Spring is in full flow and I've been very busy since my last blog post 3 weeks ago. My 9 to 5 job is full on, I've had an exhibition of my photos at Westonzoylands May-day Fete, I've been on a dawn chorus walk on the Quantock Hills (Shockingly my first ever such walk.... early mornings aren't really my thing, but it's possibly the best part of the day for wildlife, so I've been missing out!)
What with family life, editing pics, mounting prints of my photography and posting them around the world, it's incredible that I've managed to fit any photography in at all!
It always amazes me when I come to do my blog posts, because in my head I don't think I've taken many pics since the previous post, but once I sort them and upload them here I find that I have actually taken quite a lot! This is because a lot of my pictures are taken 'off the cuff', they're never planned. Occasionally I will go off and try to photograph a particular bird, but with no real plan of how to do so. One such occasion was a couple of weeks ago when a rare White-winged Black Tern turned up at Cheddar reservoir in Somerset! This was a bird I'd never seen before and I couldn't resist going to see it! It stayed very distant in the middle of the reservoir, but I managed a few record shots of it. Wonderful bird!
Also at Cheddar at the same time was a Gannet! This seabird had been blown inland by gale force winds, but was tired and exhausted and needed rescuing. I helped a woman from Secret World Wildlife Rescue to catch it in a net. It was amazing to be so close to a magnificent wild seabird!
Sadly, I later heard that the Gannet didn't make it, despite everyones best efforts. :(
One of the reasons I love this time of the year is the appearance of gorgeous pink blossom on the flowering cherry tree in my garden. I always keep an eye out for birds landing in it, because birds in the blossom make for quite a nice picture. This year, Blue Tits liked looking in the blossom for bugs and spiders, and on one occasion I managed to run up into my eldest daughters bedroom and take photos through her closed windows of a Blue Tit posing nicely in the pink!
These pics proved quite popular on my social media accounts, so much so that I made them into prints and greeting cards. :) You can see and order them HERE
Now I could write more, but I don't want to bore you, lets get on with the photos!
These include everything mentioned above, plus cute Mallard ducklings, Wheatears and Whitethroats at Sand Point near Weston Super Mare, cuddling Squirrels, photos from the dawn chorus walk, led by the knowledgeable Becky Hughes, with Jackie Curtis, Naomi Wilson and others, organised by Sue Milverton at the wonderful Clavelshay Barn Country restaurant near North Petherton, and lots, lots more! :D
Enjoy!
^Above^ - Blue Tits in Cherry blossom.
^Above^ - Long Tailed Tits in my garden.
^Above^ - Blackbird in my garden.
^Above^ - Goldfinches in my garden.
^Above^ - Woodpigeon in my garden.
^Above^ - Greenfinches in my garden.
^Above^ - Goldfinch having a bath in my garden.
^Above^ - Male Blackbird having a bath.
^Above^ - Blue Tit in my garden.
^Above^ - Chiffchaff at Chewton Mendip in Somerset.
^Above^ - Meadow Pipits at Crook Peak in Somerset.
^Above^ - Wheatear eyeing a fly on Crook Peak.
^Above^ - Linnets on Crook Peak.
^Above^ - Early Purple Orchid on Crook Peak.
^Above^ - Gorse on Crook Peak.
^Above^ - Jay at Sand Point in North Somerset.
^Above^ - Robin at Sand Point.
^Above^ - Magpie at Sand Point.
^Above^ - Shelduck at Sand Point.
^Above^ - Whitethroats at Sand Point.
^Above^ - Whimbrel at Sand Point.
^Above^ - Wheatears at Sand Point.
^Above^ - Rock Pipits at Sand Point.
^Above^ - Linnets at Sand Point.
^Above^ - Wren at Sand Point.
^Above^ - Woodpigeon at Sand Point.
^Above^ - Dunnock at Sand Point.
^Above^ - Chiffchaff at Sand Point.
^Above^ - Blackcaps at Sand Point.
^Above^ - Blue Tit at Sand Point.
^Above^ - Cowslip at Sand Point.
^Above^ - Blue Butterfly at Sand Point.
^Above^ - Speckled Wood butterfly at Sand Point.
^Above^ - Carrion Crows at Sand Bay in Somerset.
^Above^ - House Sparrows at Sand Bay.
^Above^ - Brown Tailed Moth caterpillar at Sand Bay.
^Above^ - Dandelion seed heads at Sand Bay.
^Above^ - Bluebell varieties at Sand Bay.
^Above^ - Little Owl near Brent Knoll in Somerset.
^Above^ - Blue Tit at Apex Park, Burnham on Sea in Somerset.
^Above^ - Herring Gulls at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Lesser Black Back Gulls at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Moorhens at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Woodpigeons at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Starling with worms at Apex Park.
^Above^ - White-winged Black Tern at Cheddar reservoir in Somerset.
^Above^ - White-winged Black Tern with Arctic Terns at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Arctic Tern at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - The Gannet being recued at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Great Crested Grebes at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - House Sparrows with bugs at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Mallard ducklings at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Sand Martin at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Swallow at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Pied Wagtails at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - House Martin at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Feral Pigeon at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Carrion Crows at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Magpies at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Jackdaws at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Mallards at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Wren at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Squirrel at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Blackcap at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Blue Tit at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Female Blackbird at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Rosybill Pochard ar Apex Park.
^Above^ - Long Tailed Tit in blossom at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Lesser Black Back Gulls at Apex Park
^Above^ - Female Mallard being attacked by Males at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Magpie at Apex park.
^Above^ - Woodpigeon at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Squirrel at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Wren at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Blackbirds at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Goldfinch at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Robin at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Great Crested Grebes at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Reed Warbler at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Female Orange-tip Butterfly at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Blue Tit at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Poppy at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Sheep at Cheddar.
^Above^ - Great White Egret at RSPB Greylake in Somerset.
^Above^ - House Martins at Greylake.
^Above^ - Swifts at Greylake.
^Above^ - Rook at Westonzoyland in Somerset.
^Above^ - Male House Sparrow at Westonzoyland.
^Above^ - Rabbits at Westonzoyland.
^Above^ - Blackbirds on the Quantock Hills in Somerset.
^Above^ - Buzzards on the Quantocks.
^Above^ - Male Chaffinch at Clavelshay Barn on the Quantocks.
^Above^ - Chiffchaff on the Quantocks.
^Above^ - Goldfinches on the Quantocks.
^Above^ - Pheasant on the Quantocks.
^Above^ - Rabbits on the Quantocks.
^Above^ - Robins on the Quantocks.
^Above^ - Wren on the Quantocks.
^Above^ - Stock Doves on the Quantocks.
^Above^ - Loving Squirrels on the Quantocks.
^Above^ - Song Thrush on the Quantocks.
^Above^ - Sheep on the Quantocks.
^Above^ - Some Quantock scenes!
^Above^ - Bumble Bee on the Quantocks.
^Above^ - Mayfly in flight at Stathe in Somerset.
^Above^ - Wet Blue Tit at Stathe.
^Above^ - Distant Common Cranes at Stathe.
^Above^ - Little Owl at Stathe.
^Above^ - Nuthatch at RSPB Swell Wood in Somerset.
^Above^ - Coal Tit in Swell Wood.
^Above^ - Wet Blue Tit at Swell Wood.
^Above^ - Squirrel at Swell Wood.
^Above^ - Naomi Wilsons dog during the dawn chorus walk on the Quantocks.
^Above^ - People on the dawn chorus walk, including Jackie Curtis and Naomi Wilson (Bottom pic).
^Above^ - My photography display and I! 😊