Nuthatch Feeding From Hand

I took this video in Singleton Park, Swansea, today:

Amazing how trusting some of these birds have become.

Merry Christmas!

Birds on a Fencepost

I went round to Bishop's Wood on the Gower Peninsula today, taking my newly-repaired trusty Canon 40D for a tryout. I was hoping to photograph a Marsh Tit, which can usually be seen coming to food here with commoner species. Of course, whenever I turn up with all my gear in good light, the quarry I came for is nowhere to be seen. Instead, I had to make do with shots of the usual woodland species such as this Coal Tit:

The most common and boldest of the birds were the numerous Nuthatches:

A few Blue and Great Tits popped down for some peanuts, but they were surprisingly timid, and seemed easily scared by my camera's shutter, so I didn't get any decent shots of them.

However, just before I left, a Robin appeared:

A few Chaffinches, Magpies, Jackdaws, Wrens, Jays, as well as one or two Goldcrests, were also around. I heard a Green Woodpecker calling from the woods, and a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker; a Fox trotted though the trees about forty yards away at 3.30 p.m.

I managed a few shots of the sunset over nearby Caswell Bay, but I'll post those another day.

Robin, Nuthatch, Grey Squirrel

Wow, a bit of sunshine today, so I headed down the park with my camera for an hour or so to see what I could see. 

I've seen two or three Jays there recently coming to peanuts thrown down for them, but either the weather was very dull or I didn't have my equipment with me. I was hoping to see them today, but there was no sign of them, so I had to make do with the usual cast of Blue, Great, and Coal Tits; Robins; Nuthatches; Chaffinches; Magpies; etc.

I put some food in a hole in this log, which soon drew down a Robin and a Nuthatch:

Unfortunately, they were soon chased off by one of the many local Grey Squirrels:

An Hour in the Park

A few shots from yesterday in Singleton Park, Swansea.

A bit dark in this wooded area opposite the Ornamental Gardens, so shutter speeds were low and ISOs high, but I managed a few shots, albeit some of them are a bit grainy.

A Magpie showing of its iridescence:

I caught this Blue Tit in a quirky pose:

A squawking sound in the canopy alerted me to the presence of this Ring-necked Parakeet - the first time I've seen it in a few months, and in exactly the tree in which I saw it for the first time:

Nuthatches were keen to come down for the peanuts I put down for them, although it was difficult to get a shot without a nut in their mouth:

This Robin would probably been better in a vertical composition, but I didn't have time to turn my camera round:

A couple more Blue Tits to finish:



Recent Bird Shots

A few avian shots from the last few days.

Coal Tit:

Male Chaffinch:

Nuthatch:

A couple of days ago, I walked along the coastal path from Langland Bay to Caswell Bay, hoping to see Choughs. There were none there, although I did hear my first spring migrant of the year - a singing Chiffchaff. I had to content myself with photographing the Feral Pigeons as they flew past:

Carrion Crows seem to always appear when I walk along Swansea seafront. I'm sure they can pick me out from other people, and zero in on me as a potential source of food. Here's one who suddenly appeared when he saw me eating my sandwiches:

Today was a beautiful, almost summery, day, and I went down to the park for a bit in late afternoon to see what was about. No sooner had I sat down to eat my sandwiches (food again!), than I heard a strange squawk from above. I looked up to see the lonely male Ring-necked Parakeet, exactly where I saw him about a year ago when I first started this blog: 

He was clearly getting into the breeding mood, and was peering down towards this nest hole which has been commandeered by a pair of Jackdaws:

Unfortunately for him, the nearest female is probably hundreds of miles away!



Birds in the Park

This lunchtime, I went down into my local park with my camera, and a bag of peanuts to feed the birds. Here are some of the results.

Blue Tit:

Robin:

Male Chaffinch:

Another Robin:

Female Blackbird:

Nuthatch:

I then tried taking a few backlit, 'contre-jour', pictures.

Great Tit:

Nuthatch:

Eventually, I managed a shot of the fast-moving Coal Tit: