Charnwood Water - 22 May 2013

Before I start this post, my wife Maja met a tree surgeon outside the Beaumont Leys Library today (23/5/13) and gave her my card.
I would very much like to photograph the "orphans" you mentioned. If thats possible could you email me, the address is on the back of the card.

Yesterday we went to Charnwood Water in Loughborough. There were all the usual water birds, plus a few chicks.

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A couple of Canada geese had just the one chick and were being very protective, but who can blame them, they usually manage to raise more than that.

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You can see the mother love here as she keeps a close eye on her baby.

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But baby wanted to explore so she had to keep chasing after it.

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 Close by a Mallard was trying to attract a female, but she was having none of it and kept flying across the corner of the peninsula I was sitting on. Eventually he stood up on the corner, spread his wings and flexed his muscles. Then another male raced in and started chasing her, so his effort was wasted.

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1/500 @ f10, iso 800, 400 mm

These two Coots are a bit late building their nest, another pair on the other side of the lake already have three chicks.
They are at the stage when they are at their ugliest and only a mother could love them and love them she did. I was never able to get a clear shot of the young ones.

All taken on a

Canon EOS7d with an EF 100 - 400 L series Lens

Watermead surprise - 8 May 2013

We had walked, very slowly, most of the way round our usual short walk and seen nothing notable wildlife wise. Until we reached the "Hole in the Wall" hide, where we spotted a Greylag goose standing on a shallow spot in the middle of the lake. I liked the reflection.

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While we were there we spotted a movement in the bushes nearby and eventually got this picture of a Black Cap.

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Nothing else of note happened until we turned for the car park, out of the corner of my eye I saw a branch moving in a direction it shouldn't.

A moment later a Heron surprised us when he moved out along the branch and into view. As I stood there with my camera focussed on it, it started to stretch and shake its wings. It was looking right at me as if it were asking what I was looking at.

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1/500 @ f7.1, iso 800, 285mm

1/500 @ f7.1, iso 800, 285mm

1/500 @ f7.1, iso 800, 285mm

Then after a good shake it shouted at me, at least that's what it appeared to be doing.

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A few minutes later it took off and flew close by before wheeling off into the trees.

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Back in the car park a squirrel watched Skipper intently until he was in the back of the car

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We threw some nuts and seeds down to attract him but he preferred to stay in the tree. However we had visits from several birds like this female Chaffinch, a male Chaffinch and a Robin (last two not shown).

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Then a greedy Blue Tit, who seemed to have a big appetite.

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1/400 @ f7.1, iso 800, 400mm

The Great Tit did some fast fly-bys I assume he got some food but he was so fast I couldn't see. Then we noticed him in the bushes.

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All pictures taken on

Canon EOS 7d, with EF 100 - 400mm L series lens

Small Bird Central - 2 May 2013

Swithland woods just before it gets too crowded at bank holiday, was quiet and the car parks almost empty. Surprising then that at times it was like Piccadilly Circus with cars some leaving others arriving.

It didn't disturb the birds too much though and unusually it was a Coal tit that came to the stump first. It also broke its established habit by staying around for a while.

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It was followed by another tit, this time a Great tit ...

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he departed when a Robin turned up and appears to be leaping for joy at the sight of the table of food before him.

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The Chaffinch refused to go to the stump, he stayed on the ground and picked up anything that fell off.

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The Coal tit came back for more and again stayed there long enough to pose.

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I know some of my blog followers like Nuthatches (and why not) so here are a few of the next visitor, followed by one of it in a tree.

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The blue tit is always quick, he never waits around for long but I did get one shot of him.

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A movement in a tree nearby attracted my attention to this Coal tit puffing out his feathers.

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All taken on a; 

Canon EOS 7d, with an EF 100 - 400mm L series Zoom Lens.

Bradgate Park - 27 April 2013

We had a, not very, fruitful cycle through Bradgate Park, the deer were widespread in small groups, there was one large group of Reds but they were in the middle of a wide open space ant approach would have them moving away.

We did find some solitary fallow deer, the first having a good groom.

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Seemed a bit miffed at being watched.

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The next two seemed to be grazing, but the vegetation didn't seem very green for them

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The buildings in the park are quite interesting, for those outside Leicestershire, this is Lady Jane Grey's family home. There is a myth that when she was beheaded, for being queen of england for a few days, the woodsmen of the Charnwood cut off the tops of the Royal Oaks. But in fact the Oaks have been regularly coppiced for wood for the Navy etc. So any such protest would hardly have been noticed.

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Old John, on the hill behind the house, is now considered a folly. All sorts of suggestions have been made for its existence including that it was a mill and named after old John the miller.

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It's easy to see it is the wrong shape for a windmill and there is no water on top of the hill to drive a waterwheel, so I don't think that idea works. the apparent ruin at the left, is an illusion, inside those walls, a rock-face pretty well follows the angle of the walls, so nothing could have happened between them. I think they were built to look like a ruin.

All picture were taken with a 

Canon EOS7d with an EF 100 - 400mm, L series zoom lens.

Swithland woods and a persistent Nuthatch - 20 April 2013

Unusually the Great tit was the first bird to the stump this time, he chose one nut, then seemed to see the bigger nuts and spat out his first choice. His beak seemed to drop open at the size of the monkey nuts.

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But then after a good feel of the bigger nuts, he changed his mind and picked up his first choice again.

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The Robin arrived next and being more discerning,  chose the fat covered meal worm sections.

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The feisty Nuthatch arrived, but he seemed a little nervous and had a good look round ...

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... before selecting a nut ...

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and flying off with it.

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Blue Tits are always nervous, this one landed - took off again ...

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flew in a circle, then landed again.

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A Coal Tit was next, he took his time choosing but left when a Nuthatch arrived.

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The Nuthatch, decided to try his luck at the monkey nuts and ...

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Took some up into his tree ...

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... a branch had been removed from the tree (before it could fall down) and a couple of bits of bark were left sticking up. It was here that he placed them and tried to break into the outer shell ...

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... he gave us a few minutes of entertainment as he tried every thing he could ...

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... even a flying dive to put all his weight behind his beak ...

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... then he stopped to peruse the situation, before flying away ...

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... maybe to fetch help, but we had to leave then.

All taken with a 

Canon EOS 7d, with an EF 100 - 400mm L series Lens