Redwings & Fieldfares eating Cotoneaster berries

I had been observing some fieldfares in a nearby tree with my telescope and wondering where they were feeding. The nearby crab apple tree was now bare so they must have found something else.

I then discovered that they were feeding along with some redwings on a cotoneaster bush in a neighbours garden. I shall have to plant a cotoneaster in our garden. There’s nothing quite like a neighbour’s house as a local wildlife hide – warm and lots of tea and biscuits.

The rate the fieldfares and redwings are going through this bush there won’t be any berries left for the waxwings when the eventually turn up.

Hare Harvest Supper

Harvest Supper,
originally uploaded by martinrs.

We’re on holiday in North Norfolk, a place known for its hares. We have been here several days and not seen one despite stopping at nearly every big, recently harvested field.

Then when we were doing a mundane, none wildlife spotting thing – we went shopping – we saw it dash across the lane in front of us.

That afternoon we went back on foot with telescope, binos and camera at the ready, not expecting to find a thing. But there, bold as brass nibbling at the new shoots was our hare.

Sparrowhawk pops in for breakfast

Sparrowhawk,
originally uploaded by martinrs.

It was deathly quiet in the garden as I was preparing breakfast on Saturday morning. I looked round the garden to see what was up and there sitting pretty on a garden fence post was this relaxed male sparrowhawk. I wonder what he had for breakfast.

It is always a struggle to balance feeding the birds in the garden and enjoying their visits and exposing them to the danger of the local Sparrowhawk. But then he is rather handsome!

Great Spotted Woodpecker & young

Great Spotted Woodpecker & young,
originally uploaded by martinrs.

I have had a great time this spring taking photos of the many fledglings in our garden. This photo shows a female great spotted woodpecker feeding peanuts to her hungry you one.

I recently bought a Nikon D60 DSLR as my first Digital SLR. This photo was taken with 55-200mm zoom lens.

I bought the DSLR to attach to my telescope to do some digiscoping but have yet to find a suitable adaptor for my Opticron telescope