New Year Top Ten
Another year comes to a close and while I lost several months of filming due to hip replacement the rest of the year has produced some good photos – top of the list has to be the night I filmed the male Long Eared Owl passing a vole to his female.It was the only time that she left the nest to receive prey from him and I have yet to see any other photos of a food pass between a pair of Long Eared Owls away from the nest. Months of observations also produced other photos of this very special male Long Eared Owl with deep orange eyes.
In May I finally came across two pairs of Black Necked Grebes with three young each. Conditions were perfect and in two hours I shot more than 500 photos – the second most photos I have ever taken in one session( the most being 800 on a Polar Bear surrounded by five Ivory Gulls).
A single male Waxwing in March produced better photos than the present big influx has. On Islay a Roe Deer with two fawns amongst emerging Royal Ferns provided a unique backdrop.Scotland also produced my best ever encounter with Black Throated Divers and in Wales a Crossbill with fledged young was another first. Finally, our resident male Sparrowhawk posed briefly for his photo while I was in recovery and before Pauline chased him away!
This Winter has seen very few Redwings and Fieldfares despite a good crop of Holly and Hawthorn berries. All that changed last week when Redwings found a berry laden Holly in a friend’s garden. The weather was awful but I managed one session of filming before all the berries had been devoured – it could not have been more seasonal! www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife
When the winter snows arrive it is usually time for Badgers to remain underground.It was surprising, therefore, to find that the Badger visiting our garden was still coming when we had our first snowfall a week or so ago. Even the severe frost did not stop his nightly visits, long may it continue!
At long last the first decent flocks of Waxwings have now arrived in Manchester with more than a hundred present in Hyde as I write this blog.They prefer the red Rowan berries to the yellow ones so now is the time to check any local trees and you may be in for a treat. This weeks photos were take at Hyde and Todmorden. www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife
This last weeks severe frost and sunshine have been perfect winter conditions to go looking for Jack Snipe and Waxwings.The first are down in number this winter but the Waxwings are only just arriving. I watched two separate flocks yesterday so this weeks blog is devoted to them and so is next weeks as they are my favourite bird!