Lakenheath Fen, May 23rd 2010.

Apart from one occasion, Hobbies have eluded me so far this year, plus after the end of May they go off to breed and become very elusive, so to guarantee best chance of a picture - a road trip was in order - a 7 hour round trip to Suffolk. Sometimes the light can be too good and at about lunchtime on a boiling hot day this was the case, but if I stayed until the afternoon I wouldn't be home for the usual Sunday carvery! There were 4 or 5 Hobbies in the sky at once, I took 20 pictures but, only 1 made it on the blog! Walking back almost by chance, I came across a close male Marsh Harrier, added bonus!

Local Pictures May 2010.

With longer days, when you get good light, sometimes its best to make best use of it! The Oystercatcher and the Heron were photographed at Pennington Marshes and the Buzzard at Hinton, next to a busy road, I stopped to look at something else and suddenly saw the Buzzard perched very close on a perch across the road, to be fair this was the Buzzard's usual place.

Fishlake Meadows End of April/Early May.

It seems Fishlake Meadows is the first place in the local area Hobbies go when they get here from Africa. I was very lucky to get pictures on my first visit on the 28th April. Unfortunately on every other visit I missed out! Even if the Hobbies had been reported up to two days before! 15 apparently! It seems Nature photography is a continuous learning curve, photography and the subject! Simple when you think about it, the Hobbies will be there when there food is numerous, which isn't overcast days!

So on my other visits where Greylag Geese and a singing Chiffchaff, not my target species, but much easier to photograph!

Miscellaneous Photos March & April 2010.

Managed to dip out a bit on raptor photos, went back to Symond's Yat a fortnight after the last visit and all very quiet on the Accipiter front, the resident Peregrines were there but distant and a Nuthatch inspected the nest box.
Went to Titchfield Haven at the end of March, a Female Hen Harrier was showing but never close enough, but an obliging Kestrel hovered right above the hide!

The Teal and Heron were photographed at Lodmoor in April, I would have taken them on a visit the week before, but got to Weymouth with camera, but unfortunately the battery was still charging back at home!

The Robin was photographed in the New Forest.

Raptors Of The Rock, March 7th 2010.

I have been waiting for a sunny Sunday for a while to make the 3 hour trip to Gloucester shire to Symond's Yat rock. My main target was Goshawk, Goshawk have to be the hardest subject for photography! I have seen them in the New Forest and at New Fancy View, also in Gloucester shire. I thought maybe I would be luckier now, it started with the usual glimpses where when seen, the birds are a distant dot in with binoculars!

Other raptors were present, the resident Peregrine, Buzzards and Sparrowhawks and when they are not present, then there is the view! When walking up, its hard to realise how high you are, until you can just make out the people below.

The day got better and better, everything just seemed to get closer and turn up more often, the Goshawks were never going to get that close, but I was just pleased to get one of those "dots" show up in the viewfinder of the camera! An early start, tired when I got back, but I hope to do it again in a couple of weeks!

Pennington Marshes, March 4th 2010.

Home from work early and sunny days have been in short supply recently, so grabbed my camera and headed somewhere local, to Pennington Marshes.

Next to the sea wall, a couple of Redshanks were very close, on the other side of the path Wigeons were also very close and a bit wary of my long lens!

Then out of chance as I rounded a corner, I came across a hunting Barn Owl, so focused it didn't notice me at first, the shot is taken just as the Owl saw me and promptly did a double take and headed off in the opposite direction!

Middlebere, Dorset, 24th January 2010

At this time of year (and with one day off a week), the best Raptors to see are Hen Harriers and the best chance of a photograph is Middlebere. There are Hen Harriers in the New Forest, but very hard to get close to. So the best bet is to sit in the Avocet hide at Middlebere, wait and try and stay alert. There are two present in the area a younger male (see last blog for picture) and an adult male. Although I had to sit and wait in the hide for more than two hours, and it was damn cold! I managed to get pleasing pictures, although not as good as last week.