Fifty Years On
On the 24th May 1973 I sat for six hours in my hide, in the Forest of Bowland, photographing my first pair iof Kingfishers at the nest.It was a magnificent moment and I enjoyed every moment in the company of Britain’s most colourful bird. On the 24th May 2023 I was in my hide, less […]
Digging In
A visit to my local Sand Martin site had dozens of them digging out their nesting tunnels. They are quick moving birds and from the camera aspect the best photos are some time off yet when their young are leaning out of their tunnels. www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife
Redpoll Delights
While many of our garden birds have left to breed in the woodlands we still have up to four Redpolls coming to feed several times a day. There are two pairs and the males have very impressive areas of red feathers. On the other hand our resident male Sparrowhawk has only been once in the […]
Long Tailed Tit Success
With nine out of ten Long Tailed Tits nests being predated it is some years since I have monitored a successful nest. This year I have only found four nests and already three of those have been destroyed by either Grey Squirrels or Crows. However, the fourth one was in gorse bushes and when I […]
Disappearing Adders
Global warming has been blamed for many of the present crises in wildlife including the predicted extinction of Adders in the next ten years. I have been familiar with our nearest colony of Adders for 62 years and as recently as six years ago I found 14 during one morning’s inspection. However, this April I […]
A Quick Scratch
Those of you who followed me on the Little Owl last year will know that this male Little Owl was due to lose his nest-site due to the barn being converted to a house.It was with disbelief as I drove past it last week to find the male on the roof looking for prey and […]
Crossbill Success
With a return visit to Rivercatcher I was treated to some more prolonged observations on the forest Crossbills. The bird books will tell you that the breeding male Crossbills are red and the pair nest in January and February. So in late March you might expect to see a pair accompanied by fledged young. This […]
Siskin Delight
Another short visit to Rivercatcher and the delights of the Welsh forests. A recent gale had dislodged Alder cones that now carpeted the forest floor. Over a hundred Siskins were on the ground gobbling up the masses of seeds that had fallen out of the cones. What a photographic bonus. www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife
You Beauty
Regular readers of the blog will know that two months ago I was predicting that we were not going to see local Waxwings this winter. Two days later an immaculate male turned up in a Bolton garden and fed on the same berry laden tree for more than a month! I could not resist going […]
Late Redwings
During the late snow and frost of last month I came across a small party of Redwings that were feeding on the woodland floor. They were very hungry and as a result I was able to film them from as close as 15 feet without having to hide away. You never turn down the opportunity […]