Hello all
On Wednesday here at home, the weather being rather lovely we decided to make the most of it and make a trip to the RSPB Minsmere Reserve in Suffolk. We have never been before and my first reaction was it’s a really lovely place.
There are two main walks which the guide advises take about 2 hours to allow you time in the hides. On The Scrape, we saw many many different species of duck, Shelduck, Wigeon, Teal, Pochard, Tufty, Pintail and Gadwalls. Alas my photos of these didn’t come out too well as the sun caused a strong reflection on the water, but they were lovely to see along with the Marsh Harrier. Lapwings were in abundance.
Through the wooded paths, we saw Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Long Tailed Tits, Blue and Great Tits, Robins, Blackbirds, Squirrels and Rabbits.
Most of the hides were very busy due to it being half term which caused us to leave them much earlier than we would have liked. We sat for ages in the South Hide waiting for Snipe, only to be told later that one was literally sitting under the window of the hide (Doh! never thought to look there LOL). It was the wrong time too for the Bittern unfortunately.
The only hide where there weren’t many people, was the Canopy Hide. After climbing the stairs I can fully understand why. If anyone has a vertigo problem then the stairs could cause you some anxiety. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t stop staring at the gaps between the steps as we climbed the three flights of stairs. Knees were trembling I must say. We sat in there for ages on our own looking out above the tree tops, it was very peaceful but if we were both honest it was probably more likely we were both dreading the descent!
My only really good photos turned out to be when we stopped for coffee and cake at the Visitor Centre between walks. What I would call the easy shots of birds feeding a the feeding stations (I know it’s cheating!)
With the sun shining all day and the weather feeling rather mild even though it was 5 degrees, we were one of the last ones to leave. As we left, we saw the setting of the reddest sun I have ever seen , a Barn Owl flew past as we were leaving and Mute Swans gently swimming along a piece of water just outside the reserve. We will definitely go back when Spring is truly here.
Anyway here’s some of the photos I took.
Regards
Kerry
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kezmo6310/
LOL SB - those two would be called two of my better action shots!
Hi Sparrow [wave], do you have a local pond - like in a park where you live? We have and I have found it a really good place for practising action shots of gulls etc. as it isn't too big so all the birds are fairly close and they are forever taking off and landing. A half hour or hour there will give you more practice than days at a reserve. Especially if you take a bit of waterfowl feed with you and put some at whichever end of the pond the birds aren't. They will almost all take off and fly to get to the food first. That's how I got my swan photos I posted ages back.
The necessity of bird-watching is a really good reason for avoiding all forms of housework.
The dust will still be there tomorrow - the birds may not be!
Hi SB
Your photos are really great, what's the bird (2nd photo) you have caught in the first lot ? It's lovely looking.
You are so right about taking loads and getting only 2 or 3. The ones at the start of this thread were some of hundreds I took as you say an awful lot were too blurry or the subject had flown out of focus before I depressed the shutter. It's all rather hit and miss when you try to take photos of birds in flight I find. In the end I had to keep the camera pointed towards the feeders and waited for the birds to come to them.
HI Squirrel, your swan photos were also really lovely, they were very clear and sharp. It's a good idea about putting the food down to attract, Buzzard mentioned this in another thread. I never thought to do that before. When we go out again this weekend I'm going to see if it makes it any easier.
Hi SB, Squirrel and Kezmo,
Thanks everyone. I am more than appreciative for all the advice. SB - that wasn't bragging, that was helping. My memory card arrived yesterday, so I can now take loads. I was having to download and delete from the inbuilt memory every few minutes before, so now I can really let rip with the shutter!!! We are only a short distance from the river where there are loads of mallards so I will do as Squirrel suggests and go down with the camera. We go every afternoon with the dogs anyway, but it is usually getting towards dusk. I’ll have to persuade the dogs they want to go earlier, and we can all sit by the disabled fishing platform whilst I have a play!
After Kezmo said she could use sports mode on auto, I had a look at mine, and so can I, so that is good.
Do ducks like safflower seed, I seem to have a spare bag full!!! (LOL)
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
Susan H said: Do ducks like safflower seed, I seem to have a spare bag full!!! (LOL)
Oh Sparrow, you've not got rid of yours either - I mentiond this morning about taking them out with us. We are going to a place local to us later this afternoon where we are hoping to see Little Owls and Barn Owls plus waders but OH thinks I'm mad. There must be some bird out there somewhere craving for them.
I haven't found any birds who will eat it. I have been sprinkling it along the hedgerows around here when I go for a walk !
Neither have I Brenda. I am going to do the same with mine and take it with me on our dog walks. I tried mixing it in with the mix I put on the mounted trays but it is now all on the ground, tossed out by every single species that comes my way. I put some in a tube feeder mixed with sunflower hearts and it is still there. In fact I have tried everything I can think of, but no takers at all. I am thinking of roast safflower on Sunday!
This is really peculiar as mine love it - I have watched chaffinches, song thrushes and blackbirds eat it. Oh! and the wood pigeons, of course, but then they eat almost anything.
Thanks everyone for your comments on my photos.
Kezmo - the bird in the second photo of the first set is an Australian gannet. We saw a small colony of them in Port Phillip Bay off Melbourne. I will post a couple more pics in another thread.
I realise that this is a sore point for some and at the risk of getting things thrown at me, can I please ask what safflower seed is and which type of birds are supposed to like it? I imagine wood pigeons would hoover up most things - I wonder why not your safflower?
Brenda - you must seem like one of the babes in the wood when you are sprinkling yours as you go along - lol!
There is something new to learn everyday...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skylark58/
Hi SB as one of those who have an awful lot of it, I have done a search on the web and despite finding an awful lot of websites in the US who feature Safflower there are not many UK sites that do. However in my search I found one and it came up with this but still across the pond......
"Safflower. This white, thin-shelled, conical seed is eaten by many birds and has the reputation for being the favorite food of the northern cardinal. Some feeder operators claim that safflower seed is not as readily eaten by squirrels and blackbirds (caveat: your results may vary). Feed safflower in any feeder that can accommodate sunflower seed. Avoid feeding safflower on the ground in wet weather; it can quickly become soggy and inedible. You can buy safflower in bulk at seed and feed stores."
I'm not sure if you have spotted the buzz words but "NORTHERN CARDINAL" flashed out to me - phhht! now I know where I have being going wrong.................am living in the completely wrong area and wrong country!!!
Oh dear! Well, I will make sure not to buy any then!
Best wishes, SB
ps - I have just posted the gannet photos.