Looking south west down the River Wyre

Looking East over the Pennines

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Just a quick line to accompany this garden visitor; clearly natural food must be in short supply at this time of year. This male seem the boldest of the family as we have seen both female and juvenile in the garden. They have visited at various times of the year and I must check this blog to see when! I'm not quite sure how I captured that movement around the beak.

It's still cold

Out and about in the cold...

Meadow Pipit and still cold

If you've seen the post of the previous day, I was stood like an idiot for hours in the freezing cold and six inches of snow to obtain these photographs. Worth it though! A Red Breasted Merganser on the canal, a Robin who came to see me and a Meadow Pipit I'd seen the day before. I also saw a Fieldfare but only managed a very poor photo for the record.

Bbrrrr..Meadow Pipit

You may recall a cold spell at the beginning of 2010 and it had been snowing...it was deep and crisp and even and about six inches deep... and I was stood in it like a scarecrow for a couple of hours freezing the brass monkey to obtain these pictures. The light was poor and too slow to freeze movement of the Meadow Pipit, depth of field was low too. I was within about ten feet once again to obtain these images. Enjoy. I did!

Short Eared Owl

We have had many mild winters but the Xmas period 2009 brought a cold snap with quite an unusual prolonged period of snow... not that I'm complaining, quiet the opposite, providing all sorts of opportunities. Another dash to Knott End in-between the snow showers under leaden skies and I was fortunate enough to spot something sat on a fence post... a Short Eared Owl. I approached with great caution and the owl seemed unperplexed but gave me a good looking over. Sat in the car, I slowly drew the camera to my eyes and slowly opened the window, cursing under my breath the noise of the electric motor... the noise didn't seem to bother the owl at all. I took as many photos as I could, fearing the owl would depart any second... it didn't.

Moving with great caution I moved slowly and slower until the obstructing foliage was out of the way. The owl sat there quiet happily, keeping a cautious eye on proceedings and occasionally staring into the grass perhaps after a small movement, but probably melting frost or snow. 

The owl was clearly at peace with the world and sat there and began preening. This was my first proper view of such a magnificent bird and sat there transfixed for a considerable length of time. A number of cars passed without incident but then an approaching walker with two dogs on a lead.  I was able to leave the owl and 'head-off' the walker who was very understanding and quite happy to retrace her steps, I was extremely grateful to her as I returned, slowly and as quietly as possible and the owl was still in the same spot.

Incredibly the snow leaden skies began to disperse and the light improved, allowing some better photographs from time to time. After preening for five or ten minutes it was time for breakfast and suddenly with no notice – didn't ask if I'd finished taking it's portrait – swooped off at low level behind the hedgerow and across the field where I lost sight.


As you can see there was snow on the hills and surprisingly the skies were full of what I assume were pink-footed geese, surprisingly because the majority of them were heading east inland to where the snow would have been worse; I can only assume they had found a location or two where the stubble or feeding grounds was of suitable quality to receive their attention.

Two Red-Legged Partridge scurried off in an adjacent field, and it was time to go.