Feeding Station Setup
Each year I mean to install a feeding station for the local bird populations. This year I have finally gotten around to setting one up. With a myriad of birdlife getting ready for the winter it’s a brilliant time of year to set up feeders and also water sources for wildlife. Having gotten a great deal on some bird feeders me and my partner got to work. Note to self I should have built the reflection pool on site, not prebuilt as it was a bit of a workout carrying it to the final location. Using the materials already available on site we both got to work setting the feeders and reflection pool up. With many sightings of Great Spotted woodpeckers I installed an upright perch for them to land on when they come in to feed on the peanut feeders. I will be heading back this week to drill
Remotely Monitoring Nest Boxes
After having placed the nest boxes I got to work to build one more very large nest box for Tawny owls. This Nestboxes is not the traditional design for Tawny owls but having seen the success of those using a wider box design instead of the long tube shaped boxes I set to work. Again I took home some large pieces of plywood from work and by this time I had managed to get together enough wood for the larger build. This box would comprise of a large nesting area, a short tunnel-like entrance hole with a platform balcony for the young owlets to explore once they fledge. For future builds I will build a slightly shallower nest box so that the young owls will be able to stand up and see the outside world, this means they are less likely to fledge prematurely because of their curiosity of the
The Farne Isles Part 1
Recently I joined 7 other young wildlife photographers on a 3 day trip to the Farne Isles,Northumberland . The first leg of our journey involved a four and a half hour train journey from Kings Cross station to Newcastle and then on to another train to reach our accommodation. When we arrived Max opened his case to reveal a huge bag of cider, from that point on we just knew it would be an exiting trip. In the evening we all decided to walk down to the beach to photograph the glorious sunset and to get our bearings of the area. The sunset was as glorious as you could get, the light was beautiful and allowed for some really great photo opportunities. The next morning we got picked up by the taxi and we dropped of in the harbour where we boarded Billy Shiel’s boat trip and headed towards the
Bird Ringing
On Sunday I got the chance to help out at a local bird ringing session, my main job was to take photographs of the birds (especially close up head shots). It was a totally new experience for me because I am used to using the weighty long lens to photograph birds but this time, it was the complete opposite end of the scale. The lens in question was a macro lens, which would enable me to take really detailed close ups to show the beautiful plumage off, and to show the birds off it a different light. For me I want to create a story about the bird ringing and the process from start to finish,from catching the birds to the release. I shall be attending the ringing sessions fairly often now so I will release a full set of images later but for now this is what I achieved
A golden moment
Today was awesome, the sun was shinning and it was clear skies all day. Not wanting to miss this opportunity I set off up the top of my garden in search of some birds. And I was not at all disappointed when this charming little chappy danced around in the trees,from branch to branch. Having only had fleeting glimpses in the past, I knew I just had to get some pics of this amazing little bird. I played the Goldcrest’s song on my phone and he came within touching distance.He followed a clear routine of flying 10cm above my head, flew to the big pine and then into brambles. It a great challenge and I hope you like the pictures.