Week commencing Monday 11th February 2013
'To photograph flowers you need a Golden Eye...'
Monday 11th February
Well, so it was once said...
Birding seems to have dried up here in Yorkshire just a little or perhaps I'm just not at my best, not the birds. I know one thing, it's so cold I can't get warm if I stay outside too long. The camera must be feeling neglected!! So this afternoon I started something I planned to do this spring: photograph snowdrops in the garden. We have over a dozen different varieties in the garden now but it is hard to photograph them and show their individual characteristics. Backgrounds are another issue: you want to remove any distracting elements. I'm using a black scarf by the way!
Here's a few of my early attempts plus a couple of other early spring specials.
Galanthus nivalis - the common single snowdrop
Galanthus nivalis 'Flore Pleno'
The common double snowdrop multiplies so quickly it is almost as common as the single snowdrop. You have to look inside snowdrops to appreciate their subtleties.
One of the most famous cultivar snowdrops is S. Arnott - a very tall, large flowered snowdrop.
Galanthus S. Arnott
Also in flower on this cold February afternoon was this seedling of daphne mezereum. Self-sown this is the uncommon white form which occasionally appears on our front rockery as a seedling, descendant of a plant we once bought. Daphnes are short-lived shrubs but they do self-seed in the right conditions.
Daphne mezereum f. alba
Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Postill' or Paper Daphne. Exquisitely scented.
Oh yes, remember at the beginning I said you need a golden eye? Well, here's one!
Photographed at Saltholme 7th February 2013
Thursday 14th February
It's funny just how often I set out to see one thing and end up seeing something completely different. This day was to be spent walking the beaches of Cleethorpes in search of the widely reported 30 snow buntings. I did know a Black Brant goose had been reported on Tetney Marshes but I assumed this would be a needle in a flying haystack job. However en route the pager said the goose was on pools at Humberston Fitties. Whatever they were.
So I set off to try to find these pools. There were signs to Humberston Fitties to my surprise. It turns out that it's a large caravan and dacha park [little old cabins of dubious weather-worthiness]. There was a RSPB sign too and loads of dog walkers. Oh well, I parked, looked around and spotted some Brent geese on the far side of the lake. I set off with scope and so as not to disturb the geese I watched from a distance. Must have been 60-80 geese. No sign of a Black Brant. Then more came in in batches ranging from 3 or 4 to 60 at a time. Soon there were hundreds of them milling around. And yes, I found my first ever Black Brant. I took my eyes off him on purpose to check I could relocate the bird and hadn't fooled myself. This adult is still there as I write [16.02.13] - no doubt pleasing a lot of Lincolnshire birders.
After walking the dunes and scanning the sands for snow buntings fruitlessly I returned to the car. I could scarce believe my eyes. A lady was feeding ducks and black-headed gulls by my car and, in a puddle at the front of my car was a very nice bird. I opened the back end and got the camera as quietly as I could. Nice one, Mr. Ruff!
Diversion!
Half way to Cleethorpes I pulled into a lay-by as I had heard my pager 'beep'. 'Waxwings on Beckfield Lane, Acomb, York.' I texted my wife who went up to the berry tree on the corner of Norman Drive and Beckfield Lane. Then she went home for the camera. Here are a few of her snaps!
There was a fieldfare in the berry tree: he tried to chase the waxies off until he was outnumbered!
I like the composition. Twins!!
These 2 photos are across the road from our house.
Finally this one is the best of the bunch when things got over-excited as they landed in the Christmas tree in our back garden. Our very own waxies!!
Friday 15th February: one of those special days...
On my way out to the main road I stopped at the berry tree just to have a look. I wasn't disappointed.
Looking for some easy year ticks I headed for Scarborough, sure the fulmars would be back in residence on Marine Drive. Luxury seaview apartments for rent!
The peregrines and fulmars seem to cope living close by. Perhaps you don't attack your neighbours - or there are plenty of pigeons still!
Next stop because I just can't resist the temptation, Holbeck for the Mediterranean gulls. How many different ones can you spot? I think there are at least three. Adult:
Sub-adult. Notice the black.
Another: different leg colours.
They are dominasnt, aggressive birds. They can seem very long-necked when they wish to impose themselves:
Filey Dams was hosting a slavonian grebe so I hoped, given the small size of the reserve and the placing of the two hides, to get close views. The grebe had other ideas and stayed as far away as possible. Resolutely, even after two precious hours.
So it would be Hornsea Mere final stop to try to find the black-necked grebe. I never did find it but birding being the wonderful thing it is you never know what's going to happen next [just like cricket really]. And happen it certainly did. I spotted a flock of about 60 barnacle geese in the fields across from the bungalows, if you know where I mean. After a while I noticed a small group of birders in the little bay to the right of the entrance. The bay that backs onto the houses where the canada geese often congregate to be fed. I strolled over.
'Have you seen the bittern?' one chap asked.
'No,' I said almost disbelieving as I saw where they were looking.
Another man said: 'Have you seen the water rails?'
I shook my head.
'Follow me. There's six of them.'
I followed him. I never saw six but I did see three at once running round a very wet field, disappearing into the hedge and running out again! Full of the joys of spring. Totally changed my image of water rails.
I walked back to the bittern for another look.
A quiet man I have often seen on my travels began to pack his scope away.
'Good old Hornsea Mere,' he said.
I agreed. Good old Hornsea Mere.
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