Remembering....

As usual today, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, I shall be observing the two minute's silence in recognition of those who gave their lives so that we can enjoy life today and the freedom that their efforts and sacrifices have given us.

As I write this, it is with the hope that future generations will remember and respect all those who died - whether in the armed forces or civilians. We hear currently of the young men and women who are still having their lives taken from them or have sustained terrible injuries due to acts of war, and my heart goes out to them and those who are left behind.

Whilst I don't need a special day to remember them - I pay tribute to my father and Grandfather - neither of whom I knew. My father came over to England with the Queens Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada and was killed in action, in Italy, when I was nine month's old. He's buried in the Moro River Canadian War Cemetery in Italy.

And to my (maternal) Grandfather John; a member of the Home Guard who died as a result of his injuries sustained by a firearm a couple of years earlier and a month before my parents married. This must be typical of how hundreds of families were affected. So my thoughts are with those left behind as well as those who are no longer with us.

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am a 1,000 winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow
I am the sun on ripened grain
I am the gentle Autumn rain
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled light
I am the soft star that shines at night
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there, I did not die.

Anon.

Sun and Rain

Yesterday I went over to the London Wetland Centre. The sky was blue and the sun was warm, the birds - far too far away for pictures despite the lovely light.

Managed to see the Bittern again and a second one came in during the afternoon in a different spot. Also saw about 12 Snipe from the Peacock tower, of which 5 were Jack Snipe (so I was reliably told). A small group of Long-tailed Tits flew through.

On my way back to the visitor centre, a Magpie posed in the sun showing its blue tail feathers.

But more excitingly I heard calling in one of the small ponds alongside the path on the way to the visitor centre. A Water Rail - he was virtually hidden by the reeds but great to see it!

A bit of colour in the sunshine.



Today was a different story. I wanted to go out but had a very lazy start to the morning watching the garden birds.

My count was:
(this was the maximum for each species seen at the same time i.e. BTO count style)
20+ Feral Pigeons
15 Ring-necked Parakeets
1 x Coal Tit
3 x Blue Tits
3 x Great Tits
6 x Goldfinches
3 x Chaffinches
1 x Starling
3 x Greenfinches
1 x Robin
1 x Dunnock
1 x Crow (Rare visitor into the garden)
and
2 x Nuthatches - thrilled to see those two!!

Went for a wander around Painshill Park. The sky was leaden and this didn't change all the time I was there. So although there are some picture of Autumn colours they are - shall we say - somewhat subdued!!

Is it spring? Some catkins on the way in!


There were two Egyptian Geese up in this tree.

















I love this tree stump!


Nuthatches calling as I wandered about and a flock of about 12 Long-tailed tits flew through. Greylag geese and heard a Green Woodpecker calling.

Pity about the grey - but it was good to get out and have some fresh air.

A slow start to the day...

Yesterday evening I started to feel rather unwell and this continued into this morning. It was with regret that I had to turn down an offer of some local birding, but hey ho.

A Nuthatch visited my garden again this morning. It's not visited regularly over such a long period before so I'm hoping s/he's going to stay around a bit longer.

I finally started to feel better and needed a trip to the supermarket. When I got back around lunchtime, this Sparrowhawk was sitting in the apple tree - where the feeders are! From the size I think it's a female but I didn't get a better pose than this. It sat there for quite sometime so hopefully, it hadn't been hunting but just resting.

I needed some exercise and fresh air, so after a quick sandwhich (think I was getting back to normal) I headed off for Bushy Park. It was sunny when I left but got more cloudy and dull as I wandered around.

Three of the seven cygnets were still very visible and they're getting more white colouring now. I don't know if the others have left but I didn't see any more.

In the Autumn and Winter the Black-Headed Gulls are very numerous and today, two were having quite an aggressive fight.

Finally one left and the other settled down on the pond again.

An Egyptian Goose was having a preen on one of the sheltered streams; this made for a good reflection.

Walking under the line of Chestnut Trees I heard the familiar "rattly" sound of a Mistle Thrush. He flew high up into the top branches of a tree but managed to get a passing shot. He eventually flew off without coming any closer. It's a spot that they seem to favour, so with the leaves now coming off the trees hopefully there will be some better sights as the Autumn progresses.

I got back to the car as the rain started and headed off home for a cuppa!

The Bittern IS at Barnes!

Today was wonderful - the sun shone and the skies were blue - pity it had to wait until today and miss out on the weekend though.

I headed off for Barnes this morning hoping for the Bittern. On arrival the message was that neither of the two had been seen yesterday and so far, not today either.

I had a wander about. Very very few small birds but did manage a friendly Robin - who sang nicely :D But this was to be the best picture of the day.

From this point on, the pictures aren't really even up to record shots, but here goes anyway..

From one of the hides, I managed to spot 8 Common Snipe - but they were all so far away

And then finally, word was out that the Bittern had been seen. It was on a very far bank for a long time and had someone not pointed it out to me I wouldn't have seen it through the binoculars! Eventually it made a very short flight to this island where it was easier to see it. However, the camera (and I) struggled to get a shot of it, and this was the best!!

You'll need to click on it to see the Bittern and it's in the centre!!

Finally it flew into the Reeds much nearer but went right into the reeds an disappeared. Hey ho. Another day perhaps......

It was lovely to enjoy the sun again though :D

It rained!!

The best laid plans...... The intention was for Pete and I to go to Norfolk with a particular agenda in mind. Well we managed breakfast at the usual spot - I managed to get through the "other" spot with the nasty speed camera (my car not having had its picture taken on this occasion) and we drew into the car park in Sculthorpe to take stock. But the rain, which had been forecast to be light and clearing late morning, was now chucking it down in torrents. So what now? Norfolk seemed to be not an option as we couldn't have walked anywhere in the rain so we decided on Welney.

A few Whooper Swans had already arrived but not the in the usual numbers - yet! The sky was leaden and consequently the light was awful but nevertheless a couple of pictures were managed.






It was good to stretch the legs but we didn't see the Cranes that are currently at Welney.

As we arrived back in the car park - Pete suggested I peer through a pair of padlocked gates. In the shrubs on the far side were dozens of House Sparrows flying up and down. So I squeezed the camera through the gap in the gates and managed a record shot of some of them.


So where now? We'd intended to have Crab sandwiches and crayfish again in Mortson, but that not being possible we stopped at a Tesco's and bought sandwiches (Crayfish but not a patch on Morston's crayfish or their crab sandwiches!) Then headed south to Fisher's Green. My first visit there and it was lovely to sit and watch all the birds dashing back and forth to the feeders. Constant movement and fluttering of wings...

I was still not happy with any of the pictures I'd taken and was getting really frustrated. Pete then noticed I'd not got IS (image stabilization) switch on on the lens. I never switch it off so hadn't checked it!! Hey ho.

Just a few of the afternoon visitors...











Just before we left the sun made an appearance but a little too late really. Pity we didn't make it to Norfolk but it was a varied day and we got to see some birds - without getting wet!

And another great meal to finished off the day. :D Thanks Pete.
(the diet starts tomorrow)

Bitterns at Barnes - but not for me...

Firstly, I find it hard to believe that it's well over a week since I last posted. Not really been doing anything much and had a few local walks. But....I'd heard a rumour that a Bittern had been sighted at the London Wetland Centre. So having checked the website for confirmation I duly headed off.

As I entered a flock of Long-tailed Tits flew through - just managed a couple of records shots before they flew off again - their flight probably caused by a group of very noisy children with their very noisy mothers moving past. It's half-term!!!!!


Up in a tree a crow posed again the blue sky and sun. Today was SO warm - hard to believe that it's the end of October and there was I in a tee shirt - my jacket was in my back pack and there it stayed. Lovely!


Whilst I started on the Peacock Tower side, I did an about turn and headed off for the Wildside Hide. On the bridge immediately before it, some birders were gathered and some had seen the Bittern - before it flew over the nearest line of reeds and out of sight! Just my luck.

We listened to a couple of Cetti's Warblers (lovely!) but I didn't see them. So not my day for anything out of the ordinary then.

I was entertained however, by the antics of this Grey Heron. It kept leaping up into the air, landing, turning and repeating the exercise. This interspersed by its dipping its beak into the water occasionally but all it seemed to discover was reeds!!

It was more like watching a participator in Strictly Come Dancing with all it's pirouettes and posing.

Wings stretch and off we lift..

Jump up and raise your wings..

and now we land and stretch our neck..

Stretch forward and open beak..

now stretch our wings and arabesque..

and turn around and forward stretch..

we pirouette and glide to the left

and down to the ground so gently..

we glide along..

for the final curtsey

and......relax......


So a very pleasant afternoon in the sunshine. And in one hide, a family with two small boys (both under 10 I think) - both with scopes identifying the birds. Restores your faith in human nature after all the noisy kids earlier!

An afternoon's exercise....

Considering it was the weekend I did manage to get parked in Richmond Park - surprisingly. The Red Deer were in a completely different rutting spot than usual and so I was glad I'd taken the clockwise direction around the park to begin my search. Several deer about but this seemed to be one of two "main men". He was possessively guarding his hinds and there was a great deal of roaring. About 4 young stags thought they were in with a chance but they were on a hiding to nothing!

As an aside to the rut, this young Red Deer was still suckling from Mum. It looked almost as big as Mum and I think she'd decided that it was now time it found its own food!




The chase was on when a young stag invaded the "master's" territory!

and finally, Mum relented again.


After Richmond Park I headed off to see what was happening in Bushy. Various Stags roaring but birds being comical took my attention!

Why does it always strike me as odd to see an Egyptian Goose up in a tree?



and this Jackdaw was not backwards in coming forwards looking to land on the Red Deer Hind's back. Probably looking for insects or may be even a ride!

and a Canada Goose was trying to look threatening..


Not a bad walk today and got some exercise - at least the sun shone intermittently which was good!