Weekend photos

Just a bunch of bits and bobs over the weekend.
As usual click on the photos or here for larger versions and more photos.

I spent some time by the Kent at the bottom of Sedgwick Saturday afternoon. Settled in by the river I had a couple of Pied Wagtail come in nice and close.


After enjoying the Wagtails for a while I moved up from the river bank into the field, initially spotting a pair of Blackcap that did a disappearing act on me before I could get anywhere near a photo, but I did get a Willow Warbler in the same bush.


I then turned my attention to the skies with a mixed hirundine flock, first of the season so shaking off the rust a little - especially the House Martin but as I had the full set I wanted to include it anyway.


I then picked up an early Swift among the hirundines, it was only a couple of weeks ago I was taking photo's of Fieldfare & Redwing just a couple of hundred yards away from this spot.


Sunday morning I saw a Siskin on the feeders again with the Goldfinches, so while the weather stayed dry I decided to see if I could get a photo of one. I had a few practice runs with a Goldfinch, but the weather turned decidedly damp before the Siskin showed again.

A thrush sort of a day

I had a thrush sort of a day yesterday.

I glimpsed, or at least I thought did, a Siskin (not a thrush I know) on the feeders in the garden. I grabbed my camera and settled down in the car on the drive to see if I could get a shot of it. All I got in half an hour was a Blackbird, so I decided now that I had my camera out that I'd have a look at Sizergh, see what was about in the car park.

Blackbird in the garden

In the event I never made it to Sizergh as I bumped into Fred Gould on route, scanning a field which as it turned out was full of thrushes. I stopped for a bit of a catch up with Fred and the thrushes seemed quite unfussed about our presence, if anything coming closer as we chatted, so I grabbed my camera and settled down for some photography with the Thrushes. They were mostly Fieldfare with a couple of Redwing and the occasional Mistle Thrush thrown in. I really noticed how variably marked the Fieldfare were, with some well coloured and marked individuals, presumably coming into breeding plumage, while others were quite pale and less marked in what I took to be first winter plumage.

Fieldfare showing the variation in plumage


Redwing and Mistle Thrush remained a little more distant.

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Red Squirrels

Spent a very pleasurable, if somewhat fresh, couple of hours with the Red Squirrels at Shap Wells this afternoon.

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