Mike Fenney Photography

First post for 2012

2012-02-05T09:09:00.000-08:00

Well so far my plans to get out more and do some photography have gone down the pan, I could be being paranoid but there appears to be a link between me picking my camera up and the sun going in.

So for the first post it was a few snaps in the garden.

I have made the mistake of moving my feeding station and where it is now positioned is rubbish for getting close up shots, here are a couple of shots I got when the sun came out for half an hour this afternoon.

Its a goldfinch, we regularly have around 16 on the feeders and have recently brought a couple of Siskin along with them which I am very happy about.

Here are the pics, hope you like.

Until next time.

Mike.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T07:18:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year and best wishes for 2012.

Time to get my camera back out and start snapping, lets see how it goes.

Mike.

2012 Plans

2011-12-11T12:39:00.000-08:00

Hi folks,

I'm not sure that I will get to post any photos now before Christmas so wanted to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.

I know this is a bit early, but I have a couple of weeks of madness coming up and very little time to myself.

As for next year I have some big photo plans and basically I want to start from scratch with the photos in my gallery and focus each post on a particular specie of bird or mammal.

Well that's the plan and I'm looking forward to seeing how it pans out.

Thanks to everyone who keeps visiting.

Mike.

Pennington Flash

2011-11-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

Back to a bit of normality with this post and back to birds.

As much as I like photographing all sorts of things its birds that really do it for me and there's no better feeling when you go through your images back at home and you find that really nice shot you hoped for.

I didn't get that perfect shot today, but considering the little light we had I'm pleased with the results.

First pics are a Blue tit..

Second set of shots are a Robin..

And now the main reason that I went to Pennington Flash which was to photograph Bullfinch as I haven't got that shot that I really want, and still haven't, great excuse to go back again on a nicer day.

Other birds seen today where Magpie (pic below), Greenfinch (pic below) and Marsh Tit which to the best of my ability I just couldn't get a photo, I do have a nice set of twig photos if anyones interested :)

All photo's taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

You can click on any image to view the whole set in lightbox.

Hope you liked the photo's.

Mike.

Autumn Colours

2011-11-06T11:59:00.000-08:00

Looking out of the window of my house you can really see the changes and the stunning colours of Autumn.

With them all looking so nice I decided to take a walk around one of my local country park, I was surprised how much greenery there still was, I went on the hunt to see what pics I could get and here they are:

All photos taken with Nikon D70 with 28-100mm Nikkor lense.

Finally I have to congratulate blogger for adding the lightbox when you click on an image, try it and see if you hadn't noticed already, this is something I tried to do a while back, It just makes the whole thing feel that much more professional.

Hope you liked my pics.

Mike.

Black Tailed Godwit

2011-10-03T13:01:00.000-07:00

Well its been a while....

Sunday was the first time i've been out with the camera in ages, Saturday was a really nice day so I decided that's it Sunday i'm out. Should have gone out on the Saturday because Sunday turned out to be really dull, overcast and at times wet, but I was out so happy days.

First we ventured to Mere Sands Wood which was pretty quiet, not a great deal going on or to see, birds we did see where Treecreeper, Long tailed tit, female Bullfinch and lots of Canada Geese.

From there we went on to Marshside in Southport which turned out to better with this Black Tailed Godwit coming close by the hide.

Here are the pics I got..

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm @ 500mm

Let's hope it won't be as long next time between posts :)

Cheers, Mike.

Bit of scenery

2011-05-08T07:24:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post, but it would be rude to go up to the highlands and not get some snaps of the local scenery.

These shots where taken on our return trip along the road thats runs from Inverness along Loch Ness and down as far as Loch Lomand and a stunning drive it is too.

First pic is Loch Ness.

All photos taken with Nikon D70

Back to birding and wildlife now.

Until next time.

Mike.

Birds from my trip

2011-04-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

There where a number of birds I wanted to see on my recent trip to Scotland, these are the ones that everyone wants to see.. Crossbill, Crested Tit and something out of the ordinary.

I didn't manage any Crossbill, I did see a Crested Tit, but because I didn't see its face or get a photo of it I'm reluctant to count, gives me the excuse to go again :)

Here are some shots which I did manage, firstly a Linnet.

Oyster Catchers where really common along the coast.

And here's my one out of the ordinary a Sandwich Tern, although they have been sighted in the upper islands they don't show in my book for the coast that we stayed on.

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

Other birds we saw on our travels where Gannet, Black Throated Diver :), Osprey (Loch Garton), Eider, Curlew.

Just on another other note I think people may have had problems viewing my blog because of the custom template I used, so I have reverted back to a blogger template and hope that everyone can now read and see everything, please let me know if this was the case.

Thanks for viewing my blog.

Mike.

Golspie Seals

2011-04-24T06:22:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from a weeks break in Scotland what a place :), my travels have taken me through the Cairngorms and to Loch Garten and up as far as Dunnet head the most northern point of Britain.

There where a number of things I wanted to see on my trip they where Crested Tit, Crossbill, Seals and Dolphin, I managed 3 out of the 4 with a few extras thrown in, I didn't get pictures of them all, but what I did get I will put on my next few posts.

Golspie Seals..

Golspie was around 4 miles from where we stayed in Dornoch and prior to going we had read and seen photos on the web of seals, I wasn't holding out much hope of seeing anything, but with around 90 seals sunbathing you couldn't miss them.

Here are a few shots from when I managed to get close to them at low tide, I am taking it that these are common seals.

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

Other sightings in this area where Sandwich Tern, Cormorant, Eider duck, Oyster Catcher, Curlew, Goldeneye, I only managed shots of a couple of these which I will post later in the week once I have been through all the pics :).

Hope you liked the photos.

Mike.

Super Moon

2011-03-20T14:57:00.001-07:00

Who could resist a photo of the moon when it looked so big in the sky.

Taken with Nikon D70 at 500mm + cropped.

Short but sweet.

Mike.

Waxwings

2011-03-03T14:42:00.000-08:00

Well I know I have said this in previous posts, but this really was a surprise.

I got a text message on Wednesday from a friend saying he had Waxwings in a tree behind his house, luckily I had the day off work so you can imagine I was straight there.

The last time I saw Waxwings was back in January 2009 and was miles away and took hours to find them, I have never seen Waxwings near where I live and haven't heard reports of sightings of them in years.

The only downer on this amazing opportunity was the only tree with a few berries left was in a shaded corner, but you can't have everything.

Here are the shots I got.

And finally a close up portrait.

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

Hope you liked the shots.

Going good so far, hope I can keep this up.

Mike.

Siskins return

2011-02-20T09:11:00.000-08:00

A nice surprise this weekend.

On Friday my wife spotted a Siskin on the feeders, just the one so I didn't think much of it, but then Saturday we had anything between 4 and 10 on the feeders at any one time.

We haven't had Siskins for about 2 years now in these numbers and I hope they stick around for a few days more.

Here are the first couple of shots I got:

The other birds seen where Robin, Great & Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Dunnock and Goldfinch shown below:

Blue Tits are always great for a nice pic:

I will be so glad when we get a bit of decent light, as you can tell from these shots its still pretty dull at the moment.

I have also booked a break to the Carngorms which I can't wait for as I am determined to see and photograph a Crested Tit.

Hope you like the pics.

Mike.

First outing

2011-01-30T08:15:00.000-08:00

Today was my first outing of 2011 and although dull we had a pretty good afternoon.

The only down side was that the lakes where frozen over, the 1st picture is one of the lakes from the Marshall Hide, the smallish birds dotted around where Teal, we also spotted along the patches of land Wigeon, Goosander, Heron, Shoveller and Mallard.

The next couple of shots where taken from the hide behind the reserve shop, it is a Reed Bunting, just as I got to the small viewing holes I spotted this bird away from the feeding station and sat on a small twig so I grabbed a few shots before it flew off.

And finally this Robin appeared to be following us around the reserve so I just couldn't leave without a shot, I was actually surprised by the amount of Robins that we saw, they where everywhere.

All photos taken with a Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

Other birds we saw, but where too far away for a photo where: Buzzard, Brambling, Siskin, Blue, Long tailed & Great Tits, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Wood Pigeon, Bull Finch.

So all in all for a dullish afternoon it was pretty good going.

Hope you liked the shots.

Mike.

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T02:09:00.001-08:00

Just a quick post to wish my fellow bloggers an Happy New Year and all the best for 2011.

I will be getting out more this year and hope to be posting again.

Best wishes,

Mike.

A few snaps

2010-10-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

Well sooner than I thought, I spent a few hours in the garden tidying up and cutting back some of the larger plants that went a bit mad through the summer.

Seed feeders filled and good numbers of Tits are visiting, the odd Goldfinch appears every now and again, but more importantly my fave bird is still visiting the Nuthatch, no shots of them today, but we had 2 on the fence this morning.

Here are a couple of bird shots I got today, 1st is a Goldfinch and secondly a Coal tit.

And one from a walk during the summer, which I just like.

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

Hope you liked the shots.

Until next time and fingers crossed it won't as long next time.

Mike.

Back soon

2010-10-08T12:10:00.000-07:00

Hopefully someone will read this :) but I am hoping to be posting again soon.

Cheers all, Mike.

Butterfly Close Up

2010-08-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

When you see a butterfly flutter by they always look so nice, but have you ever looked at them closely.

Here are a couple of macro shots from this morning of a butterfly, not the usual angle I normally get and they have so much going on and actually look quite gruesome.

Photos taken with Nikon D70 + Nikkor 28-100 with x10 adapter

Hope you liked the pics.

Mike.

Macro in the garden

2010-08-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

We had a strange bright light in the sky today, I believe it is called the sun.

So to make the most of it I grabbed my camera and headed for the garden, we have had a number of different butterfly on our buddleia (possibly the best £3 I have ever spent), but today it was Hover Fly and a few different species.

To keep things simple as they have the strangest of names here are the pics of Hover Fly I got.

I also go this Forest Bug which sat nicely on my window before flying off.

Finally another Hover Fly, thought I would save this until last, I just loved the way this came out apart from the head isn't in focus, it looks great.

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 28-100mm + 10x macro adapter

Well hope you liked the pics.

Until next time.

Mike.

Small Tortoise Shell

2010-07-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

Well I know I keep banging on about it, but getting out with my camera at the moment is close to none existent. Work and family are taking up all my time, but won't complain.

So an hour in the garden was well deserved and the next pic is another first for me, not only in my garden, I have never taken a pic of one before.

Here are a couple of photos I managed before it flew away again.

Photos taken with Nikon D70 + Nikkor 28-100mm with x2 macro

Thanks to all who keep commenting and dropping by it is really appreciated.

Until next time..

Mike.

Sky Lark

2010-06-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

Another first...

I recently visited a relatively new RSPB site not far from the river Ribble called Hesketh Out Marsh, probably the wrong time of year to see a great deal of birds, but one that I did see I have wanted to photograph for a while.

Although still quite far off this is the closest I have been to a Sky Lark.

The next two images where the best from the bunch and still heavily cropped, but for a first I am pleased with them.

Hesketh Out Marsh will definitely be one to visit during Autumn and into the colder months.

Finally a Juv. Blue tit from my garden and apart from Juv Coaltit, Bluetits are one of my favourites.

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

I would love to say that I meant to take the Bluetit shot, but it was one of those nice surprises when the images came up on screen.

Hope you liked the shots.

Until next time.

Mike.

Down the Mere

2010-05-10T10:58:00.000-07:00

Must be on a role, but won't speak to soon.

I haven't been to Martin Mere for a while and yesterdays trip was probably the first for this year, but with butterfly flitting through the garden I thought it had to be worth a visit.

My 1st shot is another first for me, I have seen Orange Tip butterflies before, but never had my camera with me to get a shot of one, so here it is.

Photo taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 28-100 with x2 macro.

Secondly a rather rough looking Peacock was moving up and down by the swan link hide which I managed to get with my 500mm lens.

Back to a bit of birding, this Heron walked right along the front of the Swan link hide and as I was the only person in there and stayed quite still, it was happy to stay for a while.

I'm glad I got it all ruffled as they normally look so perfect, thought it was something a bit different.

And finally a feisty pair of Oyster Catchers or one feisty Oyster Catcher, it must have chased the other for a good 10 mins before leaving it alone, not sure where it pecked but it doesn't look to happy about it :).

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm.

Hopefully the first of many trips and plenty more posts to come.

Until next time..

Mike.

Welsh Scenery

2010-05-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

Here are a few scenery shots taken on my short break, the first two shot are taken from 2/3rds of the way up Mount Snowden, we couldn't get to the top due to snow.

And finally this shot from the beach at Barmouth.

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Nikkor 28-100mm.

Hope you liked the scenery.

Back to birds and butterflies now.

Mike.

More from Wales

2010-05-08T03:11:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots I managed to get whilst out and about around North Wales, seams like such a long time ago now.

No trip would be the same without a shot of a Goosander on Llanberis Lake, which is my first shot of the set.

Secondly a Jackdaw which followed us around the top wall of Caernarfon castle.

The next couple of shots where taken whilst walking along the harbour at Caernarfon with the sun low in the sky, I thought it might have been a bit too dark, but was pleased with how these turned out.

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

Just one more post from Wales and then back to insects, butterflies and birds.

Mike.

Castles

2010-04-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

Over the passed week I have been around North Wales again on a short break, which as finally lead to a post yey.

Walking, photographing and fresh air you can't beat it and luckily we had some really nice weather.

I have taken a few bird pictures, but thought I would get some of the scenic shots out of the way first.

The first couple of shots are from Harlech Castle. I picked the first shot because of the scenery through the windows.

And finally Caernarfon Castle.

It's a stunning part of the country and I am hoping to get back again later in the year.

Hope you liked the pics, more posts to follow.

Mike.

Update

2010-03-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hi guys, hope everyone is ok, I have been keeping tabs on everyones blogs and posts, but I am in work so leaving comments is a bit of a struggle.

I will hopefully be back posting again soon, not getting out and about is driving me mad.

Should be easier once the lighter nights come, I can get out after work, wooo hooo.

Cheers,

Mike.

Mere Sands

2010-02-15T13:30:00.000-08:00

I thought it had to be about time I got out, seeing as my 1 post a week went out of the window.

It's still really dull with the odd bit of sun if it breaks through the clouds, that said the light wasn't too bad on Sunday so Mere Sands it was. The last time I was here I was looking for butterflies and dragonflies. They have done a lot of work here too trimming back some of the reeds so I am really looking forward to spring coming and see what visitors they get there.

Anyway here are a few snaps that came out ok.

The first shot is of a Female Reed Bunting, it was the camouflage that made this image stand out and the colours.
Secondly a Chaffinch sat for quite a while in a tree near to the hide, It was pretty far off but its cropped ok.

And finally a set of Robin shots, I don't normally go for the feeder shots, but how can you resist when they come in really close.

All photos taken with a Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

Not a bad couple of hours out, Role on spring and the late nights.

Mike.

Nice light

2010-01-17T10:22:00.000-08:00

I honestly didn't think I would get chance to post this weekend, one I have been working and two it is unbelievably dull at the moment, however just around 2.30 the sun came out.

Being really low in the sky still isn't the best but can sometimes like today give a really nice golden light.

I managed to get a few shots of my garden visitors before it started to go dull again.

Here are the shots I managed. First shot is a Bluetit.

Secondly a Goldfinch.

And finally a Nuthatch, we have had a pair coming and going all day.

All photos taken with a Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

Nothing like the numbers of birds visiting which we have had in previous years, but theres still plenty of time.

Still no sightings of Waxwings locally :(

Mike.

Good start

2010-01-09T06:46:00.000-08:00

Well the weekend as arrived and I have been desperate to get out all week.

We currently have about 6-7 inches of snow which I know isn't a huge amount but for the northwest this is the most I have seen for years.

So back in the swing of blogging and taking photos here are some new shots from the past week and today, hope you like them.

The first shot is from my garden and is of a nuthatch, not in the best pose, but a bit different from the upside down shots these birds are so often caught in.

The next couple of shots where a bit of a surprise. I spotted them near my parents house one lunchtime and thought that by the weekend they would have all gone, thankfully they haven't eaten all the berries on the trees and have stayed a bit longer.

The first shot is of a Redwing, I have had these behind my house before and you can see them HERE.

And secondly a bird I have only seen at great distance a Fieldfare, who would have thought there would be 10+ on a main road. (photograph 1st)

All photos taken with a Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

I hope this isn't peaking too early and I am checking for sightings of waxwings daily, but so far nothing and it is a birds I am really hoping to photograph again.

Another task for the year is to update my gallery it is looking very dated.

Mike.

Happy New Year

2010-01-03T12:02:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year all, hope you have all had a nice Christmas. Sorry its late.

New Years resolution time and mine is to try and post at least once a week, doesn't sound much but I didn't manage it last year :(

So there will be a post coming this week, so lets see and hope we all have a very photographic 2010.

I will be back to commenting soon too apologies for not dropping by as often as I would like.

Mike.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-13T07:48:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Not sure I will get to post again now until the Christmas break, so I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and very Happy New Year.

Best wishes,

Mike.

An hour in the garden

2009-11-15T07:54:00.000-08:00

I managed to take an hour out this morning to see what visitors I am getting in the garden at the moment and see if I could get a few snaps.

As expected the Grey Squirrels are around and still eating me out of house and home, along with the usual Great, Blue and Coal tits, no Nuthatch this time, but I have seen it around still and I also had a Great spotted Woodpecker on the nut feeder a couple of days back (still need to make a woodpecker feeder).

We had around 4 Long tailed tits in the trees behind my house, but never ventured down to the feeders :(

I was trying to take a photo of a male blackbird, but wasn't having much luck. Then a female also landed in close enough for me to get a few snaps off which again didn't look good enough, camera settings just weren't right for a black bird.

This Robin was more obliging and sat for a few seconds before moving onto the feeder.

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

I have just realised too that I have just gone passed my 2 years of blogging hense the make over and to see what I was posting about this time last years please click HERE. My first ever post is HERE.

Thanks again to everyone who continues to visit regularly and take time to leave kind comments and all the new blogger buddies and followers that I am now linked to, lets hope between now and next year I can post more.

Well 2 posts in 2 days is a bit better.

Cheers,
Mike.

Weather

2009-11-14T15:08:00.001-08:00

Yep pretty much like everywhere else at the moment the weather has been terrible, so I haven't been out with the camera much lately.

A few other things have also had to take priority and now with Christmas approaching I think it will only get harder to get out.

So in the mean time here are couple of pics from earlier in the year.

I've done really bad with posting this year, not even half what I managed in 2008 so I need to pull my finger out in 2010.

Thanks for dropping by,
Mike.

Autumn

2009-10-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

Well my plan to get back into birds hasn't kicked off to a great start I definitely need to visit some of the local reserves and see whats about.

Anyway for now and getting into the Autumn Watch spirit we decided to head up to the lake district over the weekend and take some Autumnal shots, here are a few I took which I hope you like, the smaller images can be viewed larger if clicked, but best to wait for the page to finish loading before clicking them.

Please click images to view larger

Finally and something completely different, the Queen Mary 2 docked in Liverpool yesterday as part of its the tour of the UK, something I just had to go and see.

Here's the one photo out of 50 that came out ok.

All photos taken with Nikon D70 and Nikkor 28-100mm

I will try again and hopefully my next post will have some birds in it.

Thanks to everyone who still keeps dropping by and commenting.

Mike.

Random Images

2009-10-12T14:47:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post a few random shot taken over the past couple of weeks, my birding and other plans have had to be put back, but I am hoping to be back posting again soon.

I have been changing my blog slightly which you will see when you click one of the images below, took me quite a while, but got there in the end.

This first shot is from Mere Sands Wood meadow walk.

Here are a few other photos CLICK them to view larger.

Photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

Back soon.

Mike.

Evening colour

2009-09-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist this post, on my way home last night the sky was stunning, so I got my camera and went to take some shots.

Hope you like them.

CLICK IMAGES TO VIEW LARGER

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Nikkor 28-100mm

Bit of work to do this weekend I'm making a post for the woodpecker to feed off and fingers crossed I will get some decent shots.

Mike.

Back to birding

2009-09-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

Well it looks as though its back to birding and photographing birds as we come to the colder months (Yey!!!).

I haven't had any food out in my garden for a couple of months now (I know that's bad) so I decided to get out and get some seed. I filled the feeders up on Thursday and so far the visits to my feeders have been pretty good.

I have a good number of Goldfinch which have returned, Coal tit, Blue tit, Great tit and one of my favourite birds which I haven't seen around for a while a Nuthatch.

I sat in my conservatory this morning for a couple of hours and here are some of the shots I got.

Firstly a Blue tit.

Secondly a Goldfinch.

And finally my favourite of all garden visitors a Nuthatch, I took quite a few shots of the 2 birds which where around, these where the best of the bunch.

MORE IMAGES, CLICK TO ENLARGE

(All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm @ around 400mm)

Hope you liked the pics and hope there will be plenty more to come.

Mike.

Early morning walk

2009-09-13T11:56:00.000-07:00

Something I have wanted to do for a while now is get up early and get out walking.

This morning I did just that, although when I say early I am only talking 7 am which for me on a Sunday is not only early its unheard of :)

The plan was to head for Mere Sands Wood first which was unfortunately locked up, so we headed to Marshside (RSPB site) , the following where taken at Marshside and are things which caught my eye.

And finally from Marshside a bird, that's right I know its been a while, this Wren came in close along the path between hides, which made the early start worthwhile.

Also seen at Marshside this morning where 8 Snipe, 4 Wigeon, 12 Golden Plover, 80+ Godwit all out of camera range.

The final shot was from Mere Sands and just stood out, birds seen here where 4 Nuthatch (all together), Various Warblers and your usual Tits and Chaffinch.

Photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

It realy is the best time of day to be out and I can fully understand why people do it daily.

Hope you liked the pics.

Mike

Dawlish, South Devon

2009-09-04T05:52:00.000-07:00

Well my final break of the year is now over.

We took a trip to Dawlish in South Devon hoping all the way down that the weather would be nice for us and for the most part it was ok.

I was determined to get some birding in and hopefully get some shots of something new which I did, but it wasn't a bird lol.

Here are a few shots I managed to get in between the rain, hope you like them.

Here are a couple of other shots which caught my eye.

All shots taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

I am now looking forward to concentrating just on birds for a while and hopefully more postings.

Mike.

Morning Surprise

2009-08-15T04:18:00.000-07:00

Quite a nice surprise this morning, I was sat in my conservatory when I spotted a Peacock Butterfly (another new visitor) on my Buddleia plant.

I don't usually see many butterflies in my garden because in the past I haven't really had anything to attract them, but the Buddleia has really paid its dues and money well spent if you ask me, I can see a few more being planted next year.

Here's a few pics I got, It was really lucky when the Bee landed underneath the Peacock, made for a nice shot.

Photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm.

So far in the last couple of months we have had a Large White, Peacock, Speckled Wood and Comma, not too bad, but maybe more next year when my Buddleia as really taken root.

Mike.

The Moon

2009-08-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

The weathers been a little hit and miss lately or should I say lovely whilst at work and the second you walk out the door it goes dull and rains.

So I have been looking through my old gallery pics and came across these shots of the moon, hope you like them.

Photos where taken with a Opticron Feildscope and Fuji F11 (Digiscoped).

Mike.

Warton Crag

2009-08-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post from a visit to Warton Crag yesterday, It is a great place for seeing butterflies, although someone should have told the butterflies because we didn't hardly see any.

We did see a few Speckled Wood and here's a shot of one that stayed long enough for me to do so.

The next photo is a shot across Morecambe Bay from near the crag, a great place for waders, but our timing was really bad as the tide was in right up to the car park.

It was a good day out, but bad as far as photos went and we wanted to go further up into the lake district, but the motorway was backed right up so gave up on that idea.

Mike.

Mere Sands Wood

2009-07-26T08:24:00.001-07:00

I managed to get out again after all on Saturday evening, making the most of what turned out to be a great day, weather wise the sun was out all day and right into the evening.

So I thought I would show you all Mere Sands Wood, I have posted lots of bird pics from here before, but with great evening light I wanted to show you what a great place this is.

Mere Sands is about 10 mins from Martin Mere WWT reserve and about 20 mins in the car from my house and part of what I call my local patches, although not on my doorstep like I wish they where.

So here are the pics I took and hope that I have managed to capture the place for you.

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Nikkor 28-100mm

The final pic is a young Coot which came in real close and let me take a few shots. It still surprises me that there aren't more fish eating birds around the place because you can see lots of fish from the hides scooping insects off the surface of the lakes.

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

Mere Sands is a very peacefull place and somewhere worth visiting after a stressfull day in work, it really helps you unwind.

Mike.

10 mins in the garden

2009-07-25T02:20:00.001-07:00

I had a quick 10 mins in the garden this morning whilst the sun was out, I am starting to think the sun is somehow connected to my camera, no sooner have I picked it up the sun goes in :)

Anyhow I made the most of about 10 mins of sun and managed to photograph a couple of birds.

The first two pics are a juvenile Great Tit and the final pic is a Robin, hope you like them.

Photo taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm @ 450mm

I have a load of work to do this weekend so it's unlikely I will get out and about, but who knows if I get it finished I'll be out.

Mike.

Large Skipper

2009-07-21T14:10:00.001-07:00

This set of photos where taken last week when the weather was a little brighter and it wasn't raining like it has been for the past week (feels like a week anyway).

This is a Large Skipper (still really small if you ask me) and similar to the small skipper I posted a few days back.

These too are manic little things and don't stay still for long, this one was quite good to me and stayed long enough to get a few shots off.

Photos taken with a Nikon D70 + Nikkor 28-100 and x4 macro adaptor.

Lets hope the weather picks up and brightens up a bit.

Mike.

Bit of scenery

2009-07-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

I was really hoping that this post would be of butterflies and red squirrels, but sadly I didn't see any red squirrels at all and butterflies where few and far between.

So I thought I would catch up with some editing on pics I took whilst down in Devon, here are a couple of my favourites. Hope you like them.

Photos taken with a Nikon D70 + Nikkor 28-100mm.

Mike.

Resting Songy

2009-07-19T07:24:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post, before fingers crossed the rain holds off and I can get out later to Formby.

I am hoping to see some Red Squirrels which are making a slow come back since they where nearly wiped out by Squirrel Pox and then possibly down to the dunes for more butterflies, but its all on the weather...

I am also going to try a different macro adapter, normally I use a x4, but tonight I am just going to try a x2 I am hoping this will get similar results without having to get as close, I can only try.

So for todays photo, I spotted this resting song thrush this morning and couldn't resist.

Photo taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm @ 500mm

So all going well I will try and do another post later or tomorrow depending on how long it takes to go through and edit the pics.

Mike.

Wild flowers

2009-07-15T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of the wild flowers which grow around Braunton Burrows, and possibly everywhere else in the UK, I have tried to ID them but, I had some pics that I gave up trying to ID they don't look like anything I can find, probably just weeds :)

Flowers aren't really my thing, but if they look good I'll snap em (in a photo sense that is lol).

The first shot is of a Viper Bugloss and the second shot is a Pyramidal Orchid, I'm sure this is wrong and if I am please let me know.

Photo taken with a Nikon D70 + Nikkor 28-100mm and x4 Macro adaptor

Finally I went for a quick walk this evening and photographed a new butterfly for my collection, this one is a Gatekeeper another 1st for me.

Photo taken with a Nikon D70 + Nikkor 28-100mm and x4 Macro adaptor

It's been a while since I have done so many posts and I'm getting back into it and hoping to keep it going, hope you liked the pics.

Mike.

A bit of sanity

2009-07-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

Taking a break from the madness of trying to photograph butterflies I took a couple of shot of birds yey back to a bit of sanity :)

These two came in pretty close for some food I had thrown out on the grass, I've wanted to try and get some low level shots like these for a while, also this is the first time I have photographed a Crow and Pied Wagtail, because they are so common I think I have overlooked them.

The first shot is a Pied Wagtail and second the Crow.

Photos taken with a Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

The next post is of wild flowers (well out of my depth with these), but once I have put an ID to them I will post.

Mike.

Butterflies

2009-07-12T03:29:00.000-07:00

I am finding photographing butterflies a real challenge, not only will they not stay still, when they do I am spooking them with my macro lens. They also fly around in what appears to be a state of confusion, none the less I managed to get a few shots, some with my macro lens and others with my 500mm.

We had read before heading to North Devon that Braunton Burrows (the largest sand dune systems in the UK) that it was good for seeing butterflies and we weren't disappointed.

Here are some of the shots I managed to get, I have so many shots of empty leaves and flowers maybe I should do a post of leaves :) I will try to ID them, but if I get any wrong please let me know.

The first pic is Red Admiral, it was along the track heading towards the dunes.

Photo taken with Nikon D70 + Nikkor 28-100mm +4 macro adaptor.

The next photo is of a Dark Green Fritillary

Photo taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm.

The next pic is my favourite of the 5 it was on a high perch so I was able to get a good angle for the shot, it is of a Small Skipper.

Photo taken with Nikon D70 + Nikkor 28-100mm +4 macro adaptor.

The next butterfly is a Ringlet.

Photo taken with Nikon D70 + Nikkor 28-100mm +4 macro adaptor.

And finally a Comma, I was so pleased to see this butterfly because it looks more interesting than the other butterflies, but would you believe yesterday one landed on my garden fence, I'd never seen one before my holiday and now they are in my garden, won't complain though.

Photo taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm.

Theres nothing out of the ordinary here, its pretty much what you would expect to see around dune areas, but when you haven't paid attention to these things before each it more spectacular than the last.

Hope you liked the pics and I hope I've got the ID correct for you all.

Mike.

North Devon Evening

2009-07-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

I have just spent the past week in beautiful North Devon and have quite a few photos to go through and edit, this is a brief post because I'm feeling tired (long drive), but these pics stood out so thought I would post them first.

Here are a few shots from an evening walking along the beach, the coast line here is stunning and made for some great photos.

Photos taken with Nikon D70 + Nikkor 28-100mm

I have a number of posts to do and will post more when I have been through all the photos. Hopefully the next post will be of the Butterflies we saw around the dunes.

Hope you like the pics.

Mike.

Juv. Blue Tit

2009-06-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

Here's some shots from this afternoon, the Juv. Blue Tits are by far my favourite.

I spent a good few hours hanging out of my conservatory window waiting for the Blue Tits to finally come down to the feeders, I have still only seen 2 so far though and still no Coal Tits.

I tried to get both birds together on the same branch, but whenever they got close to each other they decided to start a chase instead, until I put my camera away that is :) oh well I can keep trying.. Here's some of the pics I got.

Photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm @ 420mm

Hope you liked the pics as much as I enjoyed taking them and fingers crossed more will show up eventually.

My next post will be back on the macro trail, i'm addicted...

Mike.

Garden visits

2009-06-10T11:53:00.000-07:00

I have had a few young visitors to the garden lately mainly Goldfinches.

Blue tits and Great tits have also been around but haven't come to the feeders until its too dark to get any shots of them.

We usually get Coaltits too, but so far I haven't seen any.

Here's a shot I got yesterday of a juvenile Goldfinch, we had two on and around the feeders along with two adult birds.

Photo taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm @ 440mm

Here's a Great tit which also caught my eye and perched for a few seconds before disappearing into the trees again.

Photo taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm @ 440mm

Fingers crossed I will get the Bluetits before they lose the yellow cuteness.

Mike.

Weekend Walk

2009-05-31T12:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend I thought I would try something different and just go for a walk.

Armed with my long lens and macro lens I just took photos of thing that interest me.

The first shot is a Little Grebe which I saw a Mere Sands Wood reserve, it kept diving whenever I went to take a photo, I managed to get this one, but it was further away than I would have liked.

Photo taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm @ 500mm

Now for something different, I am taking more of an interest in insects and bugs and enjoying the challenges of photographing them, I have recently bought a Collins book for id's but if I get them wrong please let me know as this is quite new to me.

The next shot is a female Scorpion Fly, the males tail turns over much like a scorpion, these are common throughout the UK, but the first one I have seen.

Photo taken with Nikon D70 + Nikkor 28-100mm with x4 macro adaptor

The next couple of shots are the highlight of my photographic weekend and something I have never seen before it is a female Broad Bodied Chaser and was stunning in the sunlight, there where two females around, but no male. The male is similar but blue.

It's mad to think that until I looked at these things properly I would have just thought dragonfly, fly, butterfly.... but is definitely something I am quickly getting into.

Photo taken with Nikon D70 + Nikkor 28-100mm with x4 macro adaptor

I will be posting some butterfly pics this week too (nightmare to photograph) and I have made a moth trap which if it works I will post some pics from that too.

Hope you like the shots from my walk.

Mike :)

First Young

2009-05-24T01:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot from this morning, it wasn't the first young bird I was expecting to see but made for a nice photo anyway.

It's a young Starling, as usual with Starlings I heard a lot of noise coming from the garden and when I checked it out the adult was feeding two young, I just managed to take a few photos when the camera shutter spooked them and they flew off.

The first shot is the young bird followed by the adult, quite a difference..

Photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm @ 400mm

Hopefully I will be able to get some young blue, coal or great tits, fingers crossed.

Mike.

Red Kite

2009-05-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

I have just got back from a week in Dumfries, South west Scotland.

I went there last year around this time and the birding was pretty good, whilst there we went back to the Red Kite feeding station.

Here are some of the shots I got, hope you like them.

This last shot is definitely my favourite, it was just a great angle the bird came in at.

Photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

Thanks everyone who keep dropping by, I know i'm not posting as much as I would like, but working on it, Mike.

My first Dipper

2009-05-03T11:54:00.001-07:00

Well its my first Dipper I have been able to get a decent photograph of anyway.

These shots where taken at Yarrow Country Park, I have had some luck with a Kingfisher here before, sadly today it wasn't there, but was shocked to see a Dipper fly by and even better when it went into a nest on a vertical wall.

Photo taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm lense @ 500mm

Another bird which caught my eye was this Robin, I thought it was the Dipper a couple of times, then it landed exactly where I wanted it too and I got around 20 pics. I think this was the best of the bunch.

Photo taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm lense @ 500mm

Just something that caught my eye in the sunlight.

Photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm lense @ 500mm

I'm still not getting out as much as I like, but I have a trip planned to Scotland again soon so hopefully I will have a few posts from that to do.

Thanks for keep dropping by.

Mike.

Llanberis

2009-03-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

A long weekend in Llanberis, North Wales was in order to get away and try and get a few photos.

Here are some I managed to get, 1st couple of shots are of a Jackdaw and the final 2 shots are a female Goosander.

Photos taken with a Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm.

I managed to take a lot of shots of Magpies and also a Crow all in flight, for some reason my camera went funny showing an error one day and managed to wipe the memory card, so I'm a bit gutted, but gives me a good excuse to go back again.

Hope you like the shots.

Siskin

2009-03-01T04:58:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Feels like a long time since I have added anything, just haven't had the weather or time really.

To make up for it I hope you like these few shots I took in my garden today.

The 1st two shots are of a Siskin (we have 2 which visit regularly and I am hoping for more) last photo is a goldfinch.

Photos taken with a Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm lense

I am hoping to get back to posting more now and commenting on all your blogs, I have been visiting just havent had chance to comment.

Mike.

Bird count

2009-01-26T14:06:00.000-08:00

Sorry no photos in this post, but I have linked to my gallery if you want to see them.

So here's my count for the Garden Birdwatch.

Nuthatch x 1
Goldfinch x 6
Long tailed tit x 3
Siskin x 3
Collared Dove x 1 (Partner was up in the tree and never came down)
Chaffinch x 4
Coaltit x 2
Bluetit x 1
Great tit x 2
Blackbird x 3
Robin x 1
Greenfinch x 2

Really need to update some of the pics in my gallery, something to aim for this year.

Mike.

Garden visitors

2009-01-17T08:36:00.000-08:00

A great afternoon in the garden today, birds where everywhere and for once the sun was out and light was pretty good.

I managed to snap almost everything that came into the garden and have selected my four favourites for the post.

In order: Long Tailed tit, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Chaffinch, Nuthatch.

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm 17/01/2009.

Still no sign of the Siskins yet, but here's what we have had in our garden today: Goldfinch (7), Bluetit (1), Great tit (2), Nuthatch (1), Chaffinch (5), Blackbird (2), GS Woodpecker (1), Long Tailed Tit (3), all within about an hour and a half.

Bluetits are nowhere near the number we had about 5 years ago so I will be putting a few nest boxes up soon to try and attract them back, fingers crossed.

A little fishy

2009-01-13T13:19:00.000-08:00

As I haven't been out much lately and I am sat here eagerly awaiting the Siskins return, I thought I would try something different.

This is one of my Gourami's, I have about 30 mixed tropical fish, great to just sit there and watch. If you put your finger to the glass the feelers try and touch it.

Hope you like the shot.

First Siskin was seen here on Sunday 11/01/09 and I haven't seen it since, hopefully it's gone to tell all the others that the foods still here.

Photo taken with Nikon D70 + Nikkor 28-100 + 4 macro.

Noise

2009-01-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

I have had a couple of comments now regarding the noise when shooting at hi ISO so I thought I would give you the program that I use.

Its a free download and adds as a filter in Photoshop or can be used on its own.

http://www.neatimage.com/

Choose the relevent download and away you go (Usually 32bit as this as the standalone part).

Hope this is of use, I use it on nearly every photo I take, it not only reduces noise, but sharpens at the same time. Very handy to have.

Remember less is more and not to over do it.

Sorry if this is something everyone knows about.

Mike.

Waxwing

2009-01-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

Can't begin to tell you how many places I have been to in the hope of seeing one of these birds, so this weekend very determined and after a couple of trips out and 240 miles of driving we managed to see some.

In fact we managed to see something in the region of 80, never seen one until today now I have seen 80+.

Here are some shots I managed to get, again shot at ISO800 due to very poor light conditions.

Hope you like them..

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm @ ISO800.

Shaded spots

2009-01-01T08:52:00.001-08:00

Just a couple of shots from yesterday to break in the new year, it was really dark in the back garden but the goldfinch had a little light shining on it.

The brick structure was taken during a drive over the Trough of Boland.

Hope you like.

All photos taken with a Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm.

PIC OF THE MONTH - DEC 08

2008-12-31T05:47:00.000-08:00

Not much to choose from this month, but as this little bird doesn't visit very often I thought I would choose it.

Hope you have enjoyed my photos as much as I have taking them, and hopefully there will be many more in 2009.

BEST WISHES & HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Mike.

Pics at last

2008-12-24T07:07:00.000-08:00

Finally a few photos to post, here's some from this afternoon, just the usual Long Tailed Tit, Coal Tit and Goldfinch all shot at ISO800 and in my garden.

Hope you like the shots.

Thanks to everyone who keeps dropping by and I hope you all have a great Christmas and happy new year. Mike.

PIC OF THE MONTH - NOV 08

2008-12-10T11:56:00.000-08:00

It feels like ages since I've been able to post anything, Christmas shopping madness.

The other thing I'm struggling with is the sun, the trees have got so high behind my house that once you are past lunch time its almost dark out there. I'm hoping to spend a bit of time this weekend taking pics (in the morning) as we have had some great visitors lately.

This afternoon whilst on lunch we had a Nuthatch and Goldcrest, so sights are set and we will see what I get this weekend.

Anyway here's my photo of the month for November, hope you liked it.

Now I've got some catching up to do with all your blogs.

Great Tit

2008-11-24T10:37:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would add a quick post as I haven't really had chance to do much lately, its that time of year when other things have to come first, mainly shopping.

Heres a couple of shots I managed on the weekend of a Great Tit, hope you like.

Photos raken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

A year on...

2008-11-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

Its hard to believe that a year ago today I posted a link on the Autumn Watch forum under website sites to share. This was a thread started by Shirl at Shirls gardenwatch and it wasn't long before Shirl emailed me and the blog link was added.

Up until this point I never knew of a blogging community (all my pictures where put on Birdforum) and I was surprised and amazed by how much work Shirl had put into her blog. That was the first link I had, but through this link regular visitors from Shirls blog started calling in also and the 2nd visitor was Lisa at Greenbow.

Thanks to the 2 comments I received on my very first post I decided to stick with it and now I am completely hooked and receiving more and more hits and emails with kind remarks and requests than ever.

Here are a few of my favourite shots (you can click on them to see them larger).

So just to finish, thanks everyone who visits and takes the time to comment, they are always appreciated and hopefully there will be plenty more posts to come.

Cheers all, Mike.

PIC OF THE MONTH - OCT 08

2008-11-11T05:01:00.001-08:00

These are getting later and later each month, but here it is, this was my favourite shot from October.

I just loved the detail in the whiskers, hope you liked it too.

Again thanks to everyone who has visited and took time to leave comments.

Tomorrow is a special post...

Cheers, Mike.

My World Tuesday - Llanberis

2008-11-10T11:39:00.000-08:00

Another stunning place this time from Llanberis in North Wales, still only a couple of hours from where I live. The Goosander was taken on the lake leisurely swimming by.

Thanks for visiting why not join in @

Photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

Dull Garden

2008-11-09T05:15:00.000-08:00

Birds have been few and far between in my garden lately, today wasn't much different.

Just the occasional Goldfinch and Coaltit, here are a couple of shots I managed in the few minutes of decent light we had this morning, hope you like them.

Pic of the month October to follow soon.

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

My World Tuesday - Martin Mere

2008-11-04T09:03:00.000-08:00

This is my local nature reserve / WWT Martin Mere that I visit regularly, at the moment there are thousands of swans, geese and ducks from all over the world.

This is a shot of one of the hides taken late afternoon, where you can sit and watch all the wildlife in comfort.

Join in @

You can see some of the birds there in my previous 2 posts.

Photo taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

More Whoopers

2008-11-03T10:23:00.001-08:00

Here are a few more shots from yesterday, I was really surprised with the first shot of a young Whooper when I got home, I have only cropped this a little no other edits have been done.

If you where wondering about the dots on the last shot these where geese in the distance.

Hope you liked the shots.

All photos taken with a Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm.

Whooper Swan

2008-11-02T07:42:00.000-08:00

Having watched a week of Autumn Watch I thought it only right to go to Martin Mere to see what's been happening (Martin Mere has hosted Autumn Watch for the past 2 years in case you didn't know).

I can definitely confirm that the Whooper swans have arrived and where landing in numbers whilst I was there, here are a few shots from this afternoon, I have a load I am going through and will post more over the next few days.

I only wish it hadn't been so dull.

All photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm.

My World Tuesday - Liverpool

2008-10-27T14:04:00.001-07:00

This weeks addition of My World Tuesday comes from Liverpool and more accurately Albert Dock.

Famous for having the best football team in the world and a couple of famous bands and band members.

First shot is the Liver Bird, 1 of 2 which stand on the Liver Building.

Join in @

And I think these wrote a few catchy songs.

Photos taken 27/10/2008 with Nikon D70 + 28-100mm lense.

Albert Dock - Liverpool

2008-10-26T08:53:00.000-07:00

About 15 mins drive from where I live and you can be at Albert Dock in Liverpool.

We had a quick walk around before getting too cold, so when I got home I thought I would have a mess with Photoshop, thought I would show something a little different, hope you like it.

You may see some more shots on my world Tuesday.

Photos taken with Nikon D70 + 28-100mm lense.

My World Tuesday - Dumfries

2008-10-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

This was a photo I took when I was in Dumfries, had to be one of the most relaxing places I have ever been to.

Join in @

Photo taken with a Nikon D70.

Good ol Mallard

2008-10-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

Not a great deal to post at the moment as I'm still not getting out, hopefully over the next week or so I will have something to post, for now here's a shot of a Mallard Duck.

Not something I usually photograph with them being so common, but I liked this shot and hope you do too.

Photo taken with a Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm.

PIC OF THE MONTH - SEPT 08

2008-10-13T04:05:00.000-07:00

Better late than never, this month I have gone for the Garden Spider shot.

Again thanks to everyone who left comments and visited during September.

Hopefully I will be getting out more over the coming months, as its gets colder its perfect for birdwatching and I love the freezing cold mornings.

Cheers, Mike.

Flash birds

2008-10-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

This post is about 7 days later than I would have liked to have posted it, but unfortunately I have been struck down by some sort of flu bug, which as wiped me off my feet and I haven't even done Septembers pic of the month.

So I apologies for not leaving any comments lately I just haven't been up to it.

So anyway now I'm feeling a bit better here are a few pics from Pennington Flash, this time showing the birds they have there.

1.) Chaffinch, 2.) Little Grebe, 3.) Bluetit.

Now I am sure I will get the ID wrong here, but the following bird is either a Marsh Tit or a Willow Tit, but according to my book and the bird not having a glossy head I will go for Willow Tit, a first for me so I was quite happy to snap it, even though they are possibly the quickest birds I have tried to catch.

Hope you liked the shots.

I have also been working for a while now on a new gallery site as my previous sites subscription was up, then I thought well blogger is free so I will see what I can do with that so here it is GALLERY you can also visit via the drop down menus above.

Hope you liked the pics and my new gallery.

Mike.

Flash Mammals

2008-10-06T10:25:00.001-07:00

Strange title I know, but the following pics where taken at Pennington Flash.

I originally went to PF to photograph Bullfinches, but with the heavy rain we have had lately the hide which you can normally see these birds was completely flooded and the bird tables which are normally full of food where all empty so we didn't see a single one.

I did manage to get a few pics of birds which I will show once I have finished editing them, but for now here are few squirrel shots (taking inspiration from Mary's squirrel Sunday).

This little guy was adorable and was begging to be snapped, hope you like them.

I also saw a Rat which must be loving the flooded areas, or at least it appeared to be.

All pics taken Sunday 05/10/2008 with a Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm.

Migration

2008-09-30T15:38:00.000-07:00

If you ever wondered how Swallows know which way to go here's the answer.

Actually I am just trying something out with the commenting, hope it works Ok let me know what you think, thanks Mike.

New arrivals

2008-09-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

We had a quick trip to Martin Mere this afternoon to check out if the geese had started to come in, I'm glad to say there are thousands, mainly Pink Footed Geese and you could see them coming in far off in the distance.

I may have said it before, but I will try and video them coming in, the sound is amazing and quite relaxing.

Autumn watch is normally filmed at Martin Mere, but sadly this year they are trying somewhere new.

Another new arrival that surprised me this morning was this Siskin, it was sat on the feeder tree along with 7 or 8 Goldfinches, I don't recall seeing them here this time of year.

All photos taken 28/09/2008 with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm.

Common Garden Spider

2008-09-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

I spotted this spider from my kitchen window, it's made a large web covering the whole of the door to my shed, I couldn't resist grabbing my camera and taking some shots.

Not to everyones taste I know, but as it's starting to get colder they are moving closer and closer to the house and in the right light you can see thousands of webs spanning from the trees to me gutters and we have had some beauties running through the living room.

I'm collecting icons so don't forget to follow my blog through the link in the side bar, cheers ;).

Photos taken with a Nikon D70 + 28-100mm & + 4 macro adaptor.

Goldfinch afternoon

2008-09-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

Another selection of Goldfinch photos today, I seem to be over run at the moment with Goldfinches and Coaltits, but I won't complain.

Its that time of year now where I start looking forward to the winter and the different species it brings.

For a count of birds in my garden, as I am typing this we have 3 Collared doves, 1 Wood Pigeon, 7 Goldfinches (mainly Juveniles), 2 Coaltits and a Bluetit, not too bad for my small garden which you can see HERE.

You can see more of my Goldfinch photos by clicking HERE.

To read more about Goldfinches please click HERE.

All photos taken with a Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm.

Southport Sunset

2008-09-20T14:54:00.001-07:00

Hopefully this will look ok when its finally posted, but on an evening walk along the prom at Southport the sky and sunset looked stunning.

As bad as it sounds I didn't have my camera with me, I did however have my mobile phone with me and took this shot, its a Cybershot phone 3.2mp, I'm just so gutted the light was perfect and my DSLR would have been so much better.

A reminder, never forget your camera or phone in this case.

Young Gold Finch

2008-09-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

Just the usual Great Tit and Coal Tit in the garden today, although we did have a brief visit from a juvenile Gold Finch which I managed to snap, hope you like it.

I'm easing off a bit on the zoom and crop because some/most of my shots get right in your face, I think it makes for a more pleasing shot, what do you think? Although I will still post the odd portrait.

Photos taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm @ 350mm.

Birdphotography Weekly #3

2008-09-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

Just a shot from lunchtime today, we had 2 on the feeders at the same time.

I just love the poses these birds give.

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Taken 16/09/2008 with a Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm @ 350mm.

Coal and Long Tailed

2008-09-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

Not a bad day in the garden today, we've had all the Tits, Coal, Blue, Great and Long Tailed.

Here are a few shot of the Coal Tit I managed to get, hope you like them.

To see more of my Coal Tit shots click HERE and the juveniles click HERE.

For all the Tit family click HERE and click into the images.

This one was a bit more of a surprise I haven't seen these in my garden for a year or so and it landed just before I was about to put fresh food out so it might not come back, fingers crossed it will.

To see more Long Tailed Tit shots click HERE.

All photos taken 14/09/2008 with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm.

PIC OF THE MONTH - AUG 2008

2008-09-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

I know its a little late this time around, but wanted to fit my Cornwall trip in first.

This months Pic of the Month is going to one of favourite birds the Nuthatch, although I haven't seen it since this visit so glad I was ready for it.

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to leave comments and visit this month.

Bit of scenery

2008-09-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

Just a few scenic shots for you from around the coast in Cornwall.

The beaches are stunning there and all the hidden coves are amazing, hope you like the pics.

You can see more pics and my full set of shots HERE

All photos taken with a Nikon D70.

South Coast Birds

2008-09-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

There didn't appear to many birds around or any that came close enough anyway.

I could see plenty of Terns and Gannets diving through my bins out at sea, but where way off and came out like dots when I looked at the photos.

This Stonechat which you will see in the shots was really obliging and came in really close, hope you like the pics.

I know all the shots are very similar, but I just wanted to make the most of the only bird that came in close.

And finally a gull portrait

All photos taken with a Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

Rough Seas

2008-09-06T03:51:00.001-07:00

Having just spent a week down on the beautiful South Coast not too far from Lizard Point which is the most southern part of the UK, I just had to go through my shots.

This set of photos is showing how rough the seas where, the weather wasn't too bad, but the wind was strong, perfect for all the surfers down there.

These shots are of Kynance Cove and although the sea was very rough it was quite relaxing sitting on the rocks and watching it all.

Hope you like the shot, my next few posts will be of my hol and showing how beautiful it is down there.

All photos taken with a Nikon D70.

A welcome return.

2008-08-25T06:48:00.001-07:00

A nice surprise this morning, looked out of the window and saw a Nuthatch.

I haven't seen these birds since Jan / Feb and I'm pretty certain there was a pair.

I managed to get a few shots and I am hoping they will stay around for a while so I can get more photos to post. Hope you like these...

We also had a few Great tits around the feeders, I managed to catch this one. Surprisingly these birds are very difficult to get right, even in the shot below the white on the side of the face is over exposed, I normally shoot these the the exposure knocked down a bit, but didn't do the trick this time, maybe that's just me being over critical.

All photos taken 25/08/2008 with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm.

Arty night

2008-08-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

Thought I would try something a little different for today's post.

The following shots are taken of and around my local Beacon, Ashurst Beacon to be exact, about 10 mins from my house.

From there you can see clearly across to Liverpool, Southport, Blackpool and in the other direction the Peak district, Winter Hill and even across to north Wales.

Here are a few shots I took, trying out the black and white theme, these shot where taken with a 28-100mm Nikkor lens.

And couple of macro shots using the same lens, but with a +4 adaptor attached.

Something a little different, but I have to say I really enjoyed it, you may see some more buildings who knows.

All shots taken 17/08/2008 with Nikon D70.

Formby Mammals

2008-08-15T13:39:00.001-07:00

I've been visiting Formby Point quite often lately, a chance to relax after a day at work.

On my last few visits I haven't seen a single squirrel, tonight though was a little more positive. We saw at least 4 Red Squirrels (I know that doesn't sound a lot), but when you walk round the woods and don't see even one you get a bit down hearted.

Heres a shot of one that came close in.

Another bit of good news is after walking along the beach trying to photograph waders which kept flying off before I could get anywhere near, we got back in the car to head home and came across the resident fox and I'm no expert but he looks a little healthier to me. Let me know what you think.

I think it will be back to birds for a while now.. hope you liked the Formby shots.

All photos taken 15/08/2008 with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

Formby Point

2008-08-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

Whenever I visit Formby Point which is about 30 mins from my house I always show the woods, which is great, but as I only saw 1 red squirrel and the fox was nowhere to be seen I thought I would show the other side to Formby Point.

The first shot is showing the beach, its looking a bit shabby in the picture, but great for wading birds, it was also getting late in the evening and looks much nicer during the day. You can make out the windmills from the offshore wind farm.

Something I had never given much thought to is how big the windmills are, you can see in the next shot when scaled against a passing boat they are huge, the other thing that really surprised me when I was looking through my photos is the bird flying by, if I'm not mistaken its a Gannett, we could see something diving into the water but this wasn't in my list of guesses.

So just to finish off here are a few bird shots, the first one is a pair of crows, looks like they are settling down for the night.

All photos taken 12/08/2008.

Down the Mere.

2008-08-10T07:43:00.000-07:00

After getting an invite to meet up with some of the Birdforum members I went to Martin Mere.

There was nothing about which is pretty normal for this time of the year , just the usual Mallard, Lapwings and Moorhens. In a couple of months you won't be able to move for whooper Swans and Geese, I am hoping to film them and post the video of thousands of geese and swans coming in.

There where 3 Marsh Harriers to be seen all far off, but after sitting in the United Utilities hide for a while they did come in closer, this was the best shot I got, but they where still a long way off.

After going to a couple of hides we decided to take a walk around the captive area in the reserve, I didn't catch the name of all the birds as they are from all over the world, but here are the best of the day.

A good day and nice to put faces to names.

All shot taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 170-500mm

PIC OF THE MONTH - JULY 2008

2008-08-05T14:16:00.000-07:00

Finally got around to posting my photo of the month and thanks to everyone who commented I have chosen then Blackbird with the cherry.

Thanks again to everyone who visited this month and took the time to leave a comment, they are always very much appreciated.