Naturally High with a Raptor

  If you love wildlife and are out regularly watching the wonderful life we share the environment with then you will know about experiencing "Natural Highs". When you have a close encounter with a truly wild animal it cannot fail to generate happiness.It is a better remedy for depression than any anti-depressants you could possess.On this cold, sunny day in January, that's exactly what happened.
  Lincs Wildlife Trust Messingham Sand Quarry Reserve.(photo by Majella Fox)

  After two weeks without spending time out with the binoculars we finally managed to get to our local reserve, Messingham Sand Quarry.It was cold enough for two jackets but the sighting of dozens of Redwings in the adjacent field warmed us straight up.
  Redwing

  There were plenty of other birds on the reserve like Bullfinches, a pair of Buzzards, Gadwall, Cormorants, Shelducks, Tufted Ducks, Grey Heron, 400+ Greylag Geese and a solitary Redpoll but the aforementioned high came in the form of a Raptor.
  Strolling down a pathway we were amazed to encounter the raptor settle on a low branch of an Alder barely feet away.We both held our breath.If I raised my arm I would've been able to touch the slate-grey feathers adorning the back of a male Sparrowhawk (I had no intention of trying).

  He was aware of us and constantly turned his head to check on us but seemed to accept our presence.Wondering if maybe he had prey on the ground, I scanned the area but could see none.I didn't actually take many photographs as I was entranced by a wild Raptor being so close, mesmerized by those stunning golden eyes.To enable me to lift my camera and get a few shots of the Sparrowhawk I had to retreat a few steps in hope of not shattering the trust he had given us.
  He stayed with us for maybe 4-5 minutes before turning, gracefully leaving the tree and gliding towards Majella, his wingtip caressing her jacket as he passed by.She turned to me saying "Oh, my God, my heart was thumping in my chest"

  Photo by Majella Fox

   Photo by Majella Fox

 
  Wildlife encounters like these augment our connection to the Natural World.People need to get out there and see the beauty we share the planet with and do something to make sure it is still here in years to come.
 
  Here's wishing you all, your own special wildlife encounters :)

30 Days Wild - Days 14-16

  Well doing the right blog on the right day didn't last long lol so back to a triple header to once again catch up.

Day 14     Off Their Trolleys

  Apologies to begin with but this isn't a scenic blogpost for Day 14 but a pretty awful sight caused by Humans with no respect for the planet we live on.
  At high tide in Newry the River is full and looks like any other , but at low tide when the mud banks are exposed the river shows itself to be a scrap mans dream(if he could get to them).

  In this one 100m section of the River Newry running along Kilmorey Street I counted 52 trolleys, with more parts barely showing out of the mud :( Not surprisingly there is no trolley park there are more(probably because they ran out of trolleys) but the effects are still there affecting the river and its wildlife.
  I have contacted Newry and Mourne Council both by email and Twitter but have had no response so I guess the trolleys are there to stay.They would probably say it's too expensive to remove them.

  Maybe we should have to pay £5 for the use of a shopping trolley to make sure it is returned to the store and not have it dumped in a river by a moron.

  Please look after our environment, our future generations need it to survive.


Day 15     Birding in Westeros ;)

  If the title of this section confuses you then I guess you do not watch HBO's most popular ever TV series "Game Of Thrones" :) We actually spent the day in County Down, Northern Ireland along Strangford Lough starting with a morning visit to WWT Castle Espie.

  Like most of the Wetland Trust reserves there are 2 parts to it, the Nature reserve with hides for "wild" birding and the captive waterfowl area where you can get close up to Ducks and Geese from around the world.
  Feeding the hordes.
  Red Breasted Goose.

  African Combed Duck, Ross's Goose, Pochards & Mallards.

  My fiance Majella feeding a Baikal Teal.

  Some of the other waterfowl at WWT Castle Espie.
  Wood Duck

  Eider

  Baikal Teal

  Lots of wild Mallards

  Red Breasted Goose

  Barrows Goldeneye

  After the feeding frenzy we headed to the hide overlooking Strangford Lough.

  The tide was out so not much about besides the Black-headed Gulls, Oystercatchers and a couple of Black-tailed Godwits.

  I then noticed this nest on the hide.

  It's occupants were a Wren family, with the parents catching insects and returning to feed the brood.

  Ox-eye Daisies

  A newly emerged Ladybird on a fence post.

  A return to the visitor centre/cafe to feed ourselves and then it was time to head South along the Strangford Lough shoreline to "Westeros"

  Westeros, the main land mass in Game Of Thrones, to us was actually Castle Ward.Heading to the farmyard aka Winterfell.

  Winterfell

  A few extra bits were added for the filming.

                                   

  Around the Castle Ward grounds there were more locations used in the series.

  Three women were hung from this tree by men in the tv show.

  There were plenty of Bullfinches in the grounds and this Grey Heron flew overhead, trying its best to look like one of the Dragons from Game Of Thrones;)

  If you are a fan of the show or just want a nice day out at a country park and castle then Castle Ward is a massive place to explore.

Day 16     Birds In An Irish Urban Garden

  Due to all the walking the previous day my left knee had now flared up from my Arthritis and looks to be once again filling with fluid that will need draining in the not too distant future.So it was a day of rest.

  I got out my Nature dot-to-dot book and found a puzzle to do.It was a Fox with 1104 dots to join up.It took a while and made my eyes hurt lol

                                    

  The other thing I got to do was put out some meal worms and see what birds would come down into the mum-in-laws garden while I hung around with my camera.It's a small urban garden in a city and mainly paved.

  Male Blackbird on a mission to get the mealworms first.

  Jackdaw balancing act.

  A Magpie quickly joined the Jackdaws.

  The Rooks were a bit more cautious of my presence so stayed further away.

  Male House Sparrow couldn't have cared less about my presence and came on the closest fence and bounced around my feet.

  The irridescent colours of the Starlings lit up in the afternoon Sun.

  Even though I was prevented from getting outdoors again, I could still interact with Nature from house door :)

  If you think you don't have any time for Nature during the day just try and spend 10 minutes in your garden instead of watching TV.Put some bird food out and even in a small concrete urban garden the birds will come :)

  Thanks for reading the blogs again and keeping up to date with my #30DaysWild challenge.

  

30 Days Wild 2017 - Days 1-3

  Well it's that time again when, with the incentive from the Wildlife Trusts we all try and get out and interact with Nature just a little bit more for the month of June.
30 Days Wild is back!!
                                  


  Apologies for the triple header to begin with but this is my first spare few hours since June 1st.

Day   Moths vs. Moshis

  Whether you have kids or not you have probably heard of Pokemon Go or Moshi Monsters.Well instead of having your children search and collect these, there are some real creatures in your garden that give them a run for their money......moths!
  Headshot photos of these stunning insects show that they could quite easily pass as a Pokemon or Moshi Monster.
  Poplar Hawkmoth

  My nephew James was staying overnight so it was a good chance to educate him into the world of Moths.The Skinner trap set up in the garden.I have to put up the bed sheet to stop the light from the MV bulb shining down the alley to the houses behind.

  If you look at the bottom right corner of the sheet I also have to pin a bit up to still allow the Hedgehogs to come in.One even left me a "Thank You" message ;)   I will try to catch them on film later in the 30 Days Wild challenge.

  The following morning the trap was checked and found to be full of around 60+ Moths with a few more scattered around the fence and shed.With James help we had time to check them out including the Poplar & Elephant Hawkmoths.

  James with his new friends.

  Another species of Moth that impressed him was the Green Silver-lines.

  More of the moths trapped that night.There were in total 72 moths with 31 species just from a small garden trap.

  Small Magpie

  Brimstone

  Bright-line Brown-eye

  Snout

  Middle-barred Minor

  Common Swift

  Burnished Brass

  Shears

  Spectacle

  Hopefully James will keep his fascination with animals with the help of seeing things he normally wouldn't be able to.We need to show children what amazing wildlife can be found in their own gardens and at local reserves.

  If you want to be able to show moths to your children you can now get a Skinner Moth trap for around £100 and they are worth every penny.If that's not possible then start like I did with just a bright light shining on a white bed sheet or by making wine ropes and sugaring your fence :)

Day 2    Drive By Snapping

  Unfortunately as most days, work got in the way :( I knew I would be in the car for 5 hours+ so had no idea what I could do for 30 Days Wild but decided to take my camera with me anyway.When we reached the first village to do the first lot of deliveries I had already seen a few birds so then thought, how many can I photograph throughout the day from the car? So with camera now on my knee I looked everywhere to see how many species of bird I could photograph while stuck in the car.

  Please don't expect any top quality photos in this section as although I managed a few from the car when we had stopped and opened a window, most were taken from a moving vehicle through a dirty windscreen lol

  So how many did I get?

1. Blackbird

2. Robin

3. Swift (honest)

4. Wood Pigeon

5. House Sparrow

6. House Martin

7. Swallow

8. Jackdaw

9. Collared Dove

10. Carrion Crow

11. Dunnock

12. Starling

13. Goldfinch

14. Chaffinch

15. Moorhen

16. Magpie

17. Rook

18 & 19. Greylag & Canada Geese

20. Shelduck

21. Song Thrush

  So 21 in total with another 10 species(including Yellowhammer, Kestrel, Long-tailed Tit) that I saw but failed to photograph due to excessive speeds by my partner ;) Only joking, it is quite difficult to get a picture if the few seconds you have the bird in sight whilst moving at 30-60mph lol

  It is a great way to pass the time whilst in the car but only do if your a passenger and NOT the driver. ;) 

  If you are going on a long journey with children then give them a notepad and pen(or a camera) and see how many species they see or photograph.It will keep them occupied and help them learn about our everyday bird species.

Just clean your car windows first :)

Day 3    A Quiet Little Neighbourhood

  Another day with not a lot of time but I had an hour with the Black-headed Gull colony.As usual it was not exactly quiet as the adults were feeding their chicks and protecting them from trespassing neighbours.

  Black-headed Gulls are a regular sight to most of us and are not the most loved of birds but they are actually in decline and are an Amber listed Species.We have around 140,000 breeding pairs with Wintering birds numbering over 2 million.They are still a target for egg thieves who sell them to people to be eaten as a delicacy.Places like Poole harbour now have patrols to try and protect the colony from being decimated by egg poachers.

More wildlife crime that needs to be stopped :(

  A quick video clip of the Black-headed Gull colony.(I hope the sound works).

  

  If you have a local colony, go check it out.They are amazing birds to watch with their interaction and behaviour but unfortunately are mostly taken for granted.

  Okay that's the first 3 days sorted.Days 4 and 5 coming tomorrow as I continue to try and catch up :)

Many thanks for reading and browsing the photos.I hope you found something useful or interesting in that ;)

Stuart