There's a snake in the office

It's happened again (see post from two years ago): a Grass Snake found its way into our office today. After yesterday's heavy rain and hail showers, it's no wonder it preferred a nice, dry building.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM or Canon Powershot A640

There's not much in them there hills...

Yearning for Ring Ouzels and suchlike, we headed for the hills this morning. This is Deacon Hill, near Pegsdon in Bedfordshire:




Regrettably, there were no ouzels, no redstarts of any variety and no Wheatears. Our best bird was a fly-over Curlew. There was a nice view from the top (Sandy transmitter and Little Barford power station visible through binoculars - a distance of 18 miles), but not much to see on the way up and the way down.

We also dropped in at Sharpenhoe Clappers, but there was even less to see there.

After discarding our crampons and oxygen cylinders, we stopped off at Rookery pit, where we failed to see three Ruff. 'Best' bird was what looked like an Argentine Bluebill, which, in case you're unaware, has (in proportion to body size) the biggest penis of any bird (20cm!). And no, we didn't see it.

Good storm-clouds, though

A whole new ecosystem in a bit of discarded carpet

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

That takes the biscuit

I'm all for feeding the garden birds, but this is ridiculous...

video taken with Nikon Coolpix 995 + Leica Apo Televid 77 with 20x eyepiece

Who finished off your apple core?

My colleague Lucinda was the former owner of the apple core. She lobbed it into the rhododendrons. Later on, I watched a Muntjac deer pick it up and continue eating where she left off.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Fowlmere

We went to Fowlmere this morning, before it started raining, in the hope of migrants. Virtually everyone else who's been out today has seen an Osprey, but we didn't - had to make do with plenty of Chiffchaffs and a meagre scattering of Blackcaps.

The old watercress beds at Fowlmere, where crystal-clear water bubbles up from the ground. We saw Brown Trout in one of the streams, which I think was a fish tick for me.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM, Extender EF 1.4x II or Canon Powershot A640

In bloom

The level of detail visible on the full-size images of this Peacock is quite mind-boggling (you'll have to take my word for it)

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

PS The last post was no. 666

Spring

Damson blossom being enjoyed by a) me and b) a Peacock butterfly

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Rooks

The past few mornings have seen a dozen Rooks gathering on our lawn. Some of the braver ones have copied the Jackdaws and now stuff themselves full of sunflower hearts from the feeder. I think things might get expensive if the whole rookery finds out...

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995 + Leica Apo Televid 77 with 20x eyepiece

Snow

We finally had snow, but it hasn't lasted. Mostly melted by lunchtime.

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

On a day like this

- violently windy, with hailstorms interspersed with blizzards of sleet - there's not much else to be done, other than sift through old photos. I took this back in 2004, when I first got my Coolpix, but I don't think it's made it onto the blog before.

I'm looking forward to spring.

Needless to say, you can buy stuff with this image on from Photobox!

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Now available: prints, cards, mousemats

It's far too windy, rainy and cold outside to be doing anything, so this afternoon I've taken the plunge into e-commerce. You can now buy prints (choice of three sizes), postcards (packs of 16) and greetings cards (packs of 8) and mousemats from my Photobox gallery.

I ordered some prints from Photobox a few weeks ago and I was impressed with the quality and speedy delivery. So, please get shopping! Feedback appreciated (leave a comment or send an e-mail), and let me know if you'd like to be able to order different images or products.

Thanks!

HawkVision

Sorry to keep boring you with these dark, dark videos of one of our local Sparrowhawks. I think it's probably the same young male who keeps coming back to have a go at the finches and tits coming to our feeding station (he can keep his claws off the Reed Buntings, mind you).

Isn't he the picture of pent-up tension? He's dying to catch something!

Hmmm, perhaps the concrete post isn't so comfortable after all

videos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995 + Leica Apo Televid 77 with 20x eyepiece

Another meme

I don't even know what meme means.

Anyway, I've been tagged by Richard of the eponymous Birding Diary (note: I didn't know what eponymous meant until I wanted to buy the R.E.M. album of that name):

1. Write your own six word memoir

2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you like.

3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere

4 .Tag five more blogs with links

5. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

My memoir is:

Red hair: I'm a genetic aberration

I'll tag: Pluvialis, Mike, McKinney, Malc and his pigs, and Amila.

Cockfighting

These two male Pheasants were having a bit of a fencing match in the garden this morning, to little avail

video taken with Nikon Coolpix 995 + Leica Apo Televid 77 with 20x eyepiece

Hayley Wood

Today I did something I'd been meaning to for a long time: I went to Hayley Wood. It's not far from where I live and I've been reading Oliver Rackham's book about it, titled Hayley Wood: Its History and Ecology.

Apparently, Hayley Wood might be a remnant of the prehistoric wildwood which covered much of this area, and its history can be traced through old documents showing how important it was for local villagers - for fuel and building materials, and also for pannage (that's browsing pigs).

I also thought it might be interesting to check out whether there were any of the typical ancient woodland bird species. The Wildlife Trust website mentions Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Lesser Redpoll. Of course, I drew a blank there, I didn't even see a Marsh Tit, and it was too early for flowers, too. It was hard work for not much, to be honest, but perhaps if I got back in a few weeks, I'll be impressed. Must swot up on my flowers and trees...







photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Set-aside

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Spring, springing

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Storm from the north

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Nucivore

Our Jackdaws are getting pretty good at using the peanut feeder now

video taken with Nikon Coolpix 995 + Leica Apo Televid 77 with 20x eyepiece

Hawk

A young male Sparrowhawk has been in the garden again this afternoon. After another unsuccessful raid, he retired to consider his next move and to have a preen.

video and photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995 + Leica Apo Televid 77 with 20x eyepiece