Feeding Station Photography

 Another beautifully clear and sunny day; at only 5C chilly in the hide, though.  It was very spring-like today with much bird activity and song.  It was fairly busy at the feeding station and I had three or four visits from the nuthatch.  I had set up a moss-covered log in the hope of capturing some typical nuthatch poses.  I'm pleased to say the tactic was successul.  I had also made up a patent fat mix using pulverised peanuts, meal worms and lard.  This was a definite success, especially for the long-tailed tits which love it.  Still no visit from the woodpecker, although i was delighted to have visits from wren and goldcrest.

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Blue tit

Blue tit

Great Tit

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Nuthatch

Nuthatch

Nuthatch

Robin

Robin

The Wood

The Wood

Snail

Snowdrops

Snowdrops

Snowdrops and Aconites

Snowdrops and Aconites

Visiting the Feeding Station.

It was a beautiful day on the 15th when I popped out to the wood to top up the feeders.  I had taken my camera with me and so decided to spend an hour in the hide.  As usual there was a lot of activity.  Again I could hear the jay screeching for most of the time I was there, but I couldn't tempt it down to the feeders.  The woodpecker came, though which was good.  All of the tits were very active and there were several visits from the pheasants.  The squirrels are becoming rather too confident, but hopefully the plastic anti squirrel dome is keeping them off the feeder pole.  It was good to see the snowdrops poking through.

Second Session at the Feeding Station.

On the 9th of the month I popped out to Scallows to top up the feeders and, as the weather was bright and breezy, I decided to have an hour in the hide.  There were all of the tit species buzzing backwards and forwards all the time with occasional visits by a robing, pheasants and nuthatches.  The male woodpecker came down almost straight away and a tree creeper was around most of the time searching for food in the crevices of bark.  The highlight of the morning, though, was the visit from a jay.  I was delighted with this.  I have heard them screeching in the wood, but never seen one at the feeding station.  For a large bird, though it was incredibly wary and I only managed a couple of poor shots; the one here is from a few years ago. 

First Session at the Winter Feeding Station.

On my second visit to top up the feeders at the feeding station, I noticed that already quite a few birds were coming down to feed.  In view of this I decided to take the camera on today's visit and sit to see what was coming down and also have another go with the new lens and camera body.  There were large numbers of tits backwards and forwards all the time: blue, great, coal and a few long tailed tits.  At one point they all scattered in a whir of wings and a superb male sparrowhawk streaked through the wood in front of the hide. If it is hunting round the feeders I may get some photographs this winter.  Another bird of interest spotted when I set the hide up again a fortnight ago was a tawny owl which I think that I disturbed in the holly just behind the hide.  I must keep my eye open to see if I can discover where it's roosting.

I am delighted with the new equipment; the 100-400 even with the 1.4 converter is very sharp.  As the weather was dull I had to use ISO 3200 which I wouldn't have contemplated with the old canon 7D but the Fuji coped admirably.  There was some noise but this was easily corrected in Lightroom.

Other birds that visited today were a robin, a few chaffinches and a single tree creeper which I took some shots of but unfortunately it is obscured slightly by an out of focus twig.
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First Session of 2019 at the Winter Feeding Station

It was well past time for another session at the feeding station so on  morning of 17th I set off for Scallows.  I enjoyed a relaxed start as I knew that the sun didn't get round to light up the perches until about 11.00 am.  I was fortunate in my choice of day as I enjoyed superb warm winter light all day. When I arrived the nut feeders were totally empty, although the seed feeders were still quite full.  My suspicions that squirrels were the culprit were confirmed when I discovered one actually inside the 'so-called' squirrel proof cage around the feeder - back to the drawing board.  As soon as I had set up my perches, and even before I had settled in the hide birds, were coming down to feed.  There was a constant to-ing and fro-ing of blue, great and coal tits with regular visits by nuthatches.  Although playing hard to get the male woodpecker paid several calls to the fat and, in the end, I managed a few shots.  I was delighted to see a wren on a few occasions, although it preferred to forage around the base of the rotted log on which I was leaning one of my perches.  A robin was an occasional visitor and chaffinches came and fed on the ground.  When I had eaten my lunch-time apple I threw the core out for the birds and almost immediately a blackbird came to feed.  It would be good to attract some winter thrushes as the winter progresses.  Several pheasants were entertaining; obviously keen to come and sample the wares but so nervous that they scurried off at even the slightest movement.

Being in the hide observing the life of the wood around me is one of the most relaxing occupations that I know.  As I sat there contentedly I enjoyed the clamour of the rooks as they busied with their nests in the meadow and a tawny owl called, presumably in the throes of attracting a mate and defending territory; the female will be on eggs in another month.  There are probably three pairs breeding in the wood and it would be satisfying to find where they nest to try and watch the young when they emerge and sit in the tree still fluffy balls of down.  The buzzard also drifted over the wood, its old nests in the larch trees just in front of the hide.  Hedgerow hazel bushes now have their catkins fully open, the lambs' tails blowing in the breeze, and snowdrops are pushing through the leaf mould soon to be in flower.

Another excellent day.