Fun in the Sun

Last weekend was particularly cold, with three nights of frost that did not thaw out during the daytime. We were then blessed with some really good sunshine. A cold sunny day always has me excited to get outside and see what's about. 

It was a hat, snood, and gloves type of day, but that also means that the birds and wildlife are all actively seeking out food, which can make it easier to see some of the more shy species. 

It was a lovely morning, which seems to have been followed by a week of rain, with more to come this weekend. Oh well, not much I can do about it, but look back at what's out there with these pictures.

Coal Tit

Jay. Not a bird that is easily brought down from the safety of the trees.

Mallards in flight.

This pair were braving the ice on Redesmere. It was about 60% covered, which did push some of the birds like Goldeneye, Goosander and Pochard a bit closer to me than normal.

Pochard

Cormorant over two Tufted ducks.

Watching the New Feeder in the Rain

The weather of late has been pretty poor to say the least. So much so, that I have been doing a lot of my birding recently from the lounge window. Not ideal, and it limits the number of species that I can see. That said, I'm quite lucky to a good variety of the Tit family visit the feeders and trees. Jays have passed through recently and a few Goldcrests. 

I have a new feeder that I can highly recommend from Kingsyard. (Click on the Kingsyard link here on the right) Kingsyard 

This particular feeder is constructed really well, and is very sturdy. It has two different sizes of mesh, which means you can put different size seeds or food in each half. It also has a tray along the bottom that holds all the food like a trough. The water shield on the top unscrews so that you can put your food in. Again, this is a very sturdy acrylic that will keep the food dry in the rain and hopefully it will act as a baffle for the resident squirrels. The birds seem to like it and I'm really pleased with it. It has made the rainy days a little less miserable when I look out to it.

The Coal Tits are really big fans. I've had 3 or 4 on here at a time.

Snow Days

This week the clouds decided to drop snow rather than rain. The clouds are still here, but at least the snow gives back a little more light than the roads and pavement. It also meant that the birds were very active in my garden due to the cold weather. I had to top up the feeders as they were munching their way through loads. I decided to see if I could take some pictures of them from the lounge window. As I've not been out with the camera a lot recently due to the dull grey skies, it gave some light relief.

To top it off I had a Goldcrest that stayed around quite a while for me.

Female Blackbird does not look best pleased with the snow.

This Coal Tit looked blended in well.

Europe's smallest bird, the Goldcrest. So small and so fast. It never stays still.

Hard to beat a Robin in the snow.

Etherow Park Marsh Tit

I popped along to Etherow Park in Marple at the weekend, and I was on the look out for a Marsh Tit. A very unusual bird for Stockport and the Manchester area in general. I had seen one the previous week in Norfolk, but quite fancied ticking this closer to home, and it was handily spending a lot of its time around a feeding station and hide. This meant that I could sit for a couple of hours and just enjoy what nature brought to me.
It seemed that it was bringing every other Tit species apart from the Marsh variety. It was cold with the odd downpour thrown in, but it meant the birds were quite active and gave me plenty of opportunity to photograph them at relatively close quarters. All of them had wonderful plumage and they looked in good shape and set for Spring.

The Marsh Tit don't show while I was there, but here is the bird I photographed last week at Sculthorpe Moor.

One of the many Blue Tits that was busy at the feeding station.

The Coal Tit. I was very grateful of the hide to be able to photograph this bird. They're so fast, but this guy was very comfortable, and I was even able to photograph it eating. A first for me, as they normally bolt off to the safety of a tree to eat.

Eating a sunflower heart from between it's tiny feet.

A very handsome and shiny looking Great Tit.

Coal Tit - Pennington Flash

The Coal Tit is a bird I've rarely been able to photograph. I see them often, but they are so quick and flitty. Even when I've set up at feeding stations, they are the quickest birds around. They are constantly on the move. They head get to the feeder, grab some food and then head off quickly to the safety of the undergrowth, never allowing a clear shot.
At Pennington Flash a few weeks ago I got lucky and managed just a few shots of this nippy little fellow. The sun was a little too bright, but I was pleased to get something more than a blur, and these are the best I've ever managed of this species.