After yet another successful year on the Odds & Sods thread, initially started I think by Hazy, it might be wise to kickstart the 2023 thread off.
Thank you to those who have contributed to last years thread, and there has been very interesting odds and sods in "Odds & Sods 2022" that aren't enough to place into a dedicated thread, which you can look back on the following link:
https://community.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/f/all-creatures/278729/odds-sods-2022/1417300?pifragment-4285=76#pifragment-4285=1
What better for me, and as yet, I've not ventured far, ewe know what I mean, with this lassie on Baddesley Clinton estate yesterday....
Mike
Flickr: Peak Rambler
Our 'daily' footpath morning walk (only if SWMBO isn't working) takes in part of a local golf course and a fishery. Roe deer like the golf course. I think there are at least two 'herds' on it. These were lurking around one of the tees - though they would have been disturbed by golfers (working their way around the course) about 30 minutes after I took these photos.
Photos taken using my ancient, compact Samsung digital camera. Has appalling low light handling.
I present to you, devil squirrel. In tree in fishery. Although it was now 9:45am and reasonably bright, my ancient Samsung had to use flash, hence devil eye.
90% luck, 5% field craft, 5% camera skills.
A few from in my garden, and a Redwing from down my local woods .... my first one ...
Any brekky left over please?
A bit of a crash landing!
It's much safer on here
I agree with bluey
My new regular visitor
Come on! Bring out the scran
Me and my mate
My first Redwing. Not the best of shots, but at least I have got one ...
Now that normal service is resumed...My usual parking spots were taken, this morning, causing me to use the Moor Green Lakes nature reserve car park. Not a problem in itself, as it is about the same distance to where Cemex restoration work is going on.
However, this did give me the opportunity to see what was on Colebrook lakes north and south. Always a hit or miss affair. My stomp did not start well...heavily overcast. The clouds did part, quite quickly, offering up some fantastic photographic opportunities; which I will post over the coming week.
First off, a Little White Egret. Their numbers have expanded greatly of late. From about 3 birds four years ago, to over ten now. They have moved steadily eastward from Fleet Hill farm, through Manor farm to Moor Green Lakes. There were three lurking around Colebrook lake north, having many a territorial battle.
This one took a little time out to get some breakfast, on the south west shore of Colebrook lake north, by bird feeder paddock. I shot these from some viewing screens, which offer a convenient perch to place my camera lens.
The bird had flown across the lake from north to southwest, and lurked in some convenient coppiced trees. It ventured out into the shallows to hunt for fish.
Got one! On its way back to cover of coppiced trees.
Cropping out. Can anyone identify the fish?
Still wandering back to safety of cover.
Cropping out again
Almost there
It disappeared into the undergrowth to consume its breakfast
(Pardon the Scottish Accent)
Colebrook lake (north), Moor Green Lakes Nature Reserve. Some days are so light on bird activity, I leave without a single photo. Other days, like last Wednesday, is a veritable feast of action.
This is the same bird catching a fish in an earlier post. It had decided to fly from the north shore of Colebrook lake (north) to its south west shore. I was lucky enough to spot it taking off, and simply had to point camera (resting on wall of viewing screens), and track it round until a post of said viewing screen got in the way.
Little White Egrets are relatively easy to photograph. They're big, and generally fly at a stately pace with little change in direction.
Oh, I say! Really. They do this rather a lot.
By now it was getting very difficult to track the bird. I had rotated camera through about 60 degrees and my right side was now pushed up against the side of the viewing screens, with my lens beginning to hit the screen's vertical posts.
With more Little White Egrets taking to MGL, such sequences might get more frequent.
Lot to learn
There are a number of breeding pairs of Great Crested Grebes in and around the Finchampstead/Wokingham area. A fact that took me completely by surprise (nay, stunned amazement) when I first saw them on the Moor Green Lakes Nature reserve a few years back. Until then, I had always considered them to be rare birds, only to be found in secluded areas of countryside - not three miles down the road.
This pair were in Colebrook lake (south). Dead easy to photograph from viewing screens. Just poke camera through hole in screen, rest it on wood edge and point in general direction of subject - though they were a fair distance away.
You know something is about to happen when two grebes approach each other purposefully. This is what I get with my lens at 600mm. I've cropped out the birds in subsequent photos.
And finish
Shame they didn't do the full stand up splashy dance. I have managed to photograph this twice, taking place on Colebrook lake. A clue as to when they do this is when they approach each other with vegetation (aka pond weed, etc) in their beaks.
If you scroll down the images quickly, it almost looks animated!