Newsletter December 2009
Another year comes to a close and what a year its been. In 40 years of filming wildlife I have never had a better year.It started off with a classic Winter with snow and frost on many days. Coupled with that there was an invasion of Waxwings and New Years day started off with a […]
Woodcock Return
Not much to report this week following on from the wettest ever November with more than ten inches of rain recorded on Hopwood Golf Course rain gauge. The first Jack Snipe of the Winter was flushed on the thirtieth of November and prior to this two Woodcock were seen on the twenty eighth of November. […]
Polar Bears and other Wildlife of Spitsbergen DVD
After many months of editing my DVD ‘Polar Bears and other Wildlife of Spitsbergen’ it is now available for sale. Spitsbergen is the most accessible part of the high Arctic and in Summer is home to more that two thousand Polar Bears, over a million sea birds and some of the Arctic’s most stunning flowers. […]
Almost There
Last weekend was spent at Banchory in Aberdeenshire attending Mike Madders memorial service on the Monday. A beautiful part of the country but not much seen in the way of wildlife. In the garden the Collared Doves have increased to a maximum of seventeen with a Great Spotted Woodpecker a regular daily visitor. Full launch […]
Shades Of Summer
Not quite as spectacular as this photo of a Great Northern Diver in Summer plumage but it was good to see one at Hollingworth Lake this week. It has been there now over a week which is a long time for a vagrant passage bird. In Hopwood this week a large party of Tits comprised […]
A Week Of Rain
Last weeks note about the Sparrowhawk was somewhat premature as he returned twice during the week and on one occasion he caught a Goldfinch on the rockery at the back of our garden! Despite all this the Collared Dove total has now increased to fifteen and there seems to be no end to where they […]
Fieldfares At Last
There can be no finer Beech woods in East Lancashire than Tandle Hill Country Park at Royton. This year there has been a good crop of fruit and as a result the wood now has fifty plus Wood Pigeons feeding amongst the leaves. On the thirtieth October a visit produced several Bramblings, a Woodcock and […]
A Surprise Garden Visitor
I have spent most of this week working on the Spitsbergen DVD so I have not had much time for ‘birding’ On Hopwood on two separate days I had flocks of thirty five Siskins and eighteen Redpolls – all feeding in the Birch trees. Redwings are still around but I have yet to see Fieldfare […]
Hibernation Time
With the first frosts of Winter this week the local Hedgehogs are now finding places to hibernate. Piles of logs are one of their favourites. On Hopwood a good view of a Roe Deer was had in the white frost on both the twelfth and the fourteenth. During the morning of the fourteenth five flocks […]
Redwings At Last
On the sixth of October I saw my first Redwing of Autumn, making it six days later than last year which is late in view of the mild Autumnal weather we have been having in the last few weeks. No Fieldfares yet though but with North East winds forecast perhaps next week? At Hopwood a […]