December 2018 Wildlife year ends with a Short Eared Owl festival.

Always a great way to end the year watching the beautiful Short Eared Owls quartering the grassland.  Once they are on the wing the whole atmosphere changes to excitement.  They have gone down will they get up on the wing again?  How many are there? Will they come closer and when the light is good?  Will I manage to lock on and get the image?  It is so adrenalin filled and I just love them.

Hunting intensely

In the grassland environment

Eyes left

That was a great end to a special wildlife year.  I for one will not complain if 2019 starts off in the same way!

December 2018 Came across a Hen Harrier with a Radio Transmitter on it

I was really excited to get sight of this Harrier even though it always stayed at quite a distance.  I was surprised when I looked closely at the images to see that it had a radio transmitter ariel on its back.  The local birder community were very helpful and interested to help find the origins of this bird that has paid us a visit to the North Cotswold Hills.  I am looking forward to getting to know more about this particular beauty.

What beauty

Come on turn right and get closer!

These are one of the most graceful raptors as they quarter the grasslands flying so slowly and buoyantly.  They are truly special birds and I just love every sighting I get.

December 2018 A couple of hours with secretive (Allegedly) Water Rails

It was really great to spent a few hours sat in a hide watching Water Rails scurry about.  They come out gingerly and walk along little set routes along the reed edges.  They seem to get quite confiding, but any sign of danger they disappear quickly into the reeds with a dart for cover.  Moorhens seem to be their nemesis and always race at them to chase them away.  They even seem to deliberately block their paths sometimes.

Stepping towards me

Water Rail

 From the Willow Hide at Slimbridge WWT they seem to have actually become quite tame and if you have an hour to spare you are almost guaranteed to see them.
This left me with a thought, no matter how rare and secretive a bird or animal is, I bet there is always somewhere where they have become habituated and used to human presence.  This gives great opportunities to obtain images that would otherwise be out of reach!