Little Owl

Little Owl Chicks

I've been keeping an eye on a couple of pairs of Little Owls close to my home, but not really attempting any photography. A sudden urge to have another go at photographing the birds at the nest came upon me on Sunday morning. I sat in my hide for an hour and a half with nothing to show for it apart from a sore back. Then all of a sudden the hen popped out from deep inside the tree and stood staring at the hide and she looked a bit confused. She didn't stay for long, but I did manage to get my best shot in those few seconds. She was back quite quickly with a juicy worm for her chicks. She was then back and forth with food for about an hour.

Little Owl

Out West

I'm feeling a bit weary as I type this. I may have had one too many cold ones whilst taking charge of sausage and burger cooking / burning.  

Three cheers for the barbecue weather at long last and of course to the British & Irish Lions for their series clinching win today against Australia.

On my way to purchase the beer for tonight, I somehow found myself in the far west of the county looking for Corn Buntings. I was in for a treat as I found no fewer than six pairs and some of them were taking food to what I can only presume were nests with young in them. The only negative was not being able to find any around Orton-on-the-Hill again.

Corn Bunting

I also had a walk along the Ashby canal near Dadlington where small numbers of damselflies were present including at least 20 White-legged Damselflies. The first one to pose was almost a legless White-legged Damselfly.

 White-legged Damselfly

White-legged Damselfly

A few dragonflies were also present, but numbers were low. The Four-spotted Chaser below was the most obliging.

Four-spotted Chaser

A Real Summer's Day at Last

Last July I wrote Enough is Enough, because the weather was so bad. Now at last it appears we might be about to enjoy a spell of real sunny weather. Today was perfect - warm with clear blue skies and light winds. It was a shame I had to work, but I did have to pass below a Peregrine eyrie whilst going about my business and I just happened to have my camera close to hand. The parents were away and the four youngsters were sitting out on the ledge enjoying the sun. I wasn't as close as it appears in the image below, as it is just the centre of the original photo.

Peregrine Chick

Despite the fact that it's sunny at the moment, the cold wet summers of the last three or four years have had a devastating effect on many bird species and also some insects. Summer butterfly numbers appear to be low and also dragonflies. I have seen a few Meadow Browns and also a few Ringlets, but mostly as single butterflies. Lets hope that British wildlife has a successful breeding season this year. There is a nesting colony of Swifts near my house and the numbers returning have dropped from at least 30 birds a few years ago to just ten this year. It was great to hear them screaming as they flew over my head this evening.  

Black-tailed Skimmer Enjoying the Sunshine

Peregrine Falcon

I am lucky enough to have two Peregrine Falcon territories close to where I live. This morning I left home early hoping to get some flight shots. The breeding attempt is late this year. The young usually fledge by early June, but so far there is no sign of any young. They are probably too small to venture out from the protection of the rock that is in front of the eyrie.

The Female

Interesting Gull at Shawell A5 Lagoons

I saw an interesting gull last Wednesday and again yesterday at Shawell A5 Lagoons. Initially I thought it was a Yellow-legged Gull due to its grey mantle being slightly darker than the nearby Herring Gulls. However, something didn't seem right as its sleek body and long wings gave it more of a Caspian Gull look, but the bill seemed too bulky and bright for that species.

Interesting Gull