This idea came about after my photo's of the local Albino House Sparrow made the news, and the BBC asked me if I had any footage of the bird as well. I hadn't thought to film it, and alas, when I went back to try and do just that the following day the bird had disappeared, most likely already predated by a Sparrowhawk. :( I regretted not filming it after that.
This is why I recently remembered to film the Seal that I found 17 miles inland on the Somerset Levels and put it on YouTube. This also made the news, the BBC showed my clip and the footage has had 23,000 views already on YouTube!
However, due to new YouTube rules, I can't access some features until I have 1000 subscribers and 4000 viewing hours in the previous 12 months.
So I'd like to ask you all to help me out and please Subscribe to my Channel and watch, like and comment on some videos for me. I'd be eternally grateful! :D
I'll also do the same back if you have your own Channels, just say hi in one of my vids! :)
Here is the link to my YouTube Channel;
https://www.youtube.com/c/CarlBovis
OK, back to the news from the last couple of weeks since my last post.
The most exciting of which was an Osprey that turned up at Noah's Lake at Shapwick Heath on the Somerset Levels. This bird has become known as the 'Bank Holiday' Osprey by local birders as it has been turning up at the same place for the last few years around about the August Bank Holiday during it's Autumn migration. (We assume it's the same bird!).
Ospreys do not nest in Somerset, but they pass through and stop for a few days during migration and they're always a source of excitement as a result!
Unfortunately, Noah's Lake is quite big and the Osprey stays quite a distance away, but it was still awesome to watch as it dived and caught a fish, then took it to it's favourite dead tree in the lake to eat!
Here's some distant footage of it in the tree with it's catch;
Naturally I got some photo's of it, but they're big crops and not the greatest images in the world!
I was just happy to have seen this magnificent bird of prey in action on my local patch! :D
Below are some photo's of the Osprey plus a few other photo's I've taken in the last couple of weeks, including shots of juvenile Starlings that are turning from their young brown colour into the adults darker plumage, complete with their little white 'hearts' and glossy sheen! Just beautiful I think!
^Above^ - Distant shots of the Osprey, catching fish, and also being mobbed by Lesser Black Back Gulls. (Bottom 2 shots)
^Above^ - Coot silhouettes at Shapwick Heath.
^Above^ - Carrion Crow at Shapwick Heath (Chasing a Ladybird in the bottom pic!)
^Above^ - Gadwall at Shapwick Heath.
^Above^ - Black Tailed Godwit at Shapwick Heath.
^Above^ - Mallards at Shapwick Heath.
^Above^ - Juvenile Starlings at Apex Park in Burnham on Sea, Somerset.
^Above^ - House Sparrows at Apex Park, the top bird having lost it's tail feathers!
^Above^ - Young Great Crested Grebe at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Lesser Black Back Gulls at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Young Herring Gull having a wing stretch at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Adult and juvenile Goldfinches at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Collared Doves at Apex Park, the bottom one almost coming a cropper in the lake!
^Above^ - Rough looking Magpies at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Moorhens at Apex Park, adult top pic, Juvenile in the others being chased away!
^Above^ - Mallard at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Woodpigeons at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Bee visiting a Himalayan Balsam at Apex Park. Beautiful flowers, but unfortunately an invasive species that is spreading at the expense of native plants.
^Above^ - Buzzard near Kingsbury Episcopi in Somerset.
^Above^ - Yellow Wagtail flying over my Somerset village.
^Above^ - Sparrowhawk in my village.
^Above^ - Not 100% on this Warbler in my village, but think it's a Reed Warbler.
^Above^ - Collared Doves in my village.
^Above^ - Carrion Crow hunting worms in my village.
^Above^ - Footage of the worm hunting Crow!
^Above^ - Spider web in my village.
^Above^ - Almost silhouetted Swallow near Othery in Somerset.
^Above^ - Baby Woodpigeon hiding under the bushes at Durleigh reservoir in Somerset.
^Above^ - Distant Green Sandpipers at Durleigh reservoir.
^Above^ - Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin at Durleigh reservoir.
^Above^ - Canada Geese, Gulls and Cormorants at Durleigh reservoir, plus a guy on the shore who disturbed all the birds. Unless he works for the water board, he shouldn't have been there. That end of the reservoir is a private nature reserve! (I took the photo's from a layby on the passing road).
^Above^ - Male Blackbird having a bath in my garden.
^Above^ - Small flocks of Starlings starting to build up near RSPB Ham Wall in Somerset! (Glastonbury Tor in the background.)
^Above^ - Poppies, Daisies, Corn flowers and Sunflowers at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Unsure of the name of these pretty riverside flowers at Shapwick Heath!
^Above^ - A mothers love! Calf and cow in my village.
^Above^ - Calves in my village.
^Above^ - Shadow man and lens! :P
