Little Brown Job

Microwave Meals For Birds

2009-11-21T12:32:00.007Z

Debbie has been making tasty bird treats for the last couple of weeks and they've been going down a storm in the garden. Here's how it's done...

Put a third of a block of lard in a bowl.

Add any bird seed mix into a shallow bowl along with dried mealworms and raisins.

Microwave the lard for 2 minutes.

Pour the melted lard into the bowl of bird food and stir.

Leave to set in a cool place for about half an hour.

It's as simple as that and the birds love it!

RSPB Old Moor & Park Springs

2009-11-16T13:59:00.004Z

Wanting to take advantage of the respite from the rain but not wanting to travel far, we popped over to RSPB Old Moor on Sunday to see what was about.

I must admit I was expecting the place to be full of waders by now but aside from the Lapwings, there wasn't much wading going on. The bird garden was as busy as ever but quite dark as usual. I had the Sigma 50-500mm with me for once and got nice shots of a Shoveler and almost managed my first decent shot of a Teal.

Bullfinch

Greenfinch

Chaffinch

Shoveler

Teal

Despite being frustrated by the distance between us and the birds, Debbie got some nice shots too with the 300mm lens which you can see here and includes a shot of a Robin that puts mine to shame!

We also called in at Park Springs but the light was fading, still managed a couple of shots while almost lying down on the feeding platform!

Mallard

Mute Swan Signet

Paul.

Portrait Of A Robin

2009-11-13T10:48:00.003Z

Spent a couple of hours in the hide this morning having got the day off work. There wasn't much about, a few Goldfinch and a Robin, although I did notice a Wren, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Blackbirds, Collared Doves and Starlings, all at the wrong end of the garden!

The forecast awful weather hasn't arrived yet but it does look like we'll be battening down the hatches over the weekend!

Paul.

Rodley Nature Reserve

2009-11-08T17:04:00.004Z

Visited another new site today, Rodley Nature Reserve, near Pudsey, West Yorkshire. It's a fabulous place and we were blessed with a Kingfisher appearance straight away, but sadly no sunshine.

Debbie got better shots of the Kingfisher today, getting to be a regular occurrence this, it's seems she can with a Canon and I can't with a Nikon ;-)

See more of Debbie's pictures here.

Paul.

Sandsend

2009-10-18T13:13:00.009+01:00

We had a ride to Sandsend near Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast yesterday, didn't go looking for wildlife, I was after beach landscapes but it was hard to resist!

Black Headed Gull

Oystercatcher

Oystercatchers

Black Headed Gull

Oystercatcher

Herring Gull

Even Debbie couldn't resist a spot of seabird stalking inbetween the black & white, beach and sky shots.

Thanks to Tony for the id - Great Black Backed Gull

Paul.

I and The Bird

2009-10-31T07:37:00.002Z

Many thanks to Thomas at Walk In The Wilderness for including me in the latest edition of I and The Bird.

It's cracking post showcasing 66 bird watchers from around the world, well worth checking out!

Mr Prickly

2009-10-05T20:15:00.003+01:00

Had an hour or so in the hide both mornings over the weekend but didn't get anything worth posting, lack of light rather than a lack of birds.

While I wait for that moment when I'm in the hide at the same time as the birds are in the garden and sun is actually shining, I thought I'd post this shot of a Hedgehog I got a couple of weeks ago.

This morning as Debbie dropped me off for work, a Weasel shot across the road in front of us and then during a walk round the industrial estate I saw a Green Woodpecker fly over the Fire Station. I did have a look round to see where it went but couldn't see anything. I've not seen one that close before and was amazed at just how bright the green is or maybe it was a Jackdaw that had fallen in a pot of luminous paint.

Paul.

Park Springs & The Dearne Valley

2009-09-21T19:36:00.004+01:00

There is more to the Dearne Valley area in Barnsley/Rotherham than just RSPB Old Moor as we found out on Saturday. The whole area is littered with ponds and lakes teeming with wildlife, we checked out two during the afternoon. First stop was at Park Springs which is a regenerated area of coal mining land just outside Grimethorpe (or Grimley if you've seen the film Brassed Off).

The pond/lake here is relitivley new but the number of ducks/geese/swans is execptional for such a small area and unlike the nearby RSPB resereve, you can get up close and personal with the wildlife.

Canada Geese

Park Springs

Mute Swan

Canada Goose

We watched a Kestrel for quite a while as it hovered in and around the reserve looking for lunch but it never came quite close enough or the right side of the sun for a decent shot. Another bird of prey also apeared high in the sky, can't be at sure what this was, could possibly have been the Kestrel again but it was much higher and never hovered.

Next on to a lake I've never been to which is in the Manvers area of the Dearne Valley and is right next door to Old Moor, here the wildlife is a little more spread out but the area is lovely to walk round on a hot sunny day. We watch a pair of raptors soaring high in the sky here too, again not close enough for a decent shot but they did have different markings to the high flyer at Park Springs. I'm think these could well have been Buzzards.

Dearne Valley

Juvenile Great Crested Grebes

Great Crested Grebe

More images here by Debbie, even a rare shot of the Little Brown Job himself! Back to work now but we've had a brilliant two weeks birdwatching!

Paul.

RSPB Fairburn Ings

2009-09-18T14:48:00.004+01:00

We payed a visit to RSPB Fairburn Ings yesterday, I've not been for years and was looking forward to seeing a good variety of birds. The morning was spent on an organised Kingfisher walk during which we managed to catch a glimpse of a splash of blue and orange whizzing through the air.

However, during the afternoon, now knowing where the Kingfisher hot spots were, we had a couple of wonderful encounters as well as taking in the rest of the Fairburn wildlife.

Blue Tits

Tree Sparrow

Tit (But which one, Coal, Marsh or Willow?)

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Chaffinch

Dunnock

Squirrel

Kestrel

Chaffinch

Black Swan

Kingfisher

Rabbit

Robin

Bullfinch

Debbie did really well with the 300mm lens, the teleconverter nearly ended up in the lake out of frustration (I couldn't master the manual focus either) but looking at these shots, I don't think the converter was missed!

Paul.

Mystery Warbler

2009-09-11T19:26:00.002+01:00

Warbler's, the ultimate little brown jobs! Yesterday I had the best view I've ever had of any warbler from the hide, just a couple of feet away and yet I still can't pinpoint which one it is, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff or something else?

If only it had sung me a song!

Paul.

Potteric Carr

2009-09-14T15:57:00.005+01:00

Visited Potteric Carr nature reserve yesterday afternoon, which is the flagship site of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. There was plenty to see and I suspect there will be plenty more as we head towards Winter.

Chaffinch

Shoveler

Great Tit

Rabbit

Juvenile Little Grebe

Tufted Duck

Great Crested Grebes

Cormorant

Squirrel

Robin

Squirrel

We almost got caught out, squeezing every last moment out of 'that' hide, I ended up having to sprint round to the entrance so we didn't get locked in!

Paul.

Askham Bog & North Cave Wetlands

2009-09-10T21:05:00.002+01:00

Yesterday we visited two of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's big five, Askham Bog and North Cave Wetlands nature reserves. Both were easy to find and both were fantastic.

On the YWT website Askham Bog is touted as the place to find rare wild plants and I wasn't expecting too much in the way of birds but the place is possitivley teeming with little birds such Great Tits, Blue Tits and Long-Tailed Tits. I only managed one shot but it's more the potential of this site that draws me and it's a beautiful place to boot.

I was expecting good things from North Cave Wetlands and I wasn't disappointed. I've never seen so many geese and Lapwings in one place before, the place was bursting at the seems with activity.

The geese were fascinating to watch, some were doing forward rolls and kicking their legs in the air while floating on their backs while others were going for what looked like a take off then nose dived into the water then flipping over before disappearing under the water, absolutely hilarious!

There are 3 birds hides, all of which offer great views and are the best maintained hides I've ever been in. Access is great, there are no high fences so you can get a good view of any of the lakes and there are a few small ponds you can walk right up to. I didn't get that many decent shots of the wildfowl, they were mostly a long way off, I shall return with the big lens and a tripod.

Debbie got some great shots of a Redshank and Little Grebe which you can see here.

Paul.

RSPB Old Moor

2009-09-08T17:34:00.005+01:00

A few images from a quick visit to RSPB Old Moor yesterday afternoon.

Breathe In

Breathe Out

Loch Ness Monster

Looking For The Fish

Who Stole All The Fish

You Lookin' At Me?

Debbie tried out her new Canon lens while we were there, it's a huge improvement on the Tamron one that went back. I'm itching to have a go with it, shame it won't fit on my Nikon! Please do take a peek at Debbie's shots here, some cracking images of a Grey Heron for someone who's still on the steep DSLR learning curve.

Paul.

Breary Marsh & Adel Dam Nature Reserves

2009-09-07T19:53:00.005+01:00

After seeing a fabulous post from Kirkstall Creatures, Debbie and I set off yesterday to try and find Adel Dam Nature Reserve. We got lost! As advised by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust web site, we parked at one of the Golden Acre Park car parks but the bloke in the visitors center gave us directions for, as it turn out, Breary Marsh, not Adel Dam.

Taking advantage of the that I'd got the Sigma 50-500mm lens, I took a couple of shots as we trudged round the pond there inbetween checking Google Maps to see where Adel Dam had gone.

Moorhen

Female Mallard

Male Mallard

Possibly Female Tufted Duck?

I worked it out eventually but not before getting very frustrated with the whole situation! Debbie drove us round to the other car park and from there we finally found our way there.

It ended up being a bitter sweet visit, the wildlife was fantastic, Debbie saw her first ever Kingfisher and Fox and I got my first every shot of both.

Kingfisher

Grey Heron

Fox

The problems started when we got home and uploaded Debbie's shots and found that hardly any were worth keeping. The problem was the new lenses we got a few weeks back, Tamron 28-300 which had been throwing errors on Debbie's Canon since day one and we've both had problems getting decent pictures with it.

Today the lenses have gone back to Jessops (who incidentally said they'd been recalled) and Debbie now has a new Canon lens while I've dug out my Sigma 70-300. Debbie's new lens (with UV filter) worked a treat during a try out at RSPB Old Moor this afternoon.

Paul.

RSPB Blacktoft Sands

2009-09-02T19:22:00.003+01:00

Only an idiot would go to RSPB Blacktoft Sands and leave the 500mm lens at home, that idiot would be me! Still, one or two birds did just about come within range and the Marsh Harriers put on a great show.

Little Ringed Plover

Redshank

Male Marsh Harrier

Female Marsh Harrier

Hoping to go back again soon but with the big lens and also combine the trip with a visit to North Cave Wetlands.

Paul.

The Return Of The Birds

2009-08-29T18:52:00.003+01:00

After what seems like an eternity, this week the birds have started returning to the garden. Starlings, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and House Sparrows have all dropped in over the last couple of days. Had a couple of hours in the hide this afternoon but I don't think it was as busy as it was this morning. Depending on this evenings beer intake, I may try again at dawn tomorrow.

Goldfinch

Juvenile Goldfinch

Starling (From the kitchen window)

Paul.

British Birdwatching Fair

2009-08-22T19:10:00.003+01:00

Well, we went, we saw and we roasted at the British Birdwatching Fair! It's been a red hot day and each of the marquees was like a sauna so I didn't get to see as much of the exhibitors as I would have liked, it was unbearable in there. Egleton Nature Reserve itself though was excellent, there were Dragonflies and Damselflies everywhere and the Osprey gave us a show, even if Debbie did get better pictures than me ;-)

Here's a few of my images from the day.

Kestrel

Osprey

Great Tit

One of the lagoons at Rutland

Dragonfly ready for take off

Damselfly

Paul.

Sparrowhawk

2009-08-20T19:31:00.003+01:00

Hardly any birds at all in the garden for weeks and tonight we had a Sparrowhawk taking time out on our fence.

I've done some clearing up round the wildlife area, I think it got just a bit too overgrown for the birds and was allowing the local cats to use the dense foliage as cover. Slowly but surely the birds are returning as Summer draws to a close, I'm looking forward to spending some time in the hide over the Autumn and Winter months.

We're off to the British Birdwatching Fair this coming weekend, I'm really looking forward this, I've not been for a few years. At least I'll have some pictures to post while the garden bird activity recovers!

Paul.

Pants

2009-08-01T20:19:00.003+01:00

Been to RSPB Old Moor today, a combiniation of shooting in raw and in naff light seems to have resulted in images which can only be described as pants. I don't think I'll be bothering with raw again, I'll just let the camera get on with the processing, it's better at it than I am!

Little Grebe

Mute Swan

Lapwing

Hoping for better weather tomorrow to shoot some landscapes for a change, as jpegs!

Paul.

RSPB Bempton

2009-07-26T14:08:00.003+01:00

Visited RSPB Bempton yesterday for the second time this year, still alive with seabirds of all shapes and sizes.

We were supposed to be spending the day at Ravenscar so I'd only got my 18-200 lens with me which was fine when the birds came close enough to the cliffs but those further out or on the cliffs were a struggle.

I also stuck to shooting in manual mode (but still autofocus, I'm not mad), this worked as long I got the exposure spot on or below the ideal. More than 80% of yesterdays shots have been deleted due to being over exposed. I was going by the light meter readings the light kept coming and going, catching me out all the time.

Gannet

Herring Gull

Juvenile Kittiwake

Herring Gull

Gannets

Gannet

Little Brown Job!

Thanks to Pete for the id - Wheatear

Paul.

Lotherton Hall - Manual Practice

2009-07-23T09:52:00.003+01:00

Had a day out at Lotherton Hall yesterday to practice shooting in manual mode for the first time outside the garden. The light was all over the place, bright sunshine one minute and cloudy skies the next. Eventually the darkening sky gave way to frequent showers and we had to abandon our tour of the floral gardens for the second time. At least we managed to get round the bird garden before the weather beat us.

At the last minute before we set off there, I ditched the 18-200 lens and picked up the 50-500 which did come in handy for a couple of shots but I do find it really cumbersome when using hand held and with no case was a pain to keep dry under the brolly when the rain came!

I don't think I did too badly, a couple of the images are a little on the dark side but with fast changing light conditions and dark shady enclosures, it was a baptism of fire. I did find I was changing iso and/or shutter speed with almost every shot which would have been easier with the smaller lens as would have been checking the exposure meter which I largley ignored.

Shot everything as jpegs and used the Nikon D90's Active D-Lighting to fix some shots like the Snowy Owl and Picasa auto contrast on some others.

Paul.

Greenfinch & Bird Stalkers

2009-07-20T15:40:00.002+01:00

Spent about 3 hours in the hide today but there just isn't much about at the moment. I think one of the reasons may be this...

I need to get my hands on a water pistol to scare the local cat population away from my mini nature reserve. A couple of them have taken to hiding in the vegetation waiting to pounce and the other week one of them must have got lucky because I found a dead sparrow.

On a brighter note, a Greenfinch did drop in for a while along with a couple of Goldfinch, however, the Goldfinch just stuck to the feeders and the shots didn't look right.

All the above images were shot in manual mode, something which I'm just starting to explore having used aperture priority for over a year. While I do have to check my settings more often, I'm finding it much easier to get sharp shots. The big test will be under tree cover where that dim green light seems to cause havoc with the meter readings.

Paul.

Tropical World

2009-07-14T18:43:00.002+01:00

Visited Tropical World in Leeds on Sunday, more for butterflies than anything but they did have a few birds, not half as many as they had the last time went though.

Don't think we'll bother with this one again, there is a similar type of place in Sheffield called Tropical Butterfly House, more expensive but more to see.

Paul.

Retrun To Flamborough

2009-07-12T17:08:00.004+01:00

Had a great day out of Flamborough on the Yorkshire coast yesterday with Debbie and Lucy. The plan was to walk from Flamborough to Bempton but I think we had underestimated the distance, number of steps and the heat! We turned back after a while and spent some time on the North Bay beach instead. I must admit I was sceptical about the chances of getting any seabird shots from down there but I couldn't have been more wrong!

Puffin

Puffins

Puffin

Gannets

House Martin

Kittiwake

Everywhere I looked there were Puffins and Kittwakes, my two favourite seabirds and walking down the beach, a Puffin flew past me every few seconds. Then there were the House Martins, fascinating to watch as they flew up to the nest with food for all the family. It was an amazing day!

Paul.

To Raw Or Not To Raw

2009-06-26T21:22:00.003+01:00

No, not like a Lion, like a camera! For the last 18 months I've resisted shooting in raw for the following reasons.

1. I don't like faffing about on the computer.
2. Instantly halves the number of pictures I can fit on a card.
3. When I first tried in camera editing on my D90, it ate all my pictures.
4. I don't manipulate my images much, aside from cropping and contrast.

I gave it another go last weekend, early morning in the hide with the sun coming right at me so the resulting images were all partly in shadow. I've just got round to loading the images and have processed them.

Now don't laugh, but I use Picasa 3, it's free and I like it! This shot of a Female House Sparrow has just had the auto-contrast and the fill-light treatment to sort out the shadows and to my untrained eye it looks good enough for me.

The ease with which I can muck about with the images in Picasa and then undo everything is great. So for now at least I'll stick with raw images and see how it goes.

Paul.