Short-eared Owls in Cornwall 7th November 2023

 

There has been a big influx of Short-eared Owls into Britain and below I quote Birdguides website......

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Short-eared Owls arrive in bumper numbers

It looks set to be an excellent winter for Short-eared Owl in Britain, following an influx of the species in October.

Birds were reported from well over 300 sites on BirdGuides during the month, with many sites hosting multiple individuals. This follows a run of consecutive poor winters for the species – and it looks likely that the 2023-24 will see large numbers in Britain.

The first major signs of an influx came on 8 October, when easterly winds saw a huge arrival along the east coast. The biggest count came at Holme Dunes, Norfolk – a remarkable 54 were logged arriving in off the North Sea. Other large in-off counts that day included 20 at the Isle of May, Fife; 18 at Anderby Creek, Lincolnshire; and 16 at Blakeney Point, Norfolk.

The majority of records continue to come from northern and eastern areas, but birds have filtered south and, in some places, multiple individuals are present. This includes up to 13 at Wallasea Island RSPB, Essex, on 27 October.

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They are now appearing here in Cornwall and finding regular roosts & feeding sites. 

I've been lucky to photograph them in a very public place which is criss-crossed with footpaths and the owls seem to be oblivious to dog walkers and hikers on the Cornish coast. 

Voles seem numerous and 3 birds are using quite a large area of rough pasture and coastal heath.

Here is a selection of images including a composite collage of a bird diving into the grass presumably after a vole.

 

 

 

Osprey in the rain. Cornwall 13th September 2022.

 

It's got to be a good sign that Ospreys are doing well in Britain & indeed farther to the North and East as Cornwall seems to be getting a regular stop-off for more and more of these iconic birds every year.

Today was one of the worst days for weather this summer, dull and wet but humid. 

After a fabulous summer it doesn't seem right to moan about a bit of rain but when it stops you enjoying such a beautiful bird than who can blame me for feeling hard done by!

That aside I do think the rain gives the photos a bit of atmosphere! 

We were lucky enough to watch 4 dives from this individual of which 3 produced successful fish catches. Only small fish but that was good for me as it then came back to feed much quicker than if it had caught a large fish.

The osprey was regularly mobbed by corvids, crows and jackdaws, and they drove him away from the lake on a few occasions.

Hopefully he will stay around for a few more days so I can get down there again in a bit better weather.

Here are a few images from this morning....

Mobbed by corvids

Green Woodpeckers in Cornwall. 29th May 2022.

Female leaving the nest

I've been watching a tree in my local woods all through the late winter & early spring for signs of woodpeckers nesting.

The tree had several holes from previous years but I just couldn't suss out where they were this year. 

Yesterday I watched from a distance yet again and was rewarded by a fleeting view of a green woodpecker. I then settled down for a more prolonged wait to see where they were going as I know it's the time that they should be actively feeding their chicks.

Fortunately I spotted the male bird on the tree and with a bit of detective work found the nesthole at 180 degrees to the previous site.

Being particularly careful not to disturb them I visited again in the late afternoon & put up my hide on a steep slope some 40 metres from the tree in dense oak woodland. It's a very quiet area and I am confident that it won't get disturbed, especially as I really struggled to fight my way to it myself!

I'm using a Nikon 500mm f4 telephoto so doing all my photography from a discrete distance which was proven right this morning as I took a few images without the birds batting an eyelid.

The light in an oak wood is getting worse as more leaves break out so it is hard to cope with the dappled sunlight. In fact I'd sooner it was dull or even raining as the sun is burning out the highlights & yellowing up all the greens.

Here's a selection from my first couple of hours, hopefully I'll get a few more sessions under my belt as the adults are still climbing into the nest to feed so the chicks must still be fairly small.

Male green woodpecker with the red moustachial stripe

A tight squeeze in order to keep predators out

Female green woodpecker

Female green woodpecker

 

Cattle Egrets in a feeding frenzy. Walmsley sanctuary Wadebridge 18.2.2022

 

After lunch as the big storm, "Storm Eunice", started to pass I went to check for any damage at the reserve. Fortunately all the hides were intact although a fair bit of debris had blown around.

The reserve was looking pretty empty as there were still 50-60 mph gusts and it was quite unpleasant.

However I noticed a few cattle egrets pitched up in the western corner sheltering from the weather.

After getting close I realised they were feeding on amphibians, not sure if they're frogs or toads looking at the pictures, I'm feeling they may be toads.

I've seen this "frog fest" before and knew that there would be some photos to be had so I set up some camo netting and sat and waited.

I wasn't disappointed!

Here are a few images from my afternoon.