RED DEER STAGS

A bellowing stag.

Alert and on guard.

Another stag defending his territory!

A fine set of antlers.

All these red deer stags were viewed ftom the Griesdale hide at Leighton Moss.It was a couple of hours before dusk when they appeared.I had been sitting patiently listening to the stags bellowing within the cover of the reedbeds,when they decided to show themselves in a small clearing.I was certain they would clash ,but all they did were eye one another up and roar their disapproval at each other!Maybe they had allready duelled earlier, and were just content to keep their distance!

EGRETS AND SHANKS

With the forecast good and a few days off work,I decided on a trip to Leighton moss to see if I could get some decent wader shots.There`s always plenty of Redshank present at this time of year with the added bonus of a Greenshank or a Spotted Redshank on the cards.

I wasn`t to be dissapointed as both these waders were present !They were within reasonable distance to the hide I was in and I managed a couple of shots with the camera.Also present were considerable nos of Little Egret, 58 total,plus 1 Great Egret which was away in the distance, but still caused considerable excitement amongst the many birders there!

The Egrets were also very obliging for the camera and I enjoyed my time watching them chase around the shallows in pursuit of small fish.In fact they worked as a team, coralling the shoals into the margins where they picked them off at leisure.

Later,after some lunch, I headed for the other hides on the reserve in the hope of catching some more interesting subjects to photograph.I`ll tell you how I got on in my next blog!!!!!!!!!!

Time spent with Hobbies!

Thought I`d post a few shots of some juv Hobbies that I had the good fortune to watch earlier on this year.It is only in the last few weeks that they have departed our shores for the warmer climes of Africa,who can blame them for that!

The Adults raised three youngsters in an old crows nest within the branches of an oak tree.On leaving the nest they remained close by for over 4 weeks giving me a great insight on their daily goings on.

They really are masters of the skies, catching insects /dragonflies/butterflies and eating them on the wing.The adults can outfly Swifts and swallows which make up the bulk of their prey.When the young fledged the nest if any other raptor approached nearby the adults were quickly on their case chasing them away.

I spent many an hour watching their antics and can`t wait for them to hopefully re-appear next May!

Loch Lomond trip

Having not had the chance to get out much lately, mainly due to work commitments,a brief trip to Lomond was seized upon with Paul, a good friend of mine.
The weather was kind to us and prospects were good for a fish or two on the fly.The Loch holds some fantastic salmon and sea trout but catching them is another matter.Luck was with me this time and I managed to net this wonderful sea trout of just short of 5 pounds.

Although mainly a fishing trip ,the camera is never far away and I took a few snaps of the stunning scenery and beautiful colours of the changing leaves in all their glory.

Lomond can be a very moody intimidating place, but catch her right and the rewards can be outstanding!

Hope you enjoy the shots!