An old filming colleague of mine always reckoned that when I went into a hide the bird that we were filming would stand on its head for me whereas he got very few photos. My standard answer to this, apart from smiling, was to point out that I spent more time in the hide than he did so eventually luck would come my way. In wildlife photography your results are directly proportionate to the time you put in. A good example of this occured this week with the Kingfisher photo that appeared on BBC television. The day before the successful session I got nothing and the day after I got one photo. Not to be put off I went again the day after that and while the Kingfishers were illusive what should come walking down the stream was a bird I had never filmed before – a Green Sandpiper! This weeks blog and gallery include some of the photos I took of that magical bird plus some more of the Kingfisher food-pass photos. In wildlife photography there is no such day as tomorrow, you always have to capitalise on the moment in hand because seldom do you get a repeat performance. Click here

In the last week I have spent time searching for Woodcock but so far luck has not come my way. I did find a Mallard incubating nine eggs and twenty yards away another Mallard was incubating nine Mallard eggs and nine Pheasant eggs! Even more surprising fifty yards away from that was a Pheasants nest containing twenty four eggs! Clearly there are some confused birds in that wood.

Just wanted to share this photo I took yesterday morning of the male Kingfisher presenting the female with a fish. For once everything came together. Well worth the early morning start. It was shown on BBC Look North at 6.30 last night.

With the fabulous weather recently lots of wildlife enthusiasts will have gone to Scotland with one thing in mind – to see an Eagle. In 1974 I sat in my hide on a windswept Hebridean ledge and filmed a female Golden Eagle feeding her one offspring. It was a moment that I shall treasure forever and the cine film that I took on that memorable day has subsequently been watched and enjoyed by thousands of people ever the last 40 years. Some of those people are now working full time in wildlife conservation so my ten minutes of film taken all those years ago may have helped to protect the species.

I have only recently been converted to digital wildlife photography and the whole of this weeks gallery was taken nine years ago with my first digital camera, a Canon 350D.It would have been almost impossible to envisage such flight shots with the equipment of old. Click here

During the last two weeks most Kingfisher pairs have been busy digging out their nesting tunnels. This weeks gallery photos (Click here) were taken last week of one of my regular pairs engaged in the digging process. Unfortunately events have overtaken them when last Tuesday  Rochdale was the wettest place in Britain with more than one and a half inches of rain. The result was the flooding of the Kingfishers nesting hole and the early failure of this first breeding attempt of the year. Lets hope that this is not repeated in the ensuing months.

A visit to the hills during the week found Long Eared Owls back in their breeding sites and a Green Woodpecker digging out a new hole in an Oak tree. I am always amazed that any bird can dig out a hole in a living Oak tree. There are now more Chiff Chaffs singing in the woods and along the Ribble I saw my first Sand Martins of the year. The general feeling so far is that it is going to be a late breeding season.

In the garden we had a record six Wood Pigeons together on the 2nd.

There is little doubt that in the bird world Long Tailed Tits are the supreme nest builders. Firstly they start their nest off with moss and spiders webs then they decorate the outside of the dome with lichens before finally lining the inside with as many as 2000 feathers. This whole process can take up to three weeks to complete then they lay one egg per day for the next ten days. After all that only one nest in ten will finally fledge young. The other nests being lost to either Grey Squirrels, Crows or bad weather. So far this March I have found six nests but this is well short of my all time March record of twenty six in 1999. This weeks gallery shows birds gathering feathers and lichen before taking them to the nest.

As if by magic Redpolls have appeared this week in the garden with a record six feeding together on the 27th. At least four different Reed Buntings are commuting to the garden from the Golf Course to feed. Tawny Owls are this year breeding locally and their vocals are heard regularly overnight.

The best sighting locally this week has been a Barn Owl on the 23rd which was still hunting at 9.00am after a frosty night. No doubt it was one of last years young that is now having to fend for itself. Click here

I never intended photographing the eclipse but thin cloud moved in and made it possible without special gear. It may after all be the only one that I ever photograph! I enjoyed the spectacle but only wish I could have viewed it from Spitsbergen where it was a complete eclipse.

This weeks gallery is of game birds in the Cairngorms plus a few views that add to the joy of visiting that area. The male Adder was a local one being the first I have seen this spring.

In Hopwood woods this week Woodcock were still present plus the first singing Chiff Chaff on the twenty first. The presence of a pair of Grey Partridges was good news and the first I have seen in that locality for more than five years. Two Peacock butterflies confirm the arrival of Spring. Click here