In the last period of drought I was able to film the two wading birds that typify the high Pennines – the Dunlin and the Golden Plover. Both breed on the high Pennine tops and while some have failed through the drought and moorland fires all now is back to normal with enough food available for their young.
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The last few days of our fantastic Spring have brought young Goldfinches into the garden and also resulted in eight Blue Tits leaving our nest-box on the 22nd May – a record early date. This weeks photo shows one of those Blue Tits as it made its maiden flight from the box – never to return. Goldfinches were fed amongst the fresh leaves of our Magnolia tree – a perfect setting for a photo.
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The current fantastic Spring sunshine was perfect for a visit to the Yorkshire wildlife reserves. While the Bittern still eludes my camera it was good to film a displaying pair of Black Necked Grebes and encounter Little Egrets and even Common Terns.
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During a quick visit to my local Sand Martin colony last week I counted at least twenty holes in the course of completion.
Almost as soon as they arrive in the UK Sand Martins start to excavate their tunnels. With an early start this year they may even have time for a second brood. Let’s hope so!
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Is there anything better, in last weeks fantastic weather, than filming a pair of Kingfishers as they feed their young in perfect conditions? I filmed the male bathing in a rockside pool while the female got ready to lay her second clutch of eggs.No danger of flooding yet this year and as I sat there in my hide immersed in their sheer beauty I was reminded that only a matter of yards away 52 years ago I filmed my first ever breeding pair of Kingfishers. I wonder if these birds are related to them?www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife
From a human point of view close contact with a pair of Adders may prove fatal but from the male adders point of view he may spend days courting a female.The male in this weeks blog photo approached the female for several days before they got together under a protective stone. He had already fought off an intruding male and it was this action that I was waiting for. In the wildlife world there are few people in Lancashire who have witnessed and filmed the dance or fight of two male Adders and that is now off my bucket list!!