Bittern...Mere Sands Wood

There had been a bittern reported at Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve for the last few weeks.I therefore decided  on a visit to hopefully see this uncommon and rarely seen bird.I hadn't been to Mere Sands for some time and it was nice to return to this lovely little reserve. The weather was still unsettled with frequent showers and the sun has been very reluctant to shine and it has remained on the cool side. I began by visiting the Cyril Gibbon's Hide to see if the great crested grebes had begun their courting rituals.Within ten minutes of arriving they performed the weed dance and I couldn't believe my luck.The grebes will be the subject of a future post.Later I moved to the Rufford Hide where the bittern had been showing.A fellow photographer informed me that it hadn't shown during the morning.

I duly arrived at the Rufford Hide to find the bittern had shown ten minutes earlier.I therefore settled down with the other photographers present to await it's return.I had last seen bitterns at Mere Sands in March 2012 when three birds were present and performed for the cameras.Suddenly around 2.30pm it appeared out in the open and I had to be quick to seize this opportunity of a bittern at close range and in full view.After this brief viewing it vanished into a nearby reedbed and played hide and seek for the rest of the afternoon.I did however manage more shots as it skulked and slowly made its way through the dense vegetation.This was more typical of bittern behaviour and at times it was extremely difficult to follow owing to it's wonderful cryptic plumage.Throughout the afternoon it was very wet but I made my way back to the car park content with my encounter with this very special bird.Hope you enjoy my efforts shown below and I will be back soon as better weather is hopefully on the way.

Waxwing Week

Unexpectedly I have been watching waxwings again this week.I enjoyed some excellent sessions with waxwings around Christmas and New Year.There was a flock of around one hundred birds present at Barrow village near Whalley and many photographers and birdwatchers came to see them.So it was a great surprise this week to see they were back at Barrow village.There was a flock of around forty birds coming to feed at a cotoneaster tree in a nearby garden.

I made two visits to see them,the first was curtailed by heavy rain but I did manage one or two shots before I had to head for home.Of course I was keen to return and the following day I was there again.The waxwings were still there and were coming down at regular intervals to feed on the cotoneaster berries.I was not alone and Eric kept me company and we enjoyed some excellent views and photographic opportunities with these wonderful waxwings.Eric left later and I stayed on a while until suddenly around 2.30pm the birds suddenly departed.I also departed for home having enjoyed yet more excellent views of these very special visitors from Scandanavia.Hope you enjoy my efforts shown below and I will be back soon with more of Lancashire's wonderful wildlife.

Yarrow Valley...Valentine's

I hadn't visited Yarrow Valley Country Park for some time.I had heard that the kingfisher had been showing well recently at it's usual spot so I went for a look.As I arrived David and Jackie Moreton were just leaving having spent a couple of fruitless hours waiting for the kingfisher to show.I went to the channel between the top and bottom lakes and joined half a dozen or so other photographers waiting patiently.

Eventually around three o'clock the kingfisher suddenly appeared and all the cameras were in action.The kingfisher stayed for around an hour,perching,preening and catching fish.Although the light is never just right at this spot I would have thought that everyone went away happy with their efforts.As well as the kingfisher a handsome male goosander appeared nearby and provided some nice opportunities for the camera.The usual nuthatches,robins etc were also coming frequently to seed left for them.All in all then Valentine's Day at Yarrow Valley had been excellent with good company and a brighter day for a change.Some of my better efforts from the day are shown below.Thanks for looking in and I will be back soon.Enjoy the weekend.

Around The Lanes

The weather recently has been for the most part very dull and depressing.Consequently I haven't been out much with the camera.One or two afternoons were slightly brighter and better and I took the car for a ride around the lanes in the Pilling and Cockerham areas.Spring was in the air and ir was nice to see the snowdrops in bloom.Brown hares were becoming active and there were still decent numbers of wildfowl and waders in the area.

A selection of images are shown below of the wildlife.All of the images were taken from the comfort of the car which is always very useful as a mobile hide.The kestrel on the lookout for prey takes pride of place.Lapwings and curlews on the flooded fields were numerous throughout the area.It was nice to get a couple of close ups of Whooper and Bewick's swans showing the difference in size and bill pattern.Wild geese were also found in various locations,mainly pinkfeet but I did manage a couple of shots off white fronted and barnacle geese at Pilling.The geese are also shown in flight as they moved around the area.The final image shows a nice sunset over Pilling church.Keep tuned for more from my travels and hopefully the weather will brighten up and warm up in the days to come.