tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36439016571563575422024-03-13T09:12:39.644-07:00Stuart's Wildlife BlogStuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-23562838200441433362013-02-10T03:46:00.003-08:002013-02-10T03:46:41.076-08:00Barn Owls Again Since my last visit to see the Barn Owls I have been watching the weather hoping for a dry weekend with little wind but this just has not been the case of late. <br />
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Friday afternoon I checked the weather again and it was low wind conditions but grey cloud and a chance of rain. I decided it was worth the risk of the 4 hour round trip drive and just hoped it would stay dry. Saturday morning came and I headed north leaving both the rain and snow behind me. <br />
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As I approached the area i slowed down whilst scanning the fields for any signs of the owls. As I passed between two fields I saw a flash of white perched up right next to the road, great a barn owl perched up within meters of me. I had made a massive mistake though, the camera was still in my bag on the back seat of the car, why oh why don't I learn to keep the camera on the passenger seat where I can quickly grab it. By the time I got the camera bad off the back seat and the camera out of the bag the owl had flown off. <br />
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It didn't take long before I spotted the barny hunting in the field. I found a good dry spot to park this time after my last visit in the mud. Whilst sitting in the car watching the barny I also noticed a short eared owl hunting further down the field, my luck was in for a change. As the owls were still a little far off I decided to stay put in the car and just watch their behavior. The barn owl eventually perched up on a post not too far away so it was time to get out of the car and take some pictures.<br />
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It wasn't long before the barn owl started hunting again but this time right in front of me. This is the closest I have been to a wild barn owl and to watch them hunt so close to you is something rather special.<br />
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After approx 20 mins the barn owl then headed off to the next field. I returned to my car as I had parked in between both fields giving me a good overall view. Whilst watching the barn owl and short eared owl hunting I noticed another barn owl perched in the distance. It wasn't long before both barn owls were hunting with also two short eared owls at the rear of the field. I then noticed another barn owl perched on the hedge row and seconds after spotting this barny another flew into the field. I now had 4 barn owls and 2 short eared owls all hunting together in the same field. They were still mainly distant at this time so again I choose to stay in the car and watch them. The last pair of barn owls didn't stay around for long and some headed off leaving the original pair together. Again patience paid off as they started to hunt close by again and allowed me to get some further shots. </div>
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I had now been at the field for just over 1 1/2 hrs and had taken plenty of shots but as all good things have to end so did this. The rain came in and the barn owls took cover. The short eared owls gave one last appearance before they also went down for cover. </div>
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I sat in the car and had some lunch in the hope the rain would stop but it didn't so I headed back home but with a smile on my face. So was it worth the risk and the 4 hour drive, oh yes. Would I do it again, oh yes.Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-22110783059329404632013-01-19T04:48:00.000-08:002013-01-19T04:48:22.146-08:00Short Eared Owls AgainWith clear sky's and low wind predicted it was decided to venture up north to Worlaby Carrs. When we arrived there were 4 SEO flying around but they were all very distant on the other side of the field. We parked up and settled down in the cars waiting for one to come closer or even hopefully perched up. <br />
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After a few hours they started to come a little closer but still not really ideal. Eventually one Owl did however decide to perch up. A small drive down the lane and we were able to get a few shots, again it was some distance and as we got closer it decided to fly off :(<br />
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Things didn't really improve later in the afternoon as the owls were still favoring the middle of the field. I did manage a few shots thanks to Ken for allowing me to use the 300mm and the x2 converter to give me some extra reach. </div>
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I had the chance to visit Worlaby again later that week and was hoping to see them closer. Same routine, owls were showing at a distance :( </div>
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Just as I was thinking about leaving I noticed a single Shorty flying around close to the road at the other end of the lane. A quick drive down the lane and got out of the car holding the camera. The Owl was now hunting in a close by field but I decided to watch and wait. Eventually the Owl headed my way through the long grass. </div>
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It then decided to hunt right in front of me. </div>
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It was great to watch the owl so close hunting and flying around and also gave me the chance to get lots of shots. </div>
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The long drives and waiting in the cold really did pay off this time. Can't wait to have the chance to see the great owls again. </div>
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<br />Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-56671871223071661342013-01-01T08:56:00.001-08:002013-01-01T08:56:21.588-08:00New Years morning at Cannock ChaseAfter getting to bed at 2.30 am and drinking far too much on New Years Eve I forced myself out of bed and out in the cold for a few hours. The weather was good and we even had sun shine. <div>
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The light in the wooded area's can give the bracken a lovely gold color so this is what we set up for. </div>
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The usual suspect turned up as we were setting perches up. I never get tiered of photographing Nuthatches. </div>
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It was also a treat to have the Long-tailed tits turn up a few times.</div>
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We had spotted a pait of Jay's which kept coming close but never did come down to the seed. This wasn't helped my the amount of people walking and dogs but that's always the way on New years day. </div>
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A Treecreeper even gave us a quick visit. At one point he was on the perch we had set up but just wouldn't turn around to us. Oh well next time hopefully. </div>
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All in all a good 3 hours in good light and one less hangover at the end.</div>
Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-52481875716561851942012-12-28T11:18:00.000-08:002012-12-28T11:18:02.283-08:00Barn & SEO After checking the weather the night before it seemed like it was going to be dry and low wind. This meant one thing??? Owls.<br />
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After seeing lots of photo's from Lancashire and doing some research I had narrowed down a few places to visit and try my luck. <br />
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A early morning call from Ken and he explained it was raining :) I checked the weather online and it didn't look good so we decided to cancel the trip. After a cup of tea and strolling around the house I decided I would go regardless just to check out the area's I had highlighted. <br />
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It was 11 am before i arrived due to a accident on the M6 and I started my tour around the lanes of Lancashire. After talking to a few local walkers they all pointed me to the same location but nothing could be seen. The weather wasn't great and very overcast but at least it wasn't raining yet. I decided to sit tight in the car and around 12 noon I spotted the first SEO in the field on the other side of the road. The SEO was hunting around the opposite side of the field so I was unable to get any shots, a quick look at the sat nav I found a road that run along side the opposite side of the road. A quick 5 mins drive and on arrival the SEO was still hunting I was so pleased I drove straight into a small pull in which looked muddy but what the hell. <br />
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The SEO came close and I manged a few pics. It was only 5 mins later the heavens opened and started raining and it was time for the SEO to go back down to the long grass.<br />
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Whilst sitting in the car as it rained I noticed a white object in a barn close by. Could it be???<br />
A quick check with the bins and I confirmed it was a Barn owl. I was so excited as this was my first encounter with a wild barn owl and I had been after this for the last 2 1/2 years. I stayed put in the car watching the barn owl just sitting there quite happy. It wasn't long when the rain stopped again and within a few mins the barn owl took flight. To my great delight it started hunting in a small field right next to me. I was a happy boy to say the least.<br />
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The only problem was that within 5 mins it started raining again and the Barny headed off to another farm for cover. I stayed put for the remaining 30 mins but looking at the skies there was no chance of any further clear weather. Oh well I got some shots and found a new location.<br />
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I packed up the camera gear and started to reverse but this is when the problems started. In the hurry of pulling in into the small opening I didn't realize how muddy it really was. approx 15 mins later and lots of backwards and forwards I finally managed to get out of the mud. Lesson learnt for next time I visit (stay on the hard ground). <br />
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I will be visiting again in the very near future so hopefully a few more pics to add in the new year. Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-4285537485943363032012-12-15T09:09:00.001-08:002012-12-15T09:09:24.455-08:00Foxes Hi All<br />
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Over the last few weeks I have been spending a lot of my time photographing wild Red Foxes. Below is a selection of photo's taken over the last few weeks in different conditions. Just now waiting for the snow :)<br />
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<br />Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-74598153787413593332012-11-17T05:23:00.001-08:002012-11-17T05:23:15.696-08:00Waxwings Yes it's that time of year again when we all go made for Waxwings. After not seeing any last winter and hearing of some in Derby (Thanks Pete) I managed to get a few hours away from decorating.<br />
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<br />Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-60724550635459241532012-10-28T03:21:00.003-07:002012-10-28T03:21:52.948-07:00Stags, Owls and a KingfisherIts been a while since I last posted so here is a quick catch up of what I have been doing over the last month or so. <br />
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Following the Osprey at Upton things went very quiet which allowed me to spend some time around my local patch "Cannock Chase" where there is a small pond which usually produces some some Hawkers. This year was a lot better than the last two and there were plenty around. <br />
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As early October approached with the colder morning and the rutting season started it was time to head to Bradgate Park in Leicester. Early morning have a different feel to the place and the light can be really nice as the sun comes up.<br />
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A walk up the hill side also produced some nice close up shots of the stags.<br />
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<i> </i>I decided to see if the Kingfisher was around and after sitting in the hide for 6 hours we only saw her for a brief moment but I did manage a hover shot with a catch. <br />
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After seeing some great shots of the short eared owls Avonmouth I had to give these ago. The first visit provided some close fly by's and prob the best I have managed to date.<br />
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The following two visits were not as successful and there was no sign of the owls. At least the Kestrel kept us entertained in the freezing wind. </div>
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More pics can be found on my flickr site. </div>
<br />Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-24774154685955092882012-09-16T04:17:00.002-07:002012-09-16T04:17:20.594-07:00Osprey at Upton Warren Well after going to the Highlands earlier this year and having no luck with the Ospreys it was a delight when one was reported locally. <br />
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After seeing the first reports of it at Upton I was unable to visit until the following weekend due to work commitments, would it still be around by the weekend??<br />
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Lucky for me it was and as I write it is still showing well at Upton.<br />
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We got to Upton just before 9 am as it was foggy earlier in the morning. It wasn't long before a few regular faces started to appear (good to see everybody again).<br />
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The Osprey was regular on the hour from 9am till 2pm when I left and was fishing in variety of places over the sailing club.<br />
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The first few visits it fished closer to where we were stood but as the crowd of photographers grew it seemed to favor the middle of the pool more. <br />
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Ken had made a visit earlier in the week and got some nice close shots of the Osprey so he very kindly let me use the 600mm which made it a lot easier to get pics when it was more distant.<br />
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<br />Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-10055977204243227782012-08-27T06:46:00.003-07:002012-08-27T06:46:44.636-07:00Something DifferentAs it's that time of year when the bird's go quiet and there isn't much around to photograph I thought I would try something different. What I didn't know is that you have to get up at silly o'clock in the morning to photograph butterflies. <br />
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The alarm set at 3 am I was up early and the weather forecast was good so I headed to meet Ken. We arrived whilst it was still dark but by the time we got the gear together the sun was just coming up.<br />
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It didn't take us long before Ken spotted the first Butterfly, we continued to search and there was plenty. <br />
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When the sun first came up it gave us some really nice yellow early morning light.<br />
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<b><u>Chalkhill Blue</u></b></div>
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It was a steep learning curve for me on the different type of species there and it wasn't all that easy to spot them at first. </div>
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As the sun continued to rise we spotted more and more butterflies present.</div>
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<b><u>Brown Argus</u></b></div>
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<b><u> Small Heath</u></b></div>
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<b><u>Adonis Blue</u></b></div>
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Ken had warned me that the grass would be wet and tall in places so I am very glad I put on the waterproof trousers because by the time I had rolled all around the floor taking pictures I was soaked through.</div>
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As the temperature warmed up the butterflies became very active and more or less impossible to photograph so we called it a day. The best thing of it all was we had bagged up by 8.30 am and ready to go back home. </div>
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With a successful day behind us we opted to try again the next day with John but this time down Oxford. </div>
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YES another 3am alarm was set and I was driving south to meet the clan. This time we were not so lucky as it was very windy which meant the butterflies stayed low in the grass which made it more or less impossible to find. After several hours of searching all I managed was another Brown Argus and a Grasshopper.</div>
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<b><u>Brown Argus</u></b></div>
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<b><u>Grasshopper</u></b></div>
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Hopefully the weather is good next weekend so I can try again, but for now I am glad for no more 3am alarms. </div>
Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-3078928241818075482012-08-11T06:52:00.000-07:002012-08-11T06:52:05.719-07:00Quick visit to the HighlandsI had been waiting for this some time now and was really looking forward to it. After seeing some of the Osprey pics from a new hide in Aviemore it was decided we had to visit. Due to work and holidays it was decided we would make the 7 hour drive up north early Saturday morning and then return back home Sunday evening, "YES" we must be mad. <br />
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Early Saturday morning Ken and John arrived at my house where we loaded the car and headed north, the roads were quiet for a change and the weather was also good so we made good time and was in the Highlands for midday. <br />
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There were a few species I really wanted to see and if possible get some shots of, these included Red Grouse, Divers and of course the Osprey's.<br />
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We called into a few of the local lochs but there wasn't really much around apart from a pair of spotted flycatchers. Our good friend Pete had told me about another Loch not too far away so we headed off there in the hope of some Red Grouse. On arrival we spotted a Cuckoo perched on the wires but the heat haze was just too much to get any really nice pics. It wasn't long before we spotted three divers in the loch but they were a long long way off, after watching them for a while and taking to a birder with a digi he pointed out that they were Redthroat divers. Great to see although they kept their distance. <br />
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As we started to turn around at the Loch we spotted out first Red Grouse. We all managed to get some shots but again we were really struggling with Heat Haze. <br />
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We headed back to Aviemore where John knew a location for Red Squirrels. The reds showed well but the back ground and set up wasn't great so I didn't really get anything special but did manage one shot I liked.<br />
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It was now getting early evening so it was time for some Pub food. After eating we met up with Gordon so he could show us the Osprey Hide in advance of the early morning start. The hide looked great and I was now really excited. </div>
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A very early morning alarm went off at 3.45am :( to get ready for the Ospreys. By 4.30am we were at the hide where we met Gordon and two other photographers. By 5.10am the first Osprey was flying around above us so all was looking good. Ten mins later another Osprey turned up and and made it very clear he was going to dive and some point soon. The only big problem was it was still dark and even with ISO 1600 I only had a shutter speed of 1/40 :( </div>
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The Osprey dived and I tried for a few shots but as soon as I heard the slow shutter I knew they would be no good. Oh well it was still very early and the light was getting better every min so we just had to wait for the next one. A hour past and we hadn't seen another Osprey and nor had Gordon whom was on the look out from the car park. Whilst waiting I decided to take a few pics of the Grey Wagtail catching minnows from the pool. </div>
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We continued to wait several more hours and still nothing :( looks like they were just not feeding today. By 8.45am Gordon called it a day as he had not even seen another Osprey flying around. We couldn't believe it, this was the first time Gordon and his hide had not produced several hits in morning session, trust it to be me. <br />
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We were determined not to go home empty handed so after speaking to the other two photographers they told us about a location for Red Grouse. Looking at the map it looked like a little de-tour which we could take on the way home. We packed up the gear and headed off in hope of some Red Grouse. As we drove down a single lane and crossed a bridge, Ken shouted stop, "it was a Otter". We quickly pulled the car to the side and got the camera's but by the time we looked again it had gone. <br />
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Once we arrived at the Grouse location it didn't take too long before I spotted the first Red Grouse, well actually there was a family of about seven of them. We all got shots and continued to drive slowly and again within 5 mins we spotted more. This continued for the next two hours so in the end we all got plenty of shots .<br />
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It was now time to head home so off we went on the 8 hour drive hour :(<br />
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The Highlands is a great place and I will be visiting again in the near future but next time it will have to be for longer than just a weekend.Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-60400494561836230832012-07-15T07:20:00.001-07:002012-07-15T07:20:14.833-07:00Little Owls, Kingfisher and WoodpeckersKen, John and myself had arranged to visit Mark Hancox site to photograph some kingfishers. Due to the rain the week before it looked like we were going to miss out on the Kingfishers as the hide had been under water. We decided mid-week to go anyway and photograph some little owls with the hope that the water levels may fall and allow us to also photograph some Kings. <br />
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We met Mark at 7 am and by 8 am we were sitting in pop up hides waiting for the little owls. We could here a owl calling very close but it did take several hours before they appeared. At first the adult came down for approx. 10 mins and then one of this years young followed. It wasn't long before they both left again but we did manage a good 15 mins of photo's.<br />
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We continued to sit in the hides in the hope they would show again soon. Whilst sitting in the hides we had heard a green woodpecker and a spotted on several occasions but they were nowhere in sight. I heard the green again and a quick scan around and i noticed he was sitting on the posts. We rattled off a few shots and with John shouting "what are you taking pics of" we also pointed him in the right direction :) </div>
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Then out of the blue a spotted woodpecker landed on the same post for a few split seconds. I managed to take about 6 shots before the spotted returned to a nearby fallen tree.</div>
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This was amazing to see them together and I was chuffed to get the shot. <br />
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We sat in the hides for a few more hours in the hope the owls would return but they weren't playing ball. Mark arrived as planned and we asked if we could photograph the kingfishers and he said yes but the hide was still muddy and wet. I didn't care as this is what I really wanted as it had been 2 years since I last photographed a kingfisher. <br />
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On arrival to the hide Mark was waist deep in the water making sure the BG was clean for us, what a top guy. <br />
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I had several shots in mind and in particular the diving shots :)<br />
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It was only about 5 mins before the first Kingfisher appeared, by now the sun was out and it was time to try for the shots I wanted. Both John and Ken laughed as I was firing off the shots in attempt of the diving shot. It didn't take long before Ken saw some of my attempts and joined in on the fun. <br />
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Here are a couple of shots I manged in the end. <br />
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It was great fun trying for the dive shots but as they were perching so well at times it would be just rude not to take a few perch shots also.<br />
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Mark had explained that the Owls seemed to show well later in the afternoon so we returned to the hides again before leaving. He was spot on as we only had to wait a hour before the young showed again. <br />
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All in all a great day out and one I would recommend to anybody.Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-81779127627934782902012-07-09T08:51:00.001-07:002012-07-09T08:51:42.156-07:00Spotted FlycatchersI visted this site (Napton) last year in the hope of photographing some Spotted flycatchers but I was just a day late :( <br />
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After seeing a few pics posted I knew it was time to visit. Ken and myself arrived early and we had the area to ourselves which was a suprise. It only took about 30 secs before we spotted a pair of them. After watching them for a few mins it was obvious that they had a few fav perches, so we et up and started to get a few shots. <br />
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It was great to see them flying around and catching insects right infront of us at times. It wasn't too long before a few other togs turned up and it was great to meet Andy and also Dave Hutton again. <br />
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When I returned home and took a look at the images I was not that happy. They just didn't have the right bg and where just too far away. Now knowing the place and the behaviour of the birds I decided to give it another go on the Sunday morning. Ken very nicley let me use his 300mm 2.8 with the 2x which gave me the extra reach I needed. I concentrated on the particular shots I wanted and I think the results were good. <br />
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All in all a great weekend and another first for me. <br />
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Reed Warbler <br />
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The following week I opted to stay local and headed to Cannock Chase to see the Redstarts. Unfortunately both adults had left the nest site but the resident Nuthatches were still around.<br />
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After a few hours we moved location to a old site where I knew the Bullfinches may be around. It didn't take long before we found them.<br />
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More to follow later this weekend.Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-80573313386605419642012-06-07T00:46:00.001-07:002012-06-07T00:46:51.123-07:00Busy TimesAgain my full time job has not allowed me to post as often as I like but I have been busy at the weekends doing what I really enjoy (Taking photo's) <br />
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I made a few more trips to Wales to visit my fav reserve again (Gilfach) and also photograph the stunning Pied Flycatchers. This time I concentrated on the female.<br />
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I did however get a few males too. <br />
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Whilst watching the Pied Flycatchers I heard the sound of a Garden Warbler. After watching the bushes for some 30 mins it quickly apperared in the open and I managed a quick shot of this hard to photograph bird. <br />
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Later that afternoon we decided to visit Gigrin Farm as we were so close and it had been a few years since I last visited. It is still amazing to see so many kited in one area and also so close.<br />
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The news of the Bluethroat at my local reserve meant I had to pop in and see if it was still showing. When I arrived there had been no sign of it so it looks like I missed this one :( <br />
I did however find some other interesting subjects to photograph. <br />
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Fox cubs playing around the den.<br />
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A nice display from a Short Eared Owl.<br />
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And a Kestrel hovering above.<br />
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For the long weekend I headed off to Bempton to see the Gannets with ken and John. I had never been before so I really didn't know what to expect, but I have to say I loved it :) <br />
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I also managed a shot of the Razorbill which was happy to pose for me on the cliff edge. <br />
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The Redstarts at my local Cannock chase were starting to show well so it was time to visit them again. <br />
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Lots more photo's can be seen on my flickr <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sgwphotography/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/sgwphotography/</a><br />
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Off out tonight for the start of my new project (Badgers) so hopefully I will have some new pics to share soon, wish me luck as I think I am going to need it. Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-47401744150674498502012-05-06T08:10:00.000-07:002012-05-06T08:10:00.049-07:00Catch up again (Sorry)It seems I just don't get enough time just of late to keep the blog up to date with work commitments but here goes. <br />
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I quick visit to see the dippers in Shropshire and I was glad to see that they were still there again this year, its not the greatest spot for taking pics but its great to see them again.<br />
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A very very early start to visit Wales with the aim of getting some shots of the Black Grouse Lekking and it was well worth the early start. This was the first time I had seen these and it was just great to watch.<br />
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From here we continued on our quest to find the Dartford Warblers where we were also met by our good friend Pete. The Darford showed well and the light was also good so it made for some great photo's. <br />
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Since I have been doing so much travelling for work it was decided to stay local at Cannock Chase. I quick walk around and I managed to find myself a Treecreeper nest and also the first sighting of a Redstart this year.<br />
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Another visited to the Chase and I decided it had been too long since I photographed one of my fav birds; the Nuthatch. <br />
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Ohh and a few shots of a Robin that just wouldn't leave us alone.<br />
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I was working in Wales so I didn't need another reason to try for the Black Grouse again. The only problem was the fog :( <br />
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As the fog cleared I did manage a few Wheatear's though before leaving to get to the job site.<br />
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The weather forecast was good so where was I going to go??? Well I choose my fav place of all time and headed off to Wales again. I had seen photo's of the Pied flycatchers so was hoping for a good day; well what can i say,,, When you have Pied flycatchers feeding out of your hand you really can't moan.<br />
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We also managed to get some nice pics of the Siskin and Redpolls.<br />
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In the afternoon we headed off to get some shots of the Red Kites. I have been after a certain shot now for some time and still to get it but I will keep trying until I do. <br />
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Well thats it. I will try to keep a more updated blog in the future. <br />
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<br />Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-62874684499265595452012-04-07T03:53:00.000-07:002012-04-07T03:53:09.198-07:00Catch up time againI have been so busy with work during the week and photography during the weekend it has been a while since I have posted so here is an update. Sorry for it being so long and I will try to keep it updated regular. <br />
<u>Little Grebe and Hawfinch</u><br />
We decided to take a trip to Derbyshire to hopefully get a few pics of the Hawfinches which had been seen feeding on the ground. To keep a long story short we saw the Hawfinches but they never came down to the ground and remained high in the trees. Off to see the trusted Little Grebes for a few shots. <br />
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<u>Hawfinch's & Red Squirrel's</u><br />
Not giving up on the Hawfinch's we decided to head off to Cumbria. A very early start to ensure we were there at first light but it was well worth it. At one point we counted 9 of them feeding togther from the ground. This is the first time I have photographed these so I was very happy. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Following the Hawfinch we called in to see how the Red Squirrels were doing this year, again they didn't dissapoint. A great day all in all.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0lg0xPrTBE2VDywq8pJYtSqay3iSHqtLT8RT1bdYkkmyc8dczB2Zt730zPRwnXzm_VP_21Nhc1sc0VHpn9ofykQo743vUyrqLrV3F_33XQv2LQxkk8jUkqOUx7-aQhGFVRLSb4cTb7Di/s1600/IMG_5067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0lg0xPrTBE2VDywq8pJYtSqay3iSHqtLT8RT1bdYkkmyc8dczB2Zt730zPRwnXzm_VP_21Nhc1sc0VHpn9ofykQo743vUyrqLrV3F_33XQv2LQxkk8jUkqOUx7-aQhGFVRLSb4cTb7Di/s320/IMG_5067.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<u>Great Crested Grebe and Greylag's</u><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was deceided to stay local ish so we headed off in the hunt of getting some water fowl. I really like the Crested Grebes and the Greylags mating was a bonus.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvQhwdLiHEuHo2Q3fqv9ejFqrog4z44Q9jMaGrIGNJek58gg__hxkMmIZP0Wcc6UysoXTZp1MzzzbldBkMp2yevKXKn5eJOLIMGNGUDje94JMnMsh3o7fHCTDeb4GGBpUGbYpQRh3Ikiw/s1600/IMG_4130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvQhwdLiHEuHo2Q3fqv9ejFqrog4z44Q9jMaGrIGNJek58gg__hxkMmIZP0Wcc6UysoXTZp1MzzzbldBkMp2yevKXKn5eJOLIMGNGUDje94JMnMsh3o7fHCTDeb4GGBpUGbYpQRh3Ikiw/s320/IMG_4130.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Something a bit different</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Whilst walking around the chase I noticed some frogs in a small pool and thought why not.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZIj37_rB86LO26vYLKAV3blA6AJu-TxQ0A15XXZJ1j8DTFFqK4IycbRTebXwTFxSlkbPnG5JM1eAIRGXPY6NEBD71PA9pdOvVQUjWd6Aq9sWHe2UDVbzb1XsjCVw5ALC7XWgLmpNUlgq/s1600/IMG_5435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZIj37_rB86LO26vYLKAV3blA6AJu-TxQ0A15XXZJ1j8DTFFqK4IycbRTebXwTFxSlkbPnG5JM1eAIRGXPY6NEBD71PA9pdOvVQUjWd6Aq9sWHe2UDVbzb1XsjCVw5ALC7XWgLmpNUlgq/s320/IMG_5435.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><u>Peregrine Falcoln</u><br />
This was a very special day for me as I had never seen a Peregrine Falcoln up close nor had I photographed one before. The noise they made when flying past us was something I will not forget for a long time.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLO0u99C2ctweA_gaiVbu9pf4FCd_lQVcXNmXau_rWIo6S6B0qPE5BwI_UQaB9yh6VInDYSHLmDtNb6NTbgYgx1qQwT1ZiO9vvBRDbeNsV2gRK2VogjZ7YkFZV8BIG7oBZzm1U-2pVZ6gN/s1600/IMG_6833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLO0u99C2ctweA_gaiVbu9pf4FCd_lQVcXNmXau_rWIo6S6B0qPE5BwI_UQaB9yh6VInDYSHLmDtNb6NTbgYgx1qQwT1ZiO9vvBRDbeNsV2gRK2VogjZ7YkFZV8BIG7oBZzm1U-2pVZ6gN/s320/IMG_6833.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywV3A0UCiINzT9F5NPEWdw8kTZlKCCV0sOswNEWB6nVjIHDcfg5sl1-HZ68RL851SNziC1sUAmk-EsHRbENsKEouTL6po23JfUt7h_P89APxfcFRjWJZEUfLo3GDyGaNzDNu22_lWrbIU/s1600/IMG_6844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywV3A0UCiINzT9F5NPEWdw8kTZlKCCV0sOswNEWB6nVjIHDcfg5sl1-HZ68RL851SNziC1sUAmk-EsHRbENsKEouTL6po23JfUt7h_P89APxfcFRjWJZEUfLo3GDyGaNzDNu22_lWrbIU/s320/IMG_6844.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VtegPiwM7dcqM_cX8lDWxS6dW8uVMg6HxkfFh8kxLKNxtfNnS5bTO2muClr7sCD_0QnfoVi7ULqCuUOqTwrOZ0Q2T6rDRyf9x3HdwSo3FpuC_YqkK7GpoYT8QZKMSnZjxPwnFjWAwGMv/s1600/IMG_6853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VtegPiwM7dcqM_cX8lDWxS6dW8uVMg6HxkfFh8kxLKNxtfNnS5bTO2muClr7sCD_0QnfoVi7ULqCuUOqTwrOZ0Q2T6rDRyf9x3HdwSo3FpuC_YqkK7GpoYT8QZKMSnZjxPwnFjWAwGMv/s320/IMG_6853.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-63830731513123191932012-02-23T10:41:00.000-08:002012-02-23T10:41:12.770-08:00The last few weekends updateLast weekend was spent at Salthouse in Norfolk with the hope of getting some Snow buntings after reports that they were now showing very well. Within the first min of arriving we saw a large group of them coming down to the puddles and then onto to feed infront of approx 5 other photographers that had already set up. Great we were in for a good day. The sun was out but with the wind it made it very cold, extra layers were required whilst lying around on the floor trying to get some low down shots. Turnstones and two Knott's were also present which gave a nice variaty.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWd4yybt9HjAURdWqPuIRicVW6vZaUnG01pUuRLz1y2_4Ssa4vhFCq-lWDgaJV4hT6XXiigboQ4cJVtiEpFRzJ_OP39z1RQu5-fnTlHsbixhPusQWaCAE6JTrz5XtR7kP-kKF79maJqAeR/s1600/IMG_2668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWd4yybt9HjAURdWqPuIRicVW6vZaUnG01pUuRLz1y2_4Ssa4vhFCq-lWDgaJV4hT6XXiigboQ4cJVtiEpFRzJ_OP39z1RQu5-fnTlHsbixhPusQWaCAE6JTrz5XtR7kP-kKF79maJqAeR/s320/IMG_2668.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCLfJBMxTSbGe1qmLEhycZEKC2g52UqpHtezwAP3i5vp-ddMfu4fZG5sMlyqtyRhHirJp47ttvwxdfj5eJUnwfpM-0BkxORFM0uo0ksR4AdvXqgjIL3Fvu18osjG_6-8ErVQEI2JqBy0y/s1600/IMG_2759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCLfJBMxTSbGe1qmLEhycZEKC2g52UqpHtezwAP3i5vp-ddMfu4fZG5sMlyqtyRhHirJp47ttvwxdfj5eJUnwfpM-0BkxORFM0uo0ksR4AdvXqgjIL3Fvu18osjG_6-8ErVQEI2JqBy0y/s320/IMG_2759.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> After a hour or so of bagging some shots of the buntings along with a few Knott's and Turnstones we decided it was best to distance ourselves from the other photographers are try for something a bit different. A quick walk to the opposite side of the car park and we set up on the grass bank. It wasn't long before the Snow bunting were back along with the Turnstones & Knott. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfwNptgNWHWLFewjD9Q1vy5cFsr-u_9GwrYdh1hrebCtX7ASN_8sAvrTWeAmqzGUxL4KnkrWo1ta9is7m538xTBG4mq_0hj6hrAn24kd6R2eteMQ-ptJy5qMk6nuQx8iS6t1ggX264FAH/s1600/IMG_3092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfwNptgNWHWLFewjD9Q1vy5cFsr-u_9GwrYdh1hrebCtX7ASN_8sAvrTWeAmqzGUxL4KnkrWo1ta9is7m538xTBG4mq_0hj6hrAn24kd6R2eteMQ-ptJy5qMk6nuQx8iS6t1ggX264FAH/s320/IMG_3092.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> As the weather was so good I decided to try my hand at some inflight shots. I really never expected these to come out as good as they did. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNj6MAU80px-sbKDgIWxrlstMOzYXyd9IHLC6HCBt21_fBkpTR45Eo2ZeTvCmnhc8Sx-CQpXCt6RUm2F4p9fJaE-Fo7dDzEr4krhCLu93yiFp0tydvB97L1MPmEoYWf_4sjPx3f391-byp/s1600/IMG_3150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNj6MAU80px-sbKDgIWxrlstMOzYXyd9IHLC6HCBt21_fBkpTR45Eo2ZeTvCmnhc8Sx-CQpXCt6RUm2F4p9fJaE-Fo7dDzEr4krhCLu93yiFp0tydvB97L1MPmEoYWf_4sjPx3f391-byp/s320/IMG_3150.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintuJYl3sdRv-moNTS8d-mlmvmn7QYD18a7mR-Ku9Is1UVJUEXfnVKTGrJgryWbrGr3KCCXR1X09S5tWDiHSvmoKaVKqSsFZhTtx_DZr1RU4dOg6ZCpxA-2gBt3YUy55RxjmUTdADEUVLU/s1600/IMG_3138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintuJYl3sdRv-moNTS8d-mlmvmn7QYD18a7mR-Ku9Is1UVJUEXfnVKTGrJgryWbrGr3KCCXR1X09S5tWDiHSvmoKaVKqSsFZhTtx_DZr1RU4dOg6ZCpxA-2gBt3YUy55RxjmUTdADEUVLU/s320/IMG_3138.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>What a great day and one I will not forget for some time, only just wish I lived closer.<br />
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The previous weekend was spent local and I visited Aqualate Mere as I hadn't been there for some time and hoped that with some of the lake froozen I may see a Bittern. There was no signs of a Bittern but I did manage a few shots of a Water rail when it showed and we were lucky to have a Buzzard very close to the hide for most of the morning. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIf-3FabIAA-0T4Bt8Gl_taeujRiae4A9-LWMEoLFWZmRdc5Fzupt3H9esQuTMVsDx_wUIYnXsRJnFqHnyaFhL96Oev35edDuBkA4Ee2TcwCuIolbMAqPZ2TgCe_CYaRIsZNowmzlanOyF/s1600/IMG_2201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIf-3FabIAA-0T4Bt8Gl_taeujRiae4A9-LWMEoLFWZmRdc5Fzupt3H9esQuTMVsDx_wUIYnXsRJnFqHnyaFhL96Oev35edDuBkA4Ee2TcwCuIolbMAqPZ2TgCe_CYaRIsZNowmzlanOyF/s320/IMG_2201.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibK4vqPtc5fw4M9hfW2A2KK2GXxt-xr0pKzRRlDJ01Wj0u8_njqymatCXUah4PbHZWKgjkXvsr9EVu9TGDAlnhGfai8T7Nc0DZIR6nVf9iMk7WIHQhJzWAnBm9J-uu4efVxVLWufbp4gM5/s1600/IMG_2222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibK4vqPtc5fw4M9hfW2A2KK2GXxt-xr0pKzRRlDJ01Wj0u8_njqymatCXUah4PbHZWKgjkXvsr9EVu9TGDAlnhGfai8T7Nc0DZIR6nVf9iMk7WIHQhJzWAnBm9J-uu4efVxVLWufbp4gM5/s320/IMG_2222.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-30131272414196835412012-02-04T08:28:00.000-08:002012-02-05T05:42:26.582-08:00Right mixed BagOver the last few weeks I have not really travelled too far which to be honest with my work load has been a blessing.<br />
I did however drop onto a goldcrest last weekend which was not planned for. This is prob the first good shot I have got.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVzfJ3TnIOEyo-DGvnduUVPs7SgnzfXZFB1kY3ms6u_apfy6rrlpmRbm4MwdXEdzCF2K0Go7jxh8JfteRcBIyfxNvFF45_ugRvcU_e39vxfmVQOhDl4LxVK5iyB1Xthqdft4pXeKvGH5G/s1600/IMG_1084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVzfJ3TnIOEyo-DGvnduUVPs7SgnzfXZFB1kY3ms6u_apfy6rrlpmRbm4MwdXEdzCF2K0Go7jxh8JfteRcBIyfxNvFF45_ugRvcU_e39vxfmVQOhDl4LxVK5iyB1Xthqdft4pXeKvGH5G/s320/IMG_1084.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I also managed to get my first ever shot of a Muntjac which made a double for me.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfxxaD_b7VDm-I5Zwa-P0hPAiYvcg2Iwq6bMHo-9Dxsn5pJaVLlwmeHBcOHaFwNQOlqjfLIWqESJkaQ3PfO3NJJF5Ttyq_YT_1N8Mgfmf1iqCFI7IltVk452CqlCY2B8skJuUpwzauqENK/s1600/IMG_1356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfxxaD_b7VDm-I5Zwa-P0hPAiYvcg2Iwq6bMHo-9Dxsn5pJaVLlwmeHBcOHaFwNQOlqjfLIWqESJkaQ3PfO3NJJF5Ttyq_YT_1N8Mgfmf1iqCFI7IltVk452CqlCY2B8skJuUpwzauqENK/s320/IMG_1356.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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Cannock chase has been producing some great views of the Bullfinches and as I live so close I just couldn't resist with visiting a few times.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWC3NgB7okPLEaIWy4NmSNEXjVb5kCuQuN7387BX4NwbLfmwbulw1SI5J9bg303l5-_iaB_iHnW0RBOwu-xKIQz5gFuVRQ2uuWEG30Iuzq5I6fwrsMOxiR_JKEaL_yEw5jnV0bT7A50DYR/s1600/IMG_1751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWC3NgB7okPLEaIWy4NmSNEXjVb5kCuQuN7387BX4NwbLfmwbulw1SI5J9bg303l5-_iaB_iHnW0RBOwu-xKIQz5gFuVRQ2uuWEG30Iuzq5I6fwrsMOxiR_JKEaL_yEw5jnV0bT7A50DYR/s320/IMG_1751.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
LTT have also been showing well at the chase.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0984_GO9jtPmsHdObwfjO-VmdhkyvBA8djAUyKlaX4u7CbeY1jc8Xs6n3eQkskQkDcACcGm85xpxQH5dwF8D5UusVokz9TI7jc_Hs_SU9dzBjjXMVxhQMep4aGA81rvsDWz0xhRPImYE/s1600/IMG_1543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0984_GO9jtPmsHdObwfjO-VmdhkyvBA8djAUyKlaX4u7CbeY1jc8Xs6n3eQkskQkDcACcGm85xpxQH5dwF8D5UusVokz9TI7jc_Hs_SU9dzBjjXMVxhQMep4aGA81rvsDWz0xhRPImYE/s320/IMG_1543.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjY98hkoR8gFIgt6FMBEYpM0M0cVKFkzyUND8M9MgdRbW9lgv84flr8auCo4SybMY6xmbHoADcU0DJChoULeIhKOXEknKKgJpikiif6Kw_gJvNFaPlZtPfd3CMkExiT2TA8i10Z8m6fpHs/s1600/IMG_1480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjY98hkoR8gFIgt6FMBEYpM0M0cVKFkzyUND8M9MgdRbW9lgv84flr8auCo4SybMY6xmbHoADcU0DJChoULeIhKOXEknKKgJpikiif6Kw_gJvNFaPlZtPfd3CMkExiT2TA8i10Z8m6fpHs/s320/IMG_1480.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With the first snow of the year now here I hope to get some different shots tomorrow???</div>Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-79927978111667832052012-01-21T07:26:00.000-08:002012-01-21T07:26:59.177-08:00First Post of 20122012 started off slow as per last year. I spent five hours in a hide waiting for a Bittern which didn't turn up :( <br />
The following few weekends was a lot better though. <br />
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A few quick trips to the chase produced my first nice pic of a Yellowhammer perched off the ground for a change.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yPCZE6IOXA5Ap5RWTgaoDS00zAiQsk4NCTe5Fx6dT4yjGeIcsHYWaVNS9ePkKsV1W_bF7O0dWNYdiqANNfXTPdiMV56QkLK2ir_obuh-dHDazdXoY_hwlHM4oZ2CXxoeNcWs1YxTkmeX/s1600/6667557551_c4182e94d9_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yPCZE6IOXA5Ap5RWTgaoDS00zAiQsk4NCTe5Fx6dT4yjGeIcsHYWaVNS9ePkKsV1W_bF7O0dWNYdiqANNfXTPdiMV56QkLK2ir_obuh-dHDazdXoY_hwlHM4oZ2CXxoeNcWs1YxTkmeX/s320/6667557551_c4182e94d9_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The Saturday was spent at my local reserve Doxey Marshes which it located just off JN14 of the M6. I had seen a pair of Stonechats a few week ago there and they were showing very well so we decided to give it a visit. The male Stonechat is a great poser and a delight to photograph.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMF8jbbfiZnYBXlrdnXJfOWEkUS5wCqGWszQmDLtlhmRUdynNIUpfM3cIqq-55dppYEFuVm5Zl4Esrsh9yvIgiBfVbBWejmcbLxA_7iVzErGlO5-O0mAPZzMhJG9A8zSAEFicwR8k7tsk/s1600/6696027551_15961a86f4_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMF8jbbfiZnYBXlrdnXJfOWEkUS5wCqGWszQmDLtlhmRUdynNIUpfM3cIqq-55dppYEFuVm5Zl4Esrsh9yvIgiBfVbBWejmcbLxA_7iVzErGlO5-O0mAPZzMhJG9A8zSAEFicwR8k7tsk/s320/6696027551_15961a86f4_o.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The female also showed but was more distant.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TtJzhPqkrBp8n1wMdru392Kz-CltY_2tp3MFhqNkZKIMYrbbhC3rf0v4ceA13RzG6GHaJLV4tRJr21iLAbiy7NII5RV7D_Gv8Y6R9p80Phbfj2QVZ9m51viql3MG6bQX-DLKab7RqKGj/s1600/6696028409_9a080428b5_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TtJzhPqkrBp8n1wMdru392Kz-CltY_2tp3MFhqNkZKIMYrbbhC3rf0v4ceA13RzG6GHaJLV4tRJr21iLAbiy7NII5RV7D_Gv8Y6R9p80Phbfj2QVZ9m51viql3MG6bQX-DLKab7RqKGj/s320/6696028409_9a080428b5_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The following morning we decided to give Slimbridge and the Bittern another go. This time we didn't wait much more than 30 mins before two of them appeared. When I say they appeared they spent approx 3 secs each in the clear. I however did manage some shots which I am happy of. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSJLOBT1PQHCcHbbFphjgjhPJ97EMX4zrHfm853mt8wMgzIQVEKwrF34SKQWEONGGZcrUsliagFmJNo-X_5hN6U666q6956ZG5LHOdoNr9yI8tE38rdisI-_W9ttcaSbtBy94g20m_IQ_/s1600/6703378477_e065d4652e_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSJLOBT1PQHCcHbbFphjgjhPJ97EMX4zrHfm853mt8wMgzIQVEKwrF34SKQWEONGGZcrUsliagFmJNo-X_5hN6U666q6956ZG5LHOdoNr9yI8tE38rdisI-_W9ttcaSbtBy94g20m_IQ_/s320/6703378477_e065d4652e_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbX84P5srvtqgIMfGvSifgFmX4DVr4zuE0sFVzTuOEg9B-i2ATcRfJT0Qghx8agDvG_3BD1SvV25LC9ZmYPqFTUC0HgQm9ZZnkkX6_VNQFZryxtzKEGGC2jqVSiqJiuVSWqSCs4-Ndye4/s1600/6709803045_d5d1a59145_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbX84P5srvtqgIMfGvSifgFmX4DVr4zuE0sFVzTuOEg9B-i2ATcRfJT0Qghx8agDvG_3BD1SvV25LC9ZmYPqFTUC0HgQm9ZZnkkX6_VNQFZryxtzKEGGC2jqVSiqJiuVSWqSCs4-Ndye4/s320/6709803045_d5d1a59145_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguDtcnRE7rzaxwNoZ5ZBiAZgUB6D500ANjTp70Gxr4bSeRcfniIdvl7B6S_lKXy2XFKCV03840ABqlRwRilFBeyxEGooXjNtNUpR1EG1hboZ8gnheAxEMXFNamMXnBQdcE_sC_AHfbjKZ/s1600/6709803361_62cbd99ca2_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguDtcnRE7rzaxwNoZ5ZBiAZgUB6D500ANjTp70Gxr4bSeRcfniIdvl7B6S_lKXy2XFKCV03840ABqlRwRilFBeyxEGooXjNtNUpR1EG1hboZ8gnheAxEMXFNamMXnBQdcE_sC_AHfbjKZ/s320/6709803361_62cbd99ca2_z.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-62322190635826252142012-01-01T04:52:00.000-08:002012-01-01T04:52:36.175-08:00Quick review of 20112011 has been a great year for me in regards to photography. If you had asked me at the beginning of 2011 what photo's I was hoping for; then I would had never of dreamed to list some of the images I have managed. <br />
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Below I have chosen a few special moments from each month. <br />
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The year started fairly slow as it always does due the weather but during Feb I managed my first good shot of a SEO. A drive up north to Warbly Carrs where I met Pete proved to be the right choose. We both nearly missed the shot due to being the wrong end of the lane, all I remember was a walk turned into a stroll and then a jog and then a near full sprint. I will not forget that day for many years to come.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TSxgE_pLa64/TwBPgqMfAkI/AAAAAAAAAho/gXf4YEI0ckw/s1600/Feb+SEO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TSxgE_pLa64/TwBPgqMfAkI/AAAAAAAAAho/gXf4YEI0ckw/s320/Feb+SEO.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">During March I made my first ever visit to Norfolk as I was working on the east cost. I had a great time there although it was a very short time but following this brief visit I decided I would be visiting again several more times during the year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gfuY9RmCTjM/TwBQaiJXysI/AAAAAAAAAh0/lIQaPmvww7Y/s1600/March+Red+Shank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gfuY9RmCTjM/TwBQaiJXysI/AAAAAAAAAh0/lIQaPmvww7Y/s320/March+Red+Shank.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> April was a special month for me as I had the opportunity to photograph a lone male Dartford. I spent the afternoon in great company with some friends but the star of the day had to be the Dartford. What a great experience.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kYxWfocWtKs/TwBRANKVW9I/AAAAAAAAAiA/SsmQa8Yux3M/s1600/April+Dartford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kYxWfocWtKs/TwBRANKVW9I/AAAAAAAAAiA/SsmQa8Yux3M/s320/April+Dartford.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>May came and so did spring. This spring seemed to be a great year for Redstarts and before long everywhere I looked there seemed to be Redstarts. I really can't wait now until spring 2012 to see these guys again.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0dIO0uHMAmA/TwBRqscBC8I/AAAAAAAAAiM/M5zxEt4bLrw/s1600/May+redstart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0dIO0uHMAmA/TwBRqscBC8I/AAAAAAAAAiM/M5zxEt4bLrw/s320/May+redstart.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>June was a good month on my local patch Cannock Chase. I was told about a sighting of a tawny owl on the chase and a few hours after I was sitting beneath a tree watching this great looking Owl. This was a delight to see and espically as it was only 10 mins from my house. A few weeks later I was also lucky enough to see two young fledge.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aVhD0ps8pZQ/TwBSltqSKbI/AAAAAAAAAiY/FPZIGqh5eLk/s1600/June+Tawny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aVhD0ps8pZQ/TwBSltqSKbI/AAAAAAAAAiY/FPZIGqh5eLk/s320/June+Tawny.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>July is when it seems to go quiet on the birding front but this gave me time to spend with my foxes again. I spent several hours each early morning and late evening walking the chase to find some cubs. After about a week looking I was lucky enough to come across a den with good cover where I would hopefully get some photo's. On the first visit I was not disappointed. July also gave me time to visit the Red squirrels which is always a delight to photograph.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rmcyAiMNXfg/TwBTbop98EI/AAAAAAAAAik/pV3Y5FdpRpg/s1600/July+fox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rmcyAiMNXfg/TwBTbop98EI/AAAAAAAAAik/pV3Y5FdpRpg/s320/July+fox.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mJ8lm01eeEk/TwBTdB2RmDI/AAAAAAAAAis/nt05bjK2eRE/s1600/July+red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mJ8lm01eeEk/TwBTdB2RmDI/AAAAAAAAAis/nt05bjK2eRE/s320/July+red.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Looking back at my pics from Aug it seemed to be a quiet month, this is prob due to holidays etc. Aug whoever did bring the Swallows to Cannock Chase and they were quite happy to be photographed feeding the young. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8fpoG26Jwas/TwBUNljr2lI/AAAAAAAAAi4/OScLGnqWd_g/s1600/Aug+swallow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8fpoG26Jwas/TwBUNljr2lI/AAAAAAAAAi4/OScLGnqWd_g/s320/Aug+swallow.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>During Sep I made another trip to Norfolk but things were still quiet there. A little Egret at Clay marsh showed well but the highlight for me was when the Spoonbills flew straight past us.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SjQ3wQW-aMo/TwBUnY3xuwI/AAAAAAAAAjE/XyJ6P5BQ_jc/s1600/Sep+spoonbills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SjQ3wQW-aMo/TwBUnY3xuwI/AAAAAAAAAjE/XyJ6P5BQ_jc/s320/Sep+spoonbills.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Oct and time for the Bucks to show on my local patch again. A few early mornings produced some great light and this was a photograph I had been after for a while now.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B8MUKVmcw1s/TwBU6TxF7wI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/kXADduiCrqo/s1600/Oct+buck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B8MUKVmcw1s/TwBU6TxF7wI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/kXADduiCrqo/s320/Oct+buck.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Nov brought a surprise to my local patch again in the form of a Great Grey Shrike. On my third visit to the area and sitting away from the crowds the Shrike showed very well for me.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QD72xC4d4Ss/TwBVVVYVF5I/AAAAAAAAAjc/krSwxOfcufw/s1600/Nov+Shrike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QD72xC4d4Ss/TwBVVVYVF5I/AAAAAAAAAjc/krSwxOfcufw/s320/Nov+Shrike.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>December was all about Short Eared Owls, until now I had not got any good shots of owls in flight. I visited the site several times during Dec and must have hundreds of shots but always looking for that one which is better than the last. This was the perfect way to finish year 2011 off. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6VXPr0DmJEk/TwBV3ET-e4I/AAAAAAAAAjo/zGUTQ9v-a0k/s1600/Dec+SEO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6VXPr0DmJEk/TwBV3ET-e4I/AAAAAAAAAjo/zGUTQ9v-a0k/s320/Dec+SEO.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-65117287793549522002011-12-29T05:17:00.000-08:002011-12-29T05:17:34.040-08:00Christmas BreakOver the Christmas break I managed a few days out. Firstly I took the family to Donna Nook to see the remaining seals, all in all we had a nice day.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pOKRNo5z_Ds/TvxndIPMc9I/AAAAAAAAAg8/iClkDEyfl_g/s1600/IMG_7901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pOKRNo5z_Ds/TvxndIPMc9I/AAAAAAAAAg8/iClkDEyfl_g/s320/IMG_7901.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B497e_Mflbg/TvxnhUFifjI/AAAAAAAAAhE/FM-IHVcwp-8/s1600/IMG_8075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B497e_Mflbg/TvxnhUFifjI/AAAAAAAAAhE/FM-IHVcwp-8/s320/IMG_8075.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The following day I visited my fav place at the moment to see the SEO's again :) Sorry to bore you with more pics. The light wasn't great at all but it was great to see them again and this was the first time I have managed to get a photo of a owl with a vole.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l8Oc4DXYYTY/Tvxn2utk0HI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/rVzUEeB-vMI/s1600/IMG_8223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l8Oc4DXYYTY/Tvxn2utk0HI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/rVzUEeB-vMI/s320/IMG_8223.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> A quick few hours to the local chase where the norm birds where showing but I had to get a nice Robin as it is that time of year.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--bLP5fs8N1k/TvxoWOw1taI/AAAAAAAAAhc/3SbdFvwdPro/s1600/IMG_8500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--bLP5fs8N1k/TvxoWOw1taI/AAAAAAAAAhc/3SbdFvwdPro/s320/IMG_8500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-57166148367843509992011-12-19T04:51:00.000-08:002011-12-19T04:51:41.962-08:00A mixed few weekends.Two weekends ago I took another trip to see the SEO's as the weather forecast was good. On arrival the weather was good and there were perhaps already around 10 people there. A quick scan around and we noticed some familiar faces whom we hadn't seen for a while so it was nice to catch up with them. <br />
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By approx 2pm more and more people turned up to the point when there was approx 20 + people present. This didn't stop the owls showing but they didn't seem to come as close as the previous weeks. This was not surprising due to the number of people and the noise also. <br />
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The light did make up for this and this time I managed to get some shots at ISO 400 rather than the typical ISO 800 I had been shooting the weeks before.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4vxWKahW1ITENBkLfhCM1IlBkw4GcLpWy6-5IOdrCRZAFnF9ajfshlTJPi9LySe5haKenZGIfC4aUdWSxEXq9d1fdfuA6PUnPOohTmT2PEYAhSMH0wa20IsgdhYLGGE4H0piusqwqxiN/s1600/IMG_6610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4vxWKahW1ITENBkLfhCM1IlBkw4GcLpWy6-5IOdrCRZAFnF9ajfshlTJPi9LySe5haKenZGIfC4aUdWSxEXq9d1fdfuA6PUnPOohTmT2PEYAhSMH0wa20IsgdhYLGGE4H0piusqwqxiN/s320/IMG_6610.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajgE05IouSnzwox-wNcIpRYwoiQxmugsb99LyAQ6mrIsMbziL3xT5nZ3cCN9u-JdlGymRecUUBAnjgsgo1SfGYTarM-Jq8T5iFlgpizN-iiBWk3VLt_8tJ9OOyUQlJKrNNcGIa0s4rMNb/s1600/Owl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajgE05IouSnzwox-wNcIpRYwoiQxmugsb99LyAQ6mrIsMbziL3xT5nZ3cCN9u-JdlGymRecUUBAnjgsgo1SfGYTarM-Jq8T5iFlgpizN-iiBWk3VLt_8tJ9OOyUQlJKrNNcGIa0s4rMNb/s320/Owl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> More pics of the owls can be seen on my flickr site. <br />
<br />
This weekend the weather forecast was also good but we opted to visit my local ground Cannock Chase in the hope to get a few Redpolls and Siskin. I got up there early morning and the sun was out but we could see some bad weather coming in. In wasn't long before it started snowing heavy :(<br />
By the time Ken arrived the weather had changed again and it looked like we were in for some better. The next few hours were spent in sun, rain and hail :( along with our friends John and Trev :)<br />
<br />
Although we didn't see any Redpolls or Siskins and the light conditions being hard most of the time I was happy with the outcome.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxv4B1Oc_U3uV5Xf0rqH2mKWUcsIY2euHrP7vduAxW0UsHbRX5BrGQIiItpdwhnmVBbC5yPfxiZDguEKgSogiIsch2F_kDQn_co3Ss_V8wpAWwzp886YJy_eb4d1qLqvr7G7NmaDNJVKJi/s1600/IMG_6803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxv4B1Oc_U3uV5Xf0rqH2mKWUcsIY2euHrP7vduAxW0UsHbRX5BrGQIiItpdwhnmVBbC5yPfxiZDguEKgSogiIsch2F_kDQn_co3Ss_V8wpAWwzp886YJy_eb4d1qLqvr7G7NmaDNJVKJi/s320/IMG_6803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemsFiNjEjHLiKveYWVgm0iJvrKjg2f1egm4S3ZIX8tzPkfi_k148FFO5nE3KJKGvm5lTh44qaYE3NLZEl0J_8visSctUYrAvh0CeA-idx66FVUmHhHAjBmAGYNioxW-f4DLM27x6bWb5O/s1600/IMG_6841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemsFiNjEjHLiKveYWVgm0iJvrKjg2f1egm4S3ZIX8tzPkfi_k148FFO5nE3KJKGvm5lTh44qaYE3NLZEl0J_8visSctUYrAvh0CeA-idx66FVUmHhHAjBmAGYNioxW-f4DLM27x6bWb5O/s320/IMG_6841.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5uRX65-oAwl7FPpb0lw9Jo3mFRURe-bNmgJk0KaYLrBpQYXwrtjHTiHyTsur21VUePWC7dh5TAmoo3SfnG1HNU01hZvCi0rEJWoOMPtGg8r17wCCVff3axP0ngxZepdvbeHUozsABwvfN/s1600/IMG_7079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5uRX65-oAwl7FPpb0lw9Jo3mFRURe-bNmgJk0KaYLrBpQYXwrtjHTiHyTsur21VUePWC7dh5TAmoo3SfnG1HNU01hZvCi0rEJWoOMPtGg8r17wCCVff3axP0ngxZepdvbeHUozsABwvfN/s320/IMG_7079.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHbboghak2kYpJRnQ8AHEXSXbW3iRQ4ptschjic-9HXt95eSApjqSvZj7cAHtIdQx4PlKdEP1iqY9IYdbyE8LAPAzIJw0LI5Yw4sf33DC9_dOlcDakkIigOu3O-VFKOL_6ESEJqChyQ1v/s1600/IMG_7097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHbboghak2kYpJRnQ8AHEXSXbW3iRQ4ptschjic-9HXt95eSApjqSvZj7cAHtIdQx4PlKdEP1iqY9IYdbyE8LAPAzIJw0LI5Yw4sf33DC9_dOlcDakkIigOu3O-VFKOL_6ESEJqChyQ1v/s320/IMG_7097.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkGTTvbxEZvmUTzQ8JCuMmYegXG9h_D3P64IpkWnOv_MHaHhzcB1THxCMA06lWf5NCOtIo37g_DuKiWE7L7mLC9Wj5ltFu59cCJkaBAFTZuODj7M4WpCugtWDMSlgh6dpnj8UuVpxsxv-/s1600/IMG_7158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkGTTvbxEZvmUTzQ8JCuMmYegXG9h_D3P64IpkWnOv_MHaHhzcB1THxCMA06lWf5NCOtIo37g_DuKiWE7L7mLC9Wj5ltFu59cCJkaBAFTZuODj7M4WpCugtWDMSlgh6dpnj8UuVpxsxv-/s320/IMG_7158.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-8098066388494807262011-12-04T09:16:00.000-08:002011-12-04T09:16:26.834-08:00Woody and Short Eared Owls againAfter last weekends disaster we decided to visit the short eared owls again :) <br />
As we had a few hours to kill we opted to call into Whitacre heath to see if anything was around. On arrival there didn't seem much but a Great spotted Woodpecker was returning on a regular basis so we managed a few shots. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2y1yW5ZdM2aDhAQxTClE8-d5-Y9uMPwfNv1eAJCfnKFfXcELMBnlnRyMcg11AtDWcQtBabvJT6AR3__rJRHInYT2O-rnPio-XZAcGgBGbhoCbgOGfOEnixtQvBNu1cUuQyZX80tqXspDb/s1600/IMG_6114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2y1yW5ZdM2aDhAQxTClE8-d5-Y9uMPwfNv1eAJCfnKFfXcELMBnlnRyMcg11AtDWcQtBabvJT6AR3__rJRHInYT2O-rnPio-XZAcGgBGbhoCbgOGfOEnixtQvBNu1cUuQyZX80tqXspDb/s320/IMG_6114.jpg" width="256" /></a>]</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Around noon we headed off to hopefully see the SEO's although the wind was quite strong. On arrival we met with good friends Ian and Joe :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The sun was out but so was the wind. we waited with only a quick viewing of one before it settled back down. As Joe said the minute the wind died down the owls came out to play :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was prob the closest we had seen then and for the last 45 mins of light we were treated to some great views.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A few of my favs from the day. I just can't get enough of them :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQHe27Hkc0MSF0lsQ-lFoo4myt04MPNZ1CcMjikQqZmQny4ZBE9nqmFSzEo9STgIPLCt5_zcoQE0GfKHvTmHmjkgjnd3sGuQs3LHAZrxTa65hH0fADtl7gjH4EfjuKfCC-BcbzKbNNRF9/s1600/IMG_6243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQHe27Hkc0MSF0lsQ-lFoo4myt04MPNZ1CcMjikQqZmQny4ZBE9nqmFSzEo9STgIPLCt5_zcoQE0GfKHvTmHmjkgjnd3sGuQs3LHAZrxTa65hH0fADtl7gjH4EfjuKfCC-BcbzKbNNRF9/s320/IMG_6243.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrrES0BLR3-LZ__fI8lLCZFwL1FxGDYs1FRY2bqjEtrF7p7BAtWRPgGdP2PvfIgDnPzXYXu4h2Kz6QQQml4gezpExmYNChJT1Q0qiZpL9cL23UNjhc35kI1B6qEUwdQCKZvv-wi0pPX-S/s1600/IMG_6167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrrES0BLR3-LZ__fI8lLCZFwL1FxGDYs1FRY2bqjEtrF7p7BAtWRPgGdP2PvfIgDnPzXYXu4h2Kz6QQQml4gezpExmYNChJT1Q0qiZpL9cL23UNjhc35kI1B6qEUwdQCKZvv-wi0pPX-S/s320/IMG_6167.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXHhJOZEEuzW-hW2HxliCEg_8MmD573c6SVs8jyJTQ_DxWR2EX88zkMdd9f2y0dVT77qVwhsslrnUtKnaKB1f1w0VwnyOxWB-mMlMW6Rq6433T6CGLtArA55VtsMB0fF8v_8VTftxAcY3/s1600/IMG_6322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXHhJOZEEuzW-hW2HxliCEg_8MmD573c6SVs8jyJTQ_DxWR2EX88zkMdd9f2y0dVT77qVwhsslrnUtKnaKB1f1w0VwnyOxWB-mMlMW6Rq6433T6CGLtArA55VtsMB0fF8v_8VTftxAcY3/s320/IMG_6322.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-40726484098139944052011-12-02T11:38:00.000-08:002011-12-02T11:38:15.588-08:00Catch up time (but not alot)I haven't really had alot of time to post due to work commitments etc so here is a catch up from the last few weeks. <br />
<br />
Following the Short Eared Owl visit I was lucky enough to visit again a few times and the light was <br />
better whilst the owls also came a little closer.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSQx-EjhyBJYmMEuobDOBysxu_3dav5OV8IVs_VJqGbT3sPZmeQRL6EBawdZKeEB6zsCBNX2wwq_P0NdMEcaDXrnLitCl99lDjaW-3TfZTIXY0DXjDoC7J03Na9_ITr_-eS1UZIWu7MgF/s1600/IMG_5978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSQx-EjhyBJYmMEuobDOBysxu_3dav5OV8IVs_VJqGbT3sPZmeQRL6EBawdZKeEB6zsCBNX2wwq_P0NdMEcaDXrnLitCl99lDjaW-3TfZTIXY0DXjDoC7J03Na9_ITr_-eS1UZIWu7MgF/s320/IMG_5978.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The following weekend Ken and myself headed to Knypersley to hopefully get a few shots of the Bramblings. Upon arrival with met with Steve S and he gave us directions to where they were along with a few tips. We opted for the car park area and it wasn't long before we got to see the Bramblings through the bins. Trying to get good pics of them was another things though. This was the best I managed but hopefully more to follow soon.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKejBPANLiRhvgtmi1Jbij3cnoEkwS15PSS-2j5lVHexfPB9EkMuby1XoozrBDEdpt23cHqDw0WOnkZ64RCfAqpcnUyuT4CdgADeBTGxuhss9atNCoHyk6mjN4QF5ZQhG0iJyBR-uyxNp/s1600/6406953493_d2dac7a8a7_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKejBPANLiRhvgtmi1Jbij3cnoEkwS15PSS-2j5lVHexfPB9EkMuby1XoozrBDEdpt23cHqDw0WOnkZ64RCfAqpcnUyuT4CdgADeBTGxuhss9atNCoHyk6mjN4QF5ZQhG0iJyBR-uyxNp/s320/6406953493_d2dac7a8a7_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>On Sunday we decided to head to Conwy to photograph the snow buntings. This was a good idea as the sun was out but what we hadn't looked at was the 40+mph winds :( <br />
Ken took a walk to locate the snow buntings but came back "sand blasted". It was so bad he couldn't even keep his eyes open. <br />
A wait in the car and then a breakfast didn't help as the wind was still to strong and there was no chance of talking any pics. <br />
<br />
We decided to leave even though we hadn't even got the camera's out. A quick call into Knypersley again on the way home but yet again the wind was too strong and all the birds had taken cover. Oh well there is always another day I kept telling myself. Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643901657156357542.post-28259114136318371462011-11-19T02:21:00.000-08:002011-11-19T02:21:18.119-08:00Short Eared OwlsLast year I was lucky enough to visit Warbley Carrs to get a few images of these great birds but its a long drive. When I received info from some good friends that there were a number of owls showing more locally I just couldn't resist. <br />
<br />
I had not been to this site before and it was a few years ago since Ken also visited so we opted to park where Ken knew. On arrival we found ourselves standing at the opposite side of the field to our friends. Was this to be a good move??<br />
<br />
Whilst scanning the area with the bins I spotted a Barn owl inn the distance but it seemed very happy just sitting in the hedge. The sun was out and it wasn't long before Ken shouted Owl, I was so happy that they at least showed. More and more owls started to appear but they were still distant and favouring the other side of the field. We stood around hoping we would be lucky and one would fly our way. As the afternoon went on we noticed that some of the owls had moved to the next field and this was closer for us. I managed a few shots but they were still large crops. The good news was that there were plenty of owl and it was just amazing to see them hunting. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xT1w2KXN7g8vmvAHxxI56ACb8qC47Xzyw4abuVQR5JhqP5M-sV2HcmpB3FGCeXwU6Zyd7iNMqSnbTbSy_xNoqzLlmiZkZnYoVgzOrX4_G-X2kyp8GkuUkeXxWBLJQ4It3BdnAVzERZrk/s1600/IMG_5472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xT1w2KXN7g8vmvAHxxI56ACb8qC47Xzyw4abuVQR5JhqP5M-sV2HcmpB3FGCeXwU6Zyd7iNMqSnbTbSy_xNoqzLlmiZkZnYoVgzOrX4_G-X2kyp8GkuUkeXxWBLJQ4It3BdnAVzERZrk/s320/IMG_5472.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">During the week I managed to take a few hours off work and treat the wife to see the owl :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The weather was not as good as the weekend but I was hoping it would be quiet. This time I opted for the other side of the field and found the track to get there. We had only been there for approx 30 mins when the wife said "Owl". Great they were out again. They came alot closer this time and I managed some better shots. Again I could stand there for hours just watching them, what a great bird. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhh_w4CXybn2kQuz06US8lZNkupf5LtIhH0tikRqautTiqMZdTM0bIXFhslV2ME1KyODtgtfa8mBcQmPLzqe4E_BMVakI5dhXJLxBu_2SKhxEJJuImD9ka9NxnBKZXlobmMdPUdUIALvhy/s1600/IMG_5766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhh_w4CXybn2kQuz06US8lZNkupf5LtIhH0tikRqautTiqMZdTM0bIXFhslV2ME1KyODtgtfa8mBcQmPLzqe4E_BMVakI5dhXJLxBu_2SKhxEJJuImD9ka9NxnBKZXlobmMdPUdUIALvhy/s320/IMG_5766.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUbU1Zy4YERXK_o1l94q10qerjMROiuxvzipG0rYAycKjp5gQWHknUrWQsMlP6Dn64C0U9gA9wSttP9mixrUZnLzQa5sfXPOoTonMNbe45gXdKoe2jZJv2nahWN7g7ITGuKfqFX6jqz9M/s1600/IMG_5723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUbU1Zy4YERXK_o1l94q10qerjMROiuxvzipG0rYAycKjp5gQWHknUrWQsMlP6Dn64C0U9gA9wSttP9mixrUZnLzQa5sfXPOoTonMNbe45gXdKoe2jZJv2nahWN7g7ITGuKfqFX6jqz9M/s320/IMG_5723.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As i write this I am getting ready to visit again this afternoon, lets just hope for good weather and a close view of them. </div>Stuart G Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11367454635002349864noreply@blogger.com1