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.