Some Highlights - 27th March to 3rd April, 2023

I am now starting to get more stable results with the new camera, although there is still a lot to learn, and I am taking whatever opportunities I can to try it out in different circumstances. Here are some of what for me were the highlights from this period, which class as such either because I am pleased with the photographic results or because I managed to catch something which, for me, was special.

Monday, 27th March                    Garden ; Saltersford Valley Country Park ; Thortit Lake

The moth trap went out on the night  of Sunday, 26th March. Technically, therefore, the results found in the trap the morning of 27th are recorded as being on 26th. The moth trap only contained 9 moths of three species - 1 x Clouded Drab, 7 x Hebrew Character, 1 x Oak Beauty. I took some 'formal' photos with the Nikon D7200 + Sigma 150 macro lens and then took the Oak Beauty outside where I used the Nikon set-up and the new Canon set up to photograph the moth on a leaf. The 'macro' shots from the new set -up were superior to those with the dedicated macro lens on the Nikon, and the moth was blowing around in a stiff breeze on a very dull day!

Oak Beauty (Biston strataria) (male) - from garden moth trap on 26th March, 2023

That afternoon I made a visit to Saltersford Valley CP. Very little was seen there. However, keen to practice the close-up aspects of the camera, I took a shot of a leaf! Strange as this might seem, I find the resulting shot aesthetically pleasing.

Leaf - Saltersford Valley CP

Not wanting to come away empty handed, I ended up with yet more shots of a Coot.

Coot (Fulica atra) - Saltersford Valley CP

Having found so little at Saltersford Valley, I decided to drop in at nearby Thortit Lake on my wy home. I found even less here, and had set back towards my car when I spotted a Buzzard through the trees, which departed away from me, but towards an open area. It took me a couple of minutes to get round to the other side of the trees, by which time it was soaring a few hundred metres away. I was, therefore, quite pleased and surprised to manage this shot.

Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) - from by Thortit Lake

Wednesday, 29th March                    Garden

We don't often get visits from Long-tailed Tit, but when we do it brightens our day as they are such charming creatures.

Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus) - garden on 29th March, 2023

Friday, 31st March                    Garden

Weather-wise, it was a dull, and often raining, day and I busied myself in my study, but did pick up the camera a few times to photograph the birds.

The most exciting visitor was a female Siskin. Siskins used to be quite common late-winter visitors to the garden, but have become rather scarce in recent years.

Siskin (Spinus spinus) (female) - garden on 31st March, 2023

We occasionally get visits by Jackdaw, but these usually arrive in one of our three mature trees and then depart again. On this occasion, one decided that it fancied our peanut offerings.

Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) - garden on 31st March, 2023

Chaffinch is one of our most common garden visitors, and so tends to be, undeservedly, overlooked. It is, nevertheless, a very attractive species in plumage and character.

Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) (male) - garden on 31st March, 2023

I have already stated my fondness for Long-tailed Tits, and we were getting regular visits from a pair of them, and came to the conclusion that they were probably nexting nerby. However, sadly, their visits now seem to have ceased.

Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus) - garden on 31st March, 2023

Saturday, 1st April                    Garden

We are still getting fairly frequent visits from Stock Dove, maybe on 50% of days. Sometimes it's one bird and sometimes it's a pair, and on a three  occasions this year it's been three. They are extremely nervous birds and depart at speed if they detect our slightest movement inside the house. This one was outside my study window.

Stock Dove (Columba oenas) - garden on 1st April, 2023

Sunday, 2nd April                    Dishley Pool, Loughborough ; Garden

The weather this day was, for a change, quite pleasant, and I was trying to think of somewhere that I could go that was not overrun with families with young children, dog walkers, etc. For many weeks, there had been reports of a female Ring-necked Duck at Dishley Pool in Loughborough, about 15 miles (25 km) from our home. As I do not do much 'twitching' these days, I had resisted the temptation to try and find this bird. However, I became curious as to what this bird found attractive in a place which is hard against a large commercial estate and, as I'd only seen Ring-necked Duck twice in my life, and both of those times it had been males, I decided it was time for a visit.

Arriving in the area, I found a large, and absolutely empty, car park and I then set off to the pool, confident in my direction, having studied the area on Google Earth. On reaching the south-west corner of the pool, there were a few Tufted Duck visible and a distant lone duck that I was not sure about, initially, as I am not familiar with the appearance of a female Ring-necked Duck having only seen an image in a book. I took numerous photos of this duck and, on reviewing them, came to the realisation that it was just a female Tufted Duck with a rather peaked crown and which seemed to have a white ring near the tip of the bill. This was confirmed when it came much closer.

Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) (female) - Dishley Pool

I started making my way along the north-western edge of the pool, stopping to photograph a Moorhen.

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) - Dishley Pool

About half way along this side of the pool, I found a fellow with a 'scope, and asked if he'd seen the Ring-necked Duck and he pointed out that it was in its usual area, right in the north-east corner of the pool, and showed me it in his 'scope. I got some very poor record shots at a great distance while we chatted for about twenty minutes, and then took my leave of him in order to take a stroll round the perimeter of the pool. Having passed the north-east corner and started down the south-east side of the pool, I found a spot where I could get a significantly closer view of the Ring-necked Duck, and in reasonable light too. I spent some time photographing the duck until it drifted further away and the light started failing. Here are a few of the shots that I obtained - probably the last time that I ever see this species!

Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) - Dishley Pool

I got home just in time to witness a Sparrowhawk visiting the garden and also a Comma butterfly landing on the trunk of our elder. I was impressed that I could get such a clear shot of the butterfly through the glass of our conservatory at a range of about 10 metres.

Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) (female) - garden on 2nd April, 2023

Comma (Polygonia c-album) - garden on 2nd April, 2023

Monday, 3rd April                    Garden

The Long-tailed Tits were still visiting at this time - I make no excuses.

Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus) - garden on 3rd April, 2023

A couple of days earlier, I'd seen reports of Bee-flies seen in the south of England. These harbingers of Spring are creatures which I find fascinating, so I was more than a little pleased when I found a couple in our garden on this fine sunny day. That long proboscis is amazing!

Dark-edged Bee-fly (Bombylius major) (male) - garden on 3rd April, 2023

 

I'll end this post here. My next post will probably feature a visit to Rutland Water. In the meantime, please take good care of yourselves and Nature. Thank you for dropping by - - - Richard