CHASING HOBBIES YET AGAIN.

I love Hobbies to bits so on Sunday afternoon and again this lunchtime I sped over to Marsh Lane yet again to try and get some more shots of these spectacular birds.

I know taking shots is my thing but quite frankly just watching Hobbies flying so fast and being able to dive twist turn and climb at great speed is incredible.Here are some of the shots I managed.

This Kestrel (it is a Kestrel I hope) and fooled me for a while as I thought I was still following a Hobby) 

Here are a few Hobby feeding shots.If you look carefully one of the shots show it taking the wings off a dragonfly and eating the body. 

Just as I was walking down the main path on the way to the car park my good friend the Hobby was following me to presumably to say goodbye when a Jackdaw tried to have a go at it but it was no surprise to see it outclassed. In the last two shots the Hobby seems to be flying upside down.

CHASING HOBBIES AGAIN.

Wasn't going to go out today with the camera but decided after lunch to go down to Marsh Lane and try for some shots of Hobbies one of my favourite birds.Headed down to the river hide where I had some success earlier in the week.

However after an hour and a half I'd had no luck probably because the poor weather was not bringing out any Dragonflies.Just as I was about to give up a Peregrine suddenly flew in and sent everything up on the railway pool.Managed a couple of so so shots as it raced past. 

Although it sped round the pool for a couple of minutes it remained at low level with the trees and reeds as a background which make it very hard to focus on the bird.Nearly all my shots were extreme crappographs being well out of focus and only managed a few that weren't too bad.

As I walked back to the car park I very luckily noticed a bird perched on the barbed wire fencing.It was a Whinchat. Always great to see one of these chaps.I had to be patient and wait for it to perch in a decent spot.

THE HOBBY SEASON IS HERE.

Down at Marsh Lane when you get into September you have a decent chance of seeing Hobbies feeding up before they fly off to Africa for the winter.So having seen one last Wednesday I went over to Marsh Lane lunchtime to try my luck again.

It was pretty gloomy and what sun there had been had gone so not good for dragonflies and not good for getting decent shots.I spotted one as I walked to the causeway but it disappeared near the river hide so I headed there and waited fingers crossed.

I only had to wait 20 minutes before  one showed quite well but it kept perching at the back of the oak tree near the wood pile out of site.You had to wait patiently for it to show and hope it came in range.

I then got conned when two suddenly flew out of the tree one flew right and the other flew left.Dithering about which one to follow I managed to lose them both and never saw them again.

On the way back to the car park I checked both causeway hides and in the southern one I was chuffed to spot a Kingfisher sitting in a gloomy bush.Don't have many chances to get shots of a Marsh Lane Kingfisher.The photographers curse got me however when I tried to get some shots which in this case it was a leaf exactly in the wrong place.

If you waited for the wind to strengthen the leaf would shift a bit and you could get a clean shot.Not the greatest shots but great to see one perched at Marsh Lane.

ANOTHER VISIT TO MARSH LANE.

After some early morning shopping in Knowle today I thought as I'm out I might as well pop down to Marsh Lane again.Got there at 10.00 AM to find it pretty gloomy and I had the place to myself.

The CP pool was crowded with masses of Greylag Geese and Canada Geese so I soon moved onto the north causeway hide where I had 3 Water Rails (2 adults and a juvenile) but they quick scurried off into the reeds.A Reed Warbler came pretty close but remained well hidden.

From the Oak hide there were 4 Little Egrets present.This is a distant shot of 3 of them.

A little later on I was joined by my good friend Jeff Rankin and from the CP hide we spotted this bird in the dead tree.Took us an age to ID it as it was beyond the range of our bins but Jeff using his 500 lens and 2X converter then blowing up the shot enabled us to ID it as a Hobby.A female Sparrowhawk started to fly round it and soon they both flew off together down the tree line towards the causeway.Here is a shot of the Hobby taken with my 400 lens

Jeff and I raced off to the north causeway hide (Jeff raced I hobbled) but after a patient wait we had no luck.I gave up and walked back to the car park but as I got by the Oak trees to the right of the path I saw the Sparrowhawk perched.However as soon as I raised the lens to get some shots it flew off. 

Suddenly my luck changed because the Sparrowhawk perched high up in a tree that was pretty close to the north causeway hide.I raced (sorry hobbled) back there to put Jeff onto the bird.Got some decent shots.

Blow me down the Sparrowhawk was then joined by her friend the Hobby.Not a good shot but shows them both in the same frame. 

They both soon flew off but luckily I got a decent shot of the Hobby before it disappeared.

The Hobby stayed around for a while but I'm blowed if I could get another decent shot.This was my best.

SHUSTOKE RESERVOIR,MARSH LANE AND UPTON WARREN.

On Thursday morning I was very much in wimp mode because the ferocious attack I'd endured earlier in the week by a female Pheasant had messed up my knee again.Needing to go out I went over to Shustoke Reservoir where you can park up and scan the water without the need to walk far.

This was shrewd plan except for the fact the water was covered by vast areas of weed and the birds had deserted the place.There was a chap in a boat trying to gather up the weed but at the rate he was going I estimated it would take him 10 years. Oh Dear a wasted trip ! !

On Friday morning I went to Marsh Lane where I met my good friend Pete Scraggs in the car park.He was not too happy as he had also been attacked by the female Pheasant in the same place I was.I confess that later when I walked down the same path I was very apprehensive but survived.Only shots I took that morning were of a couple of adult Water Rails. 

On Saturday morning needing somewhere different to go I went over to the flashes at Upton Warren with fingers crossed that the knee would hold up and I wouldn't be trapped in the big hide overnight.Got there at 9.00 AM and was surprised to find the car park nearly full.As I got kitted up I was pleased I'd bought a coat as it was pretty chilly so I was very surprised to see that the swimming club were out and over 20 swimmers were out on the sailing lake.Oh to be young ! !

By the gate to the reserve gate I spotted loads of Hirundines  were on the wires.Took a few shots but not from a good angle.

Also had a go at a few flight shots but as usual these chaps were too quick for me.

Along the main path  did get a few shots including a juvenile Common Whitethroat (well I think it's one) and of a Linnet.The Common Redstarts were far too far away for me.

On the main pool there were quite a few waders but I had to go into patience mode because the bright early morning sunshine was in your eyes and all the birds were in silhouette but as  the morning progressed I was able to get some shots.

There was a lone Avocet still there and a lone Common Snipe had just flown in. 

There were two Common Sandpipers and a lone Green Sandpiper.

Best of all were three Ruffs and a lone Dunlin

Not long after I said that this used to be good spot for Curlews 15 flew in and posed for shots.