Waxwing Wednesday

This morning I decided to head out for a wander around the campus this morning to see what I could see. The weather is slightly better today (it's not raining), so I thought it would be a good opportunity to go out and take a few pictures. It was about 9:30 when I went out, and I stayed out for over two hours looking around. The campus is quite a large area, so it takes a little while to look around all of it. 

I started around the lake area, which I've not really checked out for a couple of weeks. The first sight that greeted me was this Mute Swan: 

I was then pleasantly surprised to come across this Egyptian goose family with goslings. Spring really must be on the way! 

Along with the Swans and Egyptian Geese were Mallards and Canada Geese. The photo below shows a few of those birds together...

Lots more water birds could be seen along the edges of the lake, including Coots and Moorhens. 

Robins, a few Wrens, Blue, Great and Long-Tailed Tits, Blackbirds and a Song Thrush were all seen as I wandered on the path around the lake. As I got nearer to the end of the lake path, I spotted a group of Chaffinches and Goldfinches flitting around in the trees. I watched them for a couple of minutes, and then watched as a group of Siskins joined them at the top of an Alder tree. I had been told that Siskins could be seen around the campus at the moment, so it was good to spot them. We don't usually get too many of them where I live so it was a bonus to see them here. A bad record shot of a Siskin that refused to face the camera is below: 

I saw a couple more Wrens around the last part of the lake path, and a cormorant flying overhead, and then I decided to head to the woodland area of the campus to see what I could see. Blue and Great Tits were the first birds I saw as I started my walk, but I was unable to get any decent photos. It wasn't long before I came across a group of about 5-6 birdwatchers looking at the Firecrest in a tree surrounded by ivy. It seemed as though the bird had already been there for a little while before I got there, and the only view I got of it was a very brief glimpse of the bird as it flew off. It was good to see that the bird is still around though. It was also very pleasing to see that so many people had an interest in this tiny bird. 

After a few minutes of trying and failing to see the Firecrest again in the area, I decided to head off further into the woodland to see what else was around. There was lots more activity to be seen, and I was thrilled to see a Treecreeper again which I've now seen on my last two visits to the woodland. I managed an average photo of the bird as it climbed a tree in its unique fashion. 

I decided to stick around the area which I saw the Treecreeper for a while, as there was lots of activity in this area. I saw another Wren, and lots of other common birds too. I was  very surprised to then see a Pheasant in the distance, a bird I've never seen on campus and didn't really expect to see on campus. I managed a record shot below: 

I came across two or three more people wandering round the woodland with binoculars around this area, including a woman who was watching a Goldcrest flitting through the brambles low to the ground. I was able to get really close to the bird but it just kept moving every time I had it in frame. In the end I only managed this record shot as it hung upside down off a little branch. 

A couple of minutes later, this Song Thrush was seen foraging around on the woodland floor looking for grubs: 

And this Blackbird a bit further on. Near to where I saw this Blackbird, I also saw a Nuthatch on the trunk of a tree in its characteristic pose, which was another good bird to see, and one which I've seen on nearly every outing on the campus.

After some time looking through the woods, I decided to make my way back to my halls. But I had one more bird to look for. Over the last week or so, Waxwings have been seen on campus, and there had been sightings both yesterday, and this morning. They had apparently been seen just outside the Chemistry building on campus, in a tree containing lots of berries. I headed over that way, although to be honest, I went there only on the off chance that I might see them. The fact that they had been seen earlier in the morning while I was looking around the rest of campus made me think that they might have disappeared by the time I got to the area they had been sighted. 

But I was in luck. I walked on the path alongside the Chemistry building and saw a small group of around 10 birds flying from the top of one tree to another. They were very vocal and almost immediately I could see that they were Waxwings, with their distinctive behaviour and appearance. It was fascinating to listen to them as they appeared to be chatting to one another. They are really such striking birds. I had never seen them before, so it was such a nice surprise to see them on the university campus. Whilst they were at the tops of the trees I got a few record shots: 

Even just seeing these birds was enough for me, but I had even more luck, as one or two of the birds flew down to a much smaller tree bearing lots of berries, and allowed me to get a few better photos. These birds seemed remarkably tame and allowed me to get pretty close to them. Only a few of these photos are any good, but I was so glad to get any kind of photo to be honest. The low light meant that I bumped the ISO up to 800 for some shots, and 1600 for others. So the images are a bit grainy but I'm still pleased with them.

The photo below was probably the best of the bunch and shows the bird most clearly:

The tuft on the top of the Waxwing's head is so exxagerated in the photo below, making an otherwise terrible photo of the bird facing away from the camera quite interesting.

The thing that amazed me most about these birds is how opportunistic these birds are. The Chemistry building is relatively close to the centre of campus, and lots of people wander along the paths beside that building, so seeing them there really was a surprise. From what I've been hearing, the Waxwings that have migrated here from Scandinavia have split up into smaller groups than usual, explaining why there were only 10 or so birds here on campus. It's great to think that some of the trees here on campus are supporting such a range of species.  

Overall today I saw a total of 31 species, which is really quite impressive for a couple of hours walking around. The Waxwings truly made my day, and fingers crossed they'll stay around for a little while get so I can get a couple more sightings of these gorgeous birds. 

I'll leave today's post at that I think. I need to make a quick trip into town and get some work done, so lots more stuff to be done today. Thanks for reading and have a great week :D 

Big walk, pub lunch, huge butterfly

My last post showed some slight disappointment on the wildlife front, and ducks and swans were the only features. The moist grey morning on Saturday turned into a beautiful sunny day, and before you knew it, we were at the start of a long walk in the countryside. Well, not that long, just hilly. The damp ground soon dried out and it became suddenly quite warm. It actually felt like the end of summer rather than mid-autumn. Sad to say that it's been grey and cloudy here all day to today so make the most of the blue skies in the photos below.

As a small kid, I've always walked in the countryside with family, so Saturday was no different. As always too we saw plenty of wildlife on the way. On the way there, the first sighting was a group of Long-tailed Tits with Great Tits in the woods. I noticed their tendency to stay in large flocks. The next thing I saw was a little surprising. A Red Admiral butterfly was basking on the trunk of a tree on the edge of some woodland. I got a little bit closer and saw the sheer size of it. It was massive and very colourful, especially with the light shining on it. This also made me think; isn't it a bit late for butterflies. After all, it is now half way through October. I have to say that I was quite pleased with how the pictures of it came out.

I had a some delicious fish and chips at the pub. While I was eating, Red Kites flew overhead. I took a picture and watched them circle over my head almost as though it was eyeing up my chips. In case you didn't know, Red Kites were introduced in Bucks between 1989 and 1994. Since then, their populations have gone through the roof, and it's hard to go a day without seeing one. They are mostly a rusty red colour that is easily recognisable.

After lunch the walk seemed much harder after I was filled with food. The good weather continued throughout the afternoon and it was nice weather for walking. We took a different route back, so there was even more to be seen. In the Autumn, the countryside is full of empty fields. These are great for seed-eating birds. Unfortunately, the boring old pigeons that raid our garden bird feeders are part of this, but other interesting birds are attracted too. Pheasants are particular fans of this kind of land, as the picture of a female shows below.

The Woodpigeons on this occasion scattered when we got near them in their huge numbers. They all follow suit and they are gone quite quickly. Above we could hear and see Skylarks, and there were other unidentifiable birds feeding on the ground. Before Saturday, I had no idea how popular the seeds in fields are to birds like these. I also thought that pigeons rely on garden bird food. Obviously not! Overall, a great day out. When I got home, with a map measurer my dad worked out that we had done 8.4 miles. Not bad for a day's work!

Just to note that I might not post quite as frequently at the moment as I have GCSE's coming up and I need to focus on them. You may notice that most of my posts will be at weekends. I will definitely not rush posts though and will still have fun blogging.

All photos taken by me on a walk on 11-10-08