Good day ladies and gentlemen, before you begin reading this thread, I just want to prepare you. I have been cooped up at home for most of the month because of the weather, this day out was fulfilling a trip out that was given as a gift by my sister for Christmas 2018 (each time I booked it last year, different storms came in and scuppered the planning) so it's been eagerly anticipated, and I may have got a bit trigger happy! (As a clue, on first browsing through the pics, I deleted a smidge over 400 that were not up to mustard), so you may wish to get yourself a brew, or glass before we begin.
Now, are you sitting comfortably? This is a tale of a brother and sister (I reciprocated the gift for her for last Christmas...nothing like being original lol) heading off to the wilds of Dorset to see what could be seen from some private hides in a mature woodland. The weather was wet and windy to start the day, mainly dry but breezy after about 10am, with isolated scattered showers.
First up, from the 1st hide a Robin contemplating the cloud cover
Then a Blue Tit was working stuff out... If I loop that round there, and pull it a bit...
It should drop on the Dunnock, leaving me more food
No, no, said the Dunnock. I'm out of here. Foiled in my dastardly plot thought the blue tit
Along with the usual woodland birds were several squirrels that provided some entertainment and "aww" moments, as will become evident later, but first, I shall just suss out what's occurring
Don't think I haven't spotted you two in there, said Mrs BB
And we've seen you too
The Dunnocks were keeping a wary eye out above, for bad Blue Tits
And the Blue Tit had the right hump about it!
All the finches were present male and female, some to the left,
And some to the right
And also a coy looking Long Tail Tit
And a brazen one...Look at my taaaaiiiillllllll, it's sooooooooo long...
Sightings of blackbirds were often obscured by undergrowth, but this one was so ashamed of the hussy-like behaviour of the LTT he came out into the open
More examples of the finches... What's that over there?
I'm not sure, but I'll turn round and have another look
Ohhhhh, it's you...…..am I in your way?
You may not be in his way, but you're in mine...
Nowwww, boys, let's not fight, just look at my taaaiilllllllll, it's soooooo longggggg
Will you just shut up about your tail, you'd look silly without one considering you're called LONG TAILED!!! But me, I'm just gorgeous, darling, look at my colouring
Where's that Dunnock? Grrrr
Calm down fella, there's plenty to go round.... trust me, I'm Great
You're a great something!!
Look, Look, I'm a Humming bird!!!!!!!
The other finch arrived, doing his Mersey tunnel impression
Hmmm, I'm not sure it will all fit in, but two will....
Did you like my Dracula impression???
The mammals were still scampering about (be ready to aww!)
Another tit whizzed in and out
Keenly observed from below
The sun kept coming and going, and during a bright few minutes, Mr Pheasant came and irridesced at us
And finally a sighting of the elusive Greater Spotted Woodpecker
He didn't stop long, but I saw a bud on the end of a twig, just greening up, so I thought I'd capture an arty shot of early spring, but the shot was ruined by a nosey greenfinch
Who also then decided to ruin my muddy ground shot!
The blackbird must be old, he's got whiskers!!
And the Pheasant led the group in some gentle stretching exercise
This squirrel decided to Lord it over his domain
And then Woody came back starting a shutter-fest of clicking, which thankfully didn't appear to bother him as he went Nom Nom Nommmm
And then there was time for just one more splash of iridescence
I hope you've enjoyed perusing the pics half as much as I enjoyed taking them (loading them up was a different matter lol), and I think that'll be it from me for a while for big posts, as the weather is forecast pants, and we're moving next month so we have much to do
Tony T said:you might have had some sun
Yes, yes I did, and Nooooooo it's mine, all miiiiiiine….. but it's lashing down this morning (like it has been here for ages) lol
Thanks all. for kind comments, and good wishes. (I won't be far from the website, just I don't think Mrs PB would appreciate me going birding on the few days off between now and moving, not with 16yrs of clutter collectables to pack up!
Nige, I was particularly surprised pleased with the flight ones and capturing the iridescence on the pheasant, and those are my first decent woodpecker shots. A lot of the discarded ones were flight ones, of the tree behind the flightpath mainly lol, but also pheasants only being half in the sun, and a multitude of "twigs across the face" syndrome were spotted, rife you might say!
I knew it was going to be a pain to upload, but I took one for the team to do it in a timely manner (it was pishing down yesterday so couldn't do owt else lol)
Some cracking photos there PB, including a spitting blue tit and the symmetrical (well almost) goldfiinches.
I could imagine the uploading was fun, esp with the resizing, but worth the effort for an enjoyable viewing!