A Lovely bird

Today I nipped out, just for an hour and knew just where I was heading for. The area of 'Apple Dumpling Bridge', I have frequently seen quite a few Jays there so I was hoping against all hopes of getting a good photo. I can't remember just how many shots I have tried at catching this shy and elusive bird on camera.

Parking up I could hear them but no sighting as yet, I did see the Green Woodpecker and tried to sneak up on it but it saw me!

 A short distance away I disturbed a Jay in the undergrowth burying an acorn, it flew but not far so I waited in the -1 degree cold and sure enough it came back and with 2 others in trees on either side of the area.  Using a wide tree trunk, (and knowing me you would need a wide one!) I used it as cover while slowly getting closer. Standing to the side of the tree I was amazed it didn't seem fazed by my being there and managed these shots.  I have no idea whether male or female and apparently it can only be found out from Bird ringers that have handled them.

They are part of the Crow family and it has been suggested they could easily 'plant' around 3000 acorns a month so in that respect they do a great service to our woodland areas.

Another day out

After struggling with a recent throat infection I decided to spend a gentle day out at Blashford Lakes again.  A place where I know I don’t have to walk far, so with camera, tea making facilities and art bag I set off on a cold crisp day.  Arriving around 11am I was grateful for the extra layers of clothing.  Opening the car door the sound of constant bird song and drumming of a Woodpecker was lovely. I could hear Siskins but they were high in the tree tops so difficult to see but oodles of Great and Bluetit with even more Chaffinch in every tree.

A short walk to the Woodland hide and out of the corner of my eye I noticed a Water Rail on the frozen pond just before the woodland.  Settling down on a log I waited and tried to capture it skidding across the ice but too many logs were in the way and this bird was living up to it’s known shyness.

Entering the hide I remembered to switch off my phone and searched for Bramblings but there were none to see. The Nuthatch was making brief visits to the feeder so I propped myself against a post and waited, they are lovely and colourful but rarely do I see any in their natural environment so they are always a pleasure to view even on a feeder.   Leaving the hide I walked towards Ivy Lake passing a larger frozen pond on my right which seemed void of any life at all, but I will come back to  that later.


Having read reports that the 2 Bittern’s spend quite a bit of time on this lake I was hoping for a sighting but apparently it is on the other side of the Lake. Wigeon, Shoveler, Coot, Cormorant, Tufted Duck, Gulls, Shelduck and Gadwall plus some others that I couldn’t make out were all on the Lake but some distance away. After a while I decided to take a leisurely stroll back and that’s when I heard this strange call, then another calling back from across the frozen pond.  Pretty soon the air was full of this sound. It reminded me of a larger than usual noise of Bearded Tits ‘pinging sound’ but this was not possible.  Another birder walking along the same path towards me stopped and listened while I was scanning the reeds for any sign of movement but nothing.  I was very excited by it all.

As we met, the gentleman said, ‘well that had me fooled for a time’, so I enquired as to what he meant.  He replied it was the sun on the ice, it was ‘pinging’! So that’s why I heard it all over and couldn’t find one single bird or anything to cause it!  The first and only other time he had heard this was about 10 years ago.  I was so pleased, not only to have heard this strange phenomenon but to have someone right there that knew what it was.  I would have pondered over this for many a while!  

I settled into the car and poured a cuppa, bliss, quickly followed by a late lunch while warming up and watched the birds going back and forth to the car park feeders.  To my right was a small copse and finally I caught sight of one of the Woodpeckers, with camera and sarnie in hand I slowly crept up to get a photo but it saw me and flew off.

 Re charged I walked the short distance to Ivy north hide in the hope of at least one of the Bitterns being on show but sadly not. Birders were waiting patiently for the Water Rail so I told them of the other area with which one could be found. Time to head off home on a cold but totally enjoyable few hours.  You can use one of their buggies so come Spring that is what I hope to do and then be able to get all the way round the Lakes.


 The Thrush was a pleasant surprise as it foraged around near the front of my car.  Not wishing to disturb it I waited and waited till it decided to fly off elsewhere. Worth the wait as we hardly see these birds anymore.

The last photo was yet another Thrush so it just had to be photographed as well.  A great day out and Blashford Lakes never fails.