Nuthatch nesting in oak tree. 12th May 2023.

 I checked out this regular nesting site in a huge oak tree in the Camel valley and sure enough a pair of Nuthatches were actively feeding young.

I photographed this from quite a distance with a 500mm lens to avoid any chance of disturbance and the birds carried on their normal routine without flinching. I watched the same nest hole last year but this year the late evening light was much better and illuminated the tree nicely.

Nuthatches will partially block up natural holes or old & unused woodpecker holes with mud so that when it hardens it fits their body size perfectly. This then helps keep predators from stealing their eggs or eating their young.

A few more photos follow.....

A tight squeeze

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

 

Wheatears on Bodmin Moor. 2nd June 2021.

 

Female waits for the male to leave the nest

An early morning trip up onto the high moor to the East of Bodmin moor was fruitful today with 2 pairs of Wheatears nesting in the stone walls and a pair of Redstarts.

Fortunately I had my pop-up hide in the car so set that up at a distance from the wall and started taking pics with the 500mm lens.

The birds accepted the hide straight away and I was able to move a bit closer after an hour. It was only then that I noticed a large Highland cow with massive horns ambling my way! Fears of it having a scratch at my expense on the side of the hide were fortunately unfounded!

A few downpours of rain made me glad I brought the hide as the birds continued to feed all through the rain and I watched from the dry.

Fears of many birds struggling to find insects in the cold weather we'd had were forgotten as they brought back a continuous stream of flies, caterpillars & even a damselfly.

Here are a few images from the morning, I'm hoping to have a go at the Redstarts one evening as they were in full shade in the morning.

Female Wheatear

Male Wheatear

Male Wheatear

Male Wheatear

Male Wheatear

Male Wheatear

Female Wheatear with a damselfy

Dippers & Grey Wagtails. Mid-Cornwall 18th March 2021.

 

Dull weather is probably best for photographing Dippers as it's so easy to "burn out" that bright white breast patch. Maybe a bit brighter than I had, perhaps "bright overcast" may have been better.

The big problem with low light and a bird that keeps "dipping" up and down is trying to keep a fast enough shutter speed so that the bird stays in focus, whilst keeping the ISO at a manageable level.

However they are very active at the moment nest building and maintaining territories. I've watched them on both the higher and lower reaches of the River Camel and also on the River Fowey.

You can almost guarantee that if you have dippers then you will also have Grey Wagtails as both species are fond of similar habitats, fast flowing streams with plenty of rocks and riffles to oxygenate the water.

Here are a few images taken today.

Grey Wagtail with nest material

Grey Wagtail nest building on the side of a bridge.

Birds in Hungary Day 4. Hoopoe site revisited.17th May 2018.

I revisited the Hoopoe nest site this morning to try to get some better light on the bird than the previous visit.

The nest is situated in a woodland clearing and has a lot of trees surrounding it and thus is very dark.

This makes it a bit of a challenge photographically if one wants to try to catch the adult bird in flight as it feeds the young which are at the stage of hanging out of the nest hole in order to be first for the food!

Fortunately the newer digital cameras (DSLR's) are good at coping with bad light by upping the ISO.

So, apologies for some poor picture quality but I had much pleasure spending time with these stunning birds.

Redstarts on Bodmin Moor_ 7th June 2015

Male redstart

I've been watching this pair of redstarts nesting in an old stone wall on Bodmin Moor and this morning I used my hide to get some photos of both birds carrying food to the nest.

Whilst it looks like an introduced perch they had actually chosen a nest hole directly beside a small gorse bush with a sprig of gorse hanging directly above the nest... planning or not?

Male redstart

Male redstart

Female redstart

Marsh Tit in a hole!

This Marsh tit was nesting in a tiny hole in a rotten tree in the wet marshes of the River Camel.

The image below shows it carrying a faecal sac from the nest so it obviously had chicks in the nest. Always a joy to watch.

Coal Tits

A pair of Coal Tits were busy carrying food to their nestlings this morning on the outskirts of  Wadebridge.

They were nesting in a hole in an old stone wall and were bringing an assortment of prey to their chicks consisting of flies, ants, bees, green caterpillars and aphids.

Fortunately for me they were using a nearby hazel tree to perch in whilst en-route to the nest so I was able to take some photos without causing any disturbance.

My thanks to Ed Treverton for the "heads up" on this one!

Any gardener would be pleased to have these super little birds around as there'd be no need for any pesticides or insect repellant!

Great Spotted Woodpeckers

Male Great Spotted Woodpecker

 

These Great spotted Woodpeckers were feeding young in a hole in an oak tree on the outskirts of Wadebridge this morning.

Dappled light didn't make it easy for exposures but I guess we need to make the most of this beautiful sunshine when we can!

I'm hoping to have another session when the chicks put their heads out of the tree.

Female Great Spotted Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker