Lapwings on ice

What gorgeous birds Lapwings are – such shapes and colour (my favourite doodle), especially in the lovely midwinter sun.
Digiscoped on the little lake in the Hamptons, Peterborough, 28.12.09

Christmas Day Weedons

We went for a walk in the snow Old Sulehay Forest

Digiscoped Roe Deer

I only see Roe Deer at most a half a dozen times during the average year around here. Today, I found a group of three near two more in the Langtoft area. The two scarpered early on but the three allowed me to approach surprisingly close through the snow – using a Miscanthus crop to mask my presence. On the way a little Weasel was hunting up and down the track, but I didn't have my big camera to photograph it, just my digiscoping kit.
In the end, one of the Roes took it upon itself to come and investigate me and approached closer than digiscoping range before realising I was a human and getting away as quick as it could...

Blue Tit investigation

Red-legs

Roosting corvids on ice

Redwings & Fieldfares

There seemed to be a huge amount of Fieldfares and Redwings in the Deepings area (just north of Peterborough) today. Doubtless, the recent cold snap has brought masses over from the continent. I was able to pull up alongside a bunch in the West Deeping/Tallington area which were loyal to a particular patch of berry-rich hedge. The views were fantastic, but even more special, for me, was the sound. It was not just the expected 'seep' and 'pok-pok' of Redwings and 'chak-chak' and various whines from the Fieldfares, but also the sound of hundreds of wings up close and a constant murmuration from birds in sub-song all around like hundreds of chattering, singing Starlings (but without a Starling in sight or earshot).

Fieldfare

Some garden birds in snow

Chaffinch

Robin



Dunnock

Rainbow over March Farmers

Blute

I'm borrowing a camouflaged hide at the mo' and have it in our garden. As it happens, a Great Spotted Woodpecker visited the other day, taking nuts from our Hazel and wedging them in a small apple tree to open them. This is only the second record actually in the garden, and the last time, a few years back, one was doing exactly the same thing for a week or so. So, naturally, I set the hide up to see if the pecker would return. But I am lazy and could only stand an hour and a half of freezing my arse off before I returned to the warm. This Blue Tit is all I had to show for it.

Ibis in flight

Glossy Ibis, Take 2

All photos digiscoped.
Much better views of this chap, today. Barring a few days off, it enters the Maxey Pit complex's Etton Road site from the south in the afternoon (this afternoon from 2.50), bathes and preens and feeds for a bit then heads south again to who knows where. It was first found more than two weeks ago, so nearly all locals who want to have caught up with it have done so...
Today, it also spent a bit of time among the Black-headed Gulls on the shore of the slurry pit of Woodgate Lane, Maxey (usually the domain of a battery of the grumpiest dogwalkers on earth, and some fishermen), so I could watch it up close.
As you can see from these shots, it varies in appearance from utterly gorgeous, shiny and for want of a better expression, glossy, to (especially when bathing) a bit manky and patchy (exposing some pink skin), with the odd wing feather missing.