Of all the plants in the garden the Teasel is one of the best to grow from a bird-lovers point of view. Its seeds are loved by Goldfinches and if you are lucky Redpolls may also pay you a visit. This weeks Gallery photos were all taken in our small garden last week. www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife
My favourite filming in Spring is filming Long Tailed Tits as they return to their nests with feathers. It normally happens in March but this year we are several weeks later. I normally have many pairs to choose from but this year I have found only one nest ready for lining. White feathers are their favourites as you will see in the Gallery photos. www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife
One of the commonest birds that we encountered in Wales the other week was the Siskin. Wherever there were woodlands flocks of Siskins could be heard and seen amongst the tree tops, especially the Alders. In one or two localities we also found Bramblings that were getting ready to return to Lapland – as soon as the wind changed from an easterly! www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife
This weeks blog photo shows a remote Welsh valley with the centre piece a decaying old Rowan tree. Further down the valley are some vibrant pine forests and these are home to one of our most colourful and secretive birds, the Crossbill. What then is the connection between the rotting Rowan tree and the Crossbills? Well for at least five years now small parties of Crossbills have made their way each day from the forests to the Rowan and found food among the mosses and peeling bark on this tree. On one occasion last week five Crossbills were present and although the weather was poor you never turn down the chance to photograph these colourful birds. www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife
We have just returned from a short break at Rivercatcher on the River Dee in Wales. The undoubted highlight of our visit was watching, for thirty minutes, an Otter as it fished and dived along the edge of the river. As they normally feed nocturnally it was a privilege to film this very wary animal as it worked its way along the river giving us good views. www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife
How many times have I set off to film a certain species of bird and ended up with something else that was totally unexpected? This happened last week when I visited Yorkshire in search of Marsh Harriers and ended up with a fly-past calling Wigeon and a Buzzard doing what Marsh Harriers should be doing i.e. hunting the reed-beds for prey. An excuse for a re-visit perhaps! www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife