A VISIT TO KELHAM BRIDGE, RUTLAND WATER AND MY PAL REGGIE.

I met up with one of the gents from our local Bird Club who told me a Kingfisher was being seen on a regular basis at Kelham Bridge Reserve so I decided to have a quick visit to see if my luck was in. As I opened the window  in the hide the Kingfisher flew away but I had regular visits over the next 45 minutes, they are really such a beautiful little bird.

I then on the Thursday had a visit to the Egleton Reserve at Rutland Water, we are in the spell between Summer visitors departing and Winter birds arriving with just a few birds still passing through on the way South. I had an enjoyable afternoon and a good walk, this time without the rain.

I also had an e mail from my friend Reg to say he had a Tawny Owl in a tree in his garden, asking if there was any way to encourage the bird to stay. I put him in touch with the Hawk and Owl Trust {East Midlands} who appear to be keen to erect a Tawny box in his garden.

I visited on Sunday afternoon and after a considerable time I eventually managed to locate the bird sat in the top of a very large tree. It was a case of getting the camera on the tripod and keep moving around until I could get a reasonable image through a tangle of branches and leaves. I finished with the camera virtually sat vertical on my tripod with me on one knee, but at least I saw a Tawny.

KELHAM BRIDGE RESERVE.

11th September.

We had a reasonable afternoon with some sun and as the reserve is very close to home I was on site in a matter of minutes unlike some of my other excursions.

Male Kingfisher, Hide Two, Top Pool.

Upon entering the hide I had a quick look through the gap in the top of the window shutter and could see the bird, but upon opening the shutter the bird flew away, only to return a few minutes later as it did for most of the time I was in the Hide. A really wonderful afternoon.

He caught numerous fish, but as hard as I tried to get a flight image I had to admit defeat.
Will try again another day.

  

They really are such a flashy little bird, a delight to watch.

Grey Squirrel, Hide One, Lower Pool.

As much as I dislike the Grey Squirrel, its very difficult not to take an image. I visited the Hide to see what birds were about the feeders and only managed the Squirrel.
If I get them near the Barn Owl boxes I'm afraid they have to leave the garden.

SPARROW HAWK, OUR GARDEN.

12th September.

I was upstairs working at home when my wife called me to say have a look at the bird on the fence, so it was a case of get the camera, open the window and try to get an image or two.

Juvenile Female Sparrow Hawk.

I was lucky to get these images as she did not hang about very long and soon flew away.

Such a beautiful head.




Had a call from my friend Rhys to ask if he could putan image of the Sparrow Hawk on his Twitter page to which I agreed. He phoned me later in the day to say he had done this and had 44,000 hits on it and one from Chris Packham saying "Top Bird! Nice Pic" so thanks to Rhys.

RUTLAND WATER, EGLETON RESERVE.

13th September.

I arrived at the centre at approximately 13.00 hrs and after a quick chat and a check of any birds about I got underway to see what I could see, the truth being it was reasonably quiet as we seem to between birds going and Winter visitors arriving. I saw a few female Ruff who will be on the way South, they are left to fend for themselves by the males who head South once the young are hatched and the females follow on much later.

I had a visit around most of the Hides but nothing of great excitement was seen.  

,

Female Ruff, Shoveler Hide, Lagoon 3.

Most of these birds will be passing through on the way South to Africa and Southern Europe. Some however will over Winter in the UK.

Green Sandpiper, Shoveler Hide, Lagoon 3.

Another favourite bird but it was such a distance away so image heavily cropped.

Why is it when they come close they then turn there backs towards you, sods law.

Lapwing, Shoveler Hide, Lagoon 3.

Numbers of these birds are certainly building up as Autumn arrives.

Little Egret, Grebe Hide, Lagoon 2.

I was hoping to see the larger cousin but non showed whilst I was around. Some on Lagoon 1 but about 600 metres distant.

A VISIT TO REG AND JILL.

16th September.

I had an e-mail from my friend Reg to say he had a Tawny Owl in his garden and this was followed on the Saturday whilst watching a game of rugby with an invite to take some images for him and his wife, which I took the offer up immediately, not many chances to see a Tawny.

On arrival we walked to the tree and could see nothing of the owl but eventually after a considerable time I managed to find the bird, right in the top of the tree and very difficult to see through a tangle of branches and leaves.

So it was get the camera onto the tripod and try to find a way through the tree to get a reasonable image. 

This proved a challenge but eventually with the help of the bird I have the results below.
Whilst taking the images, we heard a second bird calling very close by.

Juvenile Tawny Owl.

Having eventually found the bird, this was one of the first images through the tree, it was a case of slowly moving the tripod to the left and slightly forward, then eventually.

Then the bird helped by moving slightly to its right.

It certainly had us spotted but did not appear at all concerned.

I can only thank Reg and Jill for this wonderful opportunity to see a Tawny Owl plus I got a cup of coffee and biscuits, and they are pleased with the images. I will give an update if a box is erected.



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

MY FINAL OSPREY DUTY FOR THE YEAR, A QUICK VISIT TO EYEBROOK AND AN AFTERNOON AT EGLETON RESERVE.

Always a sad time when the last Osprey duty comes around, the season seems to have flown by this year., with the young having been gone for several weeks the adult birds have just lazed about with 33 catching the fish and the female just having the odd fly about.

I was on duty singly as my usual co-host was at the Burghley Horse trials so I could be in for a busy afternoon, as it happened initially it was extremely busy then after about 16.30 hrs it went the other way.

I had one delightful family arrive, Mum, Dad and two young girls, so the normal starter "have you been before" the Mum answered no, we have come because my youngest daughter is totally besotted with Ospreys but has never seen one. Well we are going to see one today I said, so I pulled a chair up to the scope and said to the young girl {she was seven} stand on the chair and look through the scope, she won't understand you said the Mum, we are from Luxembourg, So the youngster got on the chair looked through the scope and we had floods of tears bless her, she was so delighted at seeing the birds it was lovely. 

Ospreys, Manton Bay, Waderscrape Hide.

Male nearest , this is where the pair sat most of the afternoon just letting the world pass them by.

Female with a very small fish she caught herself in the top area of the bay. 

Female Osprey on the nest with a gull on the camera post, not that long ago the gull would have been chased away from the young.

Both birds have since left Rutland Water and on the way to West Africa.
I wish them a safe migration and return next Spring and thank them all for all the enjoyment we have all had from them throughout the season. 

Adult Moorhen, Waderscrape Hide.

When I took this image we had no sign of the young and thought the Heron had been back and taken them.

Then they eventually returned later in the afternoon, the fourth is hidden in the reeds farther to the right. 

Juvenile Whitethroat, Waderscrape Hide.

This young bird kept appearing but never in an area where I could get a clear shot, so had to make the best of it with this image.

Douglas C47 Dakota, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

I could not resist taking this image even though the aircraft was a silly distance away, a serious crop.

EYEBROOK RESERVOIR.

I managed a very quick visit one afternoon, not much was about but I came upon a ploughing competition on my way home on one of the very narrow country lanes I follow.

I found six traction engines in a field cabling ploughs across the field, fascinating to watch.

Kestrel, Opposite to Stoke Dry.

I had just arrived and this bird flew towards me, so with no time to put the tripod out it was out the car and rest the camera on the door and shoot.

Osprey, Opposite Stoke Dry.

This is not the usual bird 03/2009, appears to be an unringed bird, not sure as it being one of ours or could be a Scottish bird heading South. 

Ploughing Competition, Near Stockerstone Village.

These wonderful old Traction Engines in full steam ploughing the field, you can see three more farther across the field, you can just see the smoke of the farthest, wonderful to stop and watch.

This is the plough the above engine had just pulled up the field by cable, just starting to return down the field, the three gents just give the weight to get the plough onto the ground where as it is pulled the plough pulls into the ground and the gent on the wheel keeps the furrows straight.

This Engine is opposite to the second at the top of the field and having just pulled the plough down the field the top engine is pulling and the cable is slack coming from the drum under the body .

A VISIT TO THE EGLETON RESERVE.

6th September.

I arrived at approximately 13.00 hrs and was greeted with a sunny sky, met up with my friends in the car park, we all booked in at the centre with David and got on our way through the Hides to see what was about.

By the time we had got to Sandpiper hide it was becoming cloudy but it was a case of carrying on and hoping the rain held off.

By the time we arrived in Shoveler Hide it had become very cloudy and we had lost  a considerable amount of light and after about half an hour it started spitting with rain so it was a case of getting back to the car park as soon as possible as none of us had any covers for the cameras. This we managed in fifteen minutes and were just in the cars when it began raining very heavily, a lucky escape.

Empty Osprey Nest, Sandpiper Hide, Lagoon Four.

This is the nest I saw 4K/2014 and his unringed female {possibly an unringed Scottish Osprey} sat on three weeks ago. Both birds have since headed South so another empty nest. Lets hope both return next year and raise some young.

4K has a satellite tracker and as I write this post he is in Morocco, 26 miles South West of Marrakesh, they most certainly cover some ground very quickly.
   

Female Ruff, Shoveler Hide, Lagoon 3.

Unfortunately the light was failing just prior to it raining but I could not try for images of the following birds, we had six Ruff about the area of the hide, these two were just over fifty metres away.

Such a delightful Wader. 

Snipe, Shoveler Hide, Lagoon 3.

Not in the numbers I had seen previously but still a lovely bird to see and photograph.
Again about 50 metres away.

Green Sandpiper, Shoveler Hide, Lagoon 3.

This bird was farther away and thus the image is considerably cropped.
Always a delight to see these birds, unfortunately it never came into the pool closer to the hide in fact after I took these two images it flew away. 

Great White Egret, Shoveler Hide, Lagoon 3.

This bird flew in just as it started to rain albeit a very fine rain, so it was a case of take the image and immediately head back to the car park which normally at a steady walk takes about 25 minutes, luckily I got back in 15 and just as I sat in the car the heavens opened and it poured with rain.
This bird was nearly 200 metres away but I decided not to wait for it to come any closer.



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