The sunny weather and frosty mornings of the last few weeks has resulted in a big influx of feeding birds in the garden.Three species have broken records that have stood over the last fifty three years.Those have been at least seven Reed Buntings, a minimum of twelve Redpolls feeding together and on one day five Siskins paid us a visit. Soon all these birds will move away to breed elsewhere in the Pennines but what a finish to the winter season. Gallery photos  see link  www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife

Last Sunday we awoke to find the deepest snowfall that we have had all winter. Our Bullfinches that until then had been eating sunflower hearts decided that the opening buds of our Hawthorne bush were a much better food source.I opened our bedroom window and took a few photos, in poor light, as the snow melted away.It was hard to believe that it was the middle of April! Gallery photos  see link  www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife

This week, on the coldest April morning for more than fifty years, I spent a magical two hours filming three hunting Barn Owls. Conditions were absolutely perfect and these were female Barn Owls stocking up with food prior to going down on eggs later this month. I was on my own on a hillside in the Forest of Bowland and wildlife photography does not come any better than this.          For gallery photos   www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife

After fifty years of photographing Pennine birds there are only a handful of species that I have not got photographs of. Top of the list was the Black Necked Grebe but all that changed on a perfect morning last week. The last few years I have failed due to bad weather then Covid but all that was forgotten on Tuesday when I spent three hours with these spectacular Grebes. Enjoy the Gallery photos as they are everything I have ever dreamed of!   www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife for gallery photos

March is the month when Long tailed Tits start to build their nests. Last week I filmed a pair collecting lichens and then bringing feathers to line their nest with. Incredilbly it is the fiftieth consecutive March that I have done this but the first time that the nest was in a Blackthorn thicket. It is the eighth Long Tailed Tit nest that I have found this month but it is a long way short of the 26 that I found in March 1978. The bonus whilst I was waiting was a Goldcrest that was feeding amongst the Blackthorn blossom.           gallery photos see http://www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife

Over more than fifty years I have met many  wildlife photographers but have not met one who has rose to the ultimate challenge of spending a full night in a hide filming Owls (Tawny,Little, Barn or Long Eared). Entering a hide in the evening at 9pm and not leaving it until 5am the following morning is not to be taken too lightly. It requires no sleep and 8 hours of total concentration to perhaps take only a couple of photos.Thirty years ago I spent nights on all four of the above Owl species and this weeks blog photo was taken at 2am as the male Long Eared Owl arrived at the nest with his catch, only to find that the female was still feeding the young on his previous catch! These nights were the most exciting I have ever had in wildlife photography but, sadly, all my photos were on colour negatives , like this week’s blog photo of the nest. The others were not suitable to use for Gallery photos. So this weeks Gallery is of my favourite digital flight photos of a male Long Eared Owl taken in the last few years.

gallery photos http://www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife