Snake and Owl

Managed a brief trip out this week in between watching some of the Preston Guild celebrations. The weather has been kind and perfect for the Guild processions. It also favored my brief trip into Bowland to see if there were any adders about.There was a brisk wind in the hills and it was a few degrees cooler than the lowlands. This may have accounted for the lack of snakes. I did however after much searching discover one basking close to where I had previously seen them. It allowed a close and careful approach and I managed some reasonable shots with the close up lens. Later I visited a well known location for spotting little owls and found one basking in the warm afternoon sun.It was wary and flew off to the nearby stone wall where a carrion crow came to have a look also.I returned later for a closer shot as it perched on the window ledge of it's fellside barn. Hope you enjoy my images below and I hope to get back to a more normal routine following the conclusion of Preston Guild celebrations. Thanks for looking in and enjoy the weekend.

Cocker's Dyke

Cocker's Dyke is a dyke draining Pilling Moss and runs out onto Preesall Sands between Pilling and Knott End On Sea.I had a walk in the area earlier in the week and yesterday returned armed with the big lens hoping for some shots of the many wheatears and a sparrow hawk that I had seen.It was quieter than my first visit but I did manage a few nice images of the wheatears that were still around and luckily the female sparrowhawk put in an appearance and I was able to grab a few images as she sped by.Posted below images of the very smart looking wheatears and the sparrowhawk that was hunting the coastline.One or two also of the view across Morecambe Bay to the Lake District. A lovely area and one to which I will return. Thanks for looking in and enjoy the good weather promised for the weekend and excellent for the beginning of Preston Guild. The Preston Guild takes place every twenty years and by the time of the next one I may not be around so I intend to visit some of the many events taking place.

Leighton Raptors

I hadn't visited Leighton Moss for some time so a good forecast tempted me there this week.There had been consistent reports of a hobby at the reserve and marsh harriers were still around. Also visiting the reserve on most days were ospreys. I began my day at Lillian's Hide where a marsh harrier gave some nice opportunities for the camera as it floated along above the reed beds. Also present here was a little egret which came in close as it landed on a small island in front of the hide. This bird gave me my best shots of the day.Egrets are often distant and it can sometimes be tricky to get the exposure right on these elegant birds.On arrival at the Public Hide there was much excitement amongst the assembled photographers and watchers as an osprey had been sighted and it was heading our way.Unfortunately it flew high overhead and then caught a fish from the Island Mere area before departing away to the North.There was much activity from the photographers but the osprey was too distant for decent images.I finished my day at the Griezdale Hide where one red deer eventually showed and a grey heron flew in. Otherwise it was very quiet so myself and the friends I had spent the afternoon with decided to head for home.A very pleasant time with excellent weather and good company. Shown below are my efforts from the day with the Little Egret,Marsh Harrier and record shots of the osprey.Also a shot of the grey heron and the red deer hind taken from the Griezdale Hide. The hobby never showed, maybe next time. Many thanks for looking in.

Evening Deer

I made a couple of trips this week to the quiet lanes and back roads of Bowland. I was hoping for a sighting of roe deer which I had seen earlier in the year. It was very much quieter than on previous visits. Most of the breeding birds ,lapwing, curlew etc seemed to have gone and the number of hares seen was only two. The meadow grasses had been harvested and there was nowhere to hide.I did however manage some close ups of a couple of brown hares which posed nicely for me in the evening sun.On my return journey over the fells the light was fading and a couple of roe deer had come out to feed. They were about seventy yards away and allowed some shots as I stopped the car nearby.I would have liked them to be much nearer but was pleased to have managed a few shots to round off my evening in Bowland.The roe deer buck and doe are shown below together with the obliging brown hares.I have also included some images of the lovely landscapes together with the sun setting behind a distant Beacon Fell.Hope you enjoy the images and thanks for looking in.

More From Rossall

As promised in my last post I am showing a few more images taken on recent trips to Rossall Point at Fleetwood.Again they are showing mainly summer plumaged sanderling. Nice to see them in summer plumage instead of the all white winter plumaged birds which are a common site on the Lancashire coastline.I have also included one or two flight shots of the waders as they moved position as the tide pushed in. I was pleased with the flight shot of the turnstone as it sped past showing again some colourful breeding plumage.A ringed plover is also shown resting and awaiting the tide to turn so it can feed again on the sandy shore.Thanks for looking in and I will recount more from my days out in due course.

A Golden Week

This last week has seen me glued to the telly watching the London Olympics.Team GB has performed brilliantly and currently has won over two dozen gold medals plus numerous silver and bronze.It has also been a good week weatherwise and this has coincided with favourable high tides along the Lancashire coastline.I have managed to escape the Olympics and visit Rossall Point at Fleetwood to observe and photograph the waders at the high tide roost. The waders here are very confiding and allow a close approach with the camera.I have shown below some of the hundreds of images I took .They show sanderling,turnstone and dunlin.Many of the birds are still in partial breeding plumage having recently returned from Arctic breeding grounds. I hope you enjoy the images and thanks for looking in. I will post more from Rossall in due course.