Garden visitors...

Winter has arrived in Holtwood.  Twinned with Siberia. 

The bird feeders are never empty, please don't underestimate how much that costs! But considered worth it, when you can sit and watch things come and go all day..

The usual visitors still present.. GS Woodies, Nuthatch, Finches and Tits. The latter 2 being joined by other types.

A Marsh Tit, Lesser Redpoll and a few Siskins are new additions. Still waiting for a Bullfinch or two and a Blackcap would also be nice..  With 10 cm of snow predicted in the next 24 hours, who knows what will drop in??

I have food, I have fire wood (and bird food) and ain't going too far.

And, I actually think I'm gonna need a hand counting on next weekend's RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch..  

So many visitors!

 Siskins

Marsh Tit

 Lesser Redpoll

 Lesser Redpoll and Goldfinch

Mr. GS Woody

Otter Spotting...

Living on Rooksbury Lakes was the inspiration of this blog.  So much to see for a small reserve. When living there I could easily lose a couple of hours a day, wandering around, experiencing the rich and diverse sights..

Its an area that I have come close to moving back to recently, it is only the daily commute that put me off. 

Fickle?

Anyways.. As shown in previous posts, the area is now blessed to have a family of Otters calling it home. Bold as you like too!.. And on Sunday I was lucky enough to get another view - and for 90 minutes!!

After hearing of some good views and activity in the morning I headed down to meet a friend on the lake.  

We located where they were living, from the sounds made by the new youngsters and set up, waiting for them to come out.  Sadly the youngsters didn't, but Mummy Otter was present in the main lake for well over 90 minutes.. It was getting dark, cold and I had to leave, but it was very very hard to tear myself away from watching her fish the main lake.  

I wasn't alone too. Word had got out and a large crowd were present, enjoying the free show of one of nature's greatest events.. For many it was their first sighting of a wild Otter. 

A very good day.. and so pleased its all happening at Rooksbury. A fantastic place.

Return of the Bombycilla. (waxwings)..

Ok, me trying to be clever and use Latin isn't a good idea - but they're back!
After hardly any spotted in the South last winter, the Waxwings were back in force this time. 40 listed in Hungerford at 9 a.m. on Saturday 8th December 2011-  It was a quick jump in the car to see if I could spot them.
I've been lucky enough to see Waxwings on a few occasions, but always on a cloudy day or at the end of the daylight as they move across an estate at work.
Today was different. A bright sunny day and I had all the time in the world.

Arriving at the place (A338 rdbt in Hungerford) it didn't take long to first hear then see them. The trills that sound like many little bells being rung and they were perched atop a tree along the A4.  A few shots, but too high to get anything decent, due to the angle.  So I move to the Rowan bushes that they favoured last time in 2010.
Success, despite the attempts of the resident Mistle Thrushm they kept dropping down and grabbing some berries whilst they could. Along with a male Blackcap.

I must have stayed there for around 90 minutes, being joined by moire people with cameras as I waited. If I had a pound for time I answered  'what we were looking at' from passing motorists, I'd have, well,  a few pound...

Back to the Gallops

Autumn turning to winter and it was time to go and see if the Short Eared Owls had returned to my local site.

They aren't listed on www.berksbirds.co.uk (but every other counties websites) to protect them.. So unless you hear from someone else that they have returned - there is only one other way to find out. So I headed up there on the 11th of November to see for myself.

I got the answer I was hoping for, as I crested the hill - I saw one flying around. Fairly early, at 3 p.m.. This was then joined by a couple more. Giving pretty good views.

On the hunt for food.

 Found some?

And then I got lucky..

A good afternoon!

I've been back twice since, but haven't had as good views since.

I'll keep trying though.

Whoosh, that was Summer!!

Moving to a Farm has been great, but I cant believe 7 months have gone past and I haven't had hardly ANY adventures, either locally or down the coast etc.

It is worryingly easy to sit here and do nothing.. Either chill with a few beers in the garden with neighbour Joe, or just relax and do nowt.. I'm actually an expert at the latter now... probably the first part too if the truth was known.

Anyhoo.. Its pretty much business as usual here. Probably been naughty and fed the birds all summer, but its been great watching the woodpeckers every day.. Maximum number has been 7!! After a few weeks of no visits, there are a pair now visiting again.
Migration has provided a Wheatear and Redstart in the paddocks. Still can't believe those 'garden ticks'..  Joe has seen Yellow Wag, Pied Flycatcher in the car park and Green Sandpiper over.. But he's an expert ;o)

So Autumn is here and the sunsets recently have been stunning to say the least. But the nights..  the nights are sooooo chilly, the woodburner is lit most evenings.. Living here isn't the cheapest, but for quality of life - very hard to beat :o)

The visiting Redstart, en route back to Africa.

The view from my cottage over the paddocks.

One of the many horses and ponies on the farm.

Last night's sunset.

Them be Otters, them be...

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure (understatement) of watching 3 otter in the Nature Reserve I used to live at.. Having never seen any Otter in the wild before, you can imagine how pleased i was.. Still smiling now!

I used to live next to the Reserve for a year, had heard of Otter being seen, but these sightings were very few and far between.. I had tried, as had friends and neighbours, but no luck.

Local friends had recently got lucky.. Rainy days seemed to be the best days to try. So with that in mind (and dipping once on a sunny day) a predicted rainy day off was identified and off we went..

Within 5 minutes, success.. Movement was seen in the water and there they were... 

2 Otter swimming on the far side of the lake !!!

Enough waffle, here are some pics and video, if it will load...

Baby Woodpeckers!!

Spring has sprung and to my surprise - yesterday morning I was greeted with the site of 2 baby GS Woodys in the garden..  I have had 3 regular adult visitors for some time now, but genuinely didn't think they were breeding due to pretty much always being in the garden..

Anyhoo.. the noise made me look outside (not that I don't spend all day looking outside anyway)..and there on the fence were 2 chicks asking to be fed.. First mum, then dad took turns in passing them peanuts from the feeders.

At certain times throughout the day there were 2 adult males and 2 adult females in the garden, on the fence / feeders, so that indicates that there are a minimum of 6 birds now visiting..  

This is gonna be expensive..

But I'm not complaining.

Swallows and Amazonial weather.

Spent a very enjoyable afternoon at Thatcham Discovery Centre a few weekends ago showing my friend Grant and his son Jack around my local patch.

Feeding the Geese and then trying to snap the Swallows and House Martins that were feeding on the lake. Must have been around 200 of them, just back from Africa and fueling up after the 5000km journey.

 Grant trying to teach the Geese some table manners..  #fail.

 Elvis, the resident RC Pochard who was very loved up with a Mallard.. 

 Feeding Swallows

 House Martin

 The top Swallow mouth wide open.

And then a walk around Lower Farm GP, to see the Heronry and also where the Cormorants were nesting..

More from the garden... I'm very lucky :o)

 One of two that regularly visit.

 A Goldcrest, with the camera set up completely wrong, which of course you only realise afterwards.

 Someone else likes watching them too..

 Whilst they were watching the sunset.

 Just to prove 2 GS Woodies visit.. :o)

This is Mike II.