ANOTHER TRIP TO EYEBROOK RESERVOIR, CALKE ABBEY AND AN OSPREY DUTY.

I decided to have a trip to Eyebrook Reservoir on Thursday  the 14th of June for a look for Ospreys and Red Kites and anything else that would come my way.

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon but I was surprised as to how quiet it was bird wise. I only saw two Ospreys that only one was worth trying for images from.

Plenty of Common Terns were about but they are so difficult to capture in flight with all the twists and turns.

Red Kite, Opposite Stoke Dry Village.

I only saw three of these birds and this was the only one that I would not be shooting into the sun to get an image. It was unfortunately a very long distance shot and greatly cropped after.

Male Osprey, 03/2009.

The male from Site O again fishing at the reservoir to feed his young, he seems to be a fixture and is seen on a regular basis.

I thought he was going to dive and catch a fish but after this he headed down the reservoir towards the dam and I never saw him return but they can cut across the fields.

 

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Immature Black-backed Gull, Opposite Stoke Dry Village.

I saw three of these young birds during the afternoon but not one adult.

Another bird just gliding past me, totally effortless flight.

ANOTHER EVENING VISIT TO CALKE ABBEY.

I decided to have another evening visit on Tuesday the 19th to have another general look about but with the intention of trying for the Badgers again.

I arrived at 19.15 hrs and parked up and had a walk down the car park towards the bird hide and in the field at the end I had some Red Deer so I had to get some images of these.

I then spent a few minutes in the bird hide and then impatience got the better of me and I had to get under way towards the Badgers.

I had a wonderful evening seeing in excess of fifteen Badgers all in the same area as previous.  I eventually left the Badger at 21.45 hrs and headed for the car park after an eventful evening.

Young Red Deer Stag.

This youngster was in excess of one hundred metres from me but had got me spotted with his ears up as the camera fired. 

Same youngster.

Red Deer Adult Stag with a Juvenile.

 This male sat very peacefully asleep, and eventually awoke for a quick feed.

The same Stag with another young Stag to the front of him.

What a beautiful powerful creature at peace with the world, but it will all change in October when the rut begins.

Male Great Spotted Woodpecker, Bird Hide, by the Car Park.

This bird sat in the tree calling almost continuously, he was then joined by two young. 

He then proceeded to have visits to the bird feeders and feed the youngsters, here one being fed and one sat in the top of the image. 

Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker waiting to be fed by the male. 

Male feeding the youngster before returning to the feeder and feeding the other.

Male Goldfinch, Bird Hide by the Car Park.

Several were hanging about near the feeders for an easy meal.

Encounter with the Badgers.

This is the area where I saw the most of the Badgers appearing from the back of the trees and coming down the bank towards me, but as usual I was never at the ready when they appeared. I then however saw two lines of movement in the bracken moving towards me, and after about twenty metres the movement on the left turned left away from the other, I took it I had two Badgers moving towards me and eventually when about thirty metres away from me I got my first view.
 

 Still well buried in the bracken but I could hear both of them snuffling very noisily even though the farthest must have been at least eighty metres away.

Slightly closer but still very difficult with the bracken growth. 

A quick left turn and the head starts to come in view.

Another turn to the left followed by another and it headed away from me, but at least this time I managed to get some images, admittedly not very good but I will return and try again. I had a wonderful evening with these creatures mostly watching them.

OSPREY DUTY.

Thursday 21 st.

This week I was om duty with Sheelagh without her husband as Barry has had an eye operation and would not be any help in finding the birds.

We had what I would say was the busiest shift I have ever had whilst on duty with numerous people in the hide and arriving all afternoon, even when we were returning to the car park people were still walking down to Waderscrape Hide and Cathy had told us on her arrival she had a party of cubs and scouts arriving very soon so it looked as if she was also in for a busy evening.

We had one couple arrive with three children who were on a visit from the Maldives and were most impressed with the set up and the birds.

Juvenile Moorhen, Waderscrape Hide.

We still had two youngsters in the channels to the front of the hide with mum and growing well..

Adult Moorhen .

Still keeping watch over her youngsters.

Adult Female far right with the two young to her left.
 The young have been ringed and we have a female 3AW and a male 3AU and both are wing flapping and giving small jumps so it won't be long before they are helicoptering and then flying..

Male Osprey 33/11 arrived back with a Pike to feed the ever hungry young .

Adult female on the camera post and the two young finishing the pike. 

Common Tern, Waderscrape Hide.
This bird suddenly appeared towards the end of the shift and hovered towards the end of the centre channel, unfortunately a rear image but the bird was hovering into the wind.

  

All three images are the same bird, but I was lucky with the head wind as it appeared to stop the acrobatics for a moment.


Thank you for your visit, I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I did in the getting of the images.


BARN OWL UPDATE.

We still have the two birds { a male and a female} but no signs of breeding at the moment, I go out most evening to monitor them. It has been suggested that the Male is still not old enough to raise a brood.

THREE TRIPS OUT, EYEBROOK RESERVOIR, CALKE PARK AND AN OSPREY DUTY.

On Thursday the 31st of May, I decided to have a visit to Eyebrook Reservoir as the weather was not that promising. On leaving home things did not look that bad and by the time I had got closer to Leicester the sun was showing.

However the closer I got to the reservoir the mist got thicker and on arrival it was more like an Autumn day. So I settled myself in for a long wait to see if the sun would make it to shine, this it did eventually late in the afternoon. During the visit I had a visit from five Ospreys but not until the sun arrived did I manage any decent images.

EYEBRROOK RESERVOIR.

31st May.

Lesser Celandine Flower.

This taken at a distance of 10 metres with two very small beetles in the flower.

Canada Goose.

This bird plus another had a quick fly past, so I always enjoy flight shots.

Male Osprey 03/09.

Whilst on site I saw five Osprey but this one eventually returned when the sun was out. He is at the moment feeding young at one of the nearby nest sites.

At least I managed some reasonable images of this bird.

Ring number clearly visible, what a wonderful bird.

False Bombardier Beetle  {I think}

This beetle suddenly appeared on the top of one of the concrete fence post about fifteen metres from where I was with my camera and lens on the tripod, so it was a quick about turn and see what happens, not bad for a 600mm lens.

CALKE PARK.

6th June.

Doc Martin the secretary of our local bird club arranged a Badger watch evening at Calke Park, a large parkland area not far from home.

So I arranged to collect my friend Rhys from his house at 18.30 hrs and we headed away together for what we hoped would be a wonderful evening. The Park closes the gates at 19.30 hrs so its  a case of get in before the gates close and as we didn't expect to leave until late go out through the electric gate.

Bill Cove the warden eventually arrived with a very lively Border Collie that ran round the car park like something on a mission. I thought this does not bode well but how wrong you can be.

Firstly Bill pointed out a Buzzard nest about 240 metres away, we had however seen one of the adults on a hunting mission earlier.

Whilst on the walk we several birds, then Bill said be quiet from here on and then it was away you go Bess and the Collie went walking along the path to the front of us, she eventually turned to the left and sat down and pointed with her nose, she obviously could see nothing due to the height of the undergrowth but Bill said she's got a Badger, this little dog was amazing and stunned us all with her wonderful sense of smell in finding the Badgers.

By the end of the session, Rhys estimated we had seen at least a dozen Badgers, unfortunately none came as close as we had wished but at least we had seen some, again unfortunately I managed no reasonable images, but we have been invited back anytime we wish so I will have another trip very soon, we all thanked Bill for his time and his offer for us toreturn, I must admit I asked another favour, when I return, could I please borrow his dog, this unfortunately appeared to fall on deaf ears.

Buzzard, From Car Park on arrival.

At the time we saw this bird Bill had not arrived so when he did and pointed out the nest it was obvious where this bird had come from.

It very slowly circled it way towards us before disappearing to the left over a small valley and lake.   

A very graceful slow flight. 

Buzzard Nest as pointed out by Bill.


On checking the nest was 240 metres from the car park with two young in the nest.

Little Owl.


The first Little Owl I have seen in a considerable time. Awful image but had to include it having seen so few of late. Taken at ISO 12800.

OSPREY DUTY.

7th June.

I was on duty for the afternoon shift, I was going to be with just Sheelagh as Barry has had and eye operation earlier in the week . He was complaining it was still very blurred and so returned to the clinic where he was told they had put the new lens on a piece of the cataract that had not been removed, so Sheelagh didn't arrive until about 14.45 hrs, I had a very busy time but with very nice and interested people so all was well.

The youngsters are really coming on well and have started wing flapping to build up muscle and are being very well fed by mum with 33 bring supplies of fish as and when required, two were delivered whilst I was on duty.

We had several visits from a pair of Water Rail and two Juveniles through the afternoon but they were so quick I never managed an image other than a tail entering the reeds.

Common Spotted-orchid, Path down to the Hides.

After leaving the centre on my way to Waderscrape Hide and my duty, I spotted this beauty at the side of the track and just could not resist taking an image.

Female Osprey keeping a watchful eye  on the young in the nest.

This was the view when I first arrived in the hide, the male was missing and the female watching the young. Then we suddenly had four Osprey fly into the bay and the female was immediately into the air leaving the young very vulnerable to attack.
  

Awful images but terrible light. These two intruders appeared to leave very quickly but the other two were hanging about even with the female pursuing them.

  

Then from where I'm not sure 33 arrived and saw off the remaining two intruders.

33 flying round Manton Bay after seeing away the intruders.

 Reed Bunting, Waderscrape Hide.

This bird has already lost some of its colour, this is something I have been told happens at this time of the year.

Young Moor Hen.

These young birds were about the channels still, one of the birds I saw on my last duty.

Fledgling Sedge Warblers.


Suddenly we had a commotion in one of the channels to the front of the hide and these two birds were having a serious fight. It carried on for about two minutes with the intention of one drowning the other.

  

This poor little drenched bird made it back to the reeds using an over wing action. Then it sat to dry out.





Thank you for your visit, I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I did in the getting of the images.