Animal ,Birds and Reptile!

Some images from Bowland I thought you might like to see.....Most of the Ring Ouzels will probably have fledged youngsters by now but its always nice to admire the stunning male in its natural habitat!

 A Greylag Goose gave me a nice flypast and against a clear blue sky made for a good subject.

 I`ve never really been lucky enough to see Adders at close range,but a good friend of mine put me onto a few basking in the warm sunlight!I`ve since been back to find them but have been out of luck!

 Usually early morning is a good time to find an odd Roe Deer and this one was encountered on my way to Bowland!

A morning in the woods.

 Although I love venturing out onto the open moorland,an early morning sortie into one of my local woods appealed to me.This particular wood is a favourite with a lovely little songster, the Pied Flycatcher.With not much foilage on the trees at the moment,it would be easier to try and locate a couple of territorial males,their black and white plummage contrasting vividly against the mossy green bark of the trees!

 I could hear 2 different males proclaiming their territory, so I managed to wait patiently for them to come into range.It wasn`t the best of light with a few showers here and there, but I made the most of the occasion.

 On the edge of the wood a male Redstart was fresh in from Africa,but was very flitty and difficult to approach!

 The highlight of the morning was a handsome roe buck who was feeding in a small clearing some distance away,but keeping upwind and deadly quiet, he approached without the slightest concern.

 I didn`t know but at the time he was accompanied by 2 does who were hidden in the woods.

 He  must have eventually got wind of me and barked a few times, before turning and bounding gracefully away,one of those very special moments indeed.

 A couple of hares were chasing one another around a meadow and came very close to me as I hid behind a stone wall.There seems to be good numbers about at the moment and always create a nice portrait shot.

 Stopping to sniff the air he knew something was untoward and then showed me a clean pair of heels!

I hope that you have enjoyed viewing the images I managed to take and will be back with more tales shortly!!!

Roding Woodcock

 It was nice to watch this roding(pronounced `roading) Woodcock the other week.I`d previously found a nest the year before in the same wood, so it was nice to know they were back breeding.

 The Woodcocks display flight entails flying low just above the treetops,it inscribes a broad circle,sometimes taking several minutes to complete,emitting a low type croak,punctuated every few seconds with a sharp sneezing squeak.All this happens at dusk after the sun has set.

 You usually don`t get to see a Woodcock unless it moves.When incubating eggs on its nest, it is nigh on impossible to see,such is the sublety of its camouflage among the bracken.Its thick black stripes and russet tones just blend perfectly into the background cover.Only its eye may give away its prescence.The only way I came across this particular nest was because I flushed the bird from underfoot.

Highly sought after by the shooting fraternity,to shoot a left and a right and hit two Woodcock, is considered the top shot by all and gentry.Many of these birds come over from Scandanavia and the East supplementing our own native reidents.As they are so hard to hit many remain unscathed anyway.A truly fascinating gamebird the Woodcock,  one that I`d love to photograph more regularly!!!