Liverpool Pelagic

A week ago I was lucky enough to be on board fishing boat Discovery with a small group of photographers.The trip had been arranged with the skipper Gary Flint and we were to leave Liverpool at the very early hour of 5.30a.m.I picked up Paul Foster at Leyland at 4.15a.m. and we met up with the others at Liverpool in good time.It was a beautiful morning with little wind and the promise of a lovely sunny day.We were all on board and heading out of Liverpool at around 5.45a.m.and passing the well known waterfront landmark of the Liver Building.We motored out some twenty five miles or so to catch some mackerel to attract the gannets.The mackerel shoals were well scattered but we obtained enough for a session with the cameras.

It was a lovely warm and sunny day and it was a wonderful experience to be aboard Discovery with like minded photographers and birdwatchers.We put bread out to attract the gulls which in turn would attract the gannets and any other possible pelagic species like shearwaters,skuas and petrels.Also the organiser of the trip,Richard Steele, had made a chum concoction which was trickled into the water to leave an oily slick again to attract any birds in the area.This first session brought a number of gannets to the boat. They were mostly juvenile birds in various stages of acquiring full adult plumage which takes around three years to develop.We were all trying to get the shot with the gannet diving into the water at around sixty miles per hour with wings folded back as it hit the water. Not easy but we all had fun trying.

We then went to catch more mackerel and came across a good number of manx shearwaters loafing around in the very warm sun.We approached carefully and got within camera range of the birds.Not often you can get close to these ocean wanderers.A good number of mackerel were caught and we moved back to the earlier mark hoping for more gannets etc.This second session was poor with very few gannets to be seen.The skipper Gary put out a rod hoping to catch a tope, a member of the shark family.A tope did take the bait but unfortunately came off when the line became entagled with one of the mackerel lines.

It was then time to head back into Liverpool.We were followed in by numbers of lesser black back gulls which made for nice images against the blue sky.We passed the Liver Building around 3.30p.m.and Paul and I then headed back to Leyland after saying our goodbyes to our shipmates. It had been a fabulous experience with superb weather and great company.We all look forward to more pelagic trips in the future.
Hope you enjoy some of my images above from the day and a big thanks to Richard for all the organisation.

Ready To Fly

Followers of my blog will know that I have spent a considerable amount of time recently in the Lake District photographing and observing ospreys.Ospreys are slowly but surely moving into the area and this year there have been at least five occupied nesting sites.The ones at Bassenthwaite and Foulshaw are well known and even have excellent close circuit cameras covering all the activity at the nest.These two sites have produced five young ospreys and the ones at Foulshaw have just fledged and are now flying free in the area.

I have been very fortunate to have access to another site at a secret location in a beautiful forested area of Southern Lakeland.I visited this week aware that the three young ospreys at this site would very soon be leaving the confines of the nest .The site was approached carefully and quietly so as not to disturb the birds.I was hidden behind a wall and in camouflage and during my ninety minutes or so I was able to take many images of the young ospreys.

There was much wing stretching and flapping going on and the birds seemed restricted by the confines of the nest.From time to time the larger of the youngsters would flap vigorously and be airborne for a few seconds before landing back on the nest.The smaller osprey wasn't as active and seemed crowded out by his larger siblings.His time will come when the other two have left the nest and are flying free. I would think that all three will be leaving the nest in the next week. They will remain close by and the parents will still return with fish for them.I will probably return for a last look before they all leave on their long journeys to West Africa.Hopefully all the birds will return in subsequent years to continue their expansion into the Lake District.I am looking forward to their return to learn more about these very special birds.

Swallows and Ospreys

You may have heard of Swallows and Amazons,a famous book by the author Arthur Ransome.This was one of a series of children's adventure stories based around the author's experiences of living in the Lake District.I have called this weeks blog Swallows and Ospreys as I too have been having my own adventures in the Lake District.

Ospreys are now becoming well established in the Lake District and this year have raised young at five known sites.   This week I visited a recently discovered future nesting site near to where Arthur Ransome spent many happy years.He is buried  nearby alongside his wife in a beautifully situated local churchyard.This latest site is being visited on a regular basis by a pair of young ospreys.They are not yet ready to produce young but are showing great interest in the nest site and are bringing in sticks and branches to build up the nest construction.All being well next season may see this site occupied and the ospreys continuing their expansion in the area.

I have shown above some of the many images I have taken recently. These show particularly the new possible future nesting site and the lovely location where it is sited.Although distant ( I was probably about six hundred yards away ) there were excellent views of the ospreys as they explored the area.In keeping with Arthur Ransome's title I have also included some images I took of swallows which although late in the season appeared to be mating and were showing interest in nesting nearby. It has been such a cold summer and maybe there is still time for the swallows to raise a brood.Thanks for looking in and you can be sure I will be reporting again soon from this lovely part of the Lake District.

Drama at the Docks

It had been a month since my last visit to the tern colony at Preston Docks.A month ago most of the terns were still sitting on eggs but things had really moved on. There were young birds flying around but mostly the young terns were still grounded and were exercising their small wings and would soon be airborne.A couple of birds were still sitting on eggs and other youngsters were in various stages of development.

As usual at the colony there was much going on and it was difficult knowing where to point the lens for the best of the action.One very sad event whilst I was there was to see one of the chicks taken by one of the large gulls present.It had somehow fallen off the pontoon into the water and despite frantic efforts from it's parent it didn't make it back and was carried off by the marauding gull.

I have shown above this sad event plus the usual shots of parents returning with food for the hungry youngsters.Another unpleasant sight was to see one of the adult birds viciously attacking a helpless chick.Why this happens I am not sure and it is certainly a tough life growing up in a tern colony. I hope you enjoy my images of the various dramas which happen on a daily basis at this thriving tern colony. Thanks for looking in and I will return soon with more from my travels.