Psilos
allotment birds |
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Wednesday
March 14th 2007 - "Taking flight" |
Lots of coal tits busy in and out today
and two bramblings are back. All morning whilst working I could hear
a bird call that I didnt know. Eventually I tracked the sound to a male
brambling sitting high up in a tree in the cornor of the plot but he
was gone before I got my camera to hand. |
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My tree trunk has certainly caught the
attention of the woodpeckers. The male was sat in the tree above my
car and looked like he wanted to investigate the trunk further. So i
sat and held my breath and waited hoping he would fly down. After a
few minutes he swooped down to the trunk but at the last minute he veered
away and flew off back into the woods. Approx fifteen minutes later
he was back. Yet again I held my breath and tried not to move. I had
positioned my camera ready so as not to move and startle him when he
came in. This time he flew down and landed but only for a split second.
I think he saw me and was off without trying to feed. Sadly for the
rest of the time I was there he didnot return. Our woodpeckers are very
wary birds, but no matter now he knows it is there he will return and
it can only be a matter of time before he gets used to me. |
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Luckily the nuthatch are not so wary and
I am getting some great views of them. The light continues to frustrate
however and can create some very different colour effects. The photos
top and bottom show very clearly how different the colours and quality
can look according to light levels. |
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From where I am sitting I have a wide view
of the top woods and I can often follow the nuthatches as they explore
the trees often calling to one another as they go. Today they found
the nestbox that the Greattits have taken over and gave it a thorough
inspection. I dont suppose it likely that they would ever nest in there
though but wouldnt that be something! |
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Today at times light levels were good and
so with a fast shutterspeed I had a go at trying to capture the nuthatch
in flight. It is often the case though that the best laid plans are
thwarted by the most cunning of birds and instead of flying across me
as they had been doing they decided everytime to fly away in the opposite
direction, typical! |
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There are also a pair of wrens keeping
me on my toes. They are nesting in a laurel bush nearby and keep giving
me some tantalising views. Often they can be too close to focus on or
they are hidden behind too many twigs and branches but one day they
will come into view and i will be waiting..... |
