Bretton Update

The excellent weather got me out of bed early and I was at Bretton Lakes by half past seven. It was a bit cool but there was bright sunshine and not a breath of wind - perfect conditions for photography.

I decided to visit the nest site of the Goldcrests which were featured on here a few blogs ago. It was all very quiet though with no activity around the nest. Have they abandoned it? Not sure - they did both turn up before I left which was encouraging but surely the female should be sitting on the eggs by now?

The only Lesser Spotted Woodpecker I've seen to date was last year at Meltham in Huddersfield. I knew they were around at Bretton but they'd eluded me up to now. I was quite pleased to break my duck this morning. I'd only been stood in the area where they were rumoured to be for about 5 minutes when this one turned up.

The bird life down at the hide seemed much the same as usual until I noticed that a couple of pairs of Greylag Geese had arrived. This isn't a rare event but they don't usually stay around for long. There was no difference this morning as all four of them departed before I left.

Bempton Cliffs

RSPB Bempton Cliffs is always worth a visit at this time of year. It helps if you can choose a nice day with light winds though. Thankfully I was lucky on both these counts.

I've never seen a Puffin in the flesh before so I was hoping to put that right today. Again, luck was on my side and I saw two of them. The first one was quite close to me but my presence didn't stop him getting on with his business of collecting for his nest.

This one was quite a bit further away and was looking very nervous for some reason.

Gulls all look pretty much alike to me but I think these two could be Kittiwakes.

There were plenty of Razorbills around too.

Gannets

Not sure what this is but I think it could be a Herring Gull?

I can't even guess at this one....

Nesting

This pair of Great Crested Grebes built their nest at least a couple of weeks ago but something seems to have gone wrong. No eggs and it has visibly reduced in size. Maybe they made the mistake of leaving it alone and it was raided? They certainly looked a bit confused.

The Goosanders usually winter on Bretton Lakes and then move on during early spring. However this year there are a few stragglers.

This female had a mate nearby and appeared to be either looking for a nest site or visiting an existing nest in a tree on the island. Hopefully they will breed and we'll see some young in the next few weeks.

I came across a pair of Treecreepers building a nest under this flimsy looking piece of bark on a dead tree. This one eventually worked out how to get this long twig through the narrow opening only for it to fall out several seconds later!

Blackcaps

Prior to today I'd only seen one Blackcap at Bretton so far this year and that was a distance away. Today I was sure some more would have arrived but when I got to Bridge Royd Wood there was no sign at all. Chiffchaffs were everywhere but no sign of the Blackcaps.

It wasn't until I got undercover and sat still for a quite a while that I heard that unmistakable song. He wouldn't come out into the open though and all I got was a few fleeting glimpses through the leaves and branches.

Another hour went by and on his fifth visit to my area I finally got an unrestricted view. There were still a few frustrating moments when I could hear his song but couldn't see him but in the end I managed to get a few shots!

Where did you get that cap!

Whilst I was waiting around for the Blackcap this Chiffchaff appeared and had a bit of a grooming session.

Last Sunday I went looking for the Green Woodpeckers - again without success - but did come across a nesting Treecreeper and pair of Long-Tailed Tits.

The Long-Tailed Tits were happy to pose around but I wasn't quick enough to get any shots with them carrying nest building materials.

Bretton Update

A sunny but very windy morning saw a little patience pay off with the Goldcrests. A pair are nest-building right next to the path in the woods next to the top lake. Luckilly this is a spot which isn't shaded and was nicely lit in the morning sunshine.

As is usual they dissapeared as soon as I got close to them but instead of walking on I decided to hang around for a bit. A few minutes later they both returned and must have decided to ignore me as I was treated to the best view I've ever had of these tiny birds.

Whilst I was waiting around this Long Tailed Tit decided to perch above me and for once actually stayed still long enough for me to get a few shots.

The resident Kingfishers were forced to relocate during the winter when the lakes froze over for several weeks. Thankfully at least 1 pair have returned and I saw them land near to the hide on the top lake. They weren't close enough to take any pictures so here is one I took on the 30th August 2008. It was shortly after I installed a perch in front of the hide. For some reason they only seem to use it between July and October but there are plenty of shots to be had during this period.

The Great Crested Grebes seem to have settled on their rather tatty nest now. Hope they get rid of that annoying twig!

I heard and caught a fleeting glimpse of a Green Woodpecker but despite waiting around for almost an hour it didn't return to have its photo taken. I had to make do with this Chiffchaff who came to check me out whilst I was waiting.

Signs of Spring - Part II

I returned to Bretton this morning to see if any more Chiffchaffs had arrived since Sunday. There were at least a couple and I managed to get a few albeit modest shots of one of them.

Down at the hide a Wren has started to build a nest just inside of the door opening. I was sat just a few feet away but he didn't seem at all bothered by me being there or the flash firing as I took these photos.

After leaving the hide I met a fellow photographer who told me of a couple of Green Woodpeckers at the far side of the bottom lake. This is a bird I've only ever seen once and I don't have any decent shots of so I followed his directions to see what I could see. He was correct - there was one there - but my clumsy approach saw it take flight. I felt that something else was watching me and looked down to find that the Woodpecker wasn't the only animal to be alerted by my presence!

Signs of Spring

The forecast was for fine weather this morning so I got up early and headed for Bretton Lakes in the hope that the first of the summer migrants had arrived. The Chiffchaffs are usually the first to appear and it seems that this year is no exception. After a few minutes walking through the woods by the top lake their trademark call could be heard. Unfortunately the sound only lasted for a minute or so and I didn't manage to catch sight of it's owner. Give it a few more days and we should be up and running!

There was plenty of other activity though. Especially on the lake where the resident Mute Swan cob was busy patrolling the area around the island, where I suspect his mate is hidden away on the nest. As usual he was engaged in his favourite 'sport' - Canada Goose chasing. He really seems to hate these creatures with a vengeance and not just at breeding time either.

Here he is at full ramming-speed, driving off the first of his happless victims.

When he tired of surface-raiding he decided to try aerial bombardment! Note the rather bemused Tufted Duck.

Well that shifted 'em!

A pair Great Crested Grebes have nested just to the right side of island for a couple of years but this time they have decided on a new site, nearer to the middle of the lake. It will be harder to get close to this nest but you can get some distant shots from the path which runs near the lakeside.

She was 'in position' for some time before the male took the hint and did the business...

It was all over in a flash.

I've been trying to get close enough to photograph Goldcrests for ages now but haven't seen a single bird until recently. I was only about 20 feet from this pair but that still isn't near enough even with a 500mm lens + 1.4x teleconverter so I had to make do with these heavy crops.

Last but not least is this Wren, who was hanging around the hide whilst I was in there.