What A Little Gem

This little gem of a bird dropped in to my local reserve at RSPB Bempton Cliffs, just a little bit different to look at to the normal gannets, puffins etc. I believe it was a first for Bempton and what a fantastic bird it proved to be. Showing very well the only downside was the weather which consisted of mist, thick cloud and very bad light conditions. All images above where taken on 1600 ISO @1/60 second.

What A Beauty!

Great Grey Shrike

After a tip off from Paul Scales (many thanks Paul) at 9.00pm on the 19th, of a Great Grey Shrike last seen that day at 3.30pm on the coastal path behind South Cliff Golf Club, Scarborough I just knew it had to be an early morning dash before work to see if this stunning bird was still in the area.

I gave Nick Addey (Scarborough Birders Recorder) a quick call again the night before just to let him know a GGS had been seen in our recording area and told him that I would be checking the area out first thing in the morning. So I arrived at the site the next morning and as I was setting up my equipment Nick pulled up in his car. We both made the short walk from the car park along the coastal path to the area which Paul Scales had so kindly given me directions too.

After a fair bit of scanning around Nick found the bird at the base of a bush halfway down the cliff side. We watched the bird for a good 10 minutes before it started to get active and then to our amazement the little beauty flew up to a bush just a few metres away. Both myself and Nick then spread the word to other fellow Scarborough Birders before I had to dash off to work. What a great start to the day, just hope it sticks around for a while.

Filey Brigg

Common Redstart

Velvet Scoter

Dunlin

Knot

Bar-tailed Godwit

Firstly apologies for the lack of posts to my blog recently. I have had a new edition to the Race family, another little boy "Sam Race", so as you can imagine things have been a bit hectic so I have changed holding a camera to holding a baby boy.

I did manage to get an afternoon out with the camera in between changing nappies, so I took a trip to Filey Brigg. Once I got on the beach the waders were showing well with 3 Dunlin and a large party of knot being very obliging. A single Bar-tailed Godwit kept its distance, but just managed to get a couple of record shots.

Took a walk to the Brigg end and bumped in to Ian Robinson from Filey Brigg Bird Group who had found a pair of Velvet Scoters feeding just off the south side of the brigg. Quite distant, again just managed a record shot. Got great view through the bins, it was great seeing these sea ducks fairly close to shore. Whilst watching the ducks a Blackbird flew in off the sea closely followed by a Goldcrest, I wonder how far those birds had travelled before they hit the brigg?

After staying with the Velvet Scoter for 30 minutes, I then decided to take a slow walk back to Filey Bay to find Ian again watching something moving about the rocks in front of him. It was a beautiful Common Redstart which for me was quite unusual to see perched on a rock on Filey Brigg.

I had taken this afternoon trip with fellow wildlife photographer Andy Shepherd from West Yorkshire who travels to the Yorkshire Coast quite often. Andy produces some outstanding images, so I can't wait to see what images he produced on the day!

Please keep checking out the blog and my website, updates will be a little slow but don't let that fool you in to thinking that I have stopped going out taking images, just have other important issues at the moment - right where did I put that dummy!

Glorious Gannets

If you take a trip to RSPB Bempton Cliffs Reserve you will see that the Gannet colony at Staple Newk View Point is in full swing. Most of the chicks now are bordering on fledging looking very dark in colour and nearly as big as the adults. Most of the other seabirds have now left the cliff with only the Gannet still big in numbers.

There are still a few Kittiwakes, Fulmars and the ever present Herring Gulls on the cliffs, but all the Auks have returned to the sea. There has been reports of Arctic and Great Skuas seen passing the reserve moving south past the Flamborough Bird Observatory, and now is a good time to also keep a look out for Shearwaters on their migratory path.

I will be holding my third exhibition at the reserve on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th August from 10.00am to 5.00pm so please pop in and say hello. Also on the 29th is the first RSPB Shearwater and Skua Cruise sailing on the "Yorkshire Belle" from Bridlington Harbour at 9.00am. For more information and to book a place on the cruise(s) call 01262 850959 or email bempton.cruises@rspb.org.uk.

Bass Rock 2009 - Part 2

Approaching Bass Rock

Photographer on the boat!

An amazing spectacle.

Sailing round the rock.

The back of Bass Rock - Just astonishing!!

Our boat - "The Fisher Lassie".

My second post from my trip to Bass Rock on 30th May 2009. On this trip we got the opportunity to sail the full 360 degrees around the rock and see for ourselves the sheer size of this magnificent Gannet colony.

The sheer numbers of birds is just breathtaking. We had superb visibility all day, not a cloud in the sky which in fact was a bit of a nightmare for taking pictures of white birds, but you have to go with what you have, that's the wonder of wildlife photography.

Would I return to the rock for a third time, well the answer to that question - Oh Yes! I am quite happy with the portrait shots of the Gannets that I have captured but next time I would like to concentrate more on taking images of the large volume of birds that are present on the rock.

The Peregrine Children

The local Peregrine Family is very busy at present with the adults constantly catching prey for the young ones. The adults have produced 4 young this year and two have fledged and the other two where very close in fledging. Just watching the young Peregrines is an amazing sight, as they sit on the cliff ledges they are forever vigilant always looking up in the sky and watching the Kittiwakes, Pigeons and Rock Pipits that are present on the cliff.

I hope to take another look in a few days time to see if all four young birds are patrolling the cliff with the adults teaching them how to hunt.

Bass Rock 2009 - Part 1

BIRDGUIDES - PHOTO OF THE WEEK

11.06.09 - 18.06.09

Well would you credit it! Just a few days after posting the above image on my blog and uploading it to the Birdguides Image Library I was awarded my first "Photo of the week". Many thanks to the Birdguides panel for choosing my Gannet image as POTW.

Bass Rock - words are hard to describe this amazing place! Sir David Attenborough once described it as "One of the wildlife wonders of the world", Chris Packham voted the Bass as No 1 in "Nature's Top 40". Home to 150,000 gannets, you have to really visit this place in the flesh to experience the amazing site, smell and noise of this incredible natural wonder.

The trip over to the Bass Rock is organised by the Scottish Seabird Centre, the centre itself is very impressive, please take a visit. Based in the town of "North Berwick", the Scottish Seabird Centre has a Discovery Centre, Shop and Cafe (great food) and there is an admission charge to take a look in the Discovery Centre (well worth a look around), this is where all the webcams are situated sending images back from Bass Rock, Isle of May and Fidra.

Landing and spending time on the rock is just incredible, how could you possibly top that? On your return trip back from the rock you will experience what I think is the most incredible wildlife spectacle you could possibly experience in your lifetime, is the chumming of the gannets. Fish bits are thrown over board and it only takes a matter of a few minutes before you have diving gannets within a couple of feet from the boat side - unbelievable. If you are contemplating on taking a trip over to the Bass Rock the only advice I could give to you is - JUST DO IT!

Bass Rock 2009 - Part 2 coming soon........