Summer is it?

The forecast I read for yesterday suggested a bit of rain would fall around mid-day and there was a hint that some parts of the country would receive higher than average rainfall. Well, what happened to some areas was almost beyond belief. During the morning I had a conversation with a work contact from Telford who told me they had had a hail storm earlier. The skies were  beginning to darken, so I told him his weather had nearly arrived. During my lunch break I chose to sit outside and it got progressively darker until it seemed more like early evening. A thunder and lightening show ensued and I could clearly see a storm was raging to the west.  Initially the thunder growled on for ages. As a precautionary step I took my backside off the large metal beam I was sat on.

Luckily the storm passed by Stoney Stanton, where I was situated, with just a little rain. Meanwhile the gods had chosen to take their wrath out on others. In Burbage hailstones the size of golf balls and some even the size of tennis balls, but shaped more like the business end of a knights Mace, were wreaking havoc. Cars were damaged beyond repair, conservatories were demolished and roofs and guttering were punctured. Local businesses were flooded as were schools. In Earl Shilton and Barwell a similar story unfolded. My house survived pretty well, but one of my windows was found wanting and water flooded in through the seal. Luckily that soon dried out. It appears that many parts of Leicestershire were effected.

I have spoken to one person who has had two cars written off by the hailstones and many tiles on his roof destroyed.

One can only guess at the impact this has had on our already beleaguered wildlife. As I have said previously, the insect species especially butterflies are being hammered. Luckily by early evening the sun was shinning and I was out checking on some of the owls that I have been watching. Fortunately I found some of the juveniles seemingly none the worse for the experience.

For those that suffered at the hands of this freak weather, you have my sympathy. For others just watch this video that I found on youtube - CLICK HERE


This unusual weather was apparently created by warm air moving up from Spain and Africa, which met up with colder and damper air from the west. This meeting took place over Central England. A Tornado was reported from other areas in the county, but this has yet to be confirmed as the damage has to be investigated before official recognition can be given.

Having a Barnie

A couple of days ago I noticed a lot of white fluffy down on a tree close to one of my Little Owl sites.  I have occasionally seen a Barn Owl hunting nearby, so further investigation was called for. It took me couple of nights to spot the owners of the fluffy down, but it was well worth the hours spent quietly watching. Two, almost ready to fly, Barn Owl chicks appeared from out of a large cavity in the tree just before dark last night. Also an adult was hunting over the field behind the tree. I managed to get a few decent images despite it being almost  too dark for me to see the birds with the naked eye (ISO 2000 needed). I also took a short section of video showing the chick practising its funky dance moves. This is a significant find as Barn Owls are still scarce in the south-west of the county.

Barn Owl Chick

Wing Stretching

South-West Leicestershire List

I have finally, with the help of Adey Baker, created the 'South-West Leicestershire Bird List'. The list is an account of all the species recorded in south-west Leicestershire that are considered acceptable by the authors. Whilst compiling the list we have found some very good records which hopefully will be found acceptable by the LROS records committee in due course.


The boundary of 'South-West Leicestershire Bird List' Is one of my own making. 
To see the list please CLICK HERE

You will need to install 'Google Drive' if the list won't open Click Here for Download.

If the list doesn't work correctly on your pc email me at cdbaggott@gmail.com and I''ll send you a copy of the pdf file.

More Hiding From the Owls

Normally adult Little Owls are very wary when a hide suddenly appears in their territory, but I was thrilled to see one of the adults right in front of me this morning. After a wait of over an hour, a chick (there only seems to be one at this site) appeared and it was obvious from its excitement that one of the adults was nearby. The youngster disappeared back down into the nest when some horses galloped by. I took the opportunity to reach for a drink and when I looked back an adult had appeared. The adult promptly went to sleep, so I had to wait for my shots. In the end the youngster joined its parent on the same perch. 

Adult Little Owl

That's My Boy

Stop Chewing My Feet

Photo Success

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that two of my photographs have been used in June's issue of Birdwatch magazine. You may have gathered from my blog that I have a bit of a thing for the Cairngorm mountains, so I'm really pleased that both images were taken there. I've had other photos of the same female Dotterel published  in Birdwatch magazine previously, so she's becoming quite a celebrity. I remember the encounter well: I heard a bird calling distantly and when I eventually found its source it turned out to be a stunning female Dotterel. Eventually she attracted a male and lured him away for some privacy, but not before I'd got my photos. It is moments like this that makes being a wildlife photographer worthwhile.

I also had a photo of a Ptarmigan in June's Birdwatch magazine - very pleased.

Below are some of the photos that have appeared in Birdwatch:

Female Dotterel

Male Dotterel

Summer Plumaged Ptarmigan