Barn Owl Delights
With Spring days upon us now is the time to re-visit old Barn Owl breeding sites and hope that luck is with you. Some of the males only come out at dusk and fewer still will hunt at first light which is the best option for a photograph. Like all wildlife photography your results are directly proportional to the time that you put in and of course sods law always works against you. In perfect conditions he will not perform whereas on foul days he will fly over your heads!! Good luck! www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife
One of the attractions of a stay at Rivercatcher is that you are close to the Welsh pine-forests where Crossbills like to breed. Unfortunately most of my encounters with them have involved young males who do not possess the spectacular red adult plumage. As compensation you may wish to visit Wales highest waterfall Pistyll Rhaeadr which is to be found deep in the Berwyn mountains.www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife
When you have been photographing birds of prey for more than fifty years the challenge eventually is not the bog standard photo but the food-pass photo – that split second moment when the prey is passed from the male to either the female or the young. Your failure rate is extreme – either they have their backs to you or their eyes are closed(for protection).
I have spent the last 49 years visiting Islay and filming its Corncrakes. During that time the number of calling male Corncrakes has fluctuated from less than ten to more than one hundred.On Islay the Whisky industry rules and to facilitate its growth many flower-rich pastures have been turned over to growing Barley, which is next to useless for Corncrakes. Islays biggest customer for Whisky is the USA which may well soon see a 25% import tax placed on its import. If this comes to be then the two new distilleries, already approved on Islay, will in all probability be held in abeyance and maybe some of those Barley fields may revert back to flower-rich pastures as shown in this weeks photo. So all is not lost for Islays rapidly declining Corncrake population! www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife
As we endure awful weather for filming wildlife it is perhaps time to reflect on the 52 years that I have been filming Hen Harriers. For the first forty years I took cine films which were seen all over Britain. In more recent times I have taken digital photos of the adults returning to feed their young and digital photos are perfect for identifying their prey.
There is no doubt that the male Parrot Crossbill is one of the most spectacular and illusive British birds. Every year some breed in the Highlands of Scotland but in England they are rare visitors. So rare in fact that in more than seventy years I have only come across one flock – so enjoy this weeks encounter!