White-tailed Lapwing at Blacktoft Sands

On the way back home from seeing the Albatross , we dropped in at Blacktoft Sands in the hope of seeing the White-tailed Lapwing…and it showed pretty well really….

Photos taken on Thursday 16th September 2021 from the hides at RSPB Blacktoft Sands ,using Canon equipment.

Black-browed Albatross at Bempton Cliffs

It took two attempts and two 360 round trips to finally see this magnificent bird in the company of Dave Smith…

The bird flew amongst the thousands of Gannets along the cliffs and it was difficult to avoid getting Gannets in shot …

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The bird showed for about 15 minutes then disappeared from view , presumably it landed out of site under us on the cliff . Later in the morning it re-appeared, flying east out to sea and put down on the water about a mile out.

Photos taken on the morning of Wednesday 15th September 2021 using a Canon 5DsR with a Canon 500mm f4 EF L prime lens.

Wryneck at Borough Hill

Wednesday 5th May 2021

All pics taken around 2.00pm on Wednesday May 5th 2021

Peregrines in Northants .

There are two , possibly three , known pairs of Peregrines in Northants at regular sites , with another bird tentatively at a fourth location. Only one of these pairs has been known to breed. I am not giving any of the specific sites ..as firstly many of you already know them ,and secondly, it makes it more difficult for those who do not like them .e.g racing pigeon owners or some gamekeepers.

I occasionally visit sites and have many images , some recent ones of which are shown here….with no distinction as to location. All pics taken July 2020.

Just to add , I have no special privileges..all these pics are taken from the ground around the sites using big prime lenses.

Someone’s in a mood..

‘Not now Colin , I’m still trying to digest your missus…’

High 4 …

Kingfisher..six and a half hours well spent..

A long spell in a hide was rewarded with some great views of a juvenile Kingfisher August 2019.

 

Surprisingly, despite spending so long sitting in one spot, I can still walk…………Thanks for looking.

 

 

Church Peregrines

This a collection of Peregrine pics taken at various church locations in Northants over the last year or so..

Shorties in the Fens….

Numbers of Short-eared Owls are now arriving from the continent to winter here. A day out at Burwell Fen provided some good birdwatching and photo opportunities…..

Barn Owl

 

Got lucky when my son Rob spotted a Barn Owl quartering fields just outside Moulton (Northants) Once common in our area, this was now a good sighting. It was still about it’s business in the same field when I  arrived and it flew quite close at times, as I stood on the (not busy) roadside.  16th March 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

White Admirals at Fermyn Wood.

These are images taken at Fermyn Wood, Northamptonshire in late June / early July 2017 in what appears to be a very good year so for for White Admirals.

Martin Swannell

Wheatears at Harrington

The continuing spring passage has produced good opportunities of watching and photographing Northern Wheatears at Harrington Airfield, Northants. Patience is required and I’ve spent a few hours on my visits hiding amongst the old Cold War bunkers in some very variable weather conditions. As it’s quite high for this part of the world at over 500 feet in old money it can get pretty breezy, quite challenging when snapping small perching birds.

 

Male does a Marilyn Monroe…….