Forge Valley, Ayton, Near Scarborough

Forge Valley, Ayton, Near Scarborough

20/01/2014

Forge Valley Bird Feeding Station

A quick 20 minute lunch time stop, between site visits, at the bird feeding station in Forge Valley, made for a brilliant break in the day last Tuesday. After laying out some seed and half a fat ball I got great close views of the regular Tit population, Chaffinches and Blackbirds, but unfortunately no Woodpeckers or Jays, but this always leaves a good excuse to go again!

As I was quite close I thought it an ideal opportunity to try a few close up head shots, obviously cropped on Photoshop but thought something a little different. Shame a high ISO was being use due to the shade from the overhanging trees and bushes and the low winter sunshine.

Marsh Tit

 

 

Nuthatch 

Robin

 

Blue Tit

 

 

 

 

Coal Tit



Long Tailed Tit

Great Tit

  

 

Chaffinch

 

Saturday In Scarborough (What a Rail!!!!)

Saturday in Scarborough (What a Rail)

25/01/2014

Open Air Theatre, B & Q, The Mere

On what was expected to be a horrible day the weather turned out to be fair with indeed even a couple of hours sunshine before 2.00 pm when the heavens opened for really the rest of the daylight hours.

A couple of hours, indeed most of the morning was spent trying to catch up and get a few decent photographs of the Water Rail and the back of the Open Air theatre where at present the pond is drained so the same can be seen with various Moorhens popping in and out of the back reeds. After a couple of hours wait and things starting to get busy with kids, dogs and wanders and me just ready to call it a day the little devil appeared out of the reeds only about 20 yards in front of me, and what a rail he or she is. Well worth the wait.

After the Water Rail set if to find the reported Wawings in B&Q car park, which were there very briefly around 11.30 am in full sunshine but for a second and at high level when I got there hence 1 or 2 shots at high level. I did return later on in full cloud when they were feeding just before the heaven opened.

After B&Q and a little lunch the winter resident Firecrest was the next target, this was again easily spotted and viewed but to damn hard to photograph, see the very very poor shot, but hey did actually see it really well this time.

Water Rail

 

 

Waxwings

 



 

 

 

Firerest (Honest!!!)

 

 

 

 

 

Red Squirrel Delight

Red Squirrel Delight

03/01/2014

Hawes, The Yorkshire Dales

 

Our second visit to the semi secret / retired viewing area to see Red Squirrels near Hawes in The Yorkshire Dales, again fantastic to see the brilliant native mammals, but damn hard to photograph, with the feeding and viewing point being deep in woodland and almost dark in winter, even when the sun was out!!!



 

 

 

And a bit of fun, the little devil looking for more nuts in my camera bag!!!!!



 

Scarborough Harbour

Scarborough Harbour

05/01/2014

Scarborough Harbour

A cracking morning, a cracking place to live and a cracking wintering juvenile Great Northern Diver, what more is there to say!!!!