
View: D01_20090918_1958_027 Brown Long-eared (q) bat in flight.jpg
Description: We saw about a dozen bats leaving the loft and got pictures of what we think are Brown long-eared bats. They exit through a long existing hole under the eaves several metres from this point, but this is where they all seem to fly and by the time you have spotted one exiting its too late unless you photograph where they (mostly) go.

View: D01_20090919_1950_021+022+023 Brown Long-eared Bat in flight (Accurate Montage single flight at about 5fps).jpg
Description: Next day viewed from the other side of the exit hole using multi-exposure flash we caught these 3 moments of a bats flight here accurately montaged back together. A fixed camera setup with 20m cable release so we could react in time watching from the other side.

Date: 25 Oct 2009
View: DB1_20090916_1245_031 Red admiral butterfly on Mallow flower.jpg
Description: Not much by way of butterflies on show now - just the odd tatty speckled wood. So this lovely Red admiral has to be counted as a bonus.

Date: 24 Oct 2009
View: D50_20090918_1813_032_FB5 Chaffinch female threatened by arriving male (web crop).jpg
Description: This tree trunk has just been stocked for the next night's visitors. The male on the right isn't being very gallant towards the female (or maybe juvenile) on the left.

Date: 23 Oct 2009
View: DB1_20090909_1238_142-150 Hobby catching insect at about 5fps 01-09 of 10 (montage top left to bottom right).jpg
Description: Wouldn't it be nice to claim we planned to photograph a hobby catching an insect in it's talons, taking a bite and dropping the remains (or maybe dropping it) all in 2 seconds. But we only found it happened when we were looking through the images later.
This is a montage of sequential frames over about 2 seconds. The insect (most likely a Dragonfly) has been slightly contrast enhanced to make it visible at this size, and the white arrows added to help. The first three bird images are accurately positioned assuming the insect hadn't moved much. The remainder are just placed 'to fit', with the last three each with their own insect falling behind the bird.

Date: 22 Oct 2009
View: D01_20090908_2018_032 Silver Y moth feeding on Yellow Buddleia at night (orig).jpg
Description: Another newly discovered dusk visitor to our yellow buddleia is this 'Silver Y' moth - it's not hard to see where it gets it's name.

Date: 21 Oct 2009
View: D01_20090908_2018_035 Burnished Brass moth with proboscis half curled flying to Yellow Buddleia (web crop).jpg
Description: We have lived here for 19 years, and enjoyed our yellow buddleia and its visitors by day. Out on a fruitless bat foray on a very mild evening we discovered that it also has a 'night shift'. This is a couple of images of the burnished Brass moth. The first is in flight and shows a partially coiled proboscis

View: D01_20090908_2025_055 Burnished Brass moth feeding on Yellow Buddleia at night (orig).jpg
Description: And here actually feeding with the proboscis in a floret. This moth has previously been photographed after being caught in the moth trap - see the image for 12 July 2009.

Date: 20 Oct 2009
View: DB1_20090908_1616_115 Lesser Marsh (q) Grasshopper (web crop).jpg
Description: A change on land management in a our open area has brought a flood of grasshoppers and crickets. We think we have identified this grasshopper correctly.

Date: 19 Oct 2009
View: DB1_20090909_1714_121 Southern Hawker dragonfly pair mating in Willow behind Duck Pond & parting after 1 Hr 19 of 36 (web crop).jpg
Description: We saw this pair of Southern Hawker dragonflies land in this 'Wheel' configuration in a willow behind duck pond and spend 63 minutes hanging on there being blown around in the wind before finally parting in two stages.
The male is at the top using his tail clasper to hold the female behind the head. She brings her vulva opening up to the male to pick up the sperm. They were very determined - the wind was blowing them about from this position to almost horizontal.

View: DB1_20090909_1739_157 Southern Hawker dragonfly pair mating in Willow behind Duck Pond & parting after 1 Hr 25 of 36 (web crop).jpg
Description: About 3 minutes before separating she has had enough and drops into 'tandem'. Some species then go on to lay eggs in this configuration, but not these.

View: DB1_20090909_1744_179 Southern Hawker dragonfly pair mating in Willow behind Duck Pond & parting after 1 Hr 33 of 36 (web crop).jpg
Description: The moment of separation probably and she flew off we know not where. He flew off a few minutes later

Date: 18 Oct 2009
View: DA1_20090831_1507_061+1514_071_FT1 Large yellow underwing moth in flight with Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) (montage).jpg
Description: This moth was trapped in the conservatory & we took some portraits before letting it go. The plant is Lemon Balm (not listed as a native wild flower in the UK) but grows rampantly in the herb patch and smells and tastes smashing.

Date: 17 Oct 2009
View: DA1_20090901_1312_006+1327_024_FT1 Azure Damselfly male in flight with grass seed head (montage).jpg
Description: What seems to be a new emergence Azure Damselfly was flying along the bank of the pond and 'came in' for a 10 minute photo shoot.

View: DA1_20090901_1314_014_FT1 Azure Damselfly male in flight (web crop).jpg

Date: 16 Oct 2009
View: D35_20090903_1738_088_FB4 Green woodpecker with mud stained beak.jpg
Description: The green woodpecker is around all year, but usually only detectable by his call and sometimes fleeting view of departure. But we got lucky this week with an image from an automatic camera

View: DB1_20090903_1619_052 Green woodpecker peering round tree at camera peering through tree (web crop).jpg
Description: A couple of hours earlier that afternoon we had a sort 'if I can't see you can't see me' type of sneaked portrait.

Date: 15 Oct 2009
View: D3A_20090902_2108_027_FB2 Mouse and Leopard slug (web crop).jpg
Description: What is it about fieldmice with slugs & snails?

Date: 14 Oct 2009
View: D3A_20090904_1848_012_FB2 Robin arched upward displaying red breast.jpg
Description: The robins here have again had a very successful breeding season. First a robin on a log showing off his wonderful red breast

View: D3B_20090901_0714_033_FB1 Robin in flight (web crop).jpg
Description: And probably a different robin in flight.

Date: 13 Oct 2009
View: P34_20090904_0821_894 Evening Primrose flower wet with morning dew (web crop).jpg
Description: Every year or so an evening primrose or two (this year just one) pops up about 1.5m high and provides some glorious colour as the other flowers (literally) turn to seed. We have never done anything to introduce them but do let them seed before tidying up. For whatever reason they don't seem to attract much by way of the larger insects, and so have escaped being photographed until now.

View: P34_20090904_0821_906 Evening Primrose flowers (web crop).jpg
Description: The top third of the stem in more context. Note the fly for scale.

Date: 12 Oct 2009
View: D3A_20090825_1949_015_FB2 Wren (web crop).jpg
Description: We quite often get fleeting views of wrens in the hedges, but have not photographed one at a one of the 'sites' for 4 years. So we are pleased this one popped by.

View: D3A_20090825_0624_066_FB2 Chaffinch juvenile.jpg
Description: This young chaffinch had us both reacting Aah - how sweet. Hope it has the same effect for you.

Date: 11 Oct 2009
View: D3A_20090827_0621_035_FB2 Chaffinch male in flight (crop).jpg
Description: There are a huge number of chaffinches about at the moment, so we get more chances to get a really crisp image of a male chaffinch in flight.

Date: 10 Oct 2009
View: DA1_20090830_1009_115+1014_134_FT1 Common Darter Dragonfly over mature female in Flight with Hawthorn twig (montage).jpg
Description: This quite old female common darter dragonfly is very faded but in otherwise good condition and a good flyer.

Date: 09 Oct 2009
View: DA1_20090823_1237_280+1249_292_FT1 Brimstone Moth in flight with Corkscrew Hazel leaf (montage).jpg
Description: The day-flying Brimstone Moth has wing marks mimicking leaf damage that make it very hard to spot on foliage.

Date: 08 Oct 2009
View: DA1_20090830_0942_038+0949_048_FT1 Red Admiral Butterfly in Flight with yellow buddleia (montage).jpg
Description: A pristine batch of Red Admiral butterflies have emerged, and we caught a couple to photograph. The first was taken in flight at a moment that shows both top and bottom of the wings.

View: DA1_20090830_1033_205_FT1 2 Red Admiral butterflies on yellow Buddleia (web crop).jpg
Description: We offered the pair a feed on a yellow buddleia flower (on which we netted one of them) and took the opportunity for some portraits.

Date: 07 Oct 2009
View: DB1_20090831_1805_080 Southern Hawker Dragonfly male on desiccated hogweed stem (web crop).jpg
Description: A warm wind with intermittent sun brought out a wonderful show of dragonflies including at least a dozen of these beauties over the hedges, ponds and along the paths. Near the end of the day this one perched on a sequence of dead weed stems and finally stayed on this one. It was still there 10 minutes later when we left it in peace.

Date: 06 Oct 2009
View: DA1_20090820_1301_008_FT1 Harlequin Ladybird in flight from Hawthorn (web crop).jpg
Description: We have had Harlequin Ladybirds for a few years now, but this year have only found a couple against 2 dozen or 7-spots - hopefully a good trend. However, it obliged with flying for us so, this one gets it's place on the site.
First just after taking off from the hawthorn leaf.

View: DA1_20090820_1305_021+1302_015_FT1 Harlequin Ladybird in flight (montage of separate flights).jpg
Description: And now a montage of a couple of separate flights. Never caught this one in focus with it's wings down.
If your are surprised it is a Harlequin (about the same size as a 7-spot) have a look at http://www.uksafari.com/ladybirdharlequin2.htm


Date: 05 Oct 2009
View: DB1_20090823_0909_023 Grass snake under corrugated iron 30m WSW of Duck Pond in serpentine shape.jpg
Description: One or more grass snakes like to warm up on cooler days under corrugated iron sheets put down for just this purpose. We limit ourselves to one disturbance a day. This snake seemed to us bigger than the last and had concertinaed itself into the shaping of the corrugations.

Date: 04 Oct 2009
View: DB1_20090823_1739_078+079+090 Hobby in flight (from frame rate est 5fps) 01+02+06 of 13 (montage).jpg
Description: This is only our second sighting of a hobby in flight, and interestingly just 2 days earlier in the year than the first & only time last year.

Date: 03 Oct 2009
View: D3B_20090821_2004_026_FB1 Fox sitting down to eat (web crop).jpg
Description: The foxes are still regulars at all the ground level sites but this is the first time we can remember one sitting down to eat.

Date: 02 Oct 2009
View: D3B_20090822_1946_086_FB1 Fieldmouse running off with mouthful of food & debris.jpg
Description: The fieldmice seem totally barmy. We are surprised this one can even manage this amount of junk - the unusually stiff tail may be helping to counterbalance the load.

View: D3B_20090822_2020_087_FB1 Fieldmouse leaping over another.jpg
Description: Genuine single frame (as always unless the Ref: field says 'montage').

Date: 01 Oct 2009
View: DA1_20090823_1107_085+1114_120+1251_304_FT1 Brown Argus butterfly in flight top & bottom with Round-leaved Mint (montage).jpg
Description: We have confirmation (based on static images not included here) that this is a quite scarce 'blue' butterfly called the Brown Argus where .. err .. neither sex is blue! But it is beautiful.

Image Archive arch 2009 sep.htm (view it Here)

Date: 30 Sep 2009
View: D50_20090815_1929_017_FB5 Male chaffinch arriving at trunk top already occupied by female or juvenile.jpg
Description: Chaffinches have done well this year and many adults and youngsters visit the tree-stump top. They often squabble over the rights to this tiny piece of real-estate.

View: D50_20090817_0559_056_FB5 Chaffinch aerobraking (web crop).jpg
Description: But they can also be very elegant.

Date: 29 Sep 2009
View: D3A_20090819_0614_072_FB2 2 Robins fighting over log (web crop).jpg
Description: Robins are very territorial, but we didn't see any evidence of this being more than a brief squabble.

Date: 28 Sep 2009
View: DA1_20090817_1454_019+1623_095_FT1 Migrant Hawker Dragonfly Female in Flight with blackthorn (montage).jpg
Description: Unusually a tripple entry for today celebrating this years first Migrant Hawker Dragonflies. First we netted this female.

View: DA1_20090819_1514_088+1301_039 Migrant Hawker Dragonfly Male Mature in Flight with Flag Iris fronds (montage).jpg
Description: 2 Days later a male also obliged with some photos in flight.

View: DA1_20090819_1510_072 Migrant Hawker Dragonfly Male Mature in Flight (web crop).jpg
Description: This view solved a riddle hanging over from last year when we caught a 'white faced' dragonfly which escaped from the net before we could identify it. The sex and stage of life vary the body & facial colour.

Date: 27 Sep 2009
View: DA1_20090818_0950_195+1033_287_FT1 Swallow Prominent Moth male in flight with Rough Hawks-beard flower (montage).jpg
Description: Continuing from yesterdays night flying moth, first a subtle brown moth called the 'Swallow Prominent'.

View: DA1_20090818_1015_269+1032_283_FT1 Large Yellow underwing moth in flight bottom with Rough Hawks-beard flower (montage).jpg
Description: Although we know what many moths are at first glance many look so like wood bark with wings closed we don't know what it is until later. So the orange wings often generate the same surprise for us on their first flight as it has evolved to do to predators.

Date: 26 Sep 2009
View: DA1_20090814_1105_004+1732_047_FT1 Magpie Moth in flight with japanese lantern which it landed on after release (montage).jpg
Description: We would never have dreamed of including a Japanese lantern seed case with this Magpie moth (a day flyer) if it hadn't been that when we released this Magpie moth it flew straight onto one and stayed until we left.

View: DA1_20090818_0929_137+1027_277_FT1 Angle Shades moth in flight with Woody Nightshade berries (aka Bittersweet) (montage).jpg
Description: A few days later we put out the moth trap & one of the hundreds of moths was this Angle Shades moth that flew off right by these Woody Nightshade berries that grow over the heating oil tank.

Date: 25 Sep 2009
View: DB1_20090807_1426_008 Grass snake under corrugated iron 30m WSW of Duck Pond (web crop).jpg
Description: Our first close up sighting of a grass snake under one of a several sheets of corrugated iron. A quick image grabbed before it gave us a filthy look (if a snake can) and prompt slide off under the matted dead grass. Saw it again later at the same place later in the day & a few days subsequently.

Date: 24 Sep 2009
View: DA1_20090809_1124_018+019_FT1 7-spot ladybird takeoff and in flight (montage about 250ms apart).jpg
Description: At last - a 7-spot ladybird willing to fly indoors!
Put it on a leaf, it walked to the light, waiting a moment at the tip, and off it flew. Another 7-spot alternated with it preferred to walk back up the twig and hide. Never realised the wings have a little spot matching the carapace.

View: DA1_20090809_1136_066+1234_165_FT1 7-spot ladybird in flight with hawthorn twig (montage).jpg

Date: 23 Sep 2009
View: CF1_20090808_1046_419+430+444 Painted Lady butterfly feeding on Successive teasel florets @ 20fps 1+12+26 of 50 (montage).jpg
Description: This painted lady dipped into successive florets (single flowers in a group) on a teasel, dipping into 1 a couple of times - it may be more random than it looks. Anyway, in a single sequence of 3 seconds here are the dips into 3 little fuel stores.

Date: 22 Sep 2009
View: CF1_20090808_1245_907+913+917+919 Southern Hawker dragonfly hover & sudden turning 60fps 13+19+21+23 of 27 (montage).jpg
Description: Repeated attempts at getting a good high speed dragonfly-in-flight sequence got this unexpected moment of interest. The dragonfly spent a moment hovering and in the reaction time to press the shutter to store the last 1 second it turned round on the spot and flew back towards the camera (and then even more out of focus). The entire time for the montage shown was 0.166 second.

Date: 21 Sep 2009
View: D3B_20090810_0133_072_FB1 Fieldmouse standing on apple.jpg
Description: Young Mouse: All Mine!
Mum: Don't you dare try to eat it all - you'll get a tummy ache.

Date: 20 Sep 2009
View: DB1_20090811_1215_013 Kestrel female on phone pole through foliage with head backwards looking at camera (web crop).jpg
Description: Even photographing it through a hole in the foliage doesn't keep you hidden from the beady eye of a kestrel.

Date: 19 Sep 2009
View: DB1_20090730_1443_096-100 Swallow feeding young on wires with insect escaping 2-6 of 6 (levelled & mirrored montage).jpg
Description: Following yesterdays single bird take off, this is a typical sight of young swallows being fed on wires without the parent landing. This is an 'effect' montage - the perched bird is obviously stationary! The insect you see in the last two appeared only at that moment, and flew off - a lucky escape for whatever it is.
As the chicks get stronger they start feeding themselves and taking food from parents 'on the wing'. For a view of this from August 2007 click here to pop-up a separate window or tab.

Date: 18 Sep 2009
View: CF1_20090730_1501_244-249 Swallow taking off from wire at 20fps 2-7 of 9 (montage).jpg
Description: Most years one or more families of swallows spend a day or two using out overhead wires as a family 'picnic' area. Today a swallow taking off from the main wire at 20 frames per second (0.05 Sec between pics montaged for effect rather than spacial accuracy).

Date: 17 Sep 2009
View: DA1_20090802_1426_078+_079+1527_175 FT1 Common blue (q) butterfly (accurate montage approx 250mS apart) with Clover (montage).jpg
Description: This tatty individual is our first sighting of ANY 'blue' butterfly for 2 seasons. He never produced a good single top and bottom wing visible in a single shot, so here is a montage of a single flight about 1/4 seconds apart.

View: DA1_20090806_1048_026_FT1 Common Blue Butterfly on Thistle flower.jpg
Description: A closer and more sedate view of the beautiful patterned wing.

Date: 16 Sep 2009
View: D36_20090803_1837_007_FB3 Great Spotted Woodpecker juvenile beating wings.jpg
Description: The combination of flash (lasts about 0.001 sec) and shutter movement blur (about 0.05 sec) has produced this rather unusual view of a juvenile woodpecker.

Date: 15 Sep 2009
View: D3B_20090806_0140_080_FB1 Fieldmouse mid leap & another on log.jpg
Description: Whee ...
There is nothing within half a metre to jump from. Its not an unusual sight at this site, but the leaping mouse is in unusually sharp focus.

View: D3B_20090806_0140_080_FB1 Fieldmouse mid leap (tight crop).jpg
Description: And a closer view.
Our interpretation: Look mum - no paws - ouch.

Date: 14 Sep 2009
View: DA1_20090806_1115_068+1123_085_FT1 Southern Hawker Dragonfly male in flight with Hawthorn (montage).jpg
Description: This is a male Southern Hawker Dragonfly which has become a regular summer visitor in the last few years. We finally managed to net this one for some portraits. The first image was taken in our flying insect setup.

View: DB1_20090806_1143_046 Southern Hawker Dragonfly male head on view of face (web crop).jpg
Description: We generally put our 'guests' on a hawthorn hedge to fly off in their own time and if they don't go immediately we take a few portraits.

Date: 13 Sep 2009
View: DA1_20090806_1338_234_FT1 Conehead Bush-Cricket (web crop).jpg
Description: Bush crickets have enormously long antennae - it really reaches just past the right edge of this picture!

Date: 12 Sep 2009
View: DA1_20090806_1348_272+1156_150_FT1 Brimstone butterfly in flight showing top and bottom of wings with thistle (montage).jpg
Description: The new emergence of Brimstone butterflies has started so we have some pristine examples to photograph. Here we were lucky enough to catch a moment with the top and bottom of the wings both visible.

Date: 11 Sep 2009
View: DB1_20090806_1215_090+_094 Buzzard landing on dead branch at top of Black Poplar at track end 2+6 of 13 (accurate montage).jpg
Description: Heard a buzzard calling and arrived for a view just as it appeared rising up toward a dead branch on a black poplar and landed on it for a few seconds. This is an accurate montage of two shots about 1 second apart. The black speck was one of a number of insects apparently dislodged by the draft.

Date: 10 Sep 2009
View: DB1_20090730_1427_039 Blackbird male sunbathing in low hedge top.jpg
Description: This male blackbird spent quite a while sunning itself in the hedge and then on the ground in the salad bed. It is not obvious from this angle that the wings are spread and it is facing the sun. The beak-open position seems to be characteristic - birds don't sweat so they need a way of keeping cool.

Date: 09 Sep 2009
View: CF1_20090718_1233_139+141+143+145+149 Frog jumping into Dragon Pond (20 fps) 2+4+6+8+12 of 14 (accurate montage exc splash).jpg
Description: After several years of seeing very few frogs we are delighted to see them jumping off the banks of the ponds into the water once again. Right to left the first 4 images are 0.1 sec apart and accurately montaged. The splash is the real splash 0.2 sec after the last frog image which is perhaps already touching the water, so it is offset so you can see it. The frog was gone by frame 9 (for numbering see legend) which showed a splash free hole in the duckweed. This much splash took another 3 frames (0.15 sec) to appear.

Date: 08 Sep 2009
View: P34_20090713_1236_283+284+295 7-spot ladybird swinging under leaf (approx 700ms interval montage).jpg
Description: This year 7-spot ladybirds outnumber the Harlequin invader several to one. This chance photo is the result of a set of 'framing exposures'. For the uninitiated, enthusiast's cameras can usually be set to take 3 or more sets of images per shutter press at nominal, underexposed and overexposed so that you can be fairly sure of getting a decent one. But as the camera took the 3 images the insect flipped under the leaf. So we used the paint package to adjust the exposures to roughly match to build this little sequence.

Date: 07 Sep 2009
View: D3A_20090729_2148_082_FB2 Fieldmouse inspects snail in the rain.jpg
Description: Oh dear - more mice nuzzling snails - this time a very young mouse we have often seen photographed on this log in the surrounding few days.

Date: 06 Sep 2009
View: DB1_20090730_1444_109 Swallow feeding young on wires 3 of 4 (web crop).jpg
Description: Another family of swallows visited for one day. The young were not as advanced as the previous family because the chicks took all their food while waiting on the wires. The parent rarely land - just passing the insects as they almost hover and flying on to catch more.

Date: 05 Sep 2009
View: DB1_20090730_1002_020 Painted lady butterfly on dew-wet grass.jpg
Description: Painted lady butterfly out before the dew has dried sunning itself to warm up prior to a busy day feeding at assorted wild and cultivated flowers.

Date: 04 Sep 2009
View: DB1_20090724_1717_345 Swallow flying over meadow (web crop).jpg
Description: Skimming over wet grass is a favourite of swallows after rain.

View: DB1_20090724_1909_022+023 Swallow in flight and insect it caught 1+2 of 3 accurate montage.jpg
Description: An accurate crop of a swallow taking an insect (assuming that the insect didn't move much in the fraction of second of the birds swoop at it). You can just make out the wings of the insect.

Date: 03 Sep 2009
View: DA1_20090725_1439_590+20090726_1243_003 FT1 Common Darter dragonfly male (130mg) in flight with Hawthorn twig (montage).jpg
Description: We netted a couple of male darter dragonflies. We were surprised to find the second about 50% heavier than the first.

View: DA1_20090725_1456_671+20090726_1229_005 FT1 Common Darter dragonfly male (220mg) in flight with Hawthorn twig (montage).jpg
Description: The apparent expression on the 'face' and the leg waving as it flew by really cracks us up. We know its not real but still love it.

Date: 02 Sep 2009
View: DA1_20090725_1404_507+1318_278 FT1 Peacock Butterfly in Flight with thistle flower covered in tiny black beetles (montage).jpg
Description: The extremely dark underwing and dazzling top wing of this Peacock Butterfly make an incredible contrast.

Date: 01 Sep 2009
View: DA1_20090725_1435_586 FT1 Late instar nymph of shieldbug troilus luridus (7mm long) head iridescent on Teasel (web crop).jpg
Description: This was found in a patch of teasel. Its about ladybird size but is actually one of many stages of life of a shieldbug with no common name (see description). The dark areas including the row of spots are iridescent.

View: DA1_20090725_1321_285 FT1 Harvestman on Teasel (web crop).jpg
Description: A harvestmen spider also found on the teasels & so photographed on one.

Image Archive arch 2009 aug.htm (view it Here)

Date: 31 Aug 2009
View: DA1_20090725_1256_169+1306_223 FT1 Six-spot Burnet Moth in Flight and perched on teasel (montage).jpg
Description: This is the first Burnet Moth of any sort we have spotted here. They are day-flying moths but don't fly very readily. So we have made a montage of our guest doing the best flight we got and then fluttering on a teasel head (where we had found it).

Date: 30 Aug 2009
View: DA1_20090725_1128_082+20090726_1243_004 FT1 Brown Hawker Dragonfly male in Flight with Hawthorn twig (montage).jpg
Description: A male Brown Hawker Dragonfly male in Flight shown over a twig of hawthorn from the hedge it frequently flies over. This wonderful beast weighed in at only 0.9 g (about 1/30th Ounce).

Date: 29 Aug 2009
View: DA1_20090725_1115_079+1313_267 FT1 Bumble Bee in Flight with Great Willow Herb flowers (montage).jpg
Description: A bumble bee netted feeding on Great Willow Herb near a bramble patch - most likely the cause of the slightly tatty wing edges.

View: DB1_20090725_1120_211 Bumble Bee on Great Willow Herb Flower (web crop).jpg
Description: 5 minutes later released on to a thistle flower it had a quick feed on that and then moved to a clump of Great Willow Herb & spent several minutes sampling the many flowers.

Date: 28 Aug 2009
View: D50_20090717_2019_112_FB5 Chaffinch male by tree trunk on evergreen leaf litter.jpg
Description: While many other species in moult look a bit like feather dusters, the chaffinches for some reason continue to look immaculate.

Date: 27 Aug 2009
View: D3A_20090722_0509_080+0653_104_FB2 Young Robin taking off (arbitrary montage 2Hrs apart).jpg
Description: Today two montages each of 2 images. First a melding of two events about 2 hours apart of what we think is the same young robin that makes a nice 'Robin taking off' sequence

View: D3A_20090718_2013_026+20090719_0520_042_FB2 2 Young robins with different feather development as face-to-face montage.jpg
Description: An absolute fantasie illustrating what is probably at least 2 robin families visiting site 2. The left bird has been flipped and merged to make this illustration of feather development.

Date: 26 Aug 2009
View: D3B_20090719_0103_048_FB1 Fieldmouse leaping & another running away.jpg
Description: For whatever reason this is the first time for ages we have a photo of a mouse mid-leap. Even on the original its not clear whether the 'flying' mouse is the one with truncated tail we have spotted before or whether it is just curled behind out of view.

Date: 25 Aug 2009
View: D3A_20090721_2154_066_FB2 Young fox licking log.jpg
Description: Yummy - this young fox has found some peanut butter on the end of the log and is licking it off.

View: D3B_20090719_2033_132_FB1 Fox (web crop).jpg
Description: This guy shows the other aspect of a foxes culinary preferences - these teeth are for procuring the meat course.

Date: 24 Aug 2009
View: D3B_20090721_0039_045_FB1 Fieldmouse standing up in front of fruit & peanut grit.jpg
Description: This looks ridiculously like Mrs. Mouse inspecting the larder.
Actually the pristine ears suggest it is a young mouse.

Date: 23 Aug 2009
View: DA1_20090714_1037_075+1101_217 FT1 Painted Lady Butterfly in flight with small thistle & soldier beetles (montage).jpg
Description: After a years absence we are seeing the migrant painted lady butterfly this year. Most are rather tatty and faded but this individual was still in good condition. The Soldier Beetles on the thistle spent all 45 minutes of the photo-shoot mating in happy oblivion!

Date: 22 Aug 2009
View: DB1_20090714_1805_183 Young fox finishing eating rabbit (q) by South Hedge of Field to East (web crop).jpg
Description: This fox disappeared at what we know is a rabbit warren and then emerged in the long grass obviously eating something. After several minutes it's head raised enough to see the remains being chewed over. We were upwind of the fox and were surprised it tolerated us and the camera noise. We couldn't find any remains next day.

Date: 21 Aug 2009
View: DA1_20090716_1101_128 FT1 Brown Hawker dragonfly female on Hawthorn twig (web crop).jpg
Description: This is a Brown Hawker dragonfly female flapping her wings as she clambered up a hawthorn twig during a photo-shoot to photograph her in flight (but the flight images didn't capture the 3-D feel).

View: DB1_20090716_1103_005 Brown Hawker dragonfly female head detail (web crop 2).jpg
Description: After the indoor shoot we took her out for release and took some more studies in sunlight until she flew off. This detail is looking from the top of the head (eyes at the bottom) down the face at the top.
We estimated the number of eye segments at 30,000, couldn't believe it, but then found a reference to an exact count for the 'American Common Green Darner' at 28,672 in an excellent UK book by Steve Brooks ISBN 0-953-13990-5 page 8.
The cells do not form images (unlike the ridiculous Hollywood and nature documentary illustrations) so that IS the resolution - about 10% of a 'VGA' (640x480) colour monitor but of course wonderfully sensitive to movement, colour vision including UV, and very robust. According to the book, 3 additional eyes in a triangle at the top are very sensitive to light and are directly used for orientation in flight.

Date: 20 Aug 2009
View: DA1_20090716_1314_181+1322_214 FT1 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing in flight & on Hawthorn twig (montage).jpg
Description: A montage of two images of the Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing moth. On the left in flight showing the startling orange underwing and on the right same species (probably the same insect) taken hanging from a hawthorn twig. The 'purpose' of the colour is said to be to startle predators. It certainly startled us because we hadn't identified the moth before the photo shoot and the first hint of the orange was in this 'first flight'.

Date: 19 Aug 2009
View: DA1_20090716_1422_403+1453_476 FT1 Scalloped Oak Moth in Flight with Hawthorn twig (montage).jpg
Description: A pretty creamy gold moth called the Scalloped Oak shown in flight.

Date: 18 Aug 2009
View: DB1_20090715_1813_048 Comma butterfly on Rowan leaf near ripening Rowan berries (web crop).jpg
Description: A little special for the Woodland Trust phenology enthusiasts - a Comma Butterfly on a fruiting Rowan - both 'recorded' species.

Date: 17 Aug 2009
View: D50_20090717_2255_129_FB5 Leopard Slug + slugs + snail on tree trunk.jpg
Description: Some long awaited rain brought out the slugs. The pale slug in the middle is a 'leopard' slug.

View: D3A_20090717_0319_016_FB2 At least 13 slugs and snails during rain (web crop of mainly snails).jpg
Description: And at another site on the same day 4 snails dominated the wet log.

Date: 16 Aug 2009
View: D50_20090717_1323_102_FB5 Moorhen eating snails.jpg
Description: We know that moorhen eat snails in the pond, but don't think we have ever photographed or seen one with a land snail, in this case a couple of small ones. In the insert you can also see the directional serrations/barbs on the beak edge that probably help yanking about foliage & pond weed.

Date: 15 Aug 2009
View: D50_20090708_2314_039_FB5 Fieldmouse (1st time any at this site) looking at slug.jpg
Description: A mouse has found the 'anvil stone' site. This was probably photographed by something else breaking the beam out of frame. Mice apparently staring at slugs and snails is uncannily common and this was the first and (and with another week gone by) only image of a mouse at this site.

Date: 14 Aug 2009
View: D50_20090711_0829_097_FB5 Moorhen adult striding through site.jpg
Description: Moorhen adult striding through site showing it's disproportionately large feed it needs for getting about on floating vegetation.

Date: 13 Aug 2009
View: DB1_20090703_1815_137 Large skipper butterfly with camouflaged caterpillar eating leaf to the right (crop).jpg
Description: The skipper butterflies are difficult to differentiate in photos, but we think this is a Large Skipper. But the most interesting item we only spotted when preparing the image - a caterpillar aligned along the edge of a partially eaten leaf.

Date: 12 Aug 2009
View: D35_20090702_2022_017_FB4 Young fox (crop 3).jpg
Description: This is our two young foxes taken 2 hours apart at sites about 15m apart. For the top image (8.20 p.m.) there was still some daylight.

View: D3A_20090702_2214_027_FB2 Young Fox with eyes fully dilated (crop).jpg
Description: The second at (10.15 p.m.) it is dark (and the site is under leaf canopy anyway) and the eyes are fully dilated so the eyes look black instead of brown.

Date: 11 Aug 2009
View: D3A_20090704_1843_017_FB2 Squirrel leaping for Hazel nut.jpg
Description: All this excitement over a single Hazel nut? The nut is on the ground bottom right still in it's green covering.

Date: 10 Aug 2009
View: D3B_20090706_0233_124_FB1 Fieldmouse climbing up end of log.jpg
Description: Its a long way up for this fieldmouse now we have filled in the trough under the log.

Date: 09 Aug 2009
View: D50_20090702_1235_005_FB5 2 Young Bluetits foraging near thrush anvil.jpg
Description: There are load of young birds about. Here a couple of young bluetits are looking for lunch (it was 12:30) near the displaced thrush anvil stone.

Date: 08 Aug 2009
View: DA1_20090705_1452_124+1518_197 FT1 Comma butterfly in flight with clover flowers (montage).jpg
Description: The Comma butterfly used to be a Spring and Autumn only sighting here but this year we are seeing them regularly. The 'comma' is the white shape on the brown underwing.

Date: 07 Aug 2009
View: DA1_20090706_0858_034+20090705_1518_200 FT1 Gatekeeper butterfly in flight with Clover flower (montage).jpg
Description: The gatekeeper butterfly has appeared. It is barely 2/3 the size of the meadow brown, but the two white dots in the black spot is characteristic

Date: 06 Aug 2009
View: DB1_20090710_0851_038-_041 Buzzard in Flight 1 to 4 of 4 (montage).jpg
Description: From a nearby bridleway a Corvid-Buzzard skirmish disappeared out of site over the overgrown hedge. But the buzzard on its own then did a lovely flyover of which this montage probably represents between half and 1 second real time. Spacing is for effect rather than accuracy - actual positions unknown.

Date: 05 Aug 2009
View: Bird-1002 Kestrel male on prey (from Sarah Vivienne Photography) (web crop).jpg
Description: Two images sent to us by our email-assortment recipient wedding photographer Sarah Vivienne ( http://www.sarahvivienne.co.uk/public/index.html) who turned her camera on a commotion in her garden and captured a number of wonderful images of a male kestrel on what is probably a blackbird. Our selection, crop & processing of her originals.

View: Bird-1004 Kestrel male on prey (from Sarah Vivienne Photography) (web crop).jpg
Description: Thank you Sarah!

Date: 04 Aug 2009
View: D50_20090630_1628_009_FB5 Young chaffinch on ground with adult male Chaffinch taking off over it (web crop).jpg
Description: Young birds are everywhere. Here an adult male Chaffinch takes off over a youngster who looks like it is about to follow suit.

Date: 03 Aug 2009
View: DA1_20090629_1124_038+1136_082 FT1 Banded Demoiselle Female in Flight with Blackthorn leaves (montage).jpg
Description: The female Banded Demoiselle does not have the band on her wings that her mate does. The sheen on the abdomen is exquisite with a greener tinge than the males. In the recent warm days a 25m grass strip between hedges has become a wonderland of these beauties - about 4 males and a couple of females flutter gently around you as you walk slowly along the path.

View: DA1_20090629_1141_099 FT1 Banded Demoiselle Female on Blackthorn leaf (web crop).jpg
Description: The edges of the 4 wings are so nearly aligned that they almost look like shadows.

Date: 02 Aug 2009
View: DB1_20090630_1746_019 Speckled wood butterfly in pool of sunshine on leaf.jpg
Description: Speckled wood butterflies have been on the wing now for a couple of months. This nice example landed in the only pool of sunlight near us. Before that a more tatty example in flight from several weeks ago.
Click for Image


Date: 01 Aug 2009
View: D50_20090624_0727_044_FB5 Thrush with snail at anvil stone.jpg
Description: Thrush bashing a snail on the stone to get at breakfast. He ate at least two like this in 5 minutes.

Image Archive arch 2009 jul.htm (view it Here)

Date: 31 Jul 2009
View: DA1_20090623_1423_052+1515_183 FT1 Ringlet Butterfly in flight with Red campion (montage).jpg
Description: The ringlet butterfly is one of those quiet little browns that rewards a closer look.

Date: 30 Jul 2009
View: DA1_20090623_1435_104+1516_194 FT1 Banded Demoiselle male in flight with grass head (montage).jpg
Description: The Banded Demoiselle is quite one of the most beautiful damselflies we know of. This is the male - the female has no band on different coloured wings. See in a few days.

Date: 29 Jul 2009
View: DA1_20090623_1618_325 FT1 Bumble bee in flight at clover flower head (web crop).jpg
Description: Far more bumble bees this year than we are used to, but distasterously few honey bees.

View: DA1_20090623_1619_340 FT1 Bumble bee feeding on clover flower head (web crop).jpg
Description: A stop off for a mid-flight refuelling for once taken by pressing the shutter button to override the normal computer controlled trigger.

Date: 28 Jul 2009
View: DA1_20090624_1302_147+1310_192 FT1 four-spot chaser dragonfly male in flight bottom view with dead twig (montage).jpg
Description: This is a male 'four-spot chaser' (change of common name since the link below). This species has been breeding on our plot for at least a decade. It first came to our attention one day when a number were emerging in May 1999 after a warm night that turned cold in the morning and slowed down the usual overnight emergence. You can see it on the main web site at Dragonfly Emergence Sequence.

View: DA1_20090624_1313_211 FT1 four-spot chaser dragonfly male on twig (orig).jpg
Description: Their favourite perches seem to be dead twigs by the waterside. If you have a pond put a couple of sticks about half meter long at 30 degrees from horizontal & overhanging the water, and you will likely be graced with some dragonflies using the tip. If they are already about they sometimes land on them within seconds (but usually not).

Date: 27 Jul 2009
View: DA1_20090624_1604_233+20090623_1513_171 FT1 Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly in flight with buttercup (montage).jpg
Description: Just this one Small Tortoiseshell butterfly seen so far this year was fluttering from buttercup to buttercup. The hedges used to be awash with them. Instead we now have hundreds of Meadow Browns and still dozens of Speckled wood. We don't know whether the change is down to climate, our management, natural variation or chance.

Date: 26 Jul 2009
View: DA1_20090627_1530_013+1545_085 FT1 Small skipper in flight with oxeye daisy (montage).jpg
Description: Among the hoards of Meadow Brown butterflies are a few Small skipper butterflies. Normally seen perched with the wings slightly raised & top wing partly hidden, this spread wings view explains the orange shimmer as they fly.

Date: 25 Jul 2009
View: D3A_20090621_0458_036_FB2 rabbit on hind legs.jpg
Description: This rabbit photographed in the early hours (5 a.m.) is caught in a pose like something out of children's story book!

Date: 24 Jul 2009
View: D3A_20090622_1953_034_FB2 Young fox with one paw on log.jpg
Description: The young fox is now known to be at least 2 individuals (seen together on an Infra-red security photo). Can't resist giving you a look from a different site.

Date: 23 Jul 2009
View: D3A_20090623_0550_049_FB2 Chaffinch coming in to land (crop 2).jpg
Description: The Chaffinches have been very obliging with 'in-flight photos' in the last couple of days

View: D3A_20090625_0514_025_FB2 Chaffinch male in flight.jpg

Date: 22 Jul 2009
View: D3A_20090621_0621_054_FB2 Munjac fawn (crop 1).jpg
Description: We have been hoping the male and female Muntjac had produced a fawn this year. Finally this beautiful creature has appeared. This camera is set up for smaller animals so the top of the deer is missing. Note the gangly legs and visible hoof of which we often see the imprints when the ground is soft.

Date: 21 Jul 2009
View: D36_20090620_0649_077_FB3 2 chaffinch males squabbling in flight.jpg
Description: The male chaffinches are apparently still feeling territorial.

Date: 20 Jul 2009
View: D50_20090618_2143_016_FB5 Young fox (crop 2).jpg
Description: Young fox exploring the aromas of other visitors and peanut grit at the thrush anvil (see yesterday).

Date: 19 Jul 2009
View: D50_20090620_0933_081_FB5 Thrush with snail at anvil stone (web crop).jpg
Description: Clearing up the site a bit and getting his stone back level with the surface has brought back the thrush. Interesting what little details are important.

Date: 18 Jul 2009
View: DB1_20090621_1744_189 Kestrel hovering 12 of 19 (web crop).jpg
Description: This kestrel has made repeated visits to one corner of the site, most of the time in drab overcast condition when one enjoys taking the pics (about 600) but only a few are worth keeping.

Date: 17 Jul 2009
View: DB1_20090619_1709_094+095 Swallow in flight (montage).jpg
Description: Swifts continue to delight us with a group of about 10 visiting the area a few times many days. Here is the same bird in two successive frames

Date: 16 Jul 2009
View: D35_20090615_1745_047_FB4 Mallard male walking in crouch followed by female (web crop 2).jpg
Description: Unusual view of a mallard drake. Maybe he has spotted a tasty worm to catch. Out of frame in this crop a female mallard is pattering along in the dark behind him The bright yellow beak has faded but the orange feet remain vivid.

Date: 15 Jul 2009
View: D3A_20090610_0507_002 fb2 Chaffinch male.jpg
Description: Immaculate male Chaffinch collecting food.

Date: 14 Jul 2009
View: DB1_20090612_1233_275-278 Large Buzzard seeing off smaller 2-5 of 8 (mirrored montage).jpg
Description: A large buzzard seeing off a smaller bird. Read left to right as pairs of birds

Date: 13 Jul 2009
View: DA1_20090614_1128_118 FT1 Elephant Hawk-moth on Honeysuckle flower (web crop).jpg
Description: The Moth trap caught 5 of these wonderful 'Elephant Hawk-Moths'. We haven't touched up the colour - this is what they are like.

View: DA1_20090614_1140_176+1449_498 FT1 Elephant Hawk-moth in flight with clover (montage).jpg
Description: And here in flight. The clover head will give you more idea of their large size.

Date: 12 Jul 2009
View: DA1_20090614_1348_394 FT1 Burnished Brass moth on Hawthorn twig (web crop).jpg
Description: Burnished Brass moths are quite small but really beautiful when the light catches the 'burnished' areas properly.

Date: 11 Jul 2009
View: DA1_20090614_1452_513 FT1 Common Rustic (q) moth flying to clover flower & starting to feed (web crop) 2 of 6.jpg
Description: We are fairly sure this is a Common Rustic moth caught on clover so we knew what to provide as a 'prop'. It then surprised us by feeding off the 'prop' in front of the camera setup. First just landing.

View: DA1_20090614_1452_517 FT1 Common Rustic (q) moth flying to clover flower & starting to feed (web crop) 6 of 6.jpg
Description: And second the proboscis is uncurling complete with droplets or particles from it's previous meal.

Date: 10 Jul 2009
View: DB1_20090614_1608_075 Poplar Hawk-moth on clover stem (crop 1).jpg
Description: The moth trap caught a couple of Poplar Hawk-moths. Here is an image of one of them after release back in the meadow

View: DB1_20090614_1608_075 Poplar Hawk-moth on clover stem (crop 2).jpg
Description: More detail of the head and antennae.

Date: 09 Jul 2009
View: D36_20090604_1759_006 fb3 Great spotted woodpecker male and 2 chicks.jpg
Description: A chance moment of 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker chicks by the nut feeder with their Dad. Mum uses a feeder on the other side of the house to feed what we think is just one other chick.

View: D36_20090607_1730_088+1754_089 fb3 Successive frame montage (24 mins right to left) of Great Spotted Woodpecker in rain.jpg
Description: Montage of 2 successive frames in the rain, first on the RIGHT. From the lack of intervening frames we deduce that the sodden bird sat for 25 minutes preening, and all the better for it!

Date: 08 Jul 2009
View: D01_20090607_1405_006 Juvenile heron in middle of swallowing unknown item over about 3 minutes.jpg
Description: Juvenile Herons often seem to have trouble swallowing their catches. We don't know what this one caught, but it took the bird 3 minutes to swallow it before it flew off. There are more heron pics at the Moorhen Site heron page

Date: 07 Jul 2009
View: D36_20090602_0556_082 fb3 Young Jackdaw with downy feathers.jpg
Description: The jackdaws chicks in a nest near the house have fledged. You can still see the fuzz of down on the body feathers as this youngster lands on the perch by the peanut feeders.

Date: 06 Jul 2009
View: DB1_20090601_1441_140 Azure Damselfly pair in Tandem on Lily frond.jpg
Description: A common site at almost any decent wildlife pond is pairs of Azure Azure Damselflies mating.
In August 2007 we pictured them in 'Wheel' position as the male transfers his sperm to the female (male to the left arching over the female):-

Click for Image

This year we picture them in 'Tandem'. The male is on the right and they can fly in this position.

View: DB1_20090607_1546_002 Azure Damselfly pair laying eggs in Duck pond.jpg
Description: The final act - the female depositing eggs onto pond weeds.

Date: 05 Jul 2009
View: D50_20090602_1033_003+selected_to_20090603_1811_062 fb5 2 Nights at the Thrush Anvil (rough montage).jpg
Description: The 'Thrushes anvil' site off the main paths by a conifer tree trunk was 'baited' with a little peanut grit and suddenly loads of creatures made appearances. This lot appeared over 32 hours appear all at the same scale. For the uninitiated in UK species, top left clockwise:-
  1. Blackbird male
  2. Young fox
  3. Robin
  4. Thrush (without snail!)
  5. Chaffinch female or young
  6. Pheasant male


Date: 04 Jul 2009
View: D50_20090603_1330_033 fb5 Thrush with snail at anvil stone (web crop).jpg
Description: We found a stone surrounded to broken snail shells - the first 'thrushes anvil' we have ever found. Installing a camera and beam-break at it with care not to disturb the anvil site was quickly rewarded with some images of the thrush with snails. First a thrush with snail approaching the stone which is at the left edge a quarter of the way up.

View: D50_20090603_1607_055 fb5 Thrush with snail near anvil stone (web crop).jpg
Description: Several hours later a closer image (with presumably a fresh snail).

Date: 03 Jul 2009
View: DB1_20090601_1823_337 swallow and gibbous moon (single frame).jpg
Description: It always seems strange to see the moon in sunshine, but here we caught a swallow flying by it. The bird is a little off focus because it isn't 'quite' as far away as the moon (maybe 50 metres against 384,403,000 metres!). Other attempts with the bird sharp but the moon even slightly blurred look awful.

Date: 02 Jul 2009
View: DB1_20090602_1526_107 Buzzard in flight from field to West heading North East at about 5 fps 75 of 83 (web crop).jpg
Description: Our friendly neighbour farmer phoned us from his tractor with news that the 'buzzard has just joined me on the posts' and out we rushed to not be able to see it! But we were ready when it flew majestically over the hedge in front of us. Here is one of images.

View: DB1_20090602_1548_171-1549_228 Buzzard and Crow skirmish (7 selected images montage - originals not kept).jpg
Description: 20 minutes later a buzzard and a crow had a little skirmish to the East. Follow the pairs of birds from the top left.

Date: 01 Jul 2009
View: DC1_20090603_1638_155 Great Spotted Woodpecker male flying in & feeding chick on Ash tree trunk 09 of 33 (web crop).jpg
Description: 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker are being fed peanut fragments by the adult male both at the feeders and more picturesquely on the trunk of a nearby Ash tree. From 3 difference sequences, first the male flying in.

View: DC1_20090603_1634_129 Great Spotted Woodpecker male feeding chick on Ash tree trunk 09 of 15 (web crop).jpg
Description: The youngster (on the left) gets fed.

View: DC1_20090603_1640_213 Great Spotted Woodpecker male flying to & feeding chick on Ash tree trunk 16 of 22 (web crop).jpg
Description: The parent (on the left) having to back off from the youngster eager for MORE!.

Image Archive arch 2009 jun.htm (view it Here)

Date: 30 Jun 2009
View: DB1_20090529_1633_034 ft1 Cockchafer (May Bug) male on leaf with antennae folded (web crop).jpg
Description: Caught in the Moth trap, but definitely NOT a moth was this Cockchafer, also known as a May Bug (and caught in 29 May!). First a view outdoors before it flew off.

View: D01_20090529_1527_241+1556_267 ft1 Cockchafer (May Bug) male in flight bottom view with Oak leaves (montage).jpg
Description: And here a view of it in flight providing a view from below. It was not a very cooperative flyer & this was the only one worth showing.

Date: 29 Jun 2009
View: D01_20090529_1504_178+1556_272 ft1 White Ermine moth in flight with Oak Leaves (montage).jpg
Description: Some other moths in the trap included 'Ermine' moths which have beautiful speckled wings. The first image is of the White Ermine.

View: D01_20090529_1521_210+20090530_1322_009 ft1 Buff Ermine moth in flight with grass heads (montage.jpg
Description: This is the Buff Ermine - a beautiful almost golden colour.

Date: 28 Jun 2009
View: D01_20090529_1346_001+1555_266 ft1 Poplar Hawk-moth 1 in flight with Oak leaves (montage).jpg
Description: The Moth trap caught its usual few hundred moths including a couple of these Poplar Hawk-moths. Hawk-moths are BIG - see the typical size oak leaf.

Date: 27 Jun 2009
View: DB1_20090528_1423_073 Brimstone butterfly male fluttering round female on Red campion (web crop).jpg
Description: Brimstone butterflies have been a delight this week, the male fluttering around the perched female and spiralling together into the sky

View: CF1_20090528_1423_062+64+65+66+69 Brimstone Butterfly female flying off from Bluebell (20fps) 05+07+08+09+11 (montage).jpg
Description: The female hung about the garden for hours giving us the chance to get this unusual sequence of her feeding from a late bluebell, and then backing off from it. Note her rolling up her proboscis as she goes.
Sequence starts top left and goes clockwise.

Date: 26 Jun 2009
View: DB1_20090529_0659_002 Robin on wire scratching head with claw (not part of a preen).jpg
Description: One of those unplanned moments - a nice robin sitting quietly on the wire not preening has a sudden itch just as the camera takes it's pic.

Date: 25 Jun 2009
View: DB1_20090530_1451_143 Kestrel male in flight.jpg
Description: The Raptors are suddenly back. We have seen both male and female kestrels in the sky at the same time, and hope this is because there are chicks to feed. This male was spending an inordinate amount of time hanging in the strong breeze (sometimes unusually high up) surveying the scene including giving the photographer some quizzical looks.

View: DB1_20090531_1058_028 Buzzard in Flight.jpg
Description: The buzzards are also in evidence and flying quite low.

Date: 24 Jun 2009
View: D35_20090529_2112_028 fb4 Young Fox (web crop).jpg
Description: A young Fox has suddenly appeared and on the first night of appearance visited all of the cameras. The next night the visit was to two cameras about 15m apart were he took his pic about 10 times. This is one of them.

Date: 23 Jun 2009
View: D01_20090525_1517_011+1524_029 ft1 Honey bee in flight with Yellow Flag Iris flower (montage).jpg
Description: Honey bees are in short supply this year, so after we caught this on flag iris and brought it in for some photos, it went straight back out where it came from. Note the (yellow) pollen sack on the leg.

View: D01_20090525_1613_175+1631_209 ft1 Azure Damselfly in Flight with willow sapling (montage).jpg
Description: Most blue damselflies here are the Azure species - a beautiful rich blue.

Date: 22 Jun 2009
View: DA1_20090523_1117_150 Bluetit flying to nest box on Ivans Black poplar with cranefly.jpg
Description: The Bluetit box on our tallest black poplar gets a delivery like this every minute or two. What a supply of insects we must have!

View: DA1_20090524_1143_218 Bluetit flying to nest box on Ivans Black poplar with caterpillar.jpg

Date: 21 Jun 2009
View: P34_20090523_1053_440 Mackerel Clouds & cumulus to North.jpg
Description: Away from the detail for a moment - a delightful Mackerel sky ...

View: P34_20090526_1806_582 Buttercups in Kite meadow.jpg
Description: ... arching over a field of Buttercups now we have decided to let the 'meadow' area run riot.

Date: 20 Jun 2009
View: D36_20090527_0551_106 fb3 Starling adult male and fledgling face to face in flight.jpg
Description: The starlings that nested in the loft have fledged and are appearing round the house. We don't know what is going on here, but mostly they are being fed by parents or feeding themselves. The parent is on the left.

Date: 19 Jun 2009
View: D3B_20090527_0125_132 fb1 Young Fox licking peanut butter from log (crop 1).jpg
Description: Our second view of a young fox this year - the first was an hour earlier of it's backside only and may or may not be the same individual.

View: D3B_20090527_0125_132 fb1 Young Fox licking peanut butter from log (crop 3).jpg
Description: Detail of the above - the whole animal kingdom seem to like the peanut butter this animal is licking off.

Date: 18 Jun 2009
View: DB1_20090520_1550_006 Fox in Field to East crouching and watching us.jpg
Description: We and this fox had a little 'who blinks first' encounter over the fence for a couple of minutes before it decided that to run-away was it's best option.

View: DB1_20090520_1551_011 Fox in Field to East giving us quizzical look (web crop).jpg
Description: Humans do this quizzical head turn as well. Does it change the visual processing for an 'alternate reality'. Does changing the ear positions help locate sounds (like owls have asymmetric ears).

Date: 17 Jun 2009
View: DB1_20090520_1602_070 Mallard duck mother & all 4 ducklings on round pond with reflections.jpg
Description: This first duckling family to grow up at our site spends time at all three main ponds. First at 'Round' pond.

View: DB1_20090522_0934_112 Mallard mother and 3 of 4 ducklings (2 preening) in grass by edge of Dragon Pond (web crop).jpg
Description: And here they spent most of the day alternately on the bank of the main pond and then feeding in it outside the kitchen window.

Date: 16 Jun 2009
View: D01_20090522_1334_192+1123_029 ft1 Red-eyed damselfly imm female in flight with blackthorn (montage).jpg
Description: A Red-Eyed damselfly with wonderful bronze and bright yellow-green body, and of course red eyes. This is a female not yet ready to breed.

View: D01_20090522_1340_214 ft1 Red-eyed damselfly imm female on blackthorn leaf side view (crop).jpg

Date: 15 Jun 2009
View: D01_20090523_1527_075+1315_137 ft1 Brimstone butterfly female in flight bottom view with Red Campion (montage).jpg
Description: The Female Brimstone butterfly does not sport the vivid yellows of the male (click to view top) the male (click to view top) and (click to view bottom)

Date: 14 Jun 2009
View: D01_20090524_1339_038+1403_128 ft1 Broad Bodied chaser dragonfly male in flight with Flag Iris leaf (montage).jpg
Description: This Broad Bodied Chaser Dragonfly obliged with just this one flight across the camera field

View: D01_20090524_1355_106 ft1 Broad Bodied chaser dragonfly male top view (web crop).jpg
Description: We include this static shot taken later to show the wonderful powder blue abdomen (and it really is powdery and gets worn off with 'living'). The blue is a strictly male feature - the female is orange and not a powder.

Date: 13 Jun 2009
View: DB1_20090523_0924_019 Starling calling while launching from tip of 20yr black poplar (crop 1).jpg
Description: Loudmouth!

Date: 12 Jun 2009
View: DB1_20090523_1336_050 House martin in flight.jpg
Description: This is a House Martin in flight, the least frequent of our three flycatchers which includes Swallows and Swifts.

Date: 11 Jun 2009
View: D35_20090513_1858_026 fb4 2 Robins fighting in mid-air (crop 1).jpg
Description: One of those moments that the patience of an automatic camera may capture for you. They are perhaps a foot off the ground.

Date: 10 Jun 2009
View: D3B_20090515_2345_059 fb1 slug and fieldmouse.jpg
Description: Mice apparently staring at slugs and snails is uncannily common.

Date: 09 Jun 2009
View: DC1_20090516_1416_024 ft1 Large Red Damselfly female in flight (head on & bottom view) (web crop).jpg
Description: The Dragonflies and damselflies just starting to be seen. The Large Red Damselfly (size being a relative measure) was found in the long grass and photographic in flight. The underside is NOT red - most dragonflies are different underneath.

View: P34_20090516_1454_293 Large Red Damselfly on blackthorn leaf.jpg
Description: Here the same species viewed more conventionally on a leaf.

Date: 08 Jun 2009
View: DC1_20090518_1323_037+1331_046 ft1 Scorpion Fly female in Flight with Blackthorn (montage).jpg
Description: The female Scorpion fly doesn't have anything that suggests a scorpion. The face ends in a 'beak' pointing down and left here. The body is about 2 cm long.

View: D01_20090522_1148_111+1124_035 ft1 Scorpion fly male in flight with Blackthorn (montage).jpg
Description: But this is the male with a harmless (its said - we are not going to try it out) 'scorpion' tail complete with gap between the 'pincers'

Date: 07 Jun 2009
View: DC1_20090518_1407_160 ft1 Hairy dragonfly female hanging in Blackthorn (side view) (web crop).jpg
Description: This is a Hairy Dragonfly' - one of the earliest dragonflies of the season. This was brought to us for some technical photographs, after which we took this portrait. You can see the hairiness along the top and bottom of the body in the first image

View: DC1_20090518_1506_047+1527_001 ft1 Hairy dragonfly female in flight with hawthorn (montage).jpg
Description: It was reluctant to fly indoors but we did manage this single image of it in flight.

View: DB1_20090523_1638_154 ft1 Hairy Dragonfly male head and thorax detail side view (web crop).jpg
Description: About a week later we had the opportunity to photograph a male and can't resist this close-up of the thorax where you can see the hairs in detail

Date: 06 Jun 2009
View: DA1_20090519_1123_159-163 Bluetit parents arriving together at nestbox on Ivans tree with food 1-5 of 5 (overlap montage).jpg
Description: Although conditions were not ideal we were surprised to catch this moment when the two parents arrived together both with beaks full of food for the chicks. The bird starting on the left was dropping down and initially moving backward while the other whizzed in from the right. The one initially on the right veered off to avoid a collision. These successive frames taken at about 7 fps.

Date: 05 Jun 2009
View: D35_20090519_1956_031 fb4 Mallard duck mother & all 4 ducklings (see P30_20090519_2011_078) (web crop).jpg
Description: In 20 years here this is the first known occurrence of a mallard duck breeding here and then not immediately being chased away by the moorhen. These ducklings have obviously been around for a good number of days and mum holds her own against the moorhen. We have seen the family at all 4 of our ponds, though this image was taken by one of the automatic cameras.

View: D35_20090519_1956_031 fb4 Mallard duck mother & all 4 ducklings (see P30_20090519_2011_078) (detail of 2 ducklings).jpg
Description: A detail from the above image - one of the ducklings seems to have found something tasty but maybe a bit too big to swallow?

Date: 04 Jun 2009
View: DA1_20090511_1232_034+_038+_039 Starling female taking whole worm to nest hole in roof 01+05+06 of 10 (accurate Montage).jpg
Description: Not just a few grubs, but a whole worm neatly folded in the beak ready to stuff into some lucky chick's craw!

Date: 03 Jun 2009
View: DB1_20090511_1349_060 Orange tip butterfly male on teasel leaf.jpg
Description: Wow - an orange tip actually stopped flying long enough to get a pic 'in the field'!

Date: 02 Jun 2009
View: D50_20090511_1718_004 fb3 Jackdaw apparently staring at camera as it lands.jpg
Description: ... and who do you think you are staring at ...

Date: 01 Jun 2009
View: DB1_20090511_1736_007 Great Spotted Woodpecker hanging on in windblown swaying Cypress.jpg
Description: Windy day with trees blowing about had this great spotted woodpecker determinedly hanging on,

Image Archive arch 2009 may.htm (view it Here)

Date: 31 May 2009
View: D3A_20090505_1842_021 fb2 Robin in flight (sharp) & threatening another bird behind log.jpg
Description: The robin menacing what the feather colour suggests might be another robin. For once the flying bird is 'pin sharp'.

View: DB1_20090508_1742_186 Robin with beak full of food for fledglings (q) (detail crop).jpg
Description: The robin nest has fledged and we THINK this is the robin parents for that nest still collecting food for them. We haven't managed to see any of the youngsters - mum and dad take the insect food deep into the wood piles!

Date: 30 May 2009
View: DB1_20090507_1631_009 Goldfinch and dandelion.jpg
Description: Goldfinches have moved from occasional sightings to 'all round the house'. They are so attractive we can't resist including this portrait.

Date: 29 May 2009
View: P34_20090505_0759_947 Robin nest in tool shed (web crop).jpg
Description: Last decent pic of the robin family of 4 before fledging. Ahhhh.

Date: 28 May 2009
View: D3B_20090501_2045_050 fb1 Fieldmouse about to jump onto or over another.jpg
Description: Is the top mouse about to use the bottom one as a trampoline?

View: D3B_20090505_2146_064 fb1 Fieldmouse using head of another as a launch pad.jpg
Description: 4 days later we happened to get this one. Ouch!

Date: 27 May 2009
View: DC1_20090503_1500_159+1451_145 ft1 Brimstone butterfly male in flight top with bluebell (montage).jpg
Description: The Brimstone butterflies are a bit tatty and a little faded, but still lovely. Seen feeding on these (probably hybridised) bluebells so we have used them as 'decoration'.

View: DC1_20090503_1504_183+1453_150 ft1 Brimstone butterfly male in flight bottom with Bluebell (montage).jpg
Description: Did not get a good view of both sides of the wing together, so here is what you see from underneath or when the wings are folded.

Date: 26 May 2009
View: D01_20090502_1629_116 Chaffinch female taking insects to nest in Golden Cypress (web crop).jpg
Description: The chaffinch nest barely visible in a Golden Cypress we showed you on the Female taking in nesting (click to view) is going well and both parents are taking in an 'endless' supply of insects for the chicks. Here the female by the nest.

View: DB1_20090429_1804_017 Chaffinch male with beak full of insects on phone wire a few metres from nest.jpg
Description: And the male waiting on the wires for his turn. This brave male continues to take on even pairs of jackdaws that get within 10m or so of the nest.

Date: 25 May 2009
View: D50_20090430_0810_027 fb3 Great tit and robin altercation.jpg
Description: A breakfast-time dust-up at the nut feeder. Come on guys - there's plenty for everyone!

Date: 24 May 2009
View: DB1_20090502_1643_092 swallow adult with long tail streamers perched on wire.jpg
Description: The swallows are definitely back in pristine breeding condition.

View: DB1_20090502_1646_107 Robin singing on tip of Cypress near his nest with chicks in tool shed.jpg
Description: And the robins never go away! This one really is beginning to look a bit scruffy with all the effort going into feeding the chicks in the tool shed chicks in the tool shed (click to view)

Date: 23 May 2009
View: DC1_20090501_1438_078+1543_214 ft1 Speckled wood butterfly in flight showing top of wing with Lilac Blossom (montage).jpg
Description: In the last couple of years speckled wood butterflies have moved from occasional sightings to the most common butterfly here. Unfortunately the previous holder of that title - the Small Tortoiseshell - is becoming a once in a while siting. Anyway, this slightly tatty individual make a nice pic with lilac.

Date: 22 May 2009
View: D50_20090427_1957_029 fb3 Starling on perch with Great Spotted Woodpecker female hanging beneath.jpg
Description: Our new camera position at a horizontal branch fixed to the peanut feeder post produces some interesting top and bottom moments of conflict - this one at dusk. The Woodpecker wing tips were lost off the bottom of the frame - deciding what to cover in the camera field really is a quality compromise and guessing game.

Date: 21 May 2009
View: P34_20090423_1029_622 Robin nest in tool shed (2 chicks begging) (web crop).jpg
Description: A pair of robins build a nest on top of a rack in a dilapidated tool shed (windows & door long gone) & they now have at least 4 chicks in it. The parents usually come out and wait expectantly for a tit-bit from us, so we can go in and get a picture. We can't see what we are photographing even on the camera's LCD because it is so dark, but switching the camera to automatic & flash and pointing it through the gap in the fertiliser bags usually gets something. Only once a day though - don't want to stress them.

Date: 20 May 2009
View: P34_20090424_1102_657 White bluebell (web crop).jpg
Description: We have been doing UV (Ultra violet) images of as many variants of bluebells as we have (natural, white variant, a pink variant and the invasive Spanish). We have a couple of clumps of the white variant amongst thousands of naturals and Spanish hybrids.
We plan to add hundreds of UV images (flowers & insects) as a special new section later in 2009 - if you want any bluebells or others in advance just ask.

Date: 19 May 2009
View: D35_20090422_2009_094 fb4 2 robins taking off.jpg
Description: No idea what is going on here, but couldn't resist showing you.
On the Right hand bird notice the two raised Alulae (the clearest is the spike on the wing immediately above the eye) we have never noticed this before on any small bird. They are rather more obvious on this Kestrel (click to view)) and form part of the anti-stalling aerodynamics of the magic of bird wings.

Date: 18 May 2009
View: D35_20090424_1801_103 fb4 Jackdaw pulling off strip of bark (for nesting (q)) against Red Campion.jpg
Description: We are often asked for pictures of birds collecting nesting material. We won't loiter around birds actively nesting for fear of frightening them off or showing predators where to look. But these two 'chance' images show the supply end of the nest build. First a Jackdaw ripping strips of some bark.

View: D3A_20090423_0810_118 Greenfinch male collecting nesting material.jpg
Description: And the more sedate Greenfinch collecting feathers to line the cup of the nest hidden we know not where.

Date: 17 May 2009
View: DB1_20090423_1503_143 Long-tailed tit on teasel stem.jpg
Description: The tale of the Long-tailed tit (sorry).
Long-tailed tits have been rare sightings until this year when one bird has spent hours each day fluttering at the windows. Presumably he is defending his territory from his own reflection.

View: DB1_20090423_1501_118 Long-tailed tit flying towards living room window.jpg
Description: Here he is launching himself at the window to flap against it for a few seconds, back to a perch, rest a few seconds, and off he goes again. He does this whether we draw the curtains, put things in the window or whatever.

Date: 16 May 2009
View: DC1_20090423_1345_185+1357_199 ft1 Orange-tip butterfly male flying over Red Campion (montage).jpg
Description: Only the orange tip butterfly male (shown here) sports the orange tip that gives the species it's name. The female does share the delicate green tracery with her mate.

Date: 15 May 2009
View: D35_20090420_0601_051 fb4 House Sparrow & Robin squabbling.jpg
Description: A house sparrow may not seem very exciting, but this is one of the first of several sightings this year. Only seen here once last year, and then not for years before.

Date: 14 May 2009
View: DC1_20090421_1653_244+1716_318 ft1 Green veined White butterfly over Ladys Smock they were feeding on (montage).jpg
Description: We have resurrected and upgraded our 'flight tunnel' last used 13 years ago making the best of what modern digital cameras have to offer.
Our site is awash with these Lady's smock flowers and all the white butterflies, including this Green-veined, love them!

Date: 13 May 2009
View: DB1_20090418_1636_089 Pollen falling from Korean Pine (web crop 3).jpg
Description: We have a 30 year old 'Korean Pine' about 2m high that used to be a pot plant when we lived in a town and we planted it out here. After all these years it has suddenly exploded into life and it was filling the air with pollen whenever the wind moved it.

View: DB1_20090418_1636_090 Pollen falling from Korean Pine (orig).jpg
Description: A rather more typically diffuse cloud.

Date: 12 May 2009
View: DB1_20090415_1511_023 Peacock butterfly feeding on Cherry blossom (web crop).jpg
Description: This Peacock butterfly has overwintered in remarkably good condition & decorates the cherry blossom, or is it vice-versa.

Date: 11 May 2009
View: P34_20090414_1103_285 Snakes-head fritillary white variant clump & detail (web crop).jpg
Description: For some reason this year only a clump of the white variant of Snake's-head fritillary has flowered.

Date: 10 May 2009
View: D01_20090415_1046_216 Heron Catching Great Crested Newts & Smooth Newts at Duck pond 13 of 15 (web crop 2).jpg
Description: On a rather overcast day this heron spent 10 minutes downing 6 assorted Great Crested Newts & Smooth Newts. This poor little thing is the smaller Smooth Newt.

Date: 09 May 2009
View: D3B_20090414_1904_136 fb1 Rook picking up single corn grain (web crop).jpg
Description: The huge beak of this Rook can still pick up a single corn grain. Our initial reaction to the beak and scaly foot was 'you can see the dinosaur in that bird'.

Date: 08 May 2009
View: FJ1_20090413_0853_052 Squirrel on nut feeder by kitchen window.jpg
Description: We sometimes see grey squirrels sneering at us from high tree branches, but most often wheedling bits of peanut out of the various feeders.

Date: 07 May 2009
View: D3A_20090410_0837_053 fb2 Robin presenting worm to mate.jpg
Description: This is 'Courtship feeding' where the male feeds the female to demonstrate he can be a good provider for their chicks, and provide some extra food while she is making eggs.
But a nice fresh worm would not feature on OUR breakfast menu!

Date: 06 May 2009
View: D3B_20090409_1700_001 fb1 Reed Bunting male.jpg
Description: Rare sighting for us (and the first at any automatic photo site) is this male Reed Bunting. He has turned up a few times since and hope he may become a 'regular'

Date: 05 May 2009
View: DB1_20090407_1444_063-103 Kestrel female diving from post onto prey + eating it + flying to post (montage of 12 from 41).jpg
Description: All afternoon this kestrel hunted in a strong wind using fence posts as launching platforms. She must have been very hungry to spend all afternoon on nothing but worms and insects (all swallowed on the ground before returning to a post).
The montage splits the approach and return because the images on the ground and several more would have obscured one another. White bits are where we have no decent background image to fill in. Positions are genuine but the intervals between shots have been chosen to get a decent montage. She spent some seconds on the ground. The round insert is a near original resolution crop of the image on the ground.

Date: 04 May 2009
View: D50_20090405_1920_010 fb3 Great Spotted Woodpecker female landing.jpg
Description: There are a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers visiting various places around the house. Do hope they are breeding somewhere near.

Date: 03 May 2009
View: DB1_20090407_1554_376 Kestrel female flying in to land on power pole horizontal bar 11 of 15 (web crop).jpg
Description: The Beauty and the beastly. Note the raised Alulae forming part of the 'aerodynamic package' to prevent stalling.

Date: 02 May 2009
View: D50_20090408_0733_035+0734_036 fb3 Starling Female=pink beak base & Male=Blue (montage).jpg
Description: A starling image in our 'Weekly Assortment' email (join if you want) included a comment about not noticing the '2-tone' beak before. One of our recipients told us that its a breeding time sex difference - males have blue base and females have pink (or maybe 'natural'). This image is a montage with the left bird turned round to show you a pair with the beaks adjacent.

Date: 01 May 2009
View: DB1_20090407_1609_535 Kestrel female on post top backed by blackthorn flowers (crop 2).jpg
Description: Our local female kestrel hunting from a fence post framed by the emerging blackthorn flowers in the hedge behind.

Image Archive arch 2009 apr.htm (view it Here)

Date: 30 Apr 2009
View: D3A_20090403_1928_038+_1936_040+20090404_1927_084 fb2 3 different female pheasants montage.jpg
Description: On two nights running the site log got moved (by the rooks or crows) and 3 of the female pheasants happened to photograph themselves almost identically. From this we have made this un-fudged montage of the three different birds showing differences in feather colour, eyes, beak shapes etc - all the stuff of genetic variation.

Date: 29 Apr 2009
View: D01_20090404_1533_021 Chaffinch female taking seed head to nest with nest out of frame lower left (web crop).jpg
Description: A pair of chaffinches seem to be nesting in a golden cypress visible from a window in the house. At the moment a constant stream of soft materials is going in.

Date: 28 Apr 2009
View: D50_20090403_1854_011 fb3 Sparrowhawk (web crop).jpg
Description: Our new kitchen window camera has bagged its first 'special' - a sparrowhawk visited at dusk.

Date: 27 Apr 2009
View: DB1_20090403_1655_021 Comma butterfly on twig after hibernation.jpg
Description: A Comma butterfly (the characteristic comma is on the Comma Butterfly underwing (click to view).) basking in the sunshine after spending the winter in hibernation. This is our first recording of one in Spring (and after a poor 2008 for butterflies in general) although its quite normal.

Date: 26 Apr 2009
View: DB1_20090403_1801_032 Mallard female & 2 males taking off from Kite meadow 4 of 8 (web crop).jpg
Description: Groups of 3 or 4 mallard ducks frequent us this time of year, usally one female with 2 or 3 males. Here they are taking off against the daffodils

View: DB1_20090404_1620_157 Mallard female & 2 males in flight.jpg
Description: ... and an unrelated flight on the next day.

Date: 25 Apr 2009
View: DB1_20090404_1341_101 Common Bee-fly (bombylius major) hovering in front of blackthorn flower (web crop).jpg
Description: Took us a while to identify this as a 'bee-fly' - then discovered we first identified one last year on 15 April 2008, so this sighting is over a week earlier. It is hovering in front of the blackthorn flower - you can see the wings as smudges left and right of the insect. Here is the 15 Apr 2008 Bee-fly on Leaf litter (click to view).

Date: 24 Apr 2009
View: P34_20090404_1246_950 Bumble bee on Blackthorn flower (web crop).jpg
Description: Bumble bee on Blackthorn flower. There seem to have been far more bumble bees than usual this year.

Date: 23 Apr 2009
View: D3A_20090402_0800_074 fb2 moorhen stepping on log (web crop).jpg
Description: Our moorhens regularly visit this feeding site. Now the iris fronds on the main pond have started to grow the pair that 'own' the pond are starting to do the tentative nest-building things.

Date: 22 Apr 2009
View: D3A_20090402_2122_108 fb2 Fieldmouse rear view with tail & tail shadow.jpg
Description: I'm sulking - there's no grub left!

View: D3A_20090403_0207_113 fb2 Fieldmouse.jpg
Description: Oh well, I suppose I can lick up some of this peanut grit.

Date: 21 Apr 2009
View: DC1_20090402_1303_008+1304_031 Bullfinch male eating cherry buds (montage).jpg
Description: This single male bullfinch was eating the buds on a cherry tree about 30m from the house. This pushes even our biggest lens to the limit, so rather than a couple of rather poor images we have accurately montaged two images about 1 minute apart. The fantastic colours are 'real' and not enhanced.

Date: 20 Apr 2009
View: D3A_20090330_1853_032 fb2 Pair of Pheasants.jpg
Description: Pheasants are not exactly lovey-dovey, but these two spent a long time quietly feeding together ...

View: SC1_20090331_0637_034 SC1 Pheasants mating.jpg
Description: ... and the next morning he got his 'oats', though whether with the same female we don't know - there are at least 5 females on the plot. (For those unfamiliar with our setup - this 'Stealth Camera' is useful but rather poor quality, and does black and white in poor light as here.)

Date: 19 Apr 2009
View: D3B_20090331_1849_122 fb1 Robin tongue showing.jpg
Description: Our robins all continue to flourish and visit all the feeding sites at all daytime hours.

Date: 18 Apr 2009
View: D3A_20090324_1607_010 fb2 Rook attacking (q) corvid on ground (web crop 2).jpg
Description: A dynamic crop of a Rook attacking another corvid bird on the ground that we can't identify from the blurry mess of feathers in the original image.

Date: 17 Apr 2009
View: DB1_20090327_0742_019 Heron at Dragon pond eating newt.jpg
Description: This heron arrived outside the kitchen window so we grabbed a camera and took a few pics in the awkward light and through the double glazing. We are not sure what the newt is, but from the size suspect Great Crested Newt which have been positively confirmed in this pond.

View: DB1_20090327_0744_031 Heron at front of dragon pond (crop 3).jpg
Description: A portrait of the 'culprit' taken a couple of minutes later.

Date: 16 Apr 2009
View: DB1_20090323_1607_102 Fieldfare in flight.jpg
Description: This is the first year we remember fieldfares still being around in March. We used to only see them on the windfall apples in the Autumn.

Date: 15 Apr 2009
View: P34_20090321_1616_631 seven-spot ladybird on NE corner Cherry tree bark (web crop).jpg
Description: Our first ladybird of the year is a BRITISH 7-spot ladybird - not one of those Harlequin things that are beginning to become dominant.

Date: 14 Apr 2009
View: DC1_20090320_1445_485 Heron catching & eating Frog at Round pond 51 of 66 (web crop).jpg
Description: A heron visiting Round pond has been feasting on frogs and a few newts. Here is a moment from one of the sequences that is clear but not too upsetting.

Date: 13 Apr 2009
View: D3A_20090321_0740_082 fb2 Moorhen pulling worm out of ground (web crop).jpg
Description: Rather surprised there ARE any worms in the trampled and pecked over soil in front of the log, but obviously our moorhen has found one.

Date: 12 Apr 2009
View: D3B_20090321_0244_081 fb1 Field vole.jpg
Description: Some of you have a soft spot for field voles, so here is this weeks good quality sighting.

View: P34_20090321_1245_602 Field vole under corrugated iron sheet at stone wall (web crop).jpg
Description: As a casual sort of 'if you don't look you don't know' we lifted the corrugated iron at the stone wall built last year by the local RSPB youth group, and there was this horrified field vole who didn't know what to do next. We think this is the first field vole we have 'seen' rather than automatically pictured.

Date: 11 Apr 2009
View: DC1_20090320_1459_582+586 Heron takeoff from Round pond 04+08 of 11 (accurate montage).jpg
Description: Herons are a great subject - majestic & ruthless killers. These two images are an accurate montage probably about 0.5 seconds apart of a heron lifting off almost vertically.

Date: 10 Apr 2009
View: D3A_20090319_0541_047 fb2 Robin sitting (Q) between log and rock with reed mace fluff.jpg
Description: This took both our fancies for no reason other than 'tweeness'. Could be the male or female, but we can't help feeling its 'she' trying out the quality of the bedding on offer before deciding whether to add some to her nest.

Date: 09 Apr 2009
View: DB1_20090318_1750_080 Long-tailed tit against clear blue sky lit by setting sun.jpg
Description: This long tailed tit has been given an exotic colour by the setting sun. The sky behind it was clear so it appears the 'normal' blue.

Date: 08 Apr 2009
View: D3A_20090315_1752_095 fb2 Pheasant male following female.jpg
Description: mmm - wonder what's on his mind - Spring!

Date: 07 Apr 2009
View: D50_20090315_0717_008 fb3 Starling.jpg
Description: Starlings don't visit our automatic photo sites much, but a new camera setup on a long established perch next to a feeder attracts them quite regularly.

Date: 06 Apr 2009
View: DB1_20090318_0819_043+051+056 mute swan in flight (montage).jpg
Description: On a different time scale to yesterdays bluetit, this mute swan majestically flew by, turning as it went. We rarely see mute swans here in flyovers, and they never land (they would need a long stretch of water to take off again). These over several seconds and laid out for artistic effect rather than accuracy.

Date: 05 Apr 2009
View: CF1_20090315_1039_601+603+605+616 Bluetit flying to nestbox hole on Ivans black poplar (accurate montage).jpg
Description: We could not resist montaging (accurately positioned) this bluetit coming up to a nest box near the middle of the plot. The pictures are at 25 fps so left to right are 0.08 Sec apart, and the last interval .44 Secs after the birds head had stopped in shadow and then moved back into the sun. This really is too quick for the eye.

Date: 04 Apr 2009
View: DB1_20090315_1151_019 Brimstone butterfly male on Primrose flowers (web crop).jpg
Description: Harbinger of spring 2 - a male Brimstone butterfly on a primrose flower. From a distance it is very hard to see the insect until it moves.

Date: 03 Apr 2009
View: DB1_20090315_1308_023 Bumble bee on Pussy Willow flower.jpg
Description: Harbinger of Spring 1 - a bumblebee visiting the flowers - in this case pussy-willow.

Date: 02 Apr 2009
View: DB1_20090316_1738_020 Mallard female and 2 males in flight at sunset.jpg
Description: When walk about at this time of year we often disturb mallard ducks at one or more ponds. These are 'wild' ducks rather than park ducks looking for handouts! The female is between two males.

View: DB1_20090316_1738_046 Mallard female and 2 males in flight at sunset.jpg
Description: The females often keep going until none but the fittest male is left. Here the male at the rear is beginning to tire.

Date: 01 Apr 2009
View: D3A_20090308_1748_052 fb2 Pheasant female carrying off apple.jpg
Description: A little silliness for April fools day:
So that's one of the places the apples go!

Image Archive arch 2009 mar.htm (view it Here)

Date: 31 Mar 2009
View: D50_20090311_1458_025 fb3 4 tree sparrows.jpg
Description: New camera setup in trial brought us a regular sight for us but not often included in these pages because they rarely frequent the ground level sites. These are Tree Sparrows - an endangered species we are delighted to have breeding profusely on our little patch. Genuine single exposure - all 'one peck apart'.

Date: 30 Mar 2009
View: DB1_20090310_1732_015 Pair of collared doves in flight in low evening sunlight (web crop).jpg
Description: This pair of collared doves were 'playing' in the wind at sunset with the orange sunlight 'playing' over them.

Date: 29 Mar 2009
View: DB1_20090310_1753_035 Sun on West horizon simultaneously moon on Eastern horizon 3 of 6.jpg
Description: We saw the full moon just rising at the East horizon just as the sun set in the West, and we alternated a few pics. These successive frames have them both sitting on our horizon. First the setting sun.

View: DB1_20090310_1753_036 Sun on West horizon simultaneously moon on Eastern horizon 4 of 6.jpg
Description: And now the rising moon, with vastly different camera settings. The orange moon is not being 'lit' by the locally orange sun, but is the same atmospheric effect that make the sun look orange.

Date: 28 Mar 2009
View: D3A_20090311_0613_055 fb2 Robin pair.jpg
Description: Isn't it strange how you can tell this is attraction and not threat as these robins continue to court.

Date: 27 Mar 2009
View: DB1_20090308_1018_195 Frogs mating (web crop).jpg
Description: Can't resist the inevitable image of frogs mating. Basically a one day event in an area of 'Round pond' recently cleared of overhanging branches to let the light, and consequently sun's warmth, reach the water.

Date: 26 Mar 2009
View: DB1_20090308_0954_130+_0955_131+132 Buzzard in flight against fields to North (accurate montage @ about 8 fps).jpg
Description: A different buzzard to 'usual' visitors flew over the brook to the north. This is a montage of 3 frames at about 8 frames/second accurately positioned by aligning the background details in each image - not usually possible against the sky.

Date: 25 Mar 2009
View: CF1_20090306_0802_372 Robin about to land on post top.jpg
Description: A new 'breed' of camera (Casio EX-F1) can store good quality pictures at high speed until you tell it to stop. Just right for catching action you know will happen but don't know when.

Date: 24 Mar 2009
View: D3A_20090305_1558_091 fb2 2 rooks.jpg
Description: Doesn't this rook look like a teenage lad feeling proud of the pretty girl he has taken to the cafe?

Date: 23 Mar 2009
View: DC1_20090306_1057_028 Mallard female filter feeding making bubbles while male stirs water with feet without feeding.jpg
Description: A piece of behaviour we have not seen/noticed before is the male mallard duck helping the hungry female (eating to make eggs) by stiring up the water with his feet but not feeding himself. Note the bubbles as she (left) filters food out of the water and ripples around him (right) as he paddles like mad keeping still.
The cooperation between mallard males and females breeding on a quiet pond contrast markedly with the disgraceful frenzies at over-populated public park lakes.

Date: 22 Mar 2009
View: DB1_20090301_1539_002 Kestrel male flying in front of hedge near brook (web crop).jpg
Description: The 'small' raptors have been in short supply lately so this male kestrel seen across the fields to the north was a welcome sight. The female has also been spotted - unfortunately being harassed by jackdaws and rooks.

Date: 21 Mar 2009
View: DB1_20090302_0855_054+059 Heron in Flight (montage left to right).jpg
Description: First close flyover of a heron this year, so we have montaged 2 images less than a second apart to celebrate. Not that the frogs and newts will be pleased when he/she spots them in the pond.

Date: 20 Mar 2009
View: D3A_20090301_1021_067 fb2 Robin attacking bird mostly out of frame (web crop).jpg
Description: We don't know what the bird on the right was, but love the acrobatic attack.

Date: 19 Mar 2009
View: DB1_20090304_0924_006 Chaffinch male in Ash tree.jpg
Description: A slightly belligerent looking male chaffinch watches us watching him in an Ash tree. With the pink front, blue beak and green back, if it was a few times the size and unusual, even non-twitchers would travel miles for a glimpse.

Date: 18 Mar 2009
View: D3A_20090226_0901_003 fb2 Pair of Collared doves.jpg
Description: We seem to have a number of pairs of collared doves. This pair visited one of the photo sites and took their portraits.

Date: 17 Mar 2009
View: D3A_20090224_0708_135 fb2 Robin about to land on log.jpg
Description: A robin coming in to land on the log at site 2

Date: 16 Mar 2009
View: D3B_20090222_1703_077 fb1 Chaffinch male taking off with blue beak visible.jpg
Description: Male chaffinch taking off from site 1. Note the distinctly blue beak the males develop in the breeding season

Date: 15 Mar 2009
View: D3B_20090221_1906_115 fb1 Fieldmouse clambering over log to apple.jpg
Description: 'More grub than I could eat in a week!'

Date: 14 Mar 2009
View: DB1_20090220_1322_154 Buzzard in Flight.jpg
Description: Buzzards are occasionally circling over our patch making use of the updraft from the North wind to gain height. First the classic hanging in the air view.

View: DB1_20090221_1446_122 Buzzard in Flight (web crop).jpg
Description: And then a view that really makes it clear that this bird is a hunter.

Date: 13 Mar 2009
View: D3A_20090215_1321_155 fb2 robin and chaffinch fighting (web crop).jpg
Description: Some sort of skirmish between a robin & chaffinch male. A minute or so later a chaffinch was back feeding so we assume the exchange was short lived.

Date: 12 Mar 2009
View: D3B_20090216_0101_298 fb1 field vole.jpg
Description: We see a field vole at this site perhaps a couple of times a week, but usually out of focus at the back triggered by something else.

Date: 11 Mar 2009
View: P34_20090205_0937_721 Hazel Bud 5 Seq (web crop).jpg
Description: The Hazel catkins know it's time to go regardless of the snow.

Date: 10 Mar 2009
View: D3B_20090213_0321_067 fb1 Fieldmouse with snow behind.jpg
Description: The melting of the snow has brought back the fieldmice.

Date: 09 Mar 2009
View: DB1_20090211_0918_003 Redwing on snow.jpg
Description: The snow seems to have brought the redwings back into view.
Brrrr

Date: 08 Mar 2009
View: DB1_20090213_1327_151 Pied Wagtail feeding in snow melt puddles (crop 2).jpg
Description: A less than usually nervous Pied wagtail spent quite a while paddling and pecking the wet ground under the icy melt water.

View: DB1_20090213_1327_163 Pied Wagtail feeding in snow melt puddles (web crop).jpg
Description: Here it is wading in the inch of so deep 'stream' running along vehicle ruts.

Date: 07 Mar 2009
View: D3B_20090211_1551_232 fb1 snipe (web crop).jpg
Description: Our first ever photo of a Snipe. The area round this automatic camera was saturated with running melt water - just right to attract this mud probing bird. We rate this the most unexpected image at this site since Kestrel with Mouse (click to view) back in Feb 2007.

Date: 06 Mar 2009
View: DB1_20090208_1101_035 Flock of Lapwing in flight.jpg
Description: About 200 sheep feeding in the adjacent field have attracted Lapwing. Here one of the flocks flying overhead

View: DB1_20090210_1432_131 Lapwing standing on hay (web crop).jpg
Description: A couple of days after the above one of the Lapwing got sufficiently used to us standing at the corner that we could get this pic. We had not realised their feathers contained so much colour.

Date: 05 Mar 2009
View: DB1_20090210_1456_189 Shag in Flight (web crop).jpg
Description: A chance flyover of a shag right over the house.

Date: 04 Mar 2009
View: D3A_20090208_1731_048 fb2 Fox in snow (head crop).jpg
Description: A visit from a healthy looking fox only just after dark.

Date: 03 Mar 2009
View: DB1_20090210_1608_247 barn owl in flight lit by setting sun from rear (web crop).jpg
Description: We startled this barn owl from one of our fence posts, which then proceeded hawk the area for 10 minutes or so. Of hundreds of images we managed to get, here is our initial view.

View: DB1_20090210_1608_255 barn owl in flight (web crop).jpg
Description: It didn't seem too bothered by our presence, and flew by close enough for a 'portrait'.

View: DB1_20090210_1610_301-306 Barn owl landing on Fence post.gif
Description: The owl spent some time 'hopping' along the fence posts 70m or so to our North. Not ideal for good images, but we rather like this sequence probably lasting about 1 second in real time.

Date: 02 Mar 2009
View: D3B_20090209_0715_078 fb1 Dunnock in snow.jpg
Description: Elegant Dunnock on icy snow.

Date: 01 Mar 2009
View: D3A_20090206_0756_159 fb2 Pheasant female topped with falling snow.jpg
Description: Brrr. Its presumably colder to let the cold air in shaking it off than leaving it!

Image Archive arch 2009 feb.htm (view it Here)

Date: 28 Feb 2009
View: DC1_20090206_1007_077 pied wagtail appearing to look up at snowflake.jpg
Description: Through the study window this wagtail spent an hour picking up peanut fragments dropping from the tit feeders. Here it is by a snow hidden block of vegetable fat that he has been pecking at, and we can't help thinking he is watching that snowflake above.

Date: 27 Feb 2009
View: DC1_20090207_1230_017 Goldfinch.jpg
Description: Goldfinches seem less than usually human intolerant in the snow (though it has all melted or be knocked from the branches in this image).

Date: 26 Feb 2009
View: DC1_20090207_1631_120 Lapwing striding on hay put out for sheep.jpg
Description: The farmer hiring the field to our North and East has put out hay for the sheep when it is covered by snow. The lapwing decided the disturbed soil was a good place for a feed at sunset.

Date: 25 Feb 2009
View: P32_20090205_1344_623 Great Spotted Woodpecker on dead wood through kitchen window.jpg
Description: A regular visitor outside the kitchen window we happened to get in a 'test shot.

Date: 24 Feb 2009
View: D3A_20090202_0921_015 fb2 squirrel feeding in falling snow.jpg
Description: According to the 'book' squirrels only come out on mild days for a feed. Ours obviously don't have the same book.

Date: 23 Feb 2009
View: D3A_20090202_1313_074 fb2 Blackbird male in snow.jpg
Description: Mr and Mrs. Blackbird at site 2. Often seen fossicking about at this site when we visit it, but rarely both by the log at the same time.

View: D3A_20090202_0932_020 fb2 Blackbird female with thrown up snow.jpg
Description: Like the flying snow ...

Date: 22 Feb 2009
View: D3A_20090203_0727_160 fb2 Robin under tail of Pheasant female in the snow.jpg
Description: Judging by the focus, flash shadow etc., the robin really is under the pheasant's tail. The contrast in size is startling.

View: D3A_20090203_1313_183 fb2 Pheasant male in snow.jpg
Description: and so the female above doesn't feel lonely ...

Date: 21 Feb 2009
View: D3A_20090203_1348_196 fb2 moorhen in snow.jpg
Description: A number of moorhen sightings at this site. This one's shield looks rather battered so we assume some territorial fights are in progress even though we haven't seen much.

Date: 20 Feb 2009
View: DC1_20090204_1041_079 Kestrel male hovering over snow covered field.jpg
Description: Kestrel watched intermittently hunting over the snowy fields. We didn't see this one catch anything but it was out of view quite a lot of the time.

Date: 19 Feb 2009
View: D3A_20090131_0907_008 fb2 Chaffinch male landing on log.jpg
Description: Chaffinch male twisting in to land on the log.

Date: 18 Feb 2009
View: D3A_20090129_1123_024 fb2 Blackbird female against winter woodland.jpg
Description: Coming up to midday some hazy sunshine balanced nicely with the flash to produce this 'blackbird in the woods'.

Date: 17 Feb 2009
View: P34_20090131_0932_550 Sundog to Left of sun and almost as bright (web crop).jpg
Description: An amazing sundog that was so bright we thought it was the sun hiding behind clouds with very atypical colour. Then the sun started to appear to it's right.

Date: 16 Feb 2009
View: D3B_20090128_1119_118 fb1 Wet Robin landing on log (crop 2).jpg
Description: A robin had been bathing in a puddle at the flooded site and jumped up onto the log to have a good preen.

Date: 15 Feb 2009
View: D3A_20090126_0608_048 fb2 Robin jumping down off stone with shadow.jpg
Description: The robins are everywhere, and getting frisky.

Date: 14 Feb 2009
View: D3A_20090123_1544_019 fb2 2 Rook heads together.jpg
Description: We don't normally think of rooks as 'tender' ... Today is Valentines day so we couldn't resist including it.

Date: 13 Feb 2009
View: D3B_20090126_0036_082 fb1 Fieldmouse with apple in the mud.jpg
Description: Another horrid apple seems to be appreciated.

Date: 12 Feb 2009
View: D3B_20090124_0349_102 fb1 2 fieldmice.jpg
Description: 4 a.m. and full of life

Date: 11 Feb 2009
View: D3B_20090124_0733_111 fb2 Dunnock and Robin facing off.jpg
Description: Still pretty dark, but its seems it is never too early for a dunnock and robin to have a squabble.

Date: 10 Feb 2009
View: D3B_20090123_0101_186 fb1 Fieldmouse.jpg
Description: Twee fieldmouse entry for this week.
Ever wondered what the world is like for a little creature with such magnificent whiskers?

Date: 09 Feb 2009
View: DC1_20090123_1500_009+011 Female Pheasant flying to hedge (Montage right then left).jpg
Description: Along with the usual 'Panicking Pigeon' beating their wings on the branches in panic at our approach we now have female pheasants taking flight. They always see us before we spot them, but on this occasion managed to get a few pics as this one flew into the base of a hedge. We hope this little montage catches the moment and almost surreal shapes of the departing bird.

Date: 08 Feb 2009
View: dc1_20090123_1505_028 muntjac deer male in field to south.jpg
Description: Two male muntjacs (which we assumed to be a 'pair' until we studied the images) were foraging in the pasture to the South. This one watched us for a moment before wandering away.

Date: 07 Feb 2009
View: DC1_20090121_1237_082 Pair of collared doves canoodling.jpg
Description: This pair of Collared doves were definitely in amorous mood and they spent 10 minutes snuggling and cooing in an willow grown from root stock of an ornamental. They didn't mate this time.

Date: 06 Feb 2009
View: D3A_20090117_2052_033 fb2 Fieldmouse in mid-air head down (web crop).jpg
Description: This mouse isn't movement blurred enough to have fallen the 2 meters from the conifer overhead, so is presumably at the top of it's leap. Hope it made a better landing than looks likely.

Date: 05 Feb 2009
View: DC1_20090118_1543_190 Kestrel male flying into evening sun against bare hedgerow.jpg
Description: With the sun only a few diameters above the horizon the kestrel flies along the bridlepath and disappears to the North.

Date: 04 Feb 2009
View: DC1_20090118_1300_055 Kestrel male hunting from high voltage cable at pole.jpg
Description: Happy to hover in a breeze, but the local male kestrel prefers to hunt from wires in still air or (as here) strong winds. We thought he was perched on the cross-beam till we saw this pic. He contrasts nicely with the brutallic metalwork.

Date: 03 Feb 2009
View: DC1_20090118_1312_082 3 Rooks flying in vertical formation.jpg
Description: Genuine single frame (albeit a crop to get the effect) of 'formation flying' by the rooks.

Date: 02 Feb 2009
View: D3A_20090115_1322_012+1420_015 fb2 Montage of Pheasant males with brown & yellow eyes (web crop).jpg
Description: The startling eyes of the pheasant on the right made us suddenly realise that at least 2 of 'our' pheasant males have very different eye colour. From site 2, a montage of images about 1 hour apart. Normally we tell them apart by head colour and the width & join gap of the neck ring.

Date: 01 Feb 2009
View: D3A_20090113_1024_019 fb2 Robin seeing off Great Tit.jpg
Description: That's MY log ...

Image Archive arch 2009 jan.htm (view it Here)

Date: 31 Jan 2009
View: D3A_20090114_1300_100 fb2 Chaffinch male wing assisted step onto stone.jpg
Description: Its a big step for a little bird, so the characteristic little flap of wings as a bird jumps up a step gets caught on camera.

Date: 30 Jan 2009
View: D3A_20090111_1544_053 fb2 Rook pecking at rotten apple.jpg
Description: Another disgusting apple is welcomed with open beak by this rook.

Date: 29 Jan 2009
View: D3B_20090111_2125_156 fb1 Fieldmouse.jpg
Description: Fieldmouse quietly nibbling in the night. The orange fragments are lentils.

Date: 28 Jan 2009
View: D3B_20090112_1627_240 fb1 Fieldmouse and apple.jpg
Description: Our first reaction was 'ouch'. Coming back to it to add to this selection it remains 'ouch'.

Date: 27 Jan 2009
View: DC1_20090106_1250_081 Robin on Ice.jpg
Description: The surface of frozen ponds have attracted a pair of Foxes, pheasants, and many small birds including this robin.

Date: 26 Jan 2009
View: D3A_20090105_2054_036 fb2 Fieldmouse climbing up end of log.jpg
Description: A young mouse clambers up the end of the log.

Date: 25 Jan 2009
View: D3A_20090104_1526_069 fb2 Chaffinch male.jpg
Description: This male chaffinch shows no blue sheen on the beak yet, so has not yet reached full breeding condition.

Date: 24 Jan 2009
View: D3B_20090103_1734_065 fb1 Fieldmouse nibbling corn grain.jpg
Description: A single grain of corn is a feast for a fieldmouse.

Date: 23 Jan 2009
View: D3A_20090109_1115_043 fb2 2 Moorhen.jpg
Description: Suddenly lots of moorhen about on the frozen ponds and repeatedly at site 2 (but not site 1). Also seen up various trees - 'the old moorhen up a tree ploy' as our expert at Swansea University nicely worded it some years back when describing them nesting in trees. We wait and see!

Date: 22 Jan 2009
View: D3B_20090105_0200_171 fb1 Fieldmouse after light snow.jpg
Description: A really cold period has limited the outings of most creatures to only what is necessary for survival.

Date: 21 Jan 2009
View: D3A_20090101_1157_011 fb2 Jay.jpg
Description: On dingy new-years day we left the cameras on all day and were rewarded with an assortment of jays of which this is one.

Date: 20 Jan 2009
View: D3A_20090101_1620_072 fb2 Blackbird female.jpg
Description: Still mainly the male blackbirds at the photo sites though we see a reasonable mix when out and about, so this shot of one of the 'girls' gets her outing.

Date: 19 Jan 2009
View: D3A_20090102_1434_102 fb2 Squirrel.jpg
Description: A Squirrel still about practicing it's innocent 'what me?' look as it chews everything it can reach.

Date: 18 Jan 2009
View: D3B_20090101_2324_145 fb1 2 Fieldmice.jpg
Description: Not sure how to interpret this one, so write your own caption!

Date: 17 Jan 2009
View: DC1_20090102_1007_022 Muntjac deer female bounding along bridleway fence.jpg
Description: Some unexpected morning sunshine tempted us out, and this female muntjac took one look at us from 100m or so away and off she went. Unusual to see all 4 tiny hooves at once.

Date: 16 Jan 2009
View: DC1_20090102_1249_081 Fieldfare in Windfall apples.jpg
Description: Apart from flying overhead or in distant trees we typically see fieldfares in flocks of 30 to 100 tucking into the windfall apples that we now deliberately leave for the wildlife. A few apples moved to a more photographable spot tempted this bird.

Date: 15 Jan 2009
View: DC1_20081228_1034_041 Robin in Blackberry thicket.jpg
Description: On a freezing winter day this robin watched us hopefully in the sunshine sheltered from the wind by a blackberry thicket. More sense than us then, trudging around in the biting wind.

Date: 14 Jan 2009
View: D3A_20081226_1618_018 fb2 Rook lifting log.jpg
Description: Once again a rook is caught in the act of re-arranging the site.
This is the previous occasion from April 2008:-

Click for Image

Followed by the one taken on Boxing day 2008 and show an amazingly similar stance and technique.

Date: 13 Jan 2009
View: D3B_20081226_1718_030 fb1 2 Fieldmice eating side by side.jpg
Description: A really sweet pair of fieldmice.

Date: 12 Jan 2009
View: DC1_20081221_1053_029 Buzzard in flight (web crop).jpg
Description: For just a few minutes the sun broke through the clouds luring us outside. We were lucky that our 'noisy' buzzard chose this moment to make a lazy flyby against the clouds and a patch of blue. The lack a thermals provides a more active view than the usual hanging in the updraft.

Date: 11 Jan 2009
View: P34_20081217_1416_178 Sundog to East (web crop).jpg
Description: We have a bit of a 'thing' about 'sundogs' but this one was particularly intense and only lasted a minute or two as a streak in a largely grey sky.

Date: 10 Jan 2009
View: D3B_20081223_1542_117 fb1 Magpie.jpg
Description: A magpie nearly filling the width of the frame showing off it's iridescence.

Date: 09 Jan 2009
View: D3B_20081226_1743_038 fb1 2 fieldmice (crop 1).jpg
Description: A surprisingly frequent juxtaposition of two mice - one on the ground eating while another on the log looks down at it.

Date: 08 Jan 2009
View: D3A_20081219_0738_016 fb2 Blackbird male.jpg
Description: There are now a pair of blackbirds at both photo sites although it is the males that currently appear regularly.

Date: 07 Jan 2009
View: D3B_20081219_2111_129 fb1 Fox (crop 2).jpg
Description: After a long break a fox put in an appearance at one of the good quality cameras, but the head was partly out of frame at the left, hence this 'creative' interpretation of the nose-to-ground investigation of the world in a way humans can't even imagine.

Date: 06 Jan 2009
View: DC1_20081220_1108_012 Bullfinch in Blackberry & Elderberry hedge.jpg
Description: Bullfinch in the hedge along the Bridleway to the North of our patch. The shrivelled remains of the blackberries are still an attraction, and the leaves seem to have survived the recent frosts.

Date: 05 Jan 2009
View: DC1_20081220_1311_242 Squirrel eating Hawthorn berry.jpg
Description: A squirrel paid a visit to the hawthorn trees (decades overgrown hedge) near the house and spent 10 minutes after we noticed gorging itself on berries. In shade & diagonally through a double glazed window limits the quality, but it was interesting to see. Notice the Lichen on these old twigs.

Date: 04 Jan 2009
View: D3B_20081215_1721_154 fb1 2 fieldmice + ear of another.jpg
Description: A group of 3 fieldmice are often seen together at this site. This looks like a picture of a pair until you spot the ear just showing over the top of the log.

Date: 03 Jan 2009
View: D3A_20081213_1244_067 fb2 Squirrel (head crop).jpg
Description: Contrary to popular belief, squirrels don't hibernate but build a better insulated dray and limit their outings to short forays on warmer days. This one was picking over the offerings at about mid-day.

Date: 02 Jan 2009
View: D3B_20081218_2010_050 fb1 2 fieldmice leaping off log.jpg
Description: Fleeing, playing or whatever we have no idea, but they do it with huge energy.

Date: 01 Jan 2009
View: D3A_20081212_1039_004 fb2 Robin flying from site with corn grain.jpg
Description: Robins appear wherever we go. We like the Joie-de-vie with which this one is carrying off a single corn grain - something to emulate for the new year.

Image Archive arch 2008 dec.htm (view it Here)

Date: 31 Dec 2008
View: D3A_20081207_1910_092 fb2 Upright rabbit with fieldmouse in front of it (web crop).jpg
Description: On 17 Dec 2008 we showed you a rabbit and mouse with the comment
'Obviously rabbits are not frightened of mice, unlike the proverbial Elephant.'
However looking at this image maybe its not true for all rabbits.

Date: 30 Dec 2008
View: D3A_20081209_1403_051 fb2 Robin picking grain out of cleft in log.jpg
Description: Another mini-feast for the robin.

Date: 29 Dec 2008
View: D3A_20081210_1452_010 fb2 Great Tit.jpg
Description: We haven't shown you a Great Tit for 6 months, and this one put in a nice appearance.

Date: 28 Dec 2008
View: D3B_20081210_0326_187 fb1 2 fieldmice nuzzling on frosty log.jpg
Description: The chilly weather doesn't seem to reduce the fieldmouse ardour. Its 3:26 a.m. as well!

Date: 27 Dec 2008
View: P34_20081204_1034_138 Lichen on young Oak tree at Round Pond (web crop).jpg
Description: As we walked down to the corner of the plot this bright green display in the sunshine caught our eye, so we have tried to capture the un-seasonal green.

Date: 26 Dec 2008
View: P34_20081211_1511_169 Full moon (largest for 13yrs) over trees to East (web crop).jpg
Description: The moons elliptical orbit brings changes in it's distance, and we hear that this cycle brought the closest (therefore largest) full moon for 13yrs. Not that we knew this when we photographed it at 3:11 p.m. - it just looked appealing hanging in the sky.

Date: 25 Dec 2008
View: Bird Montage from top left - Osprey+Skylark+Red Kite+Sparrowhawk+Little Owl+Short-eared Owl+Tawny Owls.jpg
Description: A little Christmas day special.
This year has been exceptional for Dragonflies and Raptors, so here is a little montage of birds:-
OspreySkylarkRed Kite
 Tawny Owls 
Short-eared OwlLittle OwlSparrowhawk


Date: 24 Dec 2008
View: DC1_20081206_1050_011 Bluetit on vertical wall by upstairs hall window (tight crop).jpg
Description: Give a bird a bit of rough rendering and the more agile will happily walk straight up a vertical wall.

Date: 23 Dec 2008
View: DC1_20081206_1234_104 Buzzard circling over south sloping field to N.jpg
Description: A few minutes after yesterdays crow & buzzard montage the buzzard came back. Despite the air temperature of about 5C it was sunny and it was rising slowly in a thermal over the South sloping field to our North. We were quite surprised that this near the winter solstice even the midday sun had this much heating effect.

Date: 22 Dec 2008
View: DC1_20081206_1227_052+056+058 Buzzard looking back at harassing Carrion Crow mirrored montage.jpg
Description: This montage shows a buzzard being chased away from our patch by a one of a pair of carrion crows that have bred here for the last 2 years. Images are left to right over a second or two. Shortly afterwards (out of photographic range) the buzzard turned the tables and the crow took refuge in a distant tree.

Date: 21 Dec 2008
View: DC1_20081204_1523_127 Muntjac deer male struggling to eat windfall apple.jpg
Description: Awful quality in shade in the half dark through a window, this male muntjac deer spent a couple of minutes trying to down this windfall apple, but he did succeed.

Date: 20 Dec 2008
View: DC1_20081202_1402_061&062 Fieldfare in Flight Montage.jpg
Description: Flocks of fieldfares are about but very wary of humans, so we were lucky to get close enough to this one 'out in the open' to catch it departing.

Date: 19 Dec 2008
View: d3b_20081130_2152_103 fb1 fieldmouse leaping acrobatically.jpg
Description: Although a little blurred by movement and distance the acrobatics of this little fellow could not be resisted.

Date: 18 Dec 2008
View: D3A_20081126_1535_038 fb2 Robin after take-off with wing blown debris.jpg
Description: As the robin takes off some corn grains and a fallen leaf go flying as well.

Date: 17 Dec 2008
View: D3A_20081128_2100_055 fb2 Fieldmouse and rabbit.jpg
Description: Obviously rabbits are not frightened of mice, unlike the proverbial Elephant. (But see also the image for 31 Dec 2008.)

Date: 16 Dec 2008
View: DA1_20081126_1643_014 Tawny owl on Raptor perch (web crop).jpg
Description: A little owl stopped for a few minutes on this perch, which spurred us to set up a pre-focussed flash configuration at an openable window in the hope of catching the next image. In one of those 'it never happens' moments the same evening a pair of tawny owls showed up and the new kit worked! The 'red eye' effect is the same as in human pics the flash is close to the camera - we decided not to tamper with the images.

View: DA1_20081126_1642_012 2 Tawny owls on Raptor perch (web crop).jpg
Description: A pair! The Tawny owl box has been up for a year - all we can do is hope and wait.

Date: 15 Dec 2008
View: DC1_20081127_1103_103+102(right)+104(left) Kestrel on bends road sign viewed through hedge montage.jpg
Description: The same bird as yesterday spent a minute or two on a road sign right next to the road with lorries etc. going by only 3m or so away. These images were taken through a less dense patch in the track-side hedge. We lost sight of him the moment he flew.

Date: 14 Dec 2008
View: DC1_20081127_1051_049 Kestrel in flight overhead.jpg
Description: A Kestrel flew about overhead. No doubt any mice out of their holes bolted to cover.

Date: 13 Dec 2008
View: DC1_20081125_1321_157 Sparrowhawk male in flight low over fields in cold North wind (web crop).jpg
Description: A biting north wind limited the birds and us to short forays. The birds were all trying to keep near the ground - even the corvids. This sparrowhawk swooped by us skimming over the ground so close to it that it's shadow is only just offset.

Date: 12 Dec 2008
View: D3B_20081122_2322_082 fb1 Fieldmouse with whiskers contrasted with apple.jpg
Description: The apple and mouse make an interesting juxtaposition and show up the whiskers.

Date: 11 Dec 2008
View: D3A_20081116_2043_026 fb2 2 Rabbits head to head down in leaf litter.jpg
Description: Ear-Ear (sorry)
We never know what is going to go down well, and we only included this in our weekly assortment email on a whim. But we got enough feedback that we thought we would include it here as well.

Date: 10 Dec 2008
View: D3B_20081121_2106_154 fb1 2 Fieldmice.jpg
Description: A little domestic contentment in the Fieldmouse family.

Date: 09 Dec 2008
View: D3B_20081118_1559_015 fb1 Fieldfare (web crop).jpg
Description: A few weeks ago Redwings and Fieldfare arrived together but we mostly saw Redwings. The balance of Fieldfares to Redwings has been restored to its usual 10:1 in favour of Fieldfares. Here a fieldfare visits at dusk.

Date: 08 Dec 2008
View: P34_20081119_1622_934 Orange clouds overhead at sunset.jpg
Description: At sunset the puffy white clouds over the whole sky turned to candy-floss pink. This is pretty much the sky and cloud colours we both remember.

Date: 07 Dec 2008
View: P34_20081120_0857_973 Red Admiral butterfly feeding on Viburnum flower.jpg
Description: A very late appearance of a Red Admiral butterfly enjoying the sunshine on a flowering Viburnum. It might be the one we raised indoors, but really don't know as we didn't mark it - see the archive for 3 Nov 2008.

Date: 06 Dec 2008
View: D3A_20081116_1347_006 fb2 Jay with corn grain in beak (web crop).jpg
Description: The Jays made another afternoon appearance. They are so photogenic we couldn't resist another, this time a portrait. Note the haze of feather over some of the blue.

Date: 05 Dec 2008
View: DC1_20081119_1213_244+246+248 Kestrel female taking food from talon in flight Montage 1+3+4 of 5.jpg
Description: This Kestrel went down in the grass and lost site of it. When it took off and we picked it up in the camera just as it was pulling a piece of the prey from it's talon. The pictures are sequenced top right to bottom left. In the last it still has some left in its talon, and it went on to eat that a few second later.

Date: 04 Dec 2008
View: D3A_20081112_1554_010 fb2 Rook portrait.jpg
Description: Not often you manage to appreciate the lovely sheen on a rook.

Date: 03 Dec 2008
View: D3B_20081113_2347_065 fb1 2 Fieldmice with back to camera.jpg
Description: Did we say something to upset you?

View: D3B_20081114_0336_073 fb1 Fieldmouse with peel of red apple.jpg
Description: Apparently not. The red fruit comes from an ancient apple tree in part of the original garden.

Date: 02 Dec 2008
View: D3A_20081109_1415_090 fb2 2 Jays.jpg
Description: Continuing our selection from the 'Day of the Jays', first both of the pair (the bird on the right's beak tip was just out of frame)

View: D3A_20081109_1455_111 fb2 Jay.jpg
Description: ... and here one about to launch into the air.

Date: 01 Dec 2008
View: P34_20081109_1229_863 Pineham Field from field to East (web crop).jpg
Description: During the walk that flushed the Short eared owl, we photographed almost the whole East boundary of our patch. The tall poplar at the back line the track down the West boundary.ÿ You can see the 'double hedge' - the taller one the one we planted and the shorter one the Blackthorn sprouts along the barbed wire and pig-net fence that grew without asking first. We fight to maintain walking & maintenance clearance between the two and a view over the top! The slope is real - not a wide angle lens artifact.

Image Archive arch 2008 nov.htm (view it Here)

Date: 30 Nov 2008
View: D3B_20081108_2201_065 fb1 Fieldmouse climbing on apple.jpg
Description: Entry for twee fieldmouse of the week.

Date: 29 Nov 2008
View: D3A_20081109_1406_088 fb2 Jay.jpg
Description: Until this day Jays had been fleeting views and the odd photo. This dingy and wet afternoon was cheered by a dozen photos of Jays. Here is one of this beautiful bird from the Magpie family - more in a few days.

Date: 28 Nov 2008
View: D3B_20081104_2231_035 fb1 fieldmouse.jpg
Description: Another corn grain becomes a feast.

Date: 27 Nov 2008
View: DC1_20081107_0950_003+004 Great Spotted Woodpecker in Bounding flight (montage).jpg
Description: Montage of Great Spotted Woodpecker in bounding flight (flap like mad for a second or two, then fold wings and coast).

Date: 26 Nov 2008
View: DC1_20081109_0829_006 Muntjac deer female trying to find way back under the fence.jpg
Description: This Muntjac deer obviously knew there was a way through the fence, but couldn't find it because it was at the wrong end of 300m of fence. It spent 10 minutes before finally wandering in the right direction They can jump the fence in a panic, but prefer not to.

Date: 25 Nov 2008
View: D3B_20081103_0035_085 fb1 Field Vole carrying off piece of peel.jpg
Description: Even in worst weather our night-time cameras capture something interesting. Here a field vole carries off a piece of peel.

Date: 24 Nov 2008
View: DC1_20081109_0839_036 Short-eared Owl in flight of grass (web crop).jpg
Description: A tramp across the adjacent field startled this Short-eared owl in the grass perhaps 50m ahead. A new sighting for us here. Apparently they are often seen in daylight. It flew about for a minute or two before departing.

View: DC1_20081109_0839_057 Short-eared Owl in flight.jpg

Date: 23 Nov 2008
View: DC1_20081109_0950_045 Sparrowhawk in Flight (web crop 2).jpg
Description: Its unusual to be able to photograph a flying sparrowhawk against anything but sky, so here is an different perspective against a poplar tree.

Date: 22 Nov 2008
View: DC1_20081109_0954_071 Red Kite in flight showing top of wing.jpg
Description: Surprise first sighting here of a Red Kite. The rooks took a dim view of this 'interloper' and soon chased it off.

View: DC1_20081109_0956_172 Red Kite in flight (web crop).jpg
Description: Light just right to pick up the colours even if the face is turned away.

Date: 21 Nov 2008
View: D3A_20081106_1814_014 fb2 Fieldmouse in mid-leap (vertical crop).jpg
Description: The ridiculous leaping fieldmice are back. There is no way this one could be jumping down from anything, so we think it must be mid-leap from the ground.

Date: 20 Nov 2008
View: D3B_20081103_2327_158 fb1 2 Fieldmice.jpg
Description: Two field mice come out after the rain.

Date: 19 Nov 2008
View: D3A_20081101_0926_046 fb2 Pheasant male head with autumn leaves.jpg
Description: The pheasants are back on a regular basis, at the moment the male mostly visits this site and the female only visits the other. Like the echoing of colours in the bird and the leaves.

Date: 18 Nov 2008
View: DC1_20081031_0830_017 Female Kestrel in Flight.jpg
Description: On Thursday at 06:50 with it barely light we saw from the car a Kestrel hunting over the local road. It flew off as we slowed down & don't know which sex. But on Friday a bright start tempted us out with the camera (until the rising wind at near freezing drove us in) and this female kestrel obliged with a flyby obviously giving us a number of suspicious glances.

Date: 17 Nov 2008
View: D3A_20081028_0649_029 fb1 Chaffinch pair disturbed by approaching magpie.jpg
Description: A little story helped along by a bit of brightening and sharpening of the magpie in the gloom away from the flashgun, but a genuine single frame.

Date: 16 Nov 2008
View: DC1_20081029_1259_025 Pied Wagtail on roof ridge.jpg
Description: The Autumn return of the pied wagtail, this first view on the roof ridge.

Date: 15 Nov 2008
View: D3B_20081026_2023_114 fb1 2 fieldmice one leaping from above (web crop).jpg
Description: Whee ... We really can't work out where he came from and assumed he is mid-leap.

Date: 14 Nov 2008
View: D10_20081029_0906_020 weekly field 29oct08.jpg
Description: The carpet of snow barely lasted a day but this is the earliest we remember snow laying at all and news broadcasts seem to confirm this impression. A corner of the main pond is at the bottom left of the pic, which is a slightly wider view of the 18 year sequence you can find at http://www.vutrax.co.uk/the_field/the_field.htm.

Date: 13 Nov 2008
View: DC1_20081028_0942_009 Osprey in flight with fish (web crop).jpg
Description: Almost a week to the hour since the previous sighting we arrived at the corner of our patch to see an/the Osprey again with another huge fish, this time a little closer to us than before. One of our email group suggests that the fish is a carp. There were a couple of rooks about but not close enough to be in frame.

Date: 12 Nov 2008
View: D3A_20081020_1803_036 fb2 Fieldmouse with drying autumn leaves.jpg
Description: After a rain, out comes a fieldmouse to frolic on the drying soil and leaves.

Date: 11 Nov 2008
View: DC1_20081024_1517_067 Pipistrelle bat in flight with insect in mouth in daytime (web crop).jpg
Description: Almost a month after the last occurrence we saw a Pipistrelle bat in the day time - this time about 3 p.m. The bat has what looks like some sort of fly in it's mouth. Shortly after this it disappeared back into the loft through an 'impossibly' small slit.

View: DC1_20081024_1517_068 Pipistrelle bat in flight (turned 90 left) with tail membrane pulled over mouth (web version).jpg
Description: In this following frame the bat has it's tail covering it's mouth probably adjusting the bite on the fly. It was 'banking' with wings vertical by then, but its so hard to interpret that we have turned the image to 'normal' to help you work it out.

Date: 10 Nov 2008
View: D3B_20081020_0610_149 fb1 2 Fieldmice.jpg
Description: Pairs of creatures tend to make more appealing images than singles, and this is a genuine single frame.

Date: 09 Nov 2008
View: DC1_20081018_1221_020 Black-headed gull winter plumage.jpg
Description: One of many black headed gulls we see fly over. What black head? In the winter they have just the slight black patch behind the eye.

Date: 08 Nov 2008
View: DC1_20081021_1036_038 Osprey carrying fish in talons (web crop).jpg
Description: We don't go on trips to see rare birds, and thought our only sight of an Osprey would be on the TV. This one, complete with classically streamlined fish in talon, flew by about 100m North of our patch. Apparently it had been around the Milton Keynes area for 3 weeks before we saw it on the 21 Oct 2008

View: DC1_20081021_1036_060 Osprey carrying fish in talons chased by rook (web version).jpg
Description: Like the buzzards, the Osprey got the go-away treatment from the rooks.

Date: 07 Nov 2008
View: DB1_20081006_1044_001 Moorhen in Dragon pond iris fronds.jpg
Description: The adult moorhen have largely regained the main pond for themselves, with the youngsters usually tolerated for a while and then chased off.

Date: 06 Nov 2008
View: DC1_20081016_1054_120 Kestrel female in flight.jpg
Description: Harvesting, ploughing and harrowing the in nearby field has attracted the corvids flocks, and the kestrels get a few minutes peace to hunt.

Date: 05 Nov 2008
View: DC1_20081016_1627_141 Collared Dove pair mutual preening on concrete post (web version).jpg
Description: A pair of collared doves canoodling on the top the mains cable post. We seem to have quite a few pairs now, with this pair usually to be found near this post. Who doesn't enjoy a scratch where you can't reach!

Date: 04 Nov 2008
View: P34_20081012_1652_415 Spindle tree fruit detail (web crop).jpg
Description: The spindle tree fruit and fruit case provides the only really strident natural colour clash we know of.

Date: 03 Nov 2008
View: P34_20081009_1616_310 Red Admiral Butterfly Chrysalis hanging from dogwood leaf (web crop).jpg
Description: We found and photographed this beautiful butterfly Chrysalis without knowing the species. Next day we brought it into our insect rearing tank to observe it ...

View: P34_20081015_0833_419 Red Admiral Butterfly emerged from chrysalis through glass tank side.jpg
Description: ... and here is the emerged insect - a Red Admiral butterfly. Released when the weather improved in the afternoon, we saw it around for several days feeding on our autumn flowers. Click to see a Red Admiral top view taken in 2006.

Date: 02 Nov 2008
View: D3B_20081013_1741_052 fb1 Bluetit.jpg
Description: We haven't shown you bluetit for months, but they are now back in prime plumage and regular visitors.

Date: 01 Nov 2008
View: D3B_20081014_0334_080 fb1 Fieldmouse.jpg
Description: The Fieldmice visit both sites every night. You realise these are what you may know of as Wood Mice?

Image Archive arch 2008 oct.htm (view it Here)

Date: 31 Oct 2008
View: DA1_20081011_1432_019 Frog on orchard path.Jpg
Description: We see very few frogs these days, so were rather pleased when this one leapt out of the way of Marie walking down to the greenhouse. All the frogs we see seem to be this light yellow-green colour.

Date: 30 Oct 2008
View: DA1_20081012_1841_049 Pipistrelle Bat in flight.JPG
Description: A Pipistrelle bat in flight at night (see 14 Oct 2008 for unexpected daytime visit). We have discovered yet another loft access hole (that looks too small even for a bat but we have watched them use it). Unfortunately the Long-eared bats didn't show this year.

Date: 29 Oct 2008
View: DC1_20081011_1605_159 Kestrel male juvenile (Q).jpg
Description: We think this must be a juvenile male kestrel but are not very sure. Anyway - why all this hovering nonsense when we can hunt from the phone wires!

Date: 28 Oct 2008
View: P34_20081012_0953_368 Spider in Dewy web in East fence blackthorn (web crop).jpg
Description: The morning was drenched with dew, with hundreds of webs down the 100m east fence now overgrown with Blackthorn. Most of the webs are disorganised tangles but about 10% take some classic form, as here, complete with builder and natural dew.

Date: 27 Oct 2008
View: D12_20081012_1442_060 Green-brindled Crescent (Allophyes oxyacanthae) (RGB) (web crop).jpg
Description: We put the moth trap out on a misty moonlit night (neither good for catching moths). Something gave the trap a thump in the night and partly knocked the top off, but there were still about 100 moths inside of which this rather attractive iridescent creature took our fancy.

Date: 26 Oct 2008
View: DC1_20081011_1340_066 Buzzard mobbed by over 20 corvids (web crop).jpg
Description: The buzzard (largest bird) was hounded for several minutes by this rabble of corvids until it got high enough on the thermal that they didn't follow. There were no attacks either way - sheer weight of numbers was enough to decide who won.

Date: 25 Oct 2008
View: DC1_20081009_0944_002 3 Jays in flight (Web version).jpg
Description: We are normally pleased to see just one jay fleeing from us, but here 3 flew by some 10's of metres away. The one on the left was not quite so well aligned, so we couldn't resist tweaking his position.

Date: 24 Oct 2008
View: D3B_20081008_0237_088 fb1 2 Fieldmice face to face (web crop).jpg
Description: A little sweetie that is a genuine single frame.

Date: 23 Oct 2008
View: D3B_20081009_0148_162 fb2 Polecat (web crop).jpg
Description: Return of the/a polecat. This is the second of 2 images of maybe/maybe not the same animal, and shows the whole creature.

Date: 22 Oct 2008
View: DA1_20081010_1104_020 Roesels Bush-Cricket (web crop).jpg
Description: In some long grass we came across this cricket, body about 2cm long. One of our e-mail recipients suggests that is a Roesel's Bush-Cricket (Metrioptera roeselii) which seems to be correct and is a new sighting this year for this area.

Date: 21 Oct 2008
View: D3A_20081004_1647_042 fb2 Pheasant male and falling leaf (orig).jpg
Description: The pheasants 'disappeared' when the adjacent meadow was cut. We saw the female a few days ago, and now the male has appeared perfectly judging camera frame and timing for the falling leaf.

Date: 20 Oct 2008
View: D3B_20080929_1853_022 fb1 2 Fieldmice with apples & berries.jpg
Description: Domestic bliss before its even properly dark (NOT a montage).

Date: 19 Oct 2008
View: DC1_20080929_1042_009 Buzzard surrounded by mobbing corvids.jpg
Description: We often mention corvids mobbing of Buzzards, and here is a single frame with the bird surrounded by rooks, and what looks like a Jackdaw persuing it.

Date: 18 Oct 2008
View: P34_20081001_1231_134 Comma Butterfly on Blackberries (web crop).jpg
Description: In a sheltered little bramble thicket a number of Comma butterflies were sunning themselves.

Date: 17 Oct 2008
View: DA1_20080928_1454_002 Southern Hawker Dragonfly male on Hawthorn (web crop).jpg
Description: On the last of the recent warm days this beauty was still on the wing. We last showed you some indoor shots on 5 September - these are a more natural (if technically more limited) views,

View: DA1_20080928_1456_064 Southern Hawker Dragonfly male on Hawthorn side view of upper body (web crop).jpg

Date: 16 Oct 2008
View: D3B_20080927_0253_099 fb1 Fieldmouse jumping on to end of log 1 of 6 (web crop).jpg
Description: Spoilt for choice ...

Date: 15 Oct 2008
View: DC1_20080927_1307_026 Muntjac deer male bounding over field 6 of 7 (web crop).jpg
Description: Several views of Muntjac deer in the past week, this one a male with lovely new antlers. Bounding past us rather than the usual 'away from us' for the female in the image for 1 Oct 2008.

Date: 14 Oct 2008
View: DC1_20080926_1804_140 Pipistrelle Bat in flight before sunset (web crop).jpg
Description: 45 minutes before sunset this single pipistrelle bat spent at least 15 minutes over the ponds and rough grass hunting insects. Good for us for some pictures of a species so small and fast that it is hard to get anything at night, but not so good for the bat who must be very hungry to come out so early. He seemed to get a good feed. Didn't see him/her the next evening.

Date: 13 Oct 2008
View: D3A_20080923_1457_011 fb2 2 Juvenile moorhen among autumn leaves.jpg
Description: On a dingy afternoon we left the photo-kits running and these 2 Juvenile moorhen have discovered the easy-pickings at this site, appearing in about a half-dozen photos.

Date: 12 Oct 2008
View: D3B_20080925_0335_081 fb1 Polecat (web crop 2).jpg
Description: Our last polecat 'sighting' was on 23 Feb 2005 at about 4 a.m and is on the main site in the as Part of the Mammals section
This new one-off image was at the corner of the site where a few days ago we did some work to improve access from the field side. This time it was at 03:35 - maybe their favourite time to be about.

Date: 11 Oct 2008
View: DC1_20080921_1250_405 Ruddy Darter dragonfly male head detail (web crop).jpg
Description: This is the only 'Ruddy Darter' dragonfly we have seen on our patch and was a rather old and darkened individual on possibly his last day with the weather cooling down. He sat quietly in the sunshine on a leaf as we took his portrait and later flew off

Date: 10 Oct 2008
View: DC1_20080921_1240_166+277+292 Sparrowhawk male & rook in aerial dogfight (montage).jpg
Description: The sparrowhawk seem to be getting the same treatment from the rooks as the buzzards and kestrels. Being bigger than the kestrel it puts up more resistance, but not as casually as the even larger buzzard. This is a montage of 3 images (dozens of frames apart - don't try to read anything into the action). The top helps with identification and the bottom two give an idea of the action.

Date: 09 Oct 2008
View: P34_20080920_1523_819 Great Willow herb seed head.jpg
Description: Rafts of Great Willow herb are in seed, looking like thousands of tiny parachutes. It seems that as it opens the seed 'hairs' get stretched out. to form almost panels of silky material before the wind carries them away.

Date: 08 Oct 2008
View: DC1_20080918_1214_235 2 Buzzards squabbling in flight 1 of 9 (web version).jpg
Description: Once high enough for the rooks not to bother harassing them, these disagreeable birds squabble amongst themselves! Love the aerodynamic stress bending the upper bird's primary feathers.

Date: 07 Oct 2008
View: DC1_20080918_1205_090 Rook harassing Buzzard.jpg
Description: At one point on Thursday (same day as this was taken) there were 6 buzzards riding a thermal over the area. But the rooks harassed any at 'low' altitude.

Date: 06 Oct 2008
View: P34_20080914_1022_639 Poppy in field N of Bridleway.jpg
Description: A trudge over our neighbours field found a few items we have not seen on our patch. Among them was just one tiny clump of poppies of which this is one flower.

Date: 05 Oct 2008
View: P34_20080918_1103_744 Speckled wood Butterfly with Hawthorn Berries (web crop).jpg
Description: Speckled wood butterflies are the dominant butterfly species here this year - here on hawthorn.

Date: 04 Oct 2008
View: D3B_20080916_1802_051 fb1 Fieldmouse leaping above field vole.jpg
Description: More rodents doing acrobatics - right at the right edge of the frame. Did the mouse land ON the vole? There is a blackthorn shoot just to the right at the back of the log we suspect the mouse is jumping down from.

Date: 03 Oct 2008
View: DC1_20080915_1308_023 Kestrel female in flight.jpg
Description: The Kestrels are having a bad time with a flock of a few hundred mixed Corvids in the area, and at the moment rarely manage more than a minute or two hunting before being mobbed.

Date: 02 Oct 2008
View: D3A_20080912_2352_079 fb2 Rabbit examining snails on log.jpg
Description: A rabbit is giving this snail a close inspection, but the only risk to the snail is if the rabbit accidentally treads on it.

Date: 01 Oct 2008
View: DC1_20080911_1602_065 Muntjac female (teats visible) bounding away.jpg
Description: The usual response of a Muntjac deer to the first scent or sight of a human is to flee. This one bounding along a well flattened trail in the grass along the hedge. The teats indicate that she is probably feeding a fawn somewhere.

Image Archive arch 2008 sep.htm (view it Here)

Date: 30 Sep 2008
View: DC1_20080914_0948_023 Speckled Wood Butterfly on Buttercup leaf.jpg
Description: We have had huge numbers of Speckled wood butterflies this year for what seems to have been the whole summer. First seen this year 4 June 2008 - about 14 weeks so far.

Date: 29 Sep 2008
View: DC1_20080914_1315_058 Sparrowhawk juvenile (Q) in Flight (web crop).jpg
Description: Think this is a juvenile sparrowhawk doing a one-off pass.

Date: 28 Sep 2008
View: D3B_20080909_2030_018 fb1 Field vole holding peanut in paw.jpg
Description: We 'see' far fewer Field voles than Fieldmice holding food in their paws to eat. Here is a nice example.

Date: 27 Sep 2008
View: P34_20080902_1619_532 Rainbow fragment with perpendicular streaks & lighter only beneath it.jpg
Description: Quite a lot of rainbows lately but this fragment seems interesting. In this intentionally rather dark image you can see streaking perpendicular to the bow, and that the traditional light inside/dark outside of a rainbow is 'lightening inside' rather than darkening outside from the way it cuts off.

Date: 26 Sep 2008
View: P34_20080906_1047_543 Harvestman Spider.jpg
Description: A Harvestman spider, first seen this year in the image for 19 Sep 2008, is this time seen mid-morning on buddleia leaves.

Date: 25 Sep 2008
View: D3A_20080908_1833_085 fb2 Aggressive Magpie.jpg
Description: A rather dynamically posed Magpie threatening we know not what.

Date: 24 Sep 2008
View: D3B_20080907_2223_061 fb1 Fieldmouse landing from leap.jpg
Description: The fieldmice population has exploded over the summer, and the energetic and incautious youngsters are doing their customary acrobatics.

Date: 23 Sep 2008
View: D3B_20080907_0141_109 fb1 Fieldmouse clambering over slug at flooded log.jpg
Description: Reminds us of the Olympic Steeplechase - with water splash and slug for a barrier.

Date: 22 Sep 2008
View: D3B_20080905_2226_042 fb1 2 Fieldmice on flooded log.jpg
Description: These fieldmice are not actually marooned Robinson Crusoe style as it looks - they can jump into their hole from the log.

Date: 21 Sep 2008
View: D3A_20080906_1908_051 fb2 2 Snails on log.jpg
Description: And down came the rain and out come the molluscs (slugs and snails). Here a couple of the latter.

Date: 20 Sep 2008
View: D3B_20080831_0704_061 fb1 Robin threatening (crop 2).jpg
Description: A robin at photo site 1 is constantly aggressive and seem to be willing to threaten anything - in this case a Dunnock out of crop to the right.

Date: 19 Sep 2008
View: D3B_20080829_0344_035 fb1 Harvestman spider on Apple and Fieldmouse on log.jpg
Description: An assortment of creatures including a Harvestman spider on the apple at the left, and a slug on the apple at the right. Oh - and a fieldmouse!

Date: 18 Sep 2008
View: D3A_20080823_1843_053 fb2 2 Jackdaws.jpg
Description: However hard we try, we can't avoid thinking that they are sharing a naughty joke.

Date: 17 Sep 2008
View: D3A_20080827_0754_033 fb2 Green Woodpecker juvenile (web crop 2).jpg
Description: Most years we are pleased to see at least one young Green Woodpecker, but not usually at a photo site. Note the muddy beak - they feed mainly by probing soft ground for invertebrates.

Date: 16 Sep 2008
View: D3B_20080827_2241_121 fb1 Fieldmouse jumping down over slug & ant.jpg
Description: Note the ant on the piece of apple. Sets the scale nicely.

Date: 15 Sep 2008
View: DC1_20080827_1557_017 Buzzard soaring overhead & calling.jpg
Description: We have at least 5 buzzards seen together a few times soaring in the thermals over and near our patch. You would think this was the middle of nowhere rather than a few miles outside Milton Keynes. One or two of them are particularly voluble as here flying directly overhead (guess 20m high).

Date: 14 Sep 2008
View: D3A_20080824_0750_093 fb2 Chaffinches with female or juvenile jumping off log and male with faded beak.jpg
Description: What is probably a pair of chaffinches were seen in a number of images at this site. Note how the blue sheen on the male's beak has now almost gone.

Date: 13 Sep 2008
View: DB1_20080823_0845_029 Adult moorhen & 2 juveniles.jpg
Description: We are now sure that the moorhen have raised 5 chicks to this stage. The juveniles can perfectly well feed themselves, but alternately get given titbits by the parents or half-heartedly chased off. We really don't know whether the parents are sitting on another brood, & don't want to disturb them to find out.

Date: 12 Sep 2008
View: DC1_20080825_1517_035 hobby in flight (web crop).jpg
Description: The 2nd of two new raptor identifications over our patch 3 days later. This Hobby came over a few times in a few minutes, presumably circling round out of sight to the North and East. Spotted momentarily on the top of a concrete post supporting our mains cables the next day.

Date: 11 Sep 2008
View: DC1_20080822_1654_009 Merlin (q) female in flight (web crop).jpg
Description: The 1st of two new raptor identifications over our patch. We wouldn't have known what they were without the photos. On the 22nd August this Merlin did a single brief flyby.

Date: 10 Sep 2008
View: DC1_20080825_1533_056+057 Swallow flying towards insect (montage).jpg
Description: A single Swallow flew over jinking about obviously hunting insects. We nearly missed that in two consecutive images it was flying straight towards an insect visible in both frames. The next frame the insect had gone. Here is an impression of the event.

Date: 09 Sep 2008
View: DA1_20080823_1111_023 Greenbottle Fly on Water Mint.jpg
Description: A visitor spotted that our watermint was covered in these iridescent flies - Greenbottles according to our book

Date: 08 Sep 2008
View: P34_20080823_1342_384 Peacock Butterfly on down of thistle seeds (web crop).jpg
Description: Apparently our plethora of peacock butterflies is not typical this year. This one was basking on a mat of thistle seed down on the ground.

Date: 07 Sep 2008
View: D3B_20080821_2233_119&120 fb1 Huge Slug & another being watched by rabbit (montage).jpg
Description: The slug is elegant in its own way - we don't skimp on the size of our slugs! This is actually a montage to get a better view of the slug from two successive frames a couple of minutes apart, but the juxtaposition is accurate.

Date: 06 Sep 2008
View: DC1_20080822_1115_062 Buzzard in flight.jpg
Description: As the grass re-grows in the field to North & East the Kestrels and Buzzards are taking an interest again. One that consistently calls in flight did a low flyby and a few circles.

Date: 05 Sep 2008
View: P34_20080820_1515_350 Southern Hawker Dragonfly male.jpg
Description: A new dragonfly this week - a male Southern Hawker. Quite a beauty and a strong flyer. Windy out, so no hope of photo in a natural setting, so took some indoors before letting him go.

View: DA1_20080820_1521_020 Southern Hawker Dragonfly male eye detail (web crop).jpg

Date: 04 Sep 2008
View: P34_20080815_0742_284 Great Willow Herb drenched in dew (web crop).jpg
Description: A ridiculously dew-drenched sunny morning about a week ago (images not processed until yesterday) provided this image of one of thousands of Great Willow Herb flowers.

Date: 03 Sep 2008
View: DC1_20080817_1151_001 Swallow about to swoop down from wire.jpg
Description: The swallows continue to delight, and this pair of consecutive images at the start of a session show you top and bottom of the bird.

View: DC1_20080817_1151_002 Swallow swooping down from wire showing top view (web crop).jpg
Description: You don't often see the dark top when in flight.

Date: 02 Sep 2008
View: D3B_20080814_1944_034 fb1 Young robin threatening bird off left (Head crop).jpg
Description: A chaffinch with head just in frame on the original was on the receiving end of this tirade.

Date: 01 Sep 2008
View: D3B_20080815_0701_074 fb1 Yellowhammer male.jpg
Description: An adult male yellowhammer back to looking his best.

Image Archive arch 2008 aug.htm (view it Here)

Date: 31 Aug 2008
View: DA1_20080816_1306_023 common darter dragonfly female.jpg
Description: We brought you another Female Common Darter Dragonfly 11 days ago, but this new set shows the female in a more normal pose.

View: DA1_20080816_1308_050 common darter dragonfly female head detail (web crop).jpg
Description: This is a head-on view of the 'face'.

Date: 30 Aug 2008
View: DA1_20080815_1459_035 Swallow failing to feed young on wires 2 of 4 (web crop).jpg
Description: To our relief the swallows have suddenly re-appeared complete with families to feed. The lighting wasn't too good but we had a go anyway.
In a montage from last year they are seen feeding on the wing:-

Click for Image

This year first effort is easier to see yourself - look for this wherever you see young swallows perched on wire, gutters, TV aerials etc. If you would like a large version as a September 2008 Calendar click on Woodland Trust Calendars

Date: 29 Aug 2008
View: D3A_20080812_1739_015 fb2 Moorhen.jpg
Description: The moorhen have raised 4 chick to nearly adult size, and have started on a new brood on a new nest close to the previous. Here an adult in fine breeding condition comes for late afternoon snack but will have had to have waited for our evening round.

Date: 28 Aug 2008
View: D3A_20080813_1840_065 fb2 Magpie with beak open to eat grain mixed with peanut butter.jpg
Description: Raw corn and peanut butter anybody? His beak isn't really suited to this mix, but he is determined to get it anyway.

Date: 27 Aug 2008
View: DC1_20080814_0857_020 Little owl on fence post near bridleway gate (1 eye obscured by leaf).jpg
Description: The little owl has abandoned his original spoil heap and is using other bare ground & standing on fence posts (where they are 'traditionally' seen). The first image is on a post with the stuck-open bridleway entrance in the background. One eye is obscured by a leaf.

View: DC1_20080814_0912_046 Little owl standing on bare earth in field to N (web crop).jpg
Description: Here he is on his new choice of ground, the owl watching us watching him.

Date: 26 Aug 2008
View: DC1_20080814_1001_033 Buzzard calling in flight (web crop).jpg
Description: A buzzard appeared from nowhere, made a few loud calls that got Roy stampeding out with the camera, and then did a couple of circles at about 15m high before disappearing out of sight.

Date: 25 Aug 2008
View: P34_20080814_0839_204 Knopper Gall (insect deformed Acorn) Seq (web crop).jpg
Description: Huge number of our acorns have become deformed by insect invasion. This type is called a 'Knopper Gall'.

Date: 24 Aug 2008
View: D01_20080810_1354_006 Heron Juvenile at Duck Pond.jpg
Description: A juvenile heron visited the 'Duck pond' and walked around for a few minutes. It was obvious it didn't enjoy the strong wind ruffling the feathers. We didn't see him catch anything.

View: D01_20080810_1357_022 Heron Juvenile taking off from Duck Pond.jpg
Description: He took off in no particular hurry - these two successive frames were taken probably 150 mSec apart.

View: D01_20080810_1357_023 Heron Juvenile taking off from Duck Pond.jpg

Date: 23 Aug 2008
View: D3A_20080810_0621_114 fb2 Robin making awkward landing on end of log.jpg
Description: Most landings are perfect elegance (we could show you dozens a night) but they don't all go as planned.

Date: 22 Aug 2008
View: D3A_20080809_1836_080 fb2 Young magpie cleaning beak on log.jpg
Description: All that sticky fruit pulp needs wiping off?
It's never occurred to us before that maybe birds can't 'wipe their beaks' with their tongues like we 'wipe our lips'.

Date: 21 Aug 2008
View: D3A_20080809_1945_084 fb2 Rabbit shaking out rainfall.jpg
Description: This rainy night (7.5mm in the rain gauge) was soaking the few creatures who decided to venture out. Examining the twisting of various parts and the flying raindrops suggests this rabbit was doing the classic twist and shake to shed some of the wet.

Date: 20 Aug 2008
View: DA1_20080807_1533_047 Common Darter female 2 positioning herself to warm in the sun.jpg
Description: A female Common Darter dragonfly warming herself on the back of a garden seat, positioned herself vertically to catch the sunshine. A newsletter recipient tells us this is called the obelisk position, normally used at midday to keep cool.

View: DA1_20080807_1532_023 Common Darter female 2 head & thorax detail.jpg
Description: A minute or so before the above it was on a stone where we took this close-up of the head and thorax.

View: DA1_20080807_1532_023 Common Darter female 2 eye detail.jpg
Description: ... and from the same frame extreme detail of the eye.

Date: 19 Aug 2008
View: d3B_20080804_0201_097_&_0218_099 fb1 Field Vole + Fieldmouse + slugs and snail (Montage).jpg
Description: The left and right halves of this pic are separated by 17 minutes at 2 a.m. but make an attractive pairing. We haven't seen the vole for some time - the log had been sinking into the ground so that it had not been breaking the beam.

Date: 18 Aug 2008
View: D3A_20080801_0504_047 fb2 Rabbit landing on front paws.jpg
Description: Hope you laugh at this is much as we did. Nothing else animate in the original frame, so no real idea what it's doing.
Practicing for the Rabbit Olympic High-jump, maybe?

Date: 17 Aug 2008
View: D3B_20080802_0525_143 fb1 Robin Chick begging from parent (crop with both birds).jpg
Description: Two views of a young robin begging for food from a parent. First the whole story with an off-focus parent to the right.

View: D3B_20080802_0525_143 fb1 Robin Chick begging from parent (crop on chick).jpg
Description: ... and now a closer look at the chick.

Date: 16 Aug 2008
View: D3A_20080730_0508_038 fb2 Young robin with wing feathers spread.jpg
Description: Nice show of the underwing of one of 'our' developing young robins.

Date: 15 Aug 2008
View: D3B_20080730_2203_147 fb1 Fieldmouse with tail across face.jpg
Description: What must it be like to have a tail you can do this with?
From the position of the left front leg we rather imagine the mouse was caught in the middle of giving it's tail a groom.

Date: 14 Aug 2008
View: D3A_20080729_0515_090 fb2 Pair of Rabbits possibly nuzzling over log like a kissing seat.jpg
Description: Rabbits have now replaced pheasants as the dominant species visiting the camera site 2. This is a genuine single frame of pair of rabbits possibly using the log like a 'kissing seat'. But then maybe we are just too romantic.

View: D3A_20080729_0517_092 fb2 Rabbit and Robin (montage within single frame to bring Robin closer).jpg
Description: This is a bit of a fiddle, but the robin was originally off the edge of the frame (with tail missing) so we moved him across to make a more compact offering. Recently seeing more birds and rabbits together than we are used to - any significance unknown.

Date: 13 Aug 2008
View: d3b_20080728_0005_031&_0014_034 fb1 Fieldmouse and (montaged) snail at fruit.jpg
Description: Fieldmouse and Snail at the Camera 1 fruit stall.
Their visit were actually 9 minutes apart but we could not resist bringing them together.

Date: 12 Aug 2008
View: DA1_20080727_1353_017 Southern Hawker dragonfly Female.jpg
Description: Dragonflies really are incredible creatures. Unlike the one shown a few days ago this is definitely a female. Sexing can be difficult - the colours change with maturity and even with temperature and other characteristics don't appear in photos

View: DA1_20080727_1359_073 Southern Hawker dragonfly Female eye detail.jpg
Description: Here is a head shot with an inset showing the compound eye.
Compound eyes are an array of uni-directional cells rather than lens and retina. Resolution is poor but they have huge angle of view, are lightweight, detect movement quickly, and some detect polarisation (used to navigate by skylight).
More info at Wiki Compound Eye
.
The streaks on the eye in the main image are Moire (artificial digital patterning) effects at the reduced resolution used in these archives.

Date: 11 Aug 2008
View: DC1_20080728_1112_084 Two Buzzards in aerial skirmish 2 of 8 (web crop@624 ).jpg
Description: 2 Buzzards in the same general area inevitably seems to lead to a skirmish. These had several 'goes' at one another over about 10 minutes before they parted ways.

Date: 10 Aug 2008
View: DC1_20080726_1101_004 Common Darter Dragonfly female perched on stick (web crop).jpg
Description: This is the female Common Darter Dragonfly perched on a stick at the pond edge - a favourite way of getting to see them close up.

View: DC1_20080728_1209_167 Pair of Common Darter Dragonflies laying in Dragon Pond.jpg
Description: We brought you a Male Common Darter Dragonfly last year on 21 Sep 2007 - here it is:-

Click for Image

To complete the cycle here are a pair coupled together (male above) coordinating their flight to repeatedly dip the females ovipositor (her tail tip) in the water to deposit eggs. In the original you can see that the water surface tension is still connecting her to the surface.

Date: 09 Aug 2008
View: DA1_20080726_1702_055 Banded Demoiselle Damselfly Male (web crop).jpg
Description: As promised in the image for 2 June 2008 we have tried to photograph the Male Banded Damoiselle. Well some effort brought the luck - here is the beauty.

Date: 08 Aug 2008
View: D3A_20080724_0541_035 fb2 Young robin in flight with body nearing inverted.jpg
Description: Continuing our unintentional 'birds twisting in flight' sequence, this young robin's body is almost inverted with head almost vertical.
'Look mum - upside down flying - ouch'.

Date: 07 Aug 2008
View: D60_20080725_1343_030 Little Owl Stretching.jpg
Description: The Little Owl is still spending hours on the dirt patch. Here he was having such a satisfying stretch we almost wanted to do the same.

Date: 06 Aug 2008
View: DA1_20080722_1626_029 Southern Hawker Dragonfly sex unsure (web crop).jpg
Description: This is a Hawker dragonfly - the largest type. In the words of an old TV documentary we saw a couple of weeks ago, it will kill and eat 'anything smaller than itself'! Our experts differ on whether this is a male or female.

View: DA1_20080722_1624_011 Southern Hawker Dragonfly sex unsure (web crop).jpg
Description: Here is the powerful mouth and segmented eyes.

Date: 05 Aug 2008
View: D3A_20080722_0643_088 fb2 Young Robin with beak touching top of log.jpg
Description: Not seen a robin in quite this pose before. He is probably trying to wheedle a bit of nut from in a crack in the bark.

Date: 04 Aug 2008
View: DA1_20080722_1631_062 Ruddy Darter Dragonfly Male (web crop).jpg
Description: Darter dragonflies are smaller than Hawker Dragonflies. They tend to perch on twig, dash out for a fly round, and then return.

View: DA1_20080722_1636_101 Ruddy Darter Dragonfly Male (web crop).jpg
Description: In this detailed shot you can see it is 'dusty' even over the eyes. When he has warmed up he will probably 'preen' himself clean.

Date: 03 Aug 2008
View: DC1_20080722_1823_010 Little Owl on spoil heap (web crop 2).jpg
Description: Took the opportunity to get a closer image of the Little Owl (see 26 July 2008). It only stressed for us that they are about starling size.

Date: 02 Aug 2008
View: DA1_20080723_1556_070 Banded Demoiselle Female (web crop).jpg
Description: Some more Odonata (Dragonfly like insect) today and at least a couple more alternate days. This female Banded Demoiselle (a larger than average damselfly) is quite different to the male which is blue and actually HAS got bands on his wings. Hope to bring you her 'husband' if we can catch him for some photos!

View: DA1_20080723_1554_035 Banded Demoiselle Female (web crop).jpg
Description: Detail of the head - love the iridescence.

Date: 01 Aug 2008
View: D3A_20080720_1926_096 fb2 Blackbird male with worms + nuts in beak (web crop).jpg
Description: This male blackbird seems to be really going for a 'mixed diet'. We make it 2 worms, a few chips of peanut all mixed up in sticky fruit pulp. Forget the worms and it sounds lovely.

Image Archive arch 2008 jul.htm (view it Here)

Date: 31 Jul 2008
View: D3B_20080716_2034_080 fb1 Yellowhammer Juvenile.jpg
Description: This sweet little feather duster is a young Yellowhammer seen where it's parents come and feed every day.

Date: 30 Jul 2008
View: D3B_20080718_0301_034 fb1 Fieldmouse.jpg
Description: Not seeing so many mice at the moment. This one seems to have found some small piece of peanut (?) and is nibbling away.

Date: 29 Jul 2008
View: P34_20080712_1220_681 Oak marble gall.jpg
Description: Plant galls fascinate us. They are formed by insect parasites, often eggs laid inside the plant which reacts to form a cavity to the insect lavas liking. Eventually the insect bores its way out. In the winter you find the woody galls with the exit holes visible.

Date: 28 Jul 2008
View: DC1_20080713_1634_094 Two Buzzards flying together with one light & other dark underwings.jpg
Description: The book describes Buzzard underwings as 'Variable', almost white to almost black. Have both in one go ...

View: DC1_20080713_0923_009 Buzzard carrying rabbit in talons.jpg
Description: Earlier in the day we were surprised to see a buzzard carrying a whole rabbit. The next surprise is that it didn't set off with it. Instead it flew a few 100m over to a known morning 'thermal' and despite the load circled without flapping and eventually disappeared as a speck in the haze. We imagine it was transporting it back a hungry brood some way away. A few days later without the thermal we saw a smaller load being carried off toward the M1 Motorway.

Date: 27 Jul 2008
View: DC1_20080714_0816_012 Kestrel Female in flight.jpg
Description: Kestrels (the birds often seen hovering over motorways) are wonderful to watch whether hovering or not.

Date: 26 Jul 2008
View: DC1_20080714_0825_066 Little Owl on Spoil heap in Field to North (web crop).jpg
Description: After years of 'absence' a Little Owl (actual common name of species) landed on a spoil heap of prospective stone quarrying going on in the just cut meadow. This little fellow is fully grown & is about the same size as a Starling. He is about 60m away and just sat there for hours with his head turning at least every half minute. Our presence seems to bother him/her not one jot.

Date: 25 Jul 2008
View: D01_20080711_1311_024 Heron walking along bank of Duck Pond with beak open.jpg
Description: The heron visited the 'duck' pond and ate at least 3 Great Crested Newts while we were watching. Considering that we only know he is there by chance we wonder just how many newts he finds - and its been going on for years. They must breed well here to survive this level of predation.

View: D01_20080711_1315_072 Heron clambering out of Duck pond with Great Crested Newt & pond weed in beak.jpg

Date: 24 Jul 2008
View: D3A_20080710_1944_066 fb2 Muntjac Fawn (web crop).jpg
Description: Ahhh. Its too small for a mature adult Muntjac deer so think it must be this years fawn growing up nicely. We see a lot of Muntjac droppings but haven't seen the nervous deer themselves for months.

Date: 23 Jul 2008
View: D3B_20080711_0726_134 fb1 2 young (q) chaffinches squabbling (q).jpg
Description: We think this is a pair of young Chaffinches involved in a typical sibbling squabble.

Date: 22 Jul 2008
View: SC1_20080710_0725_033 Rook in Flight (web crop).jpg
Description: After a day of rain an early bright period saw a lot of corvids out looking over waterlogged soil for breakfast. This rook silhouette with beak and eye rather appealed to us.

Date: 21 Jul 2008
View: D3A_20080708_1911_067 fb2 Jackdaw flying over site.jpg
Description: Jackdaws are powerful flyers and this moment seemed to capture some of it.

Date: 20 Jul 2008
View: DB1_20080629_1233_014 Moorhen & three hopeful looking chicks.jpg
Description: The 5 moorhen chicks are two with the female and 3 with this male. They just lined up nicely for a moment in the pic.

Date: 19 Jul 2008
View: DC1_20080707_1736_019 Lapwing in Flight.jpg
Description: The lapwing and heron flew over the middle of our patch 5 minutes apart, and these were taken from just outside the back of the house. Lapwings are not often seen here, Herons are.

View: DC1_20080707_1741_041 Heron in Flight.jpg

Date: 18 Jul 2008
View: DC1_20080628_1559_251 Swallow and Kestrel male in same frame ignoring each other.jpg
Description: Chance juxtaposition. They basically ignored each other. We weren't going to include this one on this site, but got a request from one of our e-mail group for the original to print and frame, so it obviously has appeal!

Date: 17 Jul 2008
View: D3B_20080703_0507_129 fb1 Chaffinch male in flight (web crop).jpg
Description: The other end of the original is a yellowhammer disappearing out of frame at the right edge of the frame. Don't know whether the chaffinch was seeing off the yellowhammer, or something disturbed them both.

Date: 16 Jul 2008
View: D3A_20080705_0451_036 fb2 Juvenile robin with first few red feathers flapping wings.jpg
Description: A sweet young robin just starting to get it's red feathers.

Date: 15 Jul 2008
View: D3B_20080628_0236_072 fb1 Magpie parent feeding youngster (web crop).jpg
Description: Magpie feeding its 'chick' if you can call that voracious creature a chick. This is nothing wrong with the eye - just a protective membrane probably like us closing our eyes when potential injury is near.

View: DB1_20080628_1358_010 Moorhen feeding 2 chicks (web crop).jpg
Description: All 5 of our moorhen chicks are doing fine with the parents finding plenty of food for them.

Date: 14 Jul 2008
View: DC1_20080628_0856_057 Rook harassing female Kestrel 4 of 7 (web crop).jpg
Description: The kestrels are not having it their own way. Rooks often seem to harass kestrels - here is an example of a kestrel being seen off.

View: DC1_20080628_1559_270 Kestrel male in flight (web crop).jpg
Description: Nice image of kestrel.

Date: 13 Jul 2008
View: DC1_20080628_1612_305 Kestrel carrying off Fieldmouse from cut meadow 3 of 4 (web crop).jpg
Description: All those mouse holes with nothing to disguise them makes easy-feeding for the kestrel.

View: D3A_20080628_0159_054 fb2 Fieldmouse & slug.jpg
Description: The hole near this photo kit is in long grass on our side of the fence so we expect most of them to survive.

Date: 12 Jul 2008
View: DC1_20080626_1014_030 Rooks & other Corvids over newly cut grass.jpg
Description: Also interested in the half-baled field were masses (we guess 200) of mostly rooks turning over the grass for morsels.

View: DC1_20080627_0732_008 Skylark ascending over partially baled meadow.jpg
Description: We assumed it was the end of seeing skylarks over the field but no - he was back to full enthusiasm. He is further away now but still a delight. They have had time for one brood & will hopefully now manage another.

Date: 11 Jul 2008
View: DC1_20080626_1808_049 Kestrel hunting over grass baling machine.jpg
Description: The fields to North and East have been cut and baled. This is of great interest to opportunists like the kestrel. First he followed the machines to catch anything that was forced from cover.

View: DC1_20080627_1016_017 Kestrel pouncing onto prey and eating it 02 of 18 (web crop).jpg
Description: Next morning the kestrel hunted from the tops of the bales - here he is pouncing on some unfortunate rodent (one of many in a sequence we hope to produce when time permits).

Date: 10 Jul 2008
View: P34_20080624_1618_274 All 6 peacocks who visited 24jun2008 (orig).jpg
Description: 2 Days of the Peacocks! 6 peacocks (birds not butterflies!) wandered in from track and stayed for a few hours, elegantly draped over oil tanks, shed tops etc. They came from the hotel 800m from us now under new management - they inherited 11 birds but consider them a nuisance. Next day just 2 males visited, and for the following days none.

View: P34_20080625_1549_359 Peacock male displaying tail not yet fully grown.jpg
Description: Just practicing ready for when his tail has more than 2 'eyes'

Date: 09 Jul 2008
View: D3A_20080623_1738_003 fb2 Pheasant pair mating (orig).jpg
Description: Here is a first - the pheasants mating at site 2 (their favourite haunt). Here he is 'treading' the 'blonde' female. 10 minutes before he was apparently making overtures to the 'brunet' female at the same site - naughty boy!

View: DB1_20080624_1613_008 moorhen feeding chick.jpg
Description: The moorhens have successfully produced 5 chicks from the nest feared would be predated again. Here is the first being fed.

Date: 08 Jul 2008
View: DC1_20080622_1023_115 Swallow over uncut meadow (web crop).jpg
Description: The shimmering back of a swallow flying over a meadow of uncut grasses & buttercups.

View: DB1_20080616_0619_004 Great Spotted woodpecker female.jpg
Description: A surprisingly pristine female Great spotted woodpecker on the peanut feeder crossbar. The youngster has learned how to use the feeders, saving her a lot of work.

Date: 07 Jul 2008
View: P34_20080623_1941_234 Emperor Dragonfly Female hanging on pond grass (web crop).jpg
Description: The Emperor Dragonfly is big with 10cm wingspan and absolutely beautiful intricate body and wings.

View: DC1_20080623_1919_041 Emperor Dragonfly Female Head detail.jpg
Description: Soak in the detail - on the original you can see the segments of the compound eye.

Date: 06 Jul 2008
View: DC1_20080623_1355_016 Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonfly Male perched on willow stick (web crop).jpg
Description: This is the first dragonfly we have seen here, with beautiful powder blue (and powdery texture) abdomen. It has a wingspan of about 7cm.

View: DC1_20080623_1551_049 Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonfly Male head detail (orig).jpg

Date: 05 Jul 2008
View: D3A_20080620_0539_023 fb2 Stock Dove.jpg
Description: Expect we have seen them before, but this is the first image of a Stock dove we have thought good enough to keep.

Date: 04 Jul 2008
View: DC1_20080620_1411_165-167 Skylark descending (montage at about 7 fps).jpg
Description: Skylarks descend much faster than they rise. Sometimes they come down in a chaotic flurry of legs and feather, at other times under more control as this montage shows. The birds spacings are fairly accurate (based on positions against the same clouds in different shots) taken at about 7 frames per Second.

Date: 03 Jul 2008
View: DC1_20080620_0656_048 Bullfinch on edge of bird bath with part of flower in beak.jpg
Description: First time we have a decent image of a bullfinch, even if taken through a window. This is a male - there were two males stripping the flowerheads.

Date: 02 Jul 2008
View: DC1_20080617_1607_325 House Martin in flight.jpg
Description: This is a House Martin in flight, the least frequent of our three flycatchers which includes Swallows and Swifts.

Date: 01 Jul 2008
View: DC1_20080617_1610_338 Kestrel hovering.jpg
Description: The male Kestrel had a leg injury and was struggling a bit, but now seems to be back to his old health.

Image Archive arch 2008 jun.htm (view it Here)

Date: 30 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080617_1629_434 Skylark in Flight (web crop).jpg
Description: This joyous little creature flew for us 4 times at various distances and lighting. Here are a couple of the best images we got. This is the bird that normally hovers like a speck in the sky - we were lucky to get this one hovering low down.

View: DC1_20080617_1629_442 Skylark in Flight with wings almost closed.jpg
Description: Skylarks seem to spend some their time in flight with wings closed. Do wish we could include the liquid song, but even if we recorded it the noise from the camera would drown it out.

Date: 29 Jun 2008
View: DB1_20080613_1438_010 Great spotted woodpecker chick and mother on vertical log (web crop).jpg
Description: The Great spotted woodpecker chick likes our peanut feeders and unfortunately also the wooden post it hangs from! Here it is with Mother and then on its own. Have not seen 'Dad' lately - may be sad, or maybe feeding elsewhere with another chick.

View: DB1_20080613_1439_014 Great Spotted woodpecker Chick (web crop).jpg

Date: 28 Jun 2008
View: DB1_20080614_1134_037 Young Bluetit.jpg
Description: Baby Bluetits are so sweet. They have quickly learned 'peanut feeder technique'.

View: DB1_20080614_1135_047 Young Bluetit jumping down.jpg

Date: 27 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080614_0806_087&93 Green woodpecker male in bounding flight (Montage).jpg
Description: Have been trying for ages to get a photo of a Green Woodpecker in flight and finally got lucky. Green woodpeckers go in for 'bounding flight' - flap like mad and then streamline and glide/ballistic to save wind resistance.

Date: 26 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080614_0818_157 Field to N inc Elderberry + grasses + buttercups.jpg
Description: The surrounding fields have not been cut, and there is lovely show of purplish grass heads, buttercups, and in the overgrown hedges, elderberry flowers.

View: D3B_20080612_2242_115 fb1 Fieldmouse.jpg
Description: Not much by way of acrobatics from the fieldmice recently, but still sweet. We plan to move this camera 10-15m soon (the current site is badly eroded and in a water run-off) and do hope they follow).

Date: 25 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080614_1258_192 Swift in flight (web crop).jpg
Description: Swifts and swallows are making intermittent appearances.

View: DC1_20080614_1302_215 Swallow in flight.jpg

Date: 24 Jun 2008
View: DB1_20080608_0956_018 Moorhen swimming from second attempt nest on Dragon Pond.jpg
Description: The moorhen are trying again after the fox scoffed the first lot of eggs. Not sure they have chosen a better place but hope so.
Late News: By chance 16 days after this image was taken it turns out to have been a good place - a chick being fed on the water.

Date: 23 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080613_0740_018 Cuckoo in Flight (web crop).jpg
Description: Out at 07:40 watching for larks, kestrel or anything else heard a distant cuckoo call and saw a distant atypical bird flying in our general direction. Beats the usual cuckoo call right over your head as a sort of 'missed me'.

Date: 22 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080607_1822_038 3 adult wood pigeons on high voltage cables.jpg
Description: Two very different birds on 2 very different wires. These pigeons on the high voltage cables just took our fancy - not the usual 'one-peck-apart'.

View: DC1_20080614_1632_446 Goldfinch on wire.jpg
Description: Goldfinches have not 'disappeared' for the summer this year and this one was sitting on the overhead phone wires looking beautiful.

Date: 21 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080611_1416_017 Great Spotted Woodpecker feeding chick on peanut feeder.jpg
Description: Fledgelings everywhere are 'begging' food from their parents. On a gloomy afternoon through the kitchen window we watched the Great Spotted Woodpecker chick on the left is being fed by Mum. Next day he had fathomed out the feeder for him/her self.

View: D3A_20080609_1914_022 fb2 Magpie chick begging food from parent.jpg
Description: A couple of days earlier a magpie chick more 'demanded' to be fed in several images over about 30 minutes.

Date: 20 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080610_1802_030 Pheasant Male in Buttercups.jpg
Description: The male pheasant strides through the buttercups in the adjacent field making a ridiculously colourful pairing.

Date: 19 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080608_1345_002 Oxeye Daisies.jpg
Description: Anything not mown is beginning to be carpeted by buttercups or these oxeye daisies.

Date: 18 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080609_1456_141 Jet plane making contrail flying by moon.jpg
Description: It's sad that planes litter the sky with trails and infuriating when low ones drown out the birds and conversation, but this seemed like too capricious a moment to miss.

View: D3B_20080609_0017_127 fb1 Fieldmouse gazing upwards.jpg
Description: We don't see Hares here anymore, so we have to 'make do' with a fieldmouse gazing at the moon (well it might have been if it hadn't set already!)

Date: 17 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080608_1357_029 Large Red Damselfly Male.jpg
Description: Damselflies are sort of miniature dragonflies, & just as alien.

View: DC1_20080608_1358_039 2 Pairs of Azure Damselflies laying in Duck pond (web crop).jpg
Description: This is two pairs of Azure damselflies laying eggs in 'Duck' pond among the miniature water lilies and duckweed. The female on the right has her ovipositor under the water.

Date: 16 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080609_1126_067 Elephant Hawk-Moth side view on oxeye daisy stem with buttercups backdrop (web crop).jpg
Description: The Moth trap (see yesterday) also caught a Elephant Hawk-moth with its incredible shocking pink colouration

View: D30_20010624_0943_696 Elephant Hawk-moth in Flight with Honeysuckle (web crop).jpg
Description: 7 years ago (24 June 2001) we photographed the same species in flight using a electronically triggered camera and flash. Its a genuine single image of a rather tatty individual, though the 'sky' was a painted backboard.

Date: 15 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080609_1133_125 2 Poplar Hawk-moths on moss (web crop).jpg
Description: An overnight run of the moth trap (a bright mercury vapour lamp to attract moths who spend the night safely below in old egg cartons) caught about 200 moths of 30 species. These Poplar Hawk-moths have a body length of about 4cm. We happened to catch two and couldn't resist showing them together - they look different because their underwings are differently positioned.

View: DC1_20080609_1134_128 Poplar Hawk-moth head & antennae.jpg
Description: Detail of the head and antennae.

Date: 14 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080605_1307_017 Bluetit adult with crest raised in Silver Birch with insect (web crop).jpg
Description: Bluetits are now being fed as fledgelings (left the nest) and others still in the box (possibly from different boxes - at least 4 have bluetits in them).

View: DC1_20080605_1307_020 Fledgling Bluetit begging from parent in Silver Birch tree (web crop).jpg
Description: Youngster on the left, wings aflutter - FEED ME! FEED ME! FEED ME!

Date: 13 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080604_1903_203 Kestrel male being pestered by Chaffinch Male.jpg
Description: Bit of behaviour we have not noticed before - male chaffinches pestering a perched kestrel until it moves on.

View: DC1_20080604_1905_217 Kestrel male taking off from phone pole 4 of 6 (web crop).jpg
Description: Here it is flying to the next perch along where another male chaffinch almost immediately arrived to harass it.

Date: 12 Jun 2008
View: DA1_20080605_0907_005 Bluetit chick at box hole begging food from adult.jpg
Description: For an hour or so the Bluetit nest box in the back garden was well enough lit for some images. Here one of the chicks has clambered up to the hole to grab the incoming morsel.

View: DA1_20080605_0921_141 Bluetit parents queuing at Back garden nestbox (web crop).jpg
Description: The parents were arriving so often they had to queue up a few times. Here one leaves over the head of the other waiting to go in.

Date: 11 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080607_0721_004&010 Skylark in flight (Montage).jpg
Description: This is a montage of a single skylark ascending, images a second or two apart. This is the first time we remember getting a skylark image that is more than a speck in the sky.

View: DC1_20080607_0752_144 Kestrel Male Hovering.jpg
Description: Male Kestrel Hovering in the breeze.

Date: 10 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080603_1329_073 Swallow flying in rain (web crop).jpg
Description: We wouldn't normally try to photograph birds in flight in poor light and even worse when raining. But about 6 were hunting through the trees to our North only a few metres off the ground and less then 10m from the house. So through an open window we had a go until the rain got so hard it was too much even for the swallows. This one seemed to catch the moment

Date: 09 Jun 2008
View: D3B_20080601_1712_020 fb1 Yellowhammer Female threatening bird flying off to right.jpg
Description: Not sure what the bird being threatened was, but the female yellowhammer seems to have won the day.

View: D3B_20080601_1734_026 fb1 Yellowhammer male.jpg
Description: A picture of a male yellowhammer about 20 minutes later, positively glowing yellow.

Date: 08 Jun 2008
View: D01_20080530_1034_006 Heron at Duck pond eating Great Crested Newt.jpg
Description: On a grander scale to yesterdays Blackbird and grub, a heron took a few newts from the duck-shaped pond - this one at least being the protected 'Great Crested' newt (which is the dominant species on our patch).

Date: 07 Jun 2008
View: D3A_20080529_0729_050 fb2 Blackbird male with grub in beak.jpg
Description: Blackbirds all over the plot are feeding youngsters. At 7:30 a.m. this male has found a grub for one of his.

Date: 06 Jun 2008
View: D3B_20080528_2332_039 fb1 2 Fieldmice and at least 20 slugs.jpg
Description: Wet weather brings out the slugs. Looks like the mouse on the right has an obstacle course to run. The mouse just left of centre is behind the log.

Date: 05 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080530_1409_109 Collared Dove pair on Raptor Perch (web crop).jpg
Description: This pair of collared doves seem to have commandeered the 'raptor post' and spend much of the day there in contentment and affectionate mutual preening.

Date: 04 Jun 2008
View: P34_20080530_1429_435 Stone Walling from CCTV pole Seq.jpg
Description: After a year of planning, stone acquisition and foundation laying, the RSPB Phoenix youth group descended on our little world to build a short length of drystone wall as a suntrap to attract lizards & snakes (and who knows what else).

View: D10_20080531_1039_028 Stone walling build day 31May2008 Seq (web crop).jpg
Description: Work in progress. Less than half the people who turned up are in this picture

View: P34_20080531_1251_492 Stone Walling from CCTV pole Seq.jpg
Description: The finished item - now we wait and see what likes it. Many thanks to all concerned.

Date: 03 Jun 2008
View: DA1_20080529_1319_193 Bluetit flying to nestbox (web crop).jpg
Description: The Bluetits in the box on the dead elm post are feeding chicks. Both parents feed the young for 15 to 23 days (book info) taking in a grub, caterpillar or adult insect every few minutes. Phew! The insects now are noticeably larger than shown on 30 May 2008 taken a week before.

View: DA1_20080529_1320_207 Bluetit flying from nestbox (web crop).jpg

Date: 02 Jun 2008
View: DC1_20080529_1208_114 Orange Tip Butterfly Female on Red Campion (web crop).jpg
Description: This is an orange-tip butterfly - the female has no orange tip but the beautiful green and white mottled underwing is the giveaway. Haven't seen a male for a week or two.

Date: 01 Jun 2008
View: P34_20080528_1125_286 Fungus on old log in orchard.jpg
Description: Wet - Wet - Wet. The fungi are popping up in the grass and more interestingly on a log in a partly overgrown woodpile. Is this one 'fungus' (a single mycelium) or a number of 'fungi' fruiting bodies.

Image Archive arch 2008 may.htm (view it Here)

Date: 31 May 2008
View: D3A_20080522_1743_004 fb2 Pheasant pair with male drab after dust bathing on bonfire ash.jpg
Description: The male pheasant often arrives before we have finished checking over the camera kits to get the first helping. On this occasion we thought he looked very drab but assumed it was just the light. But even in flash he looks dusty, and now Marie remembers she has seen him dust-bathing on the bonfire ash. He was back to vivid next day.

View: D3A_20080520_1838_021 fb2 Pheasant male portrait (web crop).jpg
Description: From a few days before, a head portrait of proud male pheasant lording it over a feeding female (out of focus on the left of the original).

Date: 30 May 2008
View: DA1_20080520_1416_265 Bluetit flying to nestbox with food (wings open).jpg
Description: The new bluetit nestbox on the venerable 'elm' post contains really young chicks - no calls audible & for a while one parent was passing food to the other inside.

View: DA1_20080521_1300_073 Bluetit flying from nestbox (web crop).jpg

Date: 29 May 2008
View: DC1_20080520_1544_079 Buzzard flying low over grass (shadows tinged green).jpg
Description: A buzzard did a few low circles about 20m high over our 'meadow'. All the photos have the green cast in the shadows which we assume is light coming off the grass.

View: DC1_20080520_1745_050 Swift in flight overhead with beak open.jpg
Description: Some swifts did a few low circles. Here one has it's mouth open to catch the insects it feeds on.

Date: 28 May 2008
View: DC1_20080518_1300_030 Kestrel in Flight.jpg
Description: The male kestrel is about this area a number of times each day at the moment.

View: D3B_20080517_0704_067 fb1 Rabbit.jpg
Description: Rabbits are a constant presence that we don't often feature, but this one could take a nice portrait of itself because the rooks had moved away the log.

Date: 27 May 2008
View: P34_20080518_0901_757 Natural Horse Chestnut Bud 6 Seq zoom 2 (web crop).jpg
Description: You see these by the thousand on flowering horse chestnut, but have you ever looked at the detailed mix of colours and forms?

View: D3B_20080518_0459_102 fb1 2 magpies.jpg
Description: 'Double trouble' or '2 for Joy'. NOT a montage.

Date: 26 May 2008
View: DC1_20080514_1528_077 House Martin in flight with head horizontal but body sideways.jpg
Description: At last got some decent images of House Martins. We have selected one that again illustrates birds flying with their heads 'still', in this case still horizontal, with the body, wings & tail all sideways (See Yellowhammer from 22 May 2008).

View: D3A_20080514_1817_019 & 1809_018 fb2 Pair of Blackbirds (shifted montage).jpg
Description: A pair of blackbirds appeared quite regularly together at this site, but never both good images together, so here is a montage (from successive frames) with the male moved for better effect.

Date: 25 May 2008
View: D3B_20080511_1950_098 fb1 Yellowhammer pair displaying (Q).jpg
Description: We really don't know what is going on with this pair of Yellowhammers, but its an interesting moment.

View: DC1_20080513_1103_094 Pollen clouds from pines (web crop).jpg
Description: A gust of wind produced a cloud of pollen metres across from a stand of pines. The photo of this is not as impressive as the event, so here is a little induced but genuine mini-cloud.

Date: 24 May 2008
View: DC1_20080512_1004_012 Kestrel male in Flight (web crop).jpg
Description: The male Kestrel did this lovely flyby, but then proceeded to hover against the sun.

View: DC1_20080510_1743_023 Brimstone butterfly male on Red Campion.jpg
Description: Lovely pairing of colours. The female Brimstone is white but with the orange spot.

Date: 23 May 2008
View: P34_20080509_1827_191 Blackbird fledgling still in toolshed (web crop).jpg
Description: The Blackbirds nest fledged successfully (while we weren't watching) but we found this fledgling still in the shed sitting on the junk.

View: DC1_20080511_1723_022 Squirrel eating bulb dug up from grass.jpg
Description: We watched this squirrel dig up and eat about 6 bulbs from the grass patch we call the lawn.

Date: 22 May 2008
View: DC1_20080506_1113_004 Starling carrying food to nest entrance in roof 4 of 5 (web crop).jpg
Description: Starlings nesting in our roof-space now have young to feed. The chicks are being well supplied with an 'airlift' of all kinds of squishy nutritious yucks.

View: D3B_20080506_1927_019 fb1 Yellowhammer male in flight head upright and body & wings turned vertical.jpg
Description: Birds generally fly with their heads 'still', using the neck to adjust for orientation and oscillation of the wings - the kestrel is the best example. But this isn't bad - the head is clearly normally oriented while the body and wings are almost at a right-angle.

Date: 21 May 2008
View: DC1_20080506_1116_019 Great Tit eating undeveloped fruit base of cherry blossom (web crop).jpg
Description: The great tits have created a carpet of complete fallen blossom heads. They seem to be biting them off, eating the unformed fruit under the flower, and then dropping them. There is so much shade in the tree now the leaves are out its hard to get a clear image - this is the best illustration.

View: P34_20080506_1135_970 Great Tit dropped flowers after eating undeveloped fruit base of cherry blossom (web crop).jpg
Description: The debris from the above - there are hundreds of these flower heads.

Date: 20 May 2008
View: DC1_20080506_1353_005 Swallow male on wire with curvy profile.jpg
Description: The swallows are back. This one seems rather elegant balancing in the wind. They have even been in the house through an open window and needed rescuing when caught in curtains.

View: P34_20080506_1401_972 Blackbird nest in Toolshed with Chicks.jpg
Description: Our dilapidated toolshed is apparently the ideal nursery for these blackbirds. Visits limited to one a day for a quick photo and to grab any tools we need.

Date: 19 May 2008
View: P34_20080506_1759_986 apple blossom.jpg
Description: The apple blossom this year has been prolific. Distant shots never seem to capture the feel, so here is a closer sample.

View: DC1_20080505_1502_090 Holly Blue male (Q) Butterfly on Dyers Bugloss flower (Anchusa officinalis).jpg
Description: The Holly Blue butterfly is a rare visitor photographed here only 4 times: 1997 (Kodachrome - in flight, date unknown), 21 May 2001, 16 May 2002, 5 May 2008. Note the date drift.
The identification of the plant is wrong - it should be Green Alkanet (sometimes Evergreen Bugloss) (Pentaglottis Sempervirens). Thanks to Rory Morrisey for the correction.

Date: 18 May 2008
View: D3B_20080504_1811_224 fb1 Robin begging insect from mate (web crop).jpg
Description: We have to assume the female is on the left begging the insect in the male's beak as part of courtship feeding.

Date: 17 May 2008
View: D3B_20080430_2117_053 fb1 2 fieldmice chasing.jpg
Description: This pair of fieldmice seem to be having a energetic chase around the site.

View: D3A_20080502_2208_044 fb2 Fieldmouse clambering up side of log viewed from end of log.jpg
Description: At the other camera rooks moving the logs sometimes blocks the beam, blocks the camera, or as here generates an interesting new view.

Date: 16 May 2008
View: DB1_20080430_1740_012 Green Woodpecker Pair with male top left (web crop).jpg
Description: Mr & Mrs Green woodpecker - we hope they are nesting somewhere! The male is the one with the extra red on the cheek.

View: DC1_20080501_1014_014 Clump of Snakes-head Fritillaries white variant.jpg
Description: Some Snakes-head Fritilliaries are 'white', but this is the first time we have seen a 'clump' of them here. Unspectacular but rather pretty.

Date: 15 May 2008
View: DC1_20080501_1328_060 Dunnock singing in hedge.jpg
Description: A lot of sound from a little bird. Human singers are taught to open their mouths wide to sing. The dunnock does it naturally.

View: DC1_20080501_1809_079 Muntjac male resting in grass (web crop).jpg
Description: Don't usually get such a good view. He obviously saw us so perhaps he is getting used to us - 'mostly harmless'. This isn't as close as it looks (guess about 30m).

Date: 14 May 2008
View: DC1_20080501_1020_021 Sparrowhawk female in flight (web crop).jpg
Description: This week the Sparrowhawk has replaced the male Kestrel as flyby tease of the week. Have always loved the mad yellow eye.

View: D3B_20080430_0102_116 fb1 Fieldmouse carrying peanut.jpg
Description: Now the bird breeding season is upon us we will ensure that no more whole peanuts (that might choke a nestling) go out - the grits get sieved for the next few months! So here is a last 'fieldmouse with peanut' for a while ...

Date: 13 May 2008
View: DA1_20080428_1737_023 Chaffinch male singing in Hawthorn.jpg
Description: Chaffinches everywhere we are delighted to say - this one singing his heart out from the hawthorn 'tree' growing out of the hedge over camera site 1.

View: P34_20080427_0851_182 Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina) Adult on Horse Chestnut leaf.jpg
Description: While about to photograph the growing 'candle' on our selected horse-chestnut we noticed this Shieldbug. Now we have the authoritative and nicely presented tome on the subject 'The ... Shieldbugs and Squashbugs of the British Isles' by 'Evans and Edmondson' we are (reasonably) confident of the identification.

Date: 12 May 2008
View: DA1_20080428_1745_031 Curlew in Flight (web crop).jpg
Description: A first for us - a fly-over by a curlew in the evening sunshine.

View: DA1_20080428_1752_058 Jackdaw flying with piece of fruit in beak (web crop).jpg
Description: We at first thought the beak contained something rather unfortunate, but it seems to be a piece of waste fruit.

Date: 11 May 2008
View: D3B_20080425_2011_158 fb1 Robin in flight.jpg
Description: The unusually sharp image of a Robin flying through the site

View: DA1_20080426_1258_029 Wren in ivy on bramble stem on garage wall.jpg
Description: Wrens are so quick its usually 'look - there was a wren there'. In a shady corner this one was exploring the ivy on the garage wall giving us a chance for a photo.

Date: 10 May 2008
View: DA1_20080426_1101_008 Muntjac Male (asymmetric Antlers) on S side of N hedge in bands of shadow.jpg
Description: The Muntjac deer like we usually see them - distant and nervously moving away from us. We rather like the horizontal bars of light and tree shadows.

View: DA1_20080426_1757_080 Muntjac male and Fox ignoring each other in Field to E.jpg
Description: NOT a montage. We watched with amazement as the muntjac walked past the clearly visible fox without a qualm, being much more worried about us standing quietly about 100m away.

Date: 09 May 2008
View: DA1_20080424_1643_072 Rook in Flight showing damaged wing feathers.jpg
Description: We have recently seen this rook with a load of wing feathers missing but it doesn't seem to effect his flight one iota.

View: D3B_20080422_2221_089 fb1 Fieldmouse standing vertical by another.jpg
Description: There were a couple of images like this at different places along the log, so we presume the stance has some significance. In the others its not so obvious that is isn't about to clamber up the log.

Date: 08 May 2008
View: D3B_20080421_1854_149 fb1 Yellowhammer female.jpg
Description: The yellowhammer female at last poses properly. The male appears in the images for 1 May 2008.

View: DA1_20080418_1213_013 Starling gathering nesting material.jpg
Description: Starling (nesting in our roof-space) collecting old reed mace for the nest.

Date: 07 May 2008
View: DA1_20080422_1316_050 Bluetit on open Black Poplar Catkins (web crop).jpg
Description: Black poplar's moment of glory is (for us) the red catkins. The dropped catkins make a slippery mess all up the track. The trees don't leaf for a few weeks yet. Oh - and there is a blue tit!

View: P34_20080422_1137_851 First daisies of 2008.jpg
Description: And down on the ground the first daisies smile at the sun.

Date: 06 May 2008
View: D3B_20080419_0607_140 fb1 Chaffinch Male in flight.jpg
Description: Don't often get Chaffinches in full flight, so have to forgive this one for leaving his tail out of frame!

View: D3A_20080421_1915_075 fb2 Chaffinch pair (Female moved).jpg
Description: A more static image of the pair of chaffinches at this site.

Date: 05 May 2008
View: D3A_20080418_1746_020 fb2 Robin with worm and mate.jpg
Description: When did your partner last offer you a nice slimy worm as a token of love?

View: D3B_20080418_1946_054 fb1 Pair of robins with one singing.jpg
Description: ... or sing to you at 100dB

Date: 04 May 2008
View: D01_20080417_1602_532-537 Heron Takeoff from Duck Pond Anim.gif
Description: Yesterday's newt eating heron finally got startled and took off. Fingers were not fast enough to catch the launch, but the wonderful wing shapes during lift-off do make a good sight. This image should animate showing about a second during the takeoff as 6 images.

Date: 03 May 2008
View: D01_20080417_1540_283-324 Heron catching and swallowing Newt (montage of 5).jpg
Description: This mature heron spent about 45 minutes catching at least 15 newts (mostly the protected great-crested!) at the duck shaped pond. Here is a sequence of one such taken over about 1 minute. (1) Grab from water, (2 & 3) manoeuvre head first, (4 & 5) down it goes.

Date: 02 May 2008
View: DB1_20080415_1204_057 Mallard pair drowsing after feeding.jpg
Description: This pair of mallard have been feeding together in various ponds for some days. After a couple of hours in the main pond they pulled out onto the bank near the house for a drowse in the sunshine.

View: D3B_20080417_2108_253 fb1 2 Fieldmice.jpg
Description: Another inexplicable moment in the fieldmouse family.

Date: 01 May 2008
View: D3B_20080414_1841_020 fb1 Yellowhammer male.jpg
Description: A pair of Yellowhammer are visiting this site as they did last year. The bright yellow head is the male - the less brilliant female has yet to take a good pic of herself

View: DA1_20080415_1245_021 Common (q) Bee-fly (Bombylius major (q)) on orchard leaf litter.jpg
Description: This might be a 'common' bee-fly (one of 12 or 15 species according to which book you look in but neither has any detail) but it is new to us.

Image Archive arch 2008 apr.htm (view it Here)

Date: 30 Apr 2008
View: DA1_20080414_0909_040 Cherry (Q) Blossom with Chaffinch.jpg
Description: Sure he was eating the buds/flowers but never caught him at it.

View: D3B_20080412_2049_058 fb1 Fieldmouse.jpg
Description: The fieldmice are now making several visits most nights, so here is a sample.

Date: 29 Apr 2008
View: p34_20080414_0938_338 Cuckoo Flower aka Ladys Smock.jpg
Description: Have finally identified a pretty lilac coloured 'weed' in various parts of the oldest land as Cuckoo Flower also called Lady's Smock.

View: D3B_20080413_0001_082 fb1 young rabbit.jpg
Description: Rabbits look sweet and innocent at this age. Its later that they eat the flower, make warrens under sheds and tear the bark off trees!

Date: 28 Apr 2008
View: D3A_20080410_1836_017 fb2 Rook lifting end of log gripped in beak.jpg
Description: The log at camera 2 keeps getting moved, once .5m away from the site. Here is a culprit. The log is not particularly heavy, but we are amazed that a rook can lift it in it's beak. We had assumed that it has been rolled or kicked out of position.

View: D3A_20080416_0633_091 fb2 Robin on ground watching dunnock twist towards him in the air.jpg
Description: Birds are just so agile in the air. There is the head of another Dunnock at the right edge of the original frame, so maybe this is the male showing off. You can see the log is in one of its 'rook-adjusted' positions

Date: 27 Apr 2008
View: DA1_20080412_1244_117+119+120 Kestrel male whiffling in dive (montage).jpg
Description: An attempt to catch the feel of 'our' kestrel tumbling down out of the sky onto an unfortunate in the grass. Maybe should have spaced them out more vertically, but you get the idea.

Date: 26 Apr 2008
View: da1_20080408_1112_014 buzzard.jpg
Description: Before 'lunch' (his or ours?) the thermals haven't got going much yet so for once he is more than a spec in the sky.

View: DA1_20080409_1602_003 Pheasant Male striding along.jpg
Description: One of the male pheasants strutting his stuff in the sunshine.

Date: 25 Apr 2008
View: DA1_20080409_1602_015 Mallard male in flight.jpg
Description: The Mallard duck pairs often take off together, but not so far close enough for a satisfactory 'pair of ducks in flight' pic. So here they are one at a time having panned from one to the other. First Him ...

View: DA1_20080409_1602_020 Mallard female in flight.jpg
Description: ... and now Her ...

Date: 24 Apr 2008
View: DA1_20080409_1620_103+105+106+107+108 2 Buzzards in aerial fight (montage of 5 of 14).jpg
Description: We watched as a buzzard flew lazy circles and then another came into view and they quietly circled for a couple of minutes before one closed in on the other and surprise 'dogfight' ensued. Here is the crux of the first encounter all taken within a second or two. They separated and drifted out of camera range continuing to spar.

Date: 23 Apr 2008
View: DA1_20080408_1118_059 Kestrel Male Hovering ever lower to drop on prey 13 of 42.jpg
Description: There are 41 more of these and we haven't got the time at the moment to do more than label and store them against future effort. It was the classic hover, down-a-bit, hover, down-a-bit several times, pounce on the ground, eat it, and fly away. Never saw what was caught. Goes nicely as precursor to Kestrel Catching & eating Weasel as an illustration of his technique although he went straight down off the wires onto the weasel.

View: DA1_20080408_1604_037 Marsh Tit in Japanese Larch with seed in beak.jpg
Description: Many trees have matured enough to start producing seed in the last couple of years, and the seed eaters are becoming regular visitors.

Date: 22 Apr 2008
View: p34_20080406_0845_681 mallard drake with snow and daffodils.jpg
Description: The snow here has not lasted long, but a quick rush out with the camera produced some rewarding results. The 'Duck & Daffodils' sounds like it ought to be the name of a country pub.

View: D3B_20080403_2254_116 fb1 2 Fieldmice squabbling.jpg
Description: Whether they are squabbling or loving we are not really sure.

Date: 21 Apr 2008
View: DA1_20080405_0753_006 Cherry Blossom.jpg
Description: A little break from the fauna to appreciate the flora.

View: D3A_20080401_1909_061 fb2 Pheasant Male against Sunset.jpg
Description: A study in glowing colours.

Date: 20 Apr 2008
View: DA1_20080403_1513_038 Muntjac female by back garden silver birch with daffodils & forget-me-nots.jpg
Description: A Muntjac deer pair came for a visit to the back garden/orchard on a gloomy day. This was taken in similar place & viewpoint to one of our long term favourites from 25 Apr 2005 - click on Muntjac mother & Fawn

View: DA1_20080403_1514_047 Muntjac male head detail.jpg
Description: The head detail of the male Muntjac that was following the previous female. This is not the male deer we featured in January you can see by clicking on Muntjac male with asymmetric antlers Note the swollen scent gland and pit below the eye and the tiny tusk at the mouth which always makes us think of 'vampire muntjac'.

Date: 19 Apr 2008
View: DA1_20080401_1746_082 Mallard female taking off from main pond.jpg
Description: A Mallard duck (the female) leaping from the water in the evening sunlight. The background are some flower daffodils and silver birch trunks.

View: DA1_20080330_0930_040 Pair of moorhen on main pond with female right.jpg
Description: Pairs of moorhen seem to be nesting at two ponds and in a woodpile in the back garden. The two on the main pond are the only ones we can photograph easily, so here is a little portrait of them being affectionate.

Date: 18 Apr 2008
View: DA1_20080330_1013_076 Jackdaw carrying twig to nest.jpg
Description: A pair of Jackdaws have taken over an old Magpie nest in the Hawthorn trees about 5 metres from the house and are 'refurbishing' it - i.e. adding even more sticks. We rather like the stark gargoyle-esque silhouette.

View: D3B_20080328_1934_108 fb1 Fieldmouse carrying potato peel.jpg
Description: Mrs. Fieldmouse doing an evening shop for potato? The white streak in the foreground is a bit of grass blown in the wind.

Date: 17 Apr 2008
View: DA1_20080330_1535_188-222 Kestrel male catching Weasel in grass & eating it on post (14 image Montage).jpg
Description: From about 100m away we watched this male Kestrel hunting, catching a weasel in the grass, carrying it in its talons to a fence post, where it ripped it apart and ate it over about 5 minutes. In the 5th image (lower right edge) the prey is hidden by the body of the banking bird as it circled round to the fence post. All images are full resolution crops from huge originals. (Make sure you see the whole width).

Date: 16 Apr 2008
View: D60_20080327_1540_133 Kestrel male flying from evergreen tip.jpg
Description: Think this is the same Kestrel male a few hours after his airborne skirmishes.

View: DA1_20080329_0914_046 Robin singing standing on Blackthorn thorn in hedge W of track.jpg
Description: Another ridiculously tame robin 2m from us engaging in a song duel with two other robins each 20m or so away.

Date: 15 Apr 2008
View: DA1_20080327_0950_213 Kestrel male and Rook in vertical mid-air fight (web crop).jpg
Description: A dogfight of several minutes between a male kestrel (a female kestrel staying with the two but at a 'safe' distance) took place too high for first class images, but this will give you an idea of the action. This is not a 'line-of-sight' effect - the adjacent frame taken a fraction of a second before has the rook's beak overlapping the kestrel - here the kestrel's wing overlaps the rook.

View: DA1_20080321_1024_039 Long-tailed Tit in Hedge E of Arch.jpg
Description: Unusual pose of a Long-tailed Tit with it's tail pushed out of position by the twigs and feathers fluffed out. Sweet little face.

Date: 14 Apr 2008
View: DA1_20080326_1215_020 Sparrowhawk Female in Flight.jpg
Description: We believe this is a female sparrowhawk - normally viewed here as a 'woooosh - what was that' experience as a small bird exits existence :-( On a not very fine day a surprisingly good thermal raised this circling bird from just about photographable distance to a speck in the blue in a couple of minutes with barely a wing flap.

View: DA1_20080327_1010_441 Long-tailed Tit with beak full of nesting material.jpg
Description: Looks like we might be lucky enough to have long-tail Tits not only beautifying our patch, but breeding as well.

Date: 13 Apr 2008
View: D3A_20080323_1812_055 fb2 fox.jpg
Description: Fox arrives just as the sky (top left) fades away.

View: DA1_20080326_1233_049 Mallard pair in Violets.jpg
Description: At least two pairs of mallard visit the ponds and other areas. This pair moved out of the back-garden pond into the violets as we approached, thought about flying off (agitated bobbing etc.), but calmed down and we took this as we left the area, and they stayed for another hour or so.

Date: 12 Apr 2008
View: D3A_20080323_1019_157 fb2 Redwing portrait with patches of snow.jpg
Description: This year Redwings have moved from brief glimpse in autumn to regular views on the camera and physical sightings.

View: D3A_20080325_0544_125 fb2 Robin threatening Redwing.jpg
Description: A brave/crazy Robin getting stroppy with a Redwing many times its weight.

Date: 11 Apr 2008
View: D01_20080321_1331_018-021 Heron take-off from Round Pond Montage.jpg
Description: Heron(s) are still hunting in 'Round' pond and this one spent 30m wandering around. We caught the moment that it left, springing upwards before disappearing out of frame, something we hope this little montage expresses.

Date: 10 Apr 2008
View: D3B_20080323_0801_170 fb1 Dunnock & Pheasant in Snow (web crop).jpg
Description: A striking example of size contrast. You just never see such size contrasts in books which are separated into separate sections. Despite the room for more brain in the pheasant, we think the Dunnocks make better use of what they have.

Date: 09 Apr 2008
View: D3A_20080320_1313_072 fb2 Rook head detail.jpg
Description: A pair of rooks have found both photo sites. Unfortunately they are strong enough to knock the logs about causing beam-break and focus problems. Here is the detail of the beak with its characteristic pale unfeathered skin at the base.

Date: 08 Apr 2008
View: D3A_20080318_0626_049 fb2 Pair of Robins.jpg
Description: The robins continue to display and generally show-off. Love the eye-to-eye contact.

Date: 07 Apr 2008
View: D3B_20080314_1917_097+1803_087+2014_105 fb1 Field vole collecting peanuts montage.jpg
Description: This vole or voles had many forays to collect peanuts and take them we know not where. Here is a montage of three images over about 2Hrs chosen so as not to overlay one another.

Date: 06 Apr 2008
View: D3B_20080315_0359_179 fb1 Fieldmouse.jpg
Description: Another entry for 'Miss Winsome Whiskers of 2008'?

Date: 05 Apr 2008
View: D01_20080314_1339_028 House Sparrow male at Great Tit nest box 4 of 7 with Tree Sparrow flying by.jpg
Description: For 17 years here we have hardly seen a House sparrow (though Tree Sparrows breed freely). Suddenly a Great tit (hole size) nest box on the dead elm stump is being investigated by a male House sparrow. He can only just squeeze in and out, and other potential occupants were lurking. Here a Tree sparrow has just made a hesitant flight by the House sparrow at the hole.

Date: 04 Apr 2008
View: D3A_20080313_0543_165 fb2 Blackbird male.jpg
Description: A picture of a male blackbird to go with the female we presented on 19 Mar 2008 - Click Female collecting nesting material to see the 'girl'. These may not be a pair - the sites are about 100m apart.

Date: 03 Apr 2008
View: D3B_20080309_1716_034 fb1 Robin head-on with wings and tail vertical.jpg
Description: A robin manages to get itself all in-focus for this geometric display of wings and feathers.

Date: 02 Apr 2008
View: D01_20080306_1358_129 Heron catches mating frogs (web crop).jpg
Description: The image you see is a heron that has just caught a pair of mating frogs. If that is gruesome enough for you stop here!
The bird couldn't swallow the linked pair, so repeatedly threw them back into the water to separate them, and then ate one. We didn't find any remains of the other and assume it survived. A day or so later we spotted spawn in the area - maybe success in their final act. An animated sequence of 15 images is at Heron Eating Frog Sequence.

Date: 01 Apr 2008
View: D3A_20080306_1703_077 fb2 Male and Female Pheasants eating together.jpg
Description: Don't see often see male and female pheasants together. Its just getting dark at tea-time!

Image Archive arch 2008 mar.htm (view it Here)

Date: 31 Mar 2008
View: SC1_20080305_1613_012 sc1 Female pheasant + 9 magpies + a magpie tail left edge.jpg
Description: Does the tail at the left make this 9 or 10 magpies in the old rhyme: 1 for sorrow, 2 for joy, 3 for a girl, 4 for a boy, 5 for silver, 6 for gold, 7 for a story never to be told, 8 for a wish, 9 for a kiss, 10 for a bird you can not miss.

Date: 30 Mar 2008
View: D3B_20080303_1644_072 fb1 Aerial fight between Robin & Lesser Whitethroat (Q) (web crop).jpg
Description: A Robin and what we think must be a Lesser Whitethroat having a mid-air skirmish.

Date: 29 Mar 2008
View: DA1_20080305_0957_058 & 059 Bluetit removing & then dropping Ash bud (montage).jpg
Description: The Bluetits are now stripping buds from the Ash trees. In this montage the bird can just get the bud in it's beak, but a moment later has dropped it (and it let it go).

Date: 28 Mar 2008
View: D3A_20080301_1720_008 fb2 Pheasant male Side & back as abstract patterns.jpg
Description: A typical 'head out of frame' image of a male pheasant suggested this abstract study of all those different patterns of feathers on just the side and back.

Date: 27 Mar 2008
View: P34_20080302_0834_198 Violet Flower.jpg
Description: Violets under an old Silver birch have appeared every one of our 17 years here, and probably for decades before.

Date: 26 Mar 2008
View: D3B_20080227_0621_055 fb1 Robin with head turned.jpg
Description: Is this robin looking up, down, or just showing off? Probably a minor head turn for a bird that can preen it's back.

Date: 25 Mar 2008
View: D3B_20080228_1801_042 fb1 Fieldmouse and Fir cones.jpg
Description: Not many fieldmice for some weeks, but this is the most appealing of the recent week.

Date: 24 Mar 2008
View: P34_20080228_1227_158 Snowdrop.jpg
Description: A session clearing overgrown bushes from the W side of the main pond exposed some snowdrops the rabbits had missed.

Date: 23 Mar 2008
View: D01_20080226_1109_007 moorhen in breeding colours on dragon pond.jpg
Description: Moorhen feeding on the main pond with the full red beak and shield of breeding colour.

Date: 22 Mar 2008
View: DA1_20080227_1227_159 Kestrel Male with (out of focus) pussy Willows.jpg
Description: Both male and female kestrels are about again. Here the male is flying by some willow catkins.

Date: 21 Mar 2008
View: DA1_20080227_1231_178 Squirrel about to eat previous years conker in Black Poplar tree.jpg
Description: This squirrel found/un-buried a last autumn conker and sat ignoring us in a black poplar chewing his way through it. When it was eaten we got one stare and off he/she went. Obviously they are not poisonous to squirrels.

Date: 20 Mar 2008
View: D3B_20080221_1621_076 fb1 Bluetit about to take off.jpg
Description: The sweet face of the bluetit, raising its wings, to launch to the sky.

Date: 19 Mar 2008
View: D3B_20080218_1545_035 fb1 Blackbird female collecting nesting material (Q).jpg
Description: Blackbird female collecting nesting material. No sign of the male helping, which doesn't mean he isn't collecting elsewhere.

Date: 18 Mar 2008
View: DA1_20080217_0923_028 Frost cherry blossom (web crop).jpg
Description: The cherries were already starting to blossom when the frosts came. Here is a detail of a frosty flower.

Date: 17 Mar 2008
View: DA1_20080217_0942_065 Frosty Blackberry leaf lit from rear.jpg
Description: Blackberries seem to keep a few of their spent leaves until spring. Here the morning sun from the rear makes some lovely colours.

Date: 16 Mar 2008
View: P34_20080218_0931_953 Frosty Hazel Catkins (web crop).jpg
Description: Several days of overnight frosts and fog provided for some opportunities for those wrapped up warm! Here the details of some Hazel catkins become an almost abstract image in soft shades of orange, yellow and green.

Date: 15 Mar 2008
View: D01_20080215_1352_005 Robin in flight over ice.jpg
Description: We sometimes see a robin hovering over water to pick off floating food. While testing a setup to photograph this (even though it was icy when they just land!) happy chance got this. The unusual look isn't flash - light reflecting off ice has strange effects.

Date: 14 Mar 2008
View: DA1_20080216_0958_017 Long-tailed Tit (web crop).jpg
Description: Suddenly we have a flock of about 8 long tailed tits visiting our North hedge.

Date: 13 Mar 2008
View: D3B_20080214_0727_191 fb1 Blackbird female pecking at log with open beak with nictitating membrane over eye.jpg
Description: A female blackbird having a good peck at the log. Her beak is open and her orange tongue is visible. There is nothing wrong with her eye - it's covered by the protective membrane (a sort of third eyelid) that birds have. In other shots it is clear.

Date: 12 Mar 2008
View: P34_20080212_1429_815 Alder Cones & catkins.jpg
Description: The handful of surviving alder trees are producing some attractive tracery against the sky. What we call 'cones' seem to be officially 'corky outgrowths to keep the seeds afloat in water'. Cones seems easier!

Date: 11 Mar 2008
View: DA1_20080213_1355_070 Bluetit with willow catkin fragment in beak.jpg
Description: The catkins are out on a few of the willows, and the bluetits are making the most of it. Catkins contains load of individual florets and the bird has pulled out a single one in it's beak.

Date: 10 Mar 2008
View: D3A_20080209_0658_031 fb2 Male Robin displaying to female (web crop).JPG
Description: We often see Male robins doing crazy show-off displays to the females, but for once they obliged on camera.

Date: 09 Mar 2008
View: D3B_20080210_0048_136 fb1 Fieldmouse diving head first onto ground by another.JPG
Description: The mice have returned to their normal manic behaviour.

Date: 08 Mar 2008
View: D01_20080205_1300_015 Robin on Mossy Stump (web crop).JPG
Description: The classic robin on the classic old tree stump.

Date: 07 Mar 2008
View: D10_20080203_1311_017 Bluetit about to jump off branch.jpg
Description: Bluetit about to jump off some dead-wood we hang the peanut feeders on. Good thing he doesn't know a tawny owl occasionally hunts from the same perch (see archive for 21 Dec 2007)

Date: 06 Mar 2008
View: D3A_20080206_1606_010 fb2 Squirrel with hazel nut in mouth.JPG
Description: The Christmas nuts are now rather stale, but the squirrel doesn't mind.

Date: 05 Mar 2008
View: D3B_20080203_0742_050 fb1 Dunnock and Blackbird Female.JPG
Description: This caught our fancy because it shows the difference in size so well. (NOT a montage)

Date: 04 Mar 2008
View: D01_20080208_1141_102 Robin singing on lichen covered branch (web crop).JPG
Description: This robin was singing alternately in competition with another only 30m or so along the farm track.

Date: 03 Mar 2008
View: D3B_20080206_2247_070 fb1 Fieldmouse.JPG
Description: The fieldmice are making occasional appearances. This must be the first 'Miss Winsome Whiskers of 2008' entry.

Date: 02 Mar 2008
View: P34_20080204_1044_663 Snowdrops at bottom of Viburnum.JPG
Description: A snowdrop quietly decorating the base of an ornamental bush.

Date: 01 Mar 2008
View: D3A_20080201_1539_028 fb2 Blackbird male showing underwing.JPG
Description: An elegantly poised male blackbird. We see pairs at both sites, but so far not both usably at the same time.

Image Archive arch 2008 feb.htm (view it Here)

Date: 29 Feb 2008
View: D3A_20080202_0710_056 fb2 Pair of Robins.JPG
Description: Most pics of robins now include a pair. Perhaps, as it is leap year day, you might think the girl robin is 'popping the question' :-)

Date: 28 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080129_1539_029 fb2 Bluetit with wing spread.jpg
Description: Colourful bluetit showing of a spread of grey underwing feathers and powder blue top of tail feathers.

Date: 27 Feb 2008
View: D3A_20080129_1543_023 fb2 Pheasant male with white head streaks.jpg
Description: A 'new' pheasant in our menagerie - a male pheasant with heavy white streak each side of the head and very broad neck ring. With 5 females about we will have to keep out of the long grass for fear of treading on a nest.

Date: 26 Feb 2008
View: D01_20080130_1007_036 Bluetit eating Silver Birch Unopened Catkin (web crop).jpg
Description: What are Tits eating up there in the birches? Answer - the unopened catkins. One foot is holding an unopened catkin while the beak tip attacks the hard surface.

Date: 25 Feb 2008
View: D01_20080130_1231_066 Robin singing on twig (web crop).jpg
Description: The Robins are getting ridiculously tame. This one was singing in a pool of sunlight from a twig a couple of metres away and didn't seem the least bothered by camera noise or the lens waving about. This is a tight crop so you can enjoy the detail.

Date: 24 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080125_2140_072 fb1 Field Vole and fleeing fieldmouse.JPG
Description: Feels a bit like peek-a-boo, but is probably just chance. The mouse needs lessons in portraiture - his nose and whiskers were out of frame.

Date: 23 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080126_1605_109 fb1 Pheasant male frightening off Robin.JPG
Description: The Robin decides to avoid the relatively gigantic pheasant coming though the fence.

Date: 22 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080123_1403_004 fb1 Bluetit.jpg
Description: Bluetits apparently had a poor breeding year, but we are delightfully surrounded by these little blue and yellow jewels. The Sparrowhawk is enjoying them as well.

Date: 21 Feb 2008
View: D3A_20080119_2247_024 fb2 Fox (web crop).JPG
Description: Very few visits from foxes at the moment, but they all seem to include a hungry look.

Date: 20 Feb 2008
View: P34_20080120_1221_400 Bristlecone Pine fully open Female Cone.JPG
Description: The Pine trees are now old enough to be producing worthwhile size cones. This one is fully open, but a few seeds haven't been found by the various mouths

Date: 19 Feb 2008
View: P34_20080121_1446_461 Silver Birch Copse looking N.JPG
Description: In the Winter you can really appreciate the intricacy of the branches of these Silver Birches.

Date: 18 Feb 2008
View: D3A_20080118_1557_030 fb2 Leaping Fieldmouse.jpg
Description: The only fieldmouse in 2 days at both sites, but a rather fun one at that ...

Date: 17 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080117_1525_003 fb1 2 Robins.jpg
Description: We have this theory - if you see 2 robins together and they are not fighting then they are 'in love'. Spring must be on the way.

Date: 16 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080118_1532_097_&_1505_087 fb1 Bluetit and Great Tit both in flurry of wings (Montage).jpg
Description: Within 30 minutes our two most common Tits obliged with similar poses, and we couldn't resist montaging them together to make this fun composition.

Date: 15 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080115_1806_064 fb1 2 Fieldmice tumbling.jpg
Description: Wheee ... & we have not a clue what triggered this.

Date: 14 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080116_2040_164 fb1 Fieldmouse on hind legs over puddle.jpg
Description: After a flood to almost the log top the previous night, scrapes left by other 'visitors' are still filled with water making this little mouse go paddling for a meal.

Date: 13 Feb 2008
View: D3A_20080113_0600_050 fb2 Startled Pheasant female running with tail spread.jpg
Description: One of our hen pheasants, startled by some trivial or major event in the dark, bolts over the log with tail spread.

Date: 12 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080112_1503_132 fb1 Pheasant female.jpg
Description: The afternoon after a deluge our 'blondie' pheasant visits in more clement weather.

Date: 11 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080112_1648_163 fb1 Field Vole & 2 Fieldmice.jpg
Description: The Field Vole is becoming quite a regular visitor, here having 'tea' with a couple of Fieldmice. We have yet to see 2 voles at once.

Date: 10 Feb 2008
View: D3A_20080110_0144_019 fb2 Robin with wings vertical & shadow of primaries.jpg
Description: Just love the horizontal streak shadows of the leading primary feathers across the trailing primaries.

Date: 09 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080110_2211_192 fb1 2 fieldmice leaping + 1 obscured.jpg
Description: The fieldmice seem to be getting lively again. Must think its spring.

Date: 08 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080110_1539_139 fb1 Great Tit showing fibrous underwing feathers.jpg
Description: Great tit gives us a look at almost hair like yellow filament feathers under the wing.

Date: 07 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080106_0740_078 fb1 Blackbird probing mud (web crop).JPG
Description: Run-off from the adjacent field saturated this site so this blackbird probes the mud for morsels.

Date: 06 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080106_1542_105 fb1 Robin chasing off Great Tit with grain in beak.JPG
Description: A Robin (nearer with red breast hidden) chases off a Great Tit with vivid yellow body normally hidden by the wings.

Date: 05 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080107_0554_198 fb1 Fieldmouse eating corn grain.JPG
Description: Overnight storm over, a fieldmouse comes out in the still black hours to clamber through the fallen twigs to find a sodden grain to eat.

Date: 04 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080103_0750_328 fb1 Robin threatening Dunnock above.JPG
Description: Just as it was getting light, this Robin and Dunock disagree about who owns this patch of land. Doesn't look like there was much left by way of nibbles left to fight over.

Date: 03 Feb 2008
View: D3A_20080101_1526_009 fb2 Female Pheasant with male (selectively processed) lurking behind.JPG
Description: This 'new' female pheasant has joined us and seems to be exciting the male lurking in the dark on the right. We have selectively lightened the male somewhat so you can see him - he is well out of the flash range and we almost didn't notice him.

Date: 02 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080102_1555_134 fb1 Magpie.JPG
Description: In its immaculate plumage ready for winter, and then attracting a mate.

Date: 01 Feb 2008
View: D3B_20080103_0737_321 fb1 Blackbird Female with wings vertical.JPG
Description: For once a view of the wings with the head in good focus.

Image Archive arch 2008 jan.htm (view it Here)

Date: 31 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20071230_1340_014 fb1 Robin feeding on Peanut grit.jpg
Description: A robin getting down to a serious attack on the peanut grounds.

Date: 30 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20080101_0343_248 fb1 Brown Rat.jpg
Description: For 'Ratatouille' fans: a real life 'Remy' who has arrived rather late on the scene (quarter to 4 a.m.) and have to make do with the 'left-overs' - and its new-years morning too.

Date: 29 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20071228_1217_021 fb1 Jackdaw.JPG
Description: Jackdaw showing off those immaculate glossy feathers.

Date: 28 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20071226_1517_022 fb1 2 Jackdaws + Magpie + another (top right) with fresh bait.JPG
Description: We try to put out food around sunset to give the birds a chance to feed up before night without taking it ALL. While robins always get the first pick, the Corvids soon descend to get the lion's share as this uncropped image (whole camera frame) of this site shows.

Date: 27 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20071227_0735_072 fb1 Robin about to land.JPG
Description: A bit near the right edge of the field of view for artistic crop, but this robin, about to land with claws outstretched and legs bent ready to absorb the impact of landing, catches our fancy.

Date: 26 Jan 2008
View: D3A_20071225_1705_043 fb2 2 Fieldmice head to tail.jpg
Description: Could be chance, but we rather fancy some romance mouse style.

Date: 25 Jan 2008
View: D3A_20071225_1714_045 fb2 Fieldmouse.jpg
Description: Another entry for twee mouse of the year.

Date: 24 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20071226_0744_205 fb1 Robin and Dunnock squabbling.jpg
Description: The recent peaceful coexistence seems to have been ruffled.

Date: 23 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20071220_1834_060 fb1 Leaping Fieldmouse.jpg
Description: Whiskers gleaming, a fieldmouse bounds across the site.

Date: 22 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20071221_0839_121 fb1 Robin taking off towards camera.jpg
Description: We seem to be inundated with Robins this year - everywhere we go there will be a robin waiting hopefully on a branch. Here one is taking off directly towards the camera - for once not an out of focus blur.

Date: 21 Jan 2008
View: D3A_20071218_1523_003 fb2 Pheasant eating peanut grit.jpg
Description: One of our male pheasants demonstrating that even the most beautiful of creatures can have bad table manners.

Date: 20 Jan 2008
View: D3A_20071220_0731_046 fb2 Song Thrush.jpg
Description: The first showing this season of a Song Thrush. The stone lower left was put there in the hope he will use it as an 'anvil' for the traditional opening of snails.

Date: 19 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20071217_0203_055 fb1 Fieldmouse in Frost.jpg
Description: Another chilly 2 a.m.! We must have put out the food too late for the birds to get all the nuts!

Date: 18 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20071218_1621_218 fb1 2 Female Pheasants.jpg
Description: 'Our' (or perhaps more correctly the male's) 2 female pheasants. We have seen a male and female together in a very poor IR image. We also know there are two healthy males which we saw wandering together over the frozen pond.

Date: 17 Jan 2008
View: D3A_20071214_1513_082 fb2 Squirrel with mouthful of Cherries.jpg
Description: Squirrel (Rats with Good PR) making off with a mouthful of cherry waste from jam making hidden behind the log.

Date: 16 Jan 2008
View: D3A_20071214_1832_103 fb2 Fox (Head crop).jpg
Description: The fox makes a one-off appearance at the 'woodland' site for the first time in a couple of months.

Date: 15 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20071213_0818_055 fb1 Robin in Frost.jpg
Description: Brrr!

Date: 14 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20071214_0837_142 fb1 Redwing head-on view showing head pattern.jpg
Description: Unusual view of a Redwing showing the pattern over the head. Having spent several hours watching them, we are surprised that they frequently feed on the ground.

Date: 13 Jan 2008
View: D01_20071210_1409_115 Marsh Tit standing on Russian Vine with Ivy leaves.jpg
Description: Lurking in a sunny spot on the south wall of the house and out of the bitter wind, a Marsh Tit casts it's shadow on the wall.

Date: 12 Jan 2008
View: D3A_20071209_0101_022 fb2 Fieldmouse leaping with peanut in mouth.jpg
Description: Surprised there were any peanuts left at 1 in the morning!

Date: 11 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20071209_0856_052 fb1 Magpie.jpg
Description: Too big for the field of view of this camera, this magpie nevertheless makes a startling sight.

Date: 10 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20071209_1624_071 fb1 Bluetit clambering up log with wings spread.jpg
Description: Bluetits look almost luminous when photographed by flash. Colour not fudged - honestly!

Date: 09 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20071210_1222_184 fb1 Robin in aggressive position (another bird out of frame upper right).jpg
Description: The wing tip of an unidentified bird at the top right (out of this crop) is the reason for this robin's aggressive position.

Date: 08 Jan 2008
View: D01_20071209_1132_010 Muntjac Deer Male showing asymmetric antlers.jpg
Description: Now we can see why the male Muntjac deer (image of 5 Jan 2008) has unmatched antlers - his left side is a single long point while the right has two points.

Date: 07 Jan 2008
View: D01_20071210_1346_043 Blackbird in Flight with Blackthorn Berry in beak (web crop).jpg
Description: While trying to photograph Fieldfares flying out of a hedge top this Blackbird carrying a Sloe in its beak came out instead.

Date: 06 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20071207_1908_044 fb1 2 leaping Fieldmice.jpg
Description: Fieldmice in a leaping competition. A recent Woodland Trust competition for children named our mouse pairs 'Roy & Marie' after us. How we wish we were that athletic!

Date: 05 Jan 2008
View: D01_20071207_1444_018 Muntjac Deer Male with asymmetric antlers & torn ears viewed over hedge.jpg
Description: At last a decent pic of 'our' Muntjac male. Judging by the unequal antlers and torn ears he is the same individual we have seen a few times in surveillance pictures. We were on opposite sides of a low hedge which seemed to give him some courage to stay, but not for long.

Date: 04 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20071205_1903_099 fb1 Fieldmice Squabbling.jpg
Description: A couple of fieldmice having a squabble from either side of the log. Rory at the Woodland Trust suggests the title "The Two Mousekateers".

Date: 03 Jan 2008
View: P34_20071203_1458_915&917 Full Rainbow Montage.jpg
Description: An imperfect montage of 2 images showing a full (double) rainbow over our plot. With the sun nearing the horizon you get almost the full semicircle.

Date: 02 Jan 2008
View: D3A_20071201_1436_078 fb2 Magpie collecting beakful of peanuts.jpg
Description: We put out a few whole peanuts this time of year (usually the dregs of the nut feeders). The bigger birds make the most of this and stuff loads of nuts into their beaks. This magpie is picking up at least it's third - it probably collected another half dozen before flying off.

Date: 01 Jan 2008
View: D3B_20071201_1640_090 fb1 Rook.jpg
Description: Don't see many rooks at the photo sites, so have to include one that takes it's photo.

Image Archive arch 2007 dec.htm (view it Here)

Date: 31 Dec 2007
View: D3B_20071201_1824_112 fb1 Fieldmouse leaping and another scrambling onto log.jpg
Description: The fieldmice continue their antics.

Date: 30 Dec 2007
View: D3B_20071202_0835_160 fb1 Dunnock Takeoff.jpg
Description: A dunnock makes an elegant takeoff.

Date: 29 Dec 2007
View: D3B_20071125_1729_116 fb1 Robin & Fieldmouse in flight.jpg
Description: Although probably a line-of-site effect, this juxtaposition of Fieldmouse and Robin has a certain drama.

Date: 28 Dec 2007
View: D3A_20071123_0717_040 fb2 Pheasant Male among autumn leaves.jpg
Description: Contrast the lovely golden colour of the pheasant with those of the surrounding leaves.

Date: 27 Dec 2007
View: D3B_20071123_1754_109 fb1 2 fieldmice squabbling.jpg
Description: This couple of fieldmice look like they are having a bit of a squabble.

Date: 26 Dec 2007
View: D01_20071123_1419_196 Fieldfare flying through Hawthorn hedge.jpg
Description: The fieldfares and redwing flutter through these tangles hedge tops without any apparent difficulty.

Date: 25 Dec 2007
View: D01_20071123_1437_285 Redwing eating Hawthorn berry (web crop).jpg
Description: To go with the fieldfare eating a hawthorn berry (shown on 18 Dec 2007) here is a redwing that moves around with the Fieldfare group.

Date: 24 Dec 2007
View: D01_20071123_1436_271 Fieldfare in flight.jpg
Description: The fieldfares were fluttering through the Hawthorn hedges and we love the spread and translucency of the wings in this fleeting moment.

Date: 23 Dec 2007
View: D01_20071123_1107_032 squirrel sunbathing(Q) on black poplar branch.jpg
Description: Taking it easy in the sun this squirrel found a little suntrap about 5m up in one of the black poplars lining the track and stayed there regardless of us, vehicles and other distractions.

Date: 22 Dec 2007
View: D3A_20071120_1556_017 fb2 Robin Landing.jpg
Description: Robin just about to land on the stone - bet he slid off the slick wet stone!

Date: 21 Dec 2007
View: P34_20071121_2001_545 Tawny Owl on Birdfeeder support outside kitchen window (crop & proc).jpg
Description: Spotted unexpectedly on the Night-time CCTV over the pond was the glowing eyes of a tawny owl perched on the peanut feeder support facing the house. This image was taken in darkness through the kitchen window by educated guesswork. Next days CCTV replay showed it stayed for about 10 minutes mainly with head turned 180 to watch the grass/pond behind.

Date: 20 Dec 2007
View: d3a_20071118_1536_030 fb2 magpie (web crop).jpg
Description: An ever cheeky Magpie gives the camera the eye.

Date: 19 Dec 2007
View: d3b_20071119_1703_010 fb1 robin twisting in flight.jpg
Description: The aerial antics of a robin twisting through a right angle as it leaves with a crumb of peanut.

Date: 18 Dec 2007
View: d01_20071119_0950_016 fieldfare eating hawthorn berry (web crop).jpg
Description: Having passed us by when there no apple windfalls, a flock of about 30 Fieldfares (with a few redwings) are making merry in the hawthorn hedge.

Date: 17 Dec 2007
View: d3a_20071115_1700_049 fb2 fieldmouse leaping in front of rabbit.jpg
Description: This atypical juxtaposition just took our fancy .

Date: 16 Dec 2007
View: d3a_20071117_1436_028 fb2 squirrel.jpg
Description: We seem to have a number of Grey Squirrels doing various degrees of damage, and often looking very innocent and twee.

Date: 15 Dec 2007
View: d01_20071115_1143_075-077&084 pied wagtail hunting insect on slate roof (montage).jpg
Description: Montage of 4 images of a pied wagtail. In the first 3 (top left downwards) it just fails to catch an insect (we think a wasp) on the slates ahead of it. The bird on the ridge has in his beak the result of a successful hunt a few seconds later.

Date: 14 Dec 2007
View: d3b_20071110_2237_054 fb1 fox.jpg
Description: Fox with his eyes firmly focussed on a hoped for pre-midnight snack.

Date: 13 Dec 2007
View: p34_20071109_0955_194 mixed autumn colours (web version).jpg
Description: Autumn colours including Black Poplar, Cypresses, Bristlecone Pine, Silver Birch, Oak, Sweet Chestnut, Hazel & Beech.

Date: 12 Dec 2007
View: d01_20071109_1030_073 kestrel (web crop with foreground willows removed).jpg
Description: A kestrel-jackdaw altercation gave us the opportunity for this image. The 'sky' has been cleaned up to remove out of focus foreground branches, but was this beautiful colour.

Date: 11 Dec 2007
View: d3a_20071107_1817_056 fb2 rabbit grooming (web crop).jpg
Description: This rabbit suggests a Rabbit form of 'Jessica' from the mixed Live & animation movie 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit'. We can't remember seeing a rabbit like this in thousands of (discarded) rabbit images.

Date: 10 Dec 2007
View: d3a_20071108_1607_003 fb2 pheasant male.jpg
Description: The Pheasant have been about, but have not obliged with picture since the Spring (See image for 18 Apr 2007).

Date: 09 Dec 2007
View: d3b_20071108_0317_205 fb1 fieldmouse leaping face on.jpg
Description: We think the mouse must have leapt from the ground to be in sharp focus over the log.

Date: 08 Dec 2007
View: d3a_20071104_1740_013 fb2 muntjac deer.jpg
Description: We have seen the Muntjac deer by Infra-Red and on surveillance cameras, but this is the first time for months that one (a female) has shown up in a high quality image.

Date: 07 Dec 2007
View: d3b_20071104_1823_020 fb1 Fieldmouse holding partially eaten food.jpg
Description: The way this mouse is holding its food puts us in mind of a human munching down a stick of celery.

Date: 06 Dec 2007
View: d3b_20071104_1844_025 fb1 2 fieldmice mid leap.jpg
Description: Leaping mice seem to be a consistent favourite among our visitors to this site, so here is another.

Date: 05 Dec 2007
View: d3a_20071103_1827_038 fb2 young fieldmouse surrounded by autumn leaves.jpg
Description: Looking so lonely in a sea of autumn leaves, a young fieldmouse looks for what's left of the peanut grit on the log.

Date: 04 Dec 2007
View: d01_20071031_1613_012 muntjac deer (web crop).jpg
Description: Its rare to get an extended view of a Muntjac deer while we are outdoors, but on this evening this female came out of the hedge and wandered away from us along the 'rabbit' run taking an occasional peek back at us. See image for 22 Nov 2007 for a fox from the same viewpoint.

Date: 03 Dec 2007
View: d3b_20071030_1936_200 fb1 fieldmouse nuzzling pyracantha berries.jpg
Description: We can see that some of there pyracantha (firethorn) berries have already been nibbled.

Date: 02 Dec 2007
View: d60_20071030_1619_021 Kestrel female on dragon island ash tree tip regaining balance.jpg
Description: The Ash tree on the main pond island has just become an attractive perch this female kestrel. In the evening sun she lost her balance momentarily and provided this unusual view of her exquisite feathers.

Date: 01 Dec 2007
View: p34_20071029_1538_845 Sundog to West over House.jpg
Description: Its the time of year for strange lights in the sky. This is a 'sundog' - patch of refracted sunlight to the left and/or right of the sun.

Image Archive arch 2007 nov.htm (view it Here)

Date: 30 Nov 2007
View: d3b_20071027_1625_032 fb1 Robin flying in with bluetit on log.jpg
Description: We would love to run a 'what happened next' competition, but we have no idea what did happen.

Date: 29 Nov 2007
View: d3b_20071029_0202_207 fb1 Fieldmouse sniffing (Q) Blackthorn berry.jpg
Description: The hedge bottoms are now full of fallen fruit and the denizens are making the most of it. Amazing how the peanut feeders empty so slowly at this time of year.

Date: 28 Nov 2007
View: d3a_20071026_2020_058 fb2 fox with water droplets looking up.jpg
Description: Shortly after dark this fox looks up showing the fully dilated irises of its eyes. There are a few water drops on its muzzle - maybe it stopped off at a pond for a drink.

Date: 27 Nov 2007
View: d3b_20071025_1653_009 fb1 Great Tit taking off by Hawthorn berries.jpg
Description: A flurry of wings as