Combe Hill Wildlife - First Bramblings of the year.

Over the weekend we had our first Bramblings visit us this winter and also again today. Both times it was a couple of females with no sign of a male yet. No chance of any photo's of them yet either but keep your fingers crossed.
Just to wet your appetite here is an old image of a female I took about 18 months ago in the Forest of Dean :-

Cheshire's Favourite Wildlife - a real gem.

From time to time I get asked for images to go into books or other publications and invariably am offered a copy of the finished item. And very nice they usually are too.
Well, some time ago I was approached by Tom Marshall of the Cheshire Wildlife Trust who asked if I wouldn't mind supporting a book he was compiling with David Norman in celebration of Cheshire Wildlife Trust's 50th anniversary. He had found some images on my website he would like to use. How could I refuse with the offer of another book?

Two days ago the postman brought me a parcel and on opening it found it to be Tom and Davids Book.

Well what a surprise, it's a real gem, and I'm extremely pleased my Images are part of this delightful publication.
The book is of personal short stories by fifty Cheshire people sharing with us the experience of their own favourite Cheshire Flora or Fauna and each story beautifully enhanced with stunning images.
The whole book experience, not just the fascinating prose and the luxurious images, but also the layout and easily to handle size make this a real dream and everyone that enjoys wildlife in any form will love it.

Thank you Tom and David for a truly wonderful publication.

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One thing I must say, I think they did get two things totally wrong about this book. The first being the price, which is only £9.95 including delivery (all profits from the sale of the book go direct to supporting Cheshire Wildlife Trust's conservation work) and could have been nearly twice as much. The second being it's a Limited Edition so you need to hurry if you would like a copy.

For more details, or to get your copy before they are sold out, follow the link:-

http://www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/node/3506

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Some Classic Australian Wildlife.

Although I am back in the UK now I'm not at home yet so not able to start putting my best images onto my Website So for now I will post a few more pics on the Blog.
Here are a few Images of classic Aussie Wildlife that I've taken during the last few weeks.

Koala.

Most Koalas you come across in the daytime are sleeping and are not that photogenic but here is one that woke up briefly while I passed by so had to been photographed. A moment later he was asleep again.

Female Kangaroo with Joey in her pouch.


Yes, Kangaroo's are everywhere there is a bit of unfarmed (and often farmed) countryside. But sad to say the place you most often see them while travelling is as road kill. Probably nearly as often as rabbits here in the UK.

Laughing Kookaburra.

Quite often a Kookaburra will let you get really close, just like this little beauty that came to visit us at a remote Cottage we had rented for a few days in the Grampians region. They sit quietly at a vantage point watching for a possible meal and are so engrossed that they don't seem to notice you. Then they suddenly swoop down and take meal from the ground and fly off to somewhere more private to eat it.

Australia in black and white.

Although many of the birds in Australia are amongst the most colourful in the world there are some that's colour is only evident in their personality.

Australian Magpie.

The Australian Magpie has the most amazing song in solo or as a choir.

Australian Magpie.

The Willie Wagtail is an insect eater that fans and wags it's tail in an endearing manner while catching it's prey from foliage or on the ground and even from a vantage point on animals.

Willie Wagtail.

The Magpie-lark is a bird that doesn't stay still and rushes around the ground after food and constructs a nest of mud.

Magpie-lark.



Not expecting the unexpected.

How can you be in South Australia and have more cloudy or wet days than sunny ones?
How can you hire a Camper Van and fill it with supplies for a week to go to an amazing "Outback" Nature Reserve and phone the day before to find it's unreachable for the next three or four days because of floods?
How can you run a system update on your mobile and lose your Internet and your Satnav (my only decent map) with it?
How can you buy a Snickers to go with your lunch when it's £1.24 - and to get it that cheap you have to buy two?!?!
How can you drive for two hours to photograph water birds and waders and get this shot instead?


Welcome Swallows.

 Not expecting the unexpected.........

Some Australian Wildfowl and Wetland Birds.

I've been visiting a few places that have Wildfowl and Wetland Birds so thought I'd share a few pics with you.

This little beauty was in a Botanical Garden and was munching on the well kept lawn grass next to the lake. 


Australian Wood Duck.

  This Hardhead or White-eyed Duck was paying a brief visit to a small pond in a Nature Reserve near Adelaide.

Hardhead Drake or White-eyed Duck.

These Pacific Black Ducks are everywhere like the Mallard is in the UK. I think the Mallard takes the honors though. There are Mallards here too.

Pacific Black Duck.

Caught these lovely Black Swans displaying on a lake in the evening light today. Not sure what they are doing but thought it looked quite elegant. They aren't as easy to get close to as Mutes so more of an achievement to get a nice pic.

Black Swans.

Next is a bird that visits the UK on occasion but this is one of a flock that I saw today for the very first time.

Black-winged Stilt.

Parrots and Punk Pigeons.

I still can't get over the diversity and colourfulness of the birds in Australia and it seems Parrots are the most common type here and probably the most colourful. And do you know what the most amazing thing is? They are all flying free and not imprisoned in cages or aviaries.
 

Galah.

Musk Lorikeet's.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.

 

Eastern Rosella.

 Even the pigeons out here have put their own elegant twist on their appearance.

Crested Pigeon.





Crested Pigeon.