God its been a while

It has been some months since I last updated this blog, I have been so busy with the Exhibition Budgerigar Forum (www.exhibitionbudgerigarforum.co.uk) But I thought it time I updated with a few images. have taken up a new form of photography (for me any way) Macro, I purchased a Sigma 105mm lens and off I went. This is by far the hardest type of photography I have attempted, I needed to do this when I was younger, my poor old knee is killing me with all the kneeling that is required. I took a few images to begin with that were rubbish, and decided I needed to take my time. Today i went to a local lake to suss out the Damsells, here are a couple of Common blues.



Common Blue Damsell

Its been a while

Its been a while since my last post, I have been quite busy, what with judging on the Continent and in America, processing many images from the BS World Budgie show, and setting up with a few Budgerigar society members an online budgie forum http://www.exhibitionbudgerigarforum.co.uk/ so I am afraid I have been neglecting my blog a little. I hope now that will change.

My patch is starting to get busy again with a few birds coming to the feeders. I am pleased to say that I have seen all four of the weaned Kestrels, with one actually staying on the patch, so that's good news for next year. I have made a few alterations to the feeding station recently, firstly I have fenced off the area so the horses, which now number five cannot eat my offerings, especially as I saw around 200 Fieldfare on the patch last week, so any apples I put down to attract them wouldn't last five minutes.

Fenced in.


Although I have the large pond behind the feeders, I decided to create a small pond closer to the hide, around ten feet away, I am hoping this will allow me to get some images of the birds bathing or drinking. I used the kids sandpit we had for the Indian Runner ducks, a quick coat of paint to help it look more natural, a bit of digging ( I really am getting too old for this now) and a few strategically placed logs and it was completed.

Sand pit

Pond.


It took a day or so before the new pond got used, but today it did as this Goldfinch came for a drink, I am looking forward to seeing more soon.

First visitor.


The Sparrow Hawk paid a few visits also, four times he swooped in for a meal and on each occasion he failed. He looks like an immature male, he will get more accurate soon, then the little uns will have to watch out. On one attack he came so close to the hide, I swear he was less than a foot away from my face.

Male Sparrow Hawk.




I had a couple of hours in the hide this week and it was cold at times, I must be getting soft because this week I laid out 50 quid for a heater. At least I got a few shots with a promise of much more to come.

Another Major award

For the fourth year in succession, my budgie partners and I won a major award at the Budgerigar Society World show. To say we are pleased is understating the situation greatly. Our grey hen was awarded Best Opposite sex any age, this matches our achievement of 2009 when our Yellow Face Spangle hen won the same award.

Best Opposite sex grey hen.

Red Tailed Hawk

Heerman's Gulls

Bad news

You will remember me telling you about the injured male Kestrel, I have been wondering what may have happened to him for some time, my last sighting was when he was sat on the cattle feeding trough with his right wing hanging down. Today I visited my hide and for some reason that I do not know I decided to look under it, and to my amazement I found him, well what was left of him anyway. What a tragic end to such a magnificent creature. I can only assume that a rat came across him and killed him, it is over 100 yards from where I last saw him to my hide.

Very sad


In his prime

Here they come

It was only a matter of time before the birds started to visit my hide again, I have not been putting a lot of food about but I have kept a couple of wire feeders topped up with nuts, and one with sunflower hearts. I arrived to find them all empty which was no surprise as I have been away for a week or so, but it was pleasing to see the birds come in as soon as I filled the feeders.
The blue tits were the first quickly followed by the Green finch.
Blue tit

Green Finch

Chiff Chaff


Nice to see so many juvenile birds around, although I guess they will get thinned out a little as the Winter goes on. I became aware of a movement in the Hawthorn hedge to my right, at first I thought it was a Squirrel as the branches were moving more than they did with the smaller birds, it turned out to be a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker, she took a peanut and disappeared, how lovely.
Juvenile GSW

Here are a few of the birds that appeared in my short time at the hide.



Jenny Wren

Not quite sure what happened to this Black bird but if he is on the pull tonight I reckon he will be unlucky.

As you might guess it was not long before a squirrel paid a visit, he looked very contented sitting in the hedge chewing my nuts, and I was visited very briefly by another little mammal when this Field Mouse almost showed.

You can't see me, right?

All in all a very satisfactory couple of hours. As I walked across the field back to my car the sky was alive with House Martins, feeding up before their long trip to Africa, as I passed a high Hawthorn hedge I disturbed a Sparrow Hawk, I assume he was in waiting for his chance to snatch a House Martin, one little bird had a reprieve if only for a short time.