Pages

Notes on Use of This Blog


1. I have a policy that I always reply to comments on my blog, even if it's just to say thank you.

2. Please don't submit comments that include your own web address. For obvious reasons, they will not be published.

3. I'm now on Twitter - @RichardPegler1

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Gold - on 14th November, 2012

I've seen very few Goldcrests this year, so it was quite exciting to have one flitting through our garden whilst we were having breakfast this morning. There was no way I could have photographed it, however.

Weatherwise, the day started dull and grey, but it was not windy, so I set off for my local patch to try and sort out what might have happened at my Little Owl Site No.02, where there has been an intrusion recently. I'd been there the previous evening and seen an owl when it was almost dark. This didn't behave like the male bird (the one that is most usually out), and it left me curious.

Today, immediately I stopped the car, an owl emerged from inside the barn (it was the female), and promptly flew into the adjacent tree. It then flew off a few minutes later. I got out of my car and had a walk around - and disturbed the male bird from the same tree. I'm not keen on disturbing the birds, but at least I know that they are both still there. I now have to check on the bird that I found on Saturday - if I find it, it'll be my LO Site No.30.

As I got back in my car I heard a sound that I'd not heard for a while - Goldcrest!! There were two of them flitting about along the hedgerow, then up onto the barn roof, then back to the hedgerow. I have very few images of Goldcrest - the last being in March 2009 (when I also managed Firecrest and Black Redstart on the same day!) - so I set off along the hedgerow. It was never going to be a good session, because of the light levels, and it didn't help that I didn't discover until afterwards that I was shooting with 'image stabilisation' switched off. However, I did manage a few images.





Goldcrest - my local patch
I had to leave the area earlier than I would have liked as I was on my way to the butcher's, and was due back home before 11:00 as I'd promised to go for a walk with my wife. I was late, so we delayed the walk until after lunch!

My wife and I have recently taken out an annual subscription to Conkers, as we really don't enjoy country walks on paths strewn with dog mess. We have too many irresponsible dog owners in the local area. We spend all our time watching where we are putting our feet, rather than enjoying the views and birds. Conkers has a 'no dogs' policy. We had walk here today, and didn't spot anything very exciting. There was a Yellow-legged gull perched on a man-made perch in the main lake, and I photographed a Little Grebe. The light from the yellow leaves on the trees was reflecting on the water, continuing the 'gold' theme of this post.

Little Grebe - Conkers
On the way home, we called into the car park at the site of the old Oakthorpe Colliery. There were plenty of birds around, including a Goldcrest. Four Goldcrests over three different sites in one day is something that I'll probably never match again!

10 comments:

  1. Hi Richard

    Superb GC images, especially the first one showing a lovely pose and the fifth for it's stunning colours. Not easy to photograph at all! Had one in our garden on Saturday - my wife spotted it from about 40 yards!

    Bye for now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Christian. No, they're not easy as they are rarely still for a second. Always a joy to see though as, in spite of their head-on miserable appearance, they always seem such happy birds - or maybe that's just me!

      Delete
  2. Great captures Richard,one of my favourite little Birds.
    You win first prize,Gold.
    John.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes John, they're a favourite of mine too. Thank you ;-}

      Delete
  3. Great Goldcrest images especially given the light etc. As a dog owner i too hate the mess left behind by bad owners and those horrible plastic bags. Conkers sounds brilliant, wish more places would adopt a no dog policy, I as a dog owner would prefer places just for dogs, fenced off etc like they have in the USA, great idea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Doug. I do recognise that not all dog owners are irresponsible, but we do seem to have more than our fair share of bad ones in this area. Albert Village Lake is well known for turning up good gulls, but my wife and I went there on Sunday and it was (with no exaggeration), in places, impossible to take a step on the main paths without treading in the residue of dog mess! Revolting doesn't cover it! Then there are the people that, in some ways, are even worse because they know exactly what they are doing - these are the people that bag it up when they think that someone's watching, and then toss the bag into the hedge when they think that no one's watching! I'm afraid that bad dog owners are giving the good ones a bad name.

      Delete
  4. Brilliant GC images Richard, you did really well as I know too well how difficult they are to capture, always flitting around and never staying still.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Paul. Couldn't have done it with the camera on a tripod - hand-held is the only way.

      Delete
  5. I have seen a Goldcrest in my garden this week, impossible to get a picture of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They're certainly not easy to photograph Linda. Luck has a lot to do with it.

      Delete

Please Note: Blogger seems to be making it difficult for some (many?) people to leave comments on blogs, and also making it difficult for the recipient of comments to detect that a comment has been left. If you have any difficulties leaving a comment on the blog, please feel free to email me on richard@peglermail.co.uk. However, if you are solely trying to promote your own blog or business by leaving a link in your comment, it will be blocked. If anyone wants to find you as a result of a comment that you have left, they can do so by looking at your profile.

Please, Blogger, get this mess sorted out.