WHERE HAVE ALL THE BIRDS GONE.

Thought I'd better post a blog if only to show that I'm still alive because finding any birds to point the camera at any of my countryside local patches and in my back garden has been very difficult. Worst I've known ever.

He are a few shots taken from mid October till yesterday and what poor efforts they are. The butterfly , dragonfly and Swallow all taken on 15th October.

I've included shots of a Chaffinch and a House Sparrow because they used to be common in my garden but now are never seen.

 

WHERE HAVE ALL THE BIRDS GONE.

Been out several times with the camera to local spots but have found it very hard to find any birds at all at some of them.The back garden has been woeful lately with very few birds visiting and the feeders have remained untouched.Only shot I've got there was of this Dunnock.

At Temple Fields a couple of Rooks where in one of the fields.

On the wires in the same field were 20+ House Martins still.

There are a few Pine trees with cones at Temple Fields so I check them out for Crossbills but no luck so far.Thought I was in a few days ago when from long distance I spotted a bird in the trees but it was a GS Woodpecker.

Did have some luck in Earlswood when I spotted a Common Buzzard on the ground at the back of a field. A bit distant and the sun was in my face but did manage a few shots.

 

HOUSE MARTINS

The other day I saw a reply to a tweet where someone had commented on the reduced number of birds over the last few years locally and a well known midlands birder responded  "Outside reserves birding in the countryside has now become very difficult with very little about". So I've timed my move away from reserves to the local countryside rather badly.

The above certainly is true to my local patch in Temple Balsall which although very nice to stroll round you've got to be very lucky to find any birds. I've been a few times since my last post and I did get a Nuthatch on the feeders.

Yesterday I had not even used the camera once on my walk round when in the distance I spotted a lot of birds on a distant electricity pylon cabling. I got a bit closer and could see there were a 100+ House Martins with a few Swallows. Probably discussing routes back to Africa. Couldn't get any great shots as the sun was behind the birds but very nice to see so many.

 

STILL HARD OUT THERE AND A GOOD ENDING STORY

Keen to do a post to try and sort out the overlapping photos problem caused by blogger upgrading their product (upgrading often ends up with things getting worse). Many thanks to Kevin Groocock for telling me how to solve the problem but have found it hard out there to get any decent shots.

Did see a Black Tailed Godwit on the Marsh Lane flood plane but it was miles away .

Things have been quiet at my Temple Balsall local patch but the battle I've had with the Common Buzzard family trying to get shots but failing badly finally ended up with some success earlier in the week.

 

Now the story that started with a tragedy but a very good ending.Not bird related. 

A week ago last Monday I was in idiot mode because I spilled a glass of water over my laptop and after drying it out everything worked  OK except several keys on the keyboard didn't work. Went to see my computer man who told me " This model has the keyboard integrated in the upper case assembly and Levovo no longer have them in stock". In other words a new laptop had to be bought. Bugger !!!! The equivalent model would cost me £600+ An expensive spill then.

I must have still been in idiot mode because it took me two more days to think to check out my contents insurance and it looked like I may be in with a chance. Rang the broker who passed me onto Aviva the insurers. After telling him what had happened and the model number of my laptop he said " The equivalent model today would cost £750 less the excess of £100 gives a total of £650 " I was dumbfounded of what I was hearing and blurted out that my old laptop only cost me £619 but he said that didn't matter. I of course accepted and the money was transferred to my account there and then.

I now have a new laptop that cost just a few quid more than I got from the insurers.Thank you Aviva.   

A FEW RECENT SHOTS.

A few shots from recent days.The first few are from my local patch in Temple Balsall.Nothing exciting or worth keeping especially the GS Woodpecker which did not allow me one clear shot in half an hours viewing

These shots were taken from home.The first one got me excited when I saw it on the roof of a neighbour's house across the road very early one morning whilst still in bed.Without glasses I thought it was something exciting a White Stork perhaps but with glasses on it was just a LBB Gull.

Two shots of one of the young Robins from the pair who nested in my back garden

LONG TAILED TITS.

Been to the local patch in Temple Balsall a couple of times this week and managed a few shots although it was hard work.

Spotted this young Blackcap in a tree waiting patiently for its father to find it and give it a meal

Was having a quiet time there yesterday when a mixed flock of birds suddenly flew through the trees near where I was standing.Most of the birds just stopped for only a few seconds but some Long Tailed Tits hung around a little longer.

The only other bird I got any shots of was this Song Thrush feeding on the ground.