Odds & Sods 2023

We have quite a few Jays in the area, especially as there is some woodland next to us. The Jays have also worked out there is a continuous supply of food in our garden. Messy garden birds drop a lot of food from my bird table. While any cat food my fussy, ungrateful cat wont eat, gets put out for birds - who relish the stuff.

Perhaps climate change will cause them to migrate further north.

Glad you all liked the Jay. As we have a couple of regular visitors, I'll try snap more photos to post. Perhaps with better light conditions. Though cleaning our windows might help a bit.

There are quite a lot of Roe deer in and around the Finchampstead/Wokingham area. As part of our morning walk, we take in a sort of bye-way, which is bordered by farmland, currently. These two were wandering down it, this morning. No doubt visiting local houses to feast on various plants - like my geraniums! And we live in a housing estate.

Taken with my ancient, Samsung compact digital camera. A car, driving up the road from a house beside us, frightened them off.

Your area used to be my haunt when i was at school in Winnersh, it was called crimpy college due to the crisp factory on the Wokingham Rd crossroads there, now its a big Sainsburys.
Nice pics of the deer, we have Roe & Muntjac around us and Red Deer up around Thetford.

The whole area has changed considerably in the past ten years or so. There are so many buildings going up north and north east of Wokingham (Cantley park to Emmbrook), I dare not venture into them without a map. This is true for the area around Aborfield Garrison as well.

Muntjac deer around us as well, in a field just up the road from us. Nice deer, can be a pest.

Birds were largely absent from Manor Farm part of nascent Longwater Road nature reserve, especially on the outbound section of my mid-week walk, as I headed to where Inert (Cemex's restoration experts) were infilling Manor lake. Therefore, I photographed some plants instead. Matters did get a bit better, bird wise, on the inbound section of my walk, but that is for another day.

As these didn't move, and looked interesting in the sun, I thought, why not...

Normal service will resume tomorrow or Saturday.

Beautiful, Angus :o)

Fulmars are already staking their claims - it was lovely hearing them chatting 

France in the distance

I can't imagine many race courses that can challenge this view

Really? shakes head, people are now that stupid and litigious? 

Finally this one will need to be opened in large - it's not often you get to see all the Islands but it tends to be this time of year that provides the chance - clear, still winter days -Alderney is off to the far right 

All lovely shots Cin ... but I'm with Linda ... Bear is best ...

Mute swans. Heard then saw them through trees on south side of Blackwater river, flying west. Thought to self, I bet they will swing north over Manor farm bit of nascent Longwater road nature reserve. Only problem, tree cover to my right (north). So I legged it to a clearing some 75 yards away. Yep, this old codger actually ran! Full sub-arctic gear, wellies, over six pounds of cameras, lens, mobile phone. Sheesh, what a nutter.

Thankfully, the birds swung north, then east, to fly length of Manor farm. The sun gods smiled on me, as did the cloud gods i.e. no cloud. I even had time to switch my camera to Tv mode (Shutter priority, I think). It was then a matter of find birds, track birds and, oh, remember to press shutter.