A VISIT TO KELHAM BRIDGE AND THEN THE OSPREYS START TO RETURN.

I decided on Tuesday as the sun was shining, to have a visit to my local reserve at Kelham Bridge as people had been seeing some Willow Tit at the first hide. Needless to say I unfortunately did not.

I then carried on to the second hide where nothing much was happening, I saw two Little Grebes, that I personally find to be delightful, always very busy and not easy to get an image from as they appear to be continuously diving. After a short time three Buzzards appeared at a good distance away, I would have probably closer to them at home!!

After this I returned to the first hide for the rest of the afternoon but only the usual birds around the feeders. 

Little Grebe, Second Hide.
This is one of the two birds I could see initially at the far end of the pool, but these both moved slowly my way, eventually at speed, hence the bow wave in the rest of the images, 

The second bird coming into range. 

And then deciding against it and turning around to return whence it came.

Two of the three Buzzards, the third dived away steeply to the right and never reappeared.

This bird was reasonably pale, we seem to get a great variation in colour.

Great Tit, First Hide.


On my return I watched both Great Tit and Blue Tit feeding at the feeders. Only managed to get this image as they were so fast around the tree.

  

Grey Squirrel, First Hide.


Two of these little horrors were scavenging under the feeders with the occasional out break of hostilities between them. I am unfortunately seeing the odd one at home so with us having the Barn Owls, this will have to be moved on.

RUTLAND WATER.

LYNDON RESERVE,

Thursday 15th March.

Osprey monitoring was due to commence on Saturday the 17th of March at 06.00 hrs until the Manton Bay female [Maya] decided to arrive early on the 12th, thereby scuppering all the carefully laid out rota. The male 33/11 then decided to arrive on the 14th late in the afternoon. This is the earliest we have had Ospreys return, the earliest previously was the 17 th.  

So I had a quick visit on Thursday the 15 th and help one of the other volunteers {who was due to be on duty in the centre } at the hide for the afternoon shift. As I got away from home the sky was showing a reasonable amount of brightness and as I travelled  towards Rutland things were not that bad, but about three quarters of the way across it started getting very foggy with the odd spot of rain, not the best for getting any photo's.

I arrived at the Lyndon Centre , had a quick chat with David who was on duty who told me we had both Ospreys at the nest, he had also seen a Water Rail and a fleeting view of a Barn Owl on the far side of Manton Bay, not far from the Osprey Nest.

I booked in with Holly and Anya and then had a quick walk down the reserve with a very quick visit into Tufted Duck hide before arriving at Waderscrape where we have all the monitoring equipment with  the computer and large monitor so we and the public can watch these birds on the screen. It has certainly made life considerably easier when you can look at the screen instead of through the bins to see what food the Ospreys have returned to the nest with.

We had a most enjoyable session with a few hardy visitors due to the early arrival of birds, also with the weather luckily improving as the afternoon progressed from foggy with a little rain eventually getting somewhat brighter then some more rain just as we were leaving the hide.
As they say you can't win them all, but it would be nice to win one.

Cormorant, Tufted Duck Hide.


As the water level in the reservoir is virtually up to the full mark, the islands to the front of the hide are submerged and this bird sits on one of the stumps on the island.

This one appears to be standing on a rock.

Tree decorated with Cormorants.

Adult Male Mute Swan. Waderscrape Hide.

I took this image about mid afternoon just as it started to rain, you can see the spots.

Both Adult Ospreys, Waderscrape Hide.


This image taken when I first arrived, the fog was still reasonably dense so very poor image. The Female is closest and the Male {33/11} is farthest away.

Female after the male had decided to go and sit on a stump farther along the bay.

She then decided to have a fly about, the light was still very poor.
I was having to shoot at ISO 5000. 

Lets have a game of chase the Corvid. 

And she's had enough. 

Settles down for a rest.

Then a quick wash of the feet. 

Then back for a rest on the T post.

Male Osprey, 33/11 Waderscrape Hide.

All the time the female was chasing around the bay, himself sat totally uninterested on this fallen branch farther along the bay. Mind once they have eggs and young let something intrude into the bay, they will wonder as to whats hit them.

Heron, Waderscrape Hide.

This Heron flew by about 150 metres away, it was really other than the joy of the Ospreys return an afternoon with seeing other birds but not getting many images.

Barn Owl, Waderscrape Hide.

This bird had also been seen by the lady on duty in the morning behind the Osprey nest. I spotted it a silly distance away then it flew and sat on this post, on checking it was 650 metres away so not that bad an image for the distance. 

It then flew from the post and looked as if it was going to come that much closer, but this image as it turned away was still in excess of 500 metres away.




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


Unfortunately due to the light {or lack of it } at Rutland the images are not as good as I would have wished.

I think the Ospreys are thinking they should have arrived later with the weather we are experiencing at the moment, very cold and heavy snow.
If I had the choice I would have had remained in West Africa.