Millpool Today

I spent a very pleasant couple of quiet hours taking random images both on and around the tranquil Millpond earlier today

A Wrinkly Red-faced Male Muscovy Duck that seems to have become the meeter and greeter to all who visit the Millpool.

Honey Bee collecting Pollen

Goldfinch stripping seeds from Thistle heads

Red admiral warming up on the lane !

Female Emperor ovipositing

Common Darter

Birds at Stithians southern cut-off yesterday

While working with the Great Spotted Woodpecker recorded in the previous blog I also recorded the following birds which started with a dark form Pheasant in the fields on the way into the hide and was followed by a disturbed Grey Heron on arrival.

Next up came a feeding Coot and many rather well fed male and female Chaffinch and Blue Tits, Goldfinch and Great Tits.  A rather wet looking raiding Magpie. Two pairs of reed Bunting and to finish a fine looking pair of Bullfinch

Spring Colours Count

In the Spring time its the colours that count when male birds are looking for a mate,   At Stitians southern cut-off this morning all of the males were sporting their finest plumage and it seems to be working for the male Great Spotted Woodpecker on the right in the image above as a female moves in to take a closer look !!

This is a great time of the year to capture images of many species of birds at Stithians some of which are shown in the portfolio posted below.

Reed Bunting

I went to Stithians southern cut-off  hide PM today to try for better lighting angles and mating shots of the Little Grebe.

They were off over the other side of the cut-off when I arrived so I whiled the time away snapping a male Reed bunting that was very active.

The Male goldfinch were looking immaculate in their punchy coloured mating plumage and a Jenny Wren was thriving on insects caught along the water margins.

The pair of Little Grebe eventually returned across the water and sure enough I achieved some better lighting angles to bring out the darker colours and eyes of these interesting birds but still no mating shots at the moment but it will hopefully happen soon on another bright and sunny day.

Stithians southern cut off today

It was good to be out and about on a lovely sunny but cold day at Stithians southern cut off hide today and I was pleased to record my first female Brambling image of the year posted below thanks to the eagle eye of Hilary Mayes

The feeders were very busy with small birds including several raiding parties of  Long Tailed Tits and Goldfinches and I was treated to a nice take-off sequence to merge by the resident female Great Spotted Woodpecker

 All to soon it was time to head off home to do battle with a new desktop computer and lots of new software so this blog might be a little late on posting tonight !!

Garden visitors today

Apart from my early visit to Marazion marsh this morning the wet weather put the damper on visiting any other locations through the day, I settled down to producing this years crop of Xmas cards in my study but my wife kept coming in to inform me that she had spotted  a 'This or That' bird somewhere in the garden and perhaps I should snap it,  So I did and the images below represent some of the sixteen species that I snapped away at as the day progressed,  The male and female Bullfinch are the first ones sighted in our garden in seven years of living here but the female Blackcap has to be my favourite and takes the first and last slot in the portfolio below and yes I have just finished the Xmas cards somewhat later than intended.