A Very Windy Day on the Bike

Out for a ride in the Lincolnshire Wolds today.  The cycling was made very tough with the very strong winds, although I was blown home.  Otherwise the weather was excellent with bright clear skies and excellent views.  I also saw some early daffodils in flower and my first snowdrops and aconites of the year.

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Snowdrops

Rothwell Church

Swinhope Church

Winter Fields.

Failed Attempt to Photograph Hares and Fieldfares.

I went for a drive yesterday in the hope of finding and photographing hares and/or fieldfares with a singular lack of success.  I did, however, manage to capture an image of a reasonably cooperative kestrel.

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Plenty of Activity at the Feeding Station.

I popped down to the feeding station to top up the feeders this morning and stayed for an hour's photography.  Unfortunately I missed the best of the light but activity was hectic.  Several blue and great tits were in and out and there must have been a dozen green and goldfinch.  Good to see.

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Female blackbird

Blue Tit

Female chaffinch

Goldfinch

Goldfinch

Great Tit

Great Tit

Greenfinch

Greenfinch

Hazel catkins or Lambs Tails

Long Tailed Tit

Robin

Wood Pigeon

Nuthatch Nirvana

As it was a good sunny morning I decided to visit a local woodland, Bradley Woods this morning.  It is an excellent site for nuthatches and coal tits among many other things.  There is an informal feeding station here as many visitors put out food.  I always take my own supply and set up perches where I want to photograph.  This morning there was plenty of activity with a constant stream of birds dropping in for food, often squabbling over it.

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Blue Tit

Blue Tit

Coal Tit

Coal Tit

Great Tit

Nuthatch

Nuthatch

Nuthatch

Robin

Robin

A Morning on the Coast

As the forecast was for sun this morning, I planned to pop down to the coast to try for the snow buntings that had been at Cleethorpes since before Christmas.  I nearly decided not to go as the promised clear skies didn't materialise.  I was pleased I did as, for a few hours the clouds cleared to provide lovely winter light.  I found a small flock of snow buntings as soon as I arrived but only managed one mediocre shot before they flew up to the other end of the dunes never to be found again.  All was not lost, however as there was plenty of other bird life about to occupy me.  I found a small flock of sanderling on the tideline that were much more cooperative and some brent geese allowed a reasonbly close approach.  I moved from here down to the Fitties where I managed to photograph redshank, turnstone and dunlin.  An excellent morning.

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Brent Geese

Brent Geese

Dunlin

Redshank

Redshank

Sanderling

Sanderling

Sanderling

Sanderling

Snow Bunting

Turnstone

Turnstone

Beautiful Afternoon Light at the Feeding Station.

I had planned to go to my winter feeding station at Lindsey Tree Services Woodyard this morning in order to check on the feeders and do some photography.  As it was dull, however, I opted to stack our new load of firewood and then packed myself up with some lunch and then went down for a couple of hours this afternoon.  The grey skies cleared to leave beautifully golden winter light - fabulous.  All the usual suspects were visiting frequently and the woodpecker came down three or four times but didn't stay to feed.  The most amusing occurrence was the sight of a moorhen trotting through and then back again; not something I expect to see at the feeding station.  It was noticeable that the hazel catkins or lambs tails are now lengthening and beginning to open up, suggesting that Spring is not far away, although I have no doubt that we have plenty of winter weather to come yet.

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Blackbird, female

Blue tit

Chaffinch, male

Great Tit

Greenfinch

Greenfinch

Greenfinch

Greenfinch

Log Tailed Tit

Log Tailed Tit

Moorhen

Robin