January 2021

 Well here we are, another new year, lets all hope that this year is much much better than last year, bring on the vaccines I say.

Also hope that there is a lot more wildlife around than there was last year, in particular my favourites  the Hover flies, meanwhile hoping we get a few rare migrant birds while the winter is upon us.

I am out and about most days, so if you see an old man walking around with a camera and looking a little confused then it's probably me, please feel free to stop and have a chat, if there is one thing I am good at it is chatting.

1st January

A bit of snow still lying around, this shot is from top of the field near the Stone sale site.

Same area, flock of linnets is growing by the day

Greenfinch in winter colours

Dunnock getting ready to take off

A few from the first week of January

Panorama of Linnets, probably about 1200 in total now, this is just small section of them, bumped into Jason Kernohan who is a good friend of mine and it is he who inspired me to try my hand at being a naturalist, Jason counts flocks in blocks and then multiplies by section, I'm still no good at this, same goes for my ID work, still a beginner and am always getting in touch with Jason for help, thankfully he is putting up with me for now!

Today is Jan 8th and a right miserable day weather wise, snow, sleet and rain, I did a short walkabout this morning. not many Linnet flocks flying around, but hundreds and hundreds of Linnets and Finches perched in the treetops where ever I looked, also saw several Pheasants in the wild radish field, watched a nuthatch, coal tits and several other small birds in the reserve by Captain's Pool, Captain's Pool is still frozen over.

Horrible day for going out and unless a remarkable improvement happens I will be staying in for the rest of the day.

Hoping now to post a bit more often here, so please check back when you are bored and have nothing better to do.

December catch up

 December 2020

Brief catch up for December, my walks were limited to a health problem, worst part of the month for me was Christmas, not being able to spend some of the festive period with our daughter, son in law and the grand-children was awful, got to be the worst Christmas we have ever had in our household.

So a very short post for December

I did manage a few photos, some through the window.

Quite pleased with this one, took photos of the blue tits in flight then selected and copied them into position, want to do this with a Robin at some point, all the shots need to be taken within a minute or so to ensure the light is correct.

Through the window

Through the window

Redwing

Dec 28th

And we have snow

November catch up 2020

 

November 2020

Covid rates are going up once again and although not as bad in Worcestershire as other parts of the country we are being very careful and trying to keep away from other people.

It's been a poor year for wildlife, one the pathways have been widened because of the pandemic in order for people to pass each other safely, downside is there have been few hoverflies etc where I usually see them, also a lot of work has been done on the damn wall at Captain's Pool, this involved heavy machinery for well over a week, sadly only seen the occasional fox and Muntjac, also not many grass snakes been evident, same goes for the herons.

Hopefully 2021 will see a big improvement.

Just a few photos for my November catch up.

Always nice to see a Brambling on Spennells

Few Linnets 

Fly agaric just outside my house

Robin homing in

Selection of waxcaps taken in Harvington on a friends farm

No idea on this one, I have searched Google to no avail

These two were growing on the muck heaps at bottom of the fields

Fly agaric from below

Walton Hill, highest point of the Clent Hills, always a nice walk over the hills, downside especially durind these covid times is that it gets very very busy over there.

Stonechat, only a few of these visitors to Spennells so far.

Fieldfare

Few hundred Linnets over the fields

Great to see a Peregrine Falcon over the fields, must admit it was my friend Jason Kernohan that spotted this one, basic record shot as it was sat at the top of the pylon.

This is a quick grab shot through my lounge window, a pair of Goldcrests, only stayed a few seconds, but great to see,

Catching up

October 2020

My first post for a while, but hoping now to post on a regular basis again.

Most of the past six months or so I have been busy taking photographs of headstones, several thousand actually from over 70 churchyards which I have been uploading to findagrave.com family history is a pastime I have been involved with for some 40 years now and it is still as addictive as when I started.

Most of the time I let my photography do the talking.

This is an interesting one, taken from a different angle than you would usually see, it is Bird's nest Fungus, it is that small it is very hard to find let along photograph.

Couple more fungus shots, while I admire some experts who spend hours on their hands and knees looking for fungus, I'm afraid that doesn't float my boat as I like to walk and see what comes my way.

waxcap

 Chaddesley Woods on a sunny October day.

Captain's Pool which I walk past every day, always find the best time to photograph this pool is about an hour before the sun sets, the low sun really does something special with the lighting.

The old railway bridge at Dowles (Bewdley), if you ever walk to here, just pop across the field to the old site of Dowles Church, no church now but some interesting old headstones.