Flight Path

The last flying Vulcan bomber in the UK is based at Doncaster Airport.  That means that we get to be on the flight path of this amazing aircraft (we've also heard that the pilot lives in one of the nearby villages and likes to fly over the area).  When it flies low over your head it is really a sight to behold and the noise from the engines is incredible.

I've tried to make sure that I have the camera close by during the summer months because you never know when it is going to pass overhead. As much as I like my Olympus Pen EPL1 the menu system is not ideal for fast adjustments to the camera settings so I feel I'm yet to take the "great shot" the plane deserves.

Here are a selection of some of the better attempts.

Sadly it looks as though 2015 may be the last time the Vulcan will fly.  News reports state that the engines are ageing and it will no longer be safe to fly.  If you want to find out more, then have a look at the website for this incredible piece of engineering.

Mob Rule

Starling populations in the UK according to recent reports are in decline.  In May we start to see numerous  pairs arriving, making nests under the pan tiles of the roof.  I don't know if they are the same pairs but they do use the same sites year after year.  It's tiring just watching the parents flying back and forth every ten minutes or so to feed their young for hours on end.  After the chicks have fledged we tend to see very little of them.

There are times, however when we are suddenly visited by large groups of juvenile starlings, who descend on the bird feeders and the water bath in what can only be described as a frenzy.  They swoop in, muscle out the other garden birds and have their fill.

On a hot day, they do like to take it easy.

Stormfront

For the past few days, the UK has been experiencing a huge number of thunderstorms (more than 3000 lightning strikes were recorded across the country in the space of an hour.  North Nottinghamshire where I live seems to have gotten away quite lightly.

On Saturday afternoon we were sat in the garden, reading our books and enjoying a beer when it got incredibly dark very quickly indeed.  I rushed indoors to get my camera, put on the kit lens and took these photographs.  The only alteration made was the adding of the copyright strap-line.  Nothing else has been altered.  I'm aware some of the pictures could be "improved" but I wanted you to see them as they were taken, especially the eeriness of the light.

Three of a Kind - Part 2

I mentioned in one of the first posts on this blog that we have a pair of Tawny Owls that roost quite regularly in the garden.  They are almost always in a tall conifer tree, obscure by branches in the shadows and its next to impossible to get a decent shot.

Well the adult birds may have been difficult to capture, their offspring however proved to be quite indulging.

I took these pictures before I got my Olympus Pen EPL1.  these were taken with a Fujifilm compact camera.  We couldn't believe it when we looked up and saw these three in the apple tree, pretending that we weren't actually there.

The young Tawny Owls hung around in the apple trees for the best part of a week, although all three of them were never together in the same spot again.

Two of the three opted to stay close to each other, never being more than a branch or two away.  The third one seemed quite happy to be going it alone.

I keep hoping against hope the the parents will have chicks again.  Perhaps they have but the nest is in another tree in another garden.  Still, it always pays to look up.  You never know what could be sitting there.

Three of a Kind - Part 1

Technically this may not be the greatest photograph that I've ever taken, but its the subjects that I like about this photograph.  I always find swallows' aerobatic skills amazing and I would watch the parents enter the covered area at speed and negotiate two tricky turns at what looks like full speed to get to their nest.  This photo was taken when the youngsters just couldn't fit in the nest any more so they hopped down to one of the beams.

Squirrel

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with grey squirrels (it stems from and embarrassing trip to A&E after being bitten by one).  They visit the garden from time to time and pretty much decimate the bird feeders.  I watched one last week throw an empty bird feeder off it's hook and across the garden in what looked like a fit of pique because it was empty.  When they were infrequent visitors they were nice to see.  When they start clearing out full bird feeders on a daily basis and chewing through them they become an annoyance.

I've taken to adding chilli powder to the nuts and sunflower hearts that we put out for the birds.  Squirrels hate it but it has no effect on the birds themselves, so the squirrels tend to move on to other parts of the garden.

They may not be my favourite animal, but you have to admire their cleverness and pure gymnastic ability.

Treswell Woods

Two years ago we were at a summer fair and ended up talking with a warden from the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.  He spoke to us about the various sites in the county and how the "Cinderella" sites tended not to get as much attention from the public as the large more well known locations (Sherwood Forest for instance).

He pointed us in the direction of Treswell Woods, which was only a couple of miles away from where we live so the following Sunday morning we decided to pay it a visit.

I can understand why the warden referred to it as a Cinderella site.  We saw a few volunteers who come down most weeks to catch and ring birds in the woods so they can track populations.  This census has been going on since the 1970s. We saw two people walking dogs, but that was about it.

The majority of the trees in the forest are Ash, Oak and Maple.  There is a large pond and is home to a variety of British wildlife.  You can also see various nest boxes around the woods.

There is also a workshop, which uses traditional methods utilising coppiced trees to ensure the health of this ancient woodland area.

A month or so later, we again paid a visit on a Sunday morning.  There had been a thick fog and when we arrived and it was  in the process of being burned away by the sun.  It was one of those right place, right time moments as I was able to take some atmospheric shots of the woods.

We also came across something that was rather creepy that reminded me of Mirkwood in The Hobbit.  Every single weed and plant in this area was covered in spider webs and I mean everything!

If it's a nice weekend walk without the crowds, then you can't go far wrong if a walk though Treswell Woods.

Woodpeckers

It's been a bit of a strange week.  I managed to put my back out which has led to a miserable time doing not very much.  I was lying on the bed feeling sorry for myself when this little fella landed on the tree directly outside the bedroom window.

Judging by the colour of the plumage I'm guessing that he's a juvenile.  He was perched there for almost ten minutes.  If there was a parent bird around it was well hidden.  We often hear green woodpeckers but rarely see them.

By comparison, the Greater Spotted Woodpecker we see quite frequently, most often at the bird feeders.
I took the picture below a few weeks ago (again from the bedroom window) of a parent and juvenile.  The parent was actually feeding the youngster.

This one, decided to stop off for a drink.