December 2020 ~ One of our Woodpeckers is missing

 I love Woodpeckers and always really enjoying seeing them.  They are a bird I would never ignore when one comes in range of my camera. At this time of year when there are no leaves on the trees and Spring is around the corner, I always think that  in the New Year I will complete the British set and come across a Lesser Spotted.  They have always eluded me in my forty five years of birding.  Come to think of it, I never see any of my social media friends posting pictures either.  Surely this next year, if I have more time on my hands because of lockdown and perhaps the milder winters I will come across one.  I have learned their call so I can recognise them, and they are allegedly occasionally reported in my local area.

This Male Great Spotted flew into the tree next to my shed and gave me some opportunities for some images in the morning sunlight.

Green Woodpeckers seem more wary and difficult to approach but I caught this one searching in the cavities of an old telegraph pole.

They are birds with real character.

But my New Year birding wish is for the lovely, tiny, shy Lesser Spotted to come into my life.

Anyway it's always great to get out and have a search around.

Happy Christmas and best wishes for a nature filled New Year!

December 2020 ~ A patch of mud becomes a bird feeder

 I have bird feeders set up on my smallholding. Whilst waiting and watching the various birds coming and going I noticed that there were a few wagtails through the gate on a patch of mud.  These appeared so regularly and they were attending as often as the blue tits and great Tits on the feeders.  It seems such an obvious thought but it just reminded me of how the whole natural environment is really a large feeding ground.  Where there is a large quantity of food there is always something that will regularly take advantage.

This pied wagtail enjoying a small invertebrate picked from the mud.

It gave me some great opportunities for some close images
 

This grey wagtail which is normally a bird of small rocky streams was also a regularly visitor.

These were another welcome distraction whilst watching the regular crew on my feeders.