Early Sparrowhawk
The three young Sparrowhawks on this week’s photo are about to fledge from five that somehow have survived the days of heavy rain. I have spent two days during the last week filming the female feeding her young on prey provided by the male . At one point prey was captured at the rate of […]
Wettest Ever June
So far Summer has comprised of six glorious days in May. The rest of Summer has produced record amounts of rain, like the six inches that has fallen in June. Upon checking one of my Kingfisher sites I found that last weeks deluge not only flooded the tunnel but covered the bank three feet above […]
The Deluge
Sorry no photo this week, back to normal next week. A very hectic week watching amongst other things a pair of Short Eared Owls feeding their young that were almost ready to fly, that is until Friday came along and dropped four inches of rain on their moor. It was the heaviest and most prolonged […]
Home Again
This week’s photo is one of Scotland’s rarest butterflies the Marsh Fritillery. I was lucky in finding up to ten a day on Islay as it is one of their strongholds. The only drawback about being away for three weeks is that when you return most of the nests that you found before going away […]
Islay Magic
Three weeks on Islay has now come to an end and we have had only half a day of rain which is pretty remarkable in view of the poor weather back home in Rochdale. Having spent some time before going to Islay looking for Dotterel it was ironic that the first birds we saw on […]
Hen Harrier Delights
During the last week I have spent twenty five hours, in hot weather, trying to obtain film of a breeding pair of Hen Harriers. This was part of my long term study on the Hen Harriers but this year instead of two very mature birds there was a two year old colour ringed male paired […]
Corncrakes A Plenty
We have been lucky to have spent the past week on Islay in glorious weather and no midges! In the superb weather a great deal of time has been spent in the hills looking for raptors. Hen Harriers,Peregrines, Sea and Golden Eagles have all been encountered. Whilst in my hide one morning I had an […]
The Holy Grail
At long last, after hours of searching, I managed to find an incubating Woodcock. Unfortunately she was sat in rushes and white grass with only a handful of leaves to hide her but beggars can’t be choosers and an incubating Woodcock is always the prime target for Spring. Whilst I have won with the Woodcock […]
What Happened To Summer?
During the week I continued the search for Woodcock and Golden Plover hoping for better luck than last week. On the 11th at 1000 feet the temperature was only 4°C and coupled with the strong wind it was impossible to contemplate a walk on the moor. In fact it was the worse day I have […]
Depression Sets In
When you have been filming birds for forty years you expect good and bad luck but this week’s events have been the most trying I have ever experienced. Firstly, last year I had three pairs of Long Eared Owls that between them raised at least nine young. This year one of those pairs is missing […]