Pied Flycatchers at Yarner Wood, Dartmoor. 29th May 2019.

Male Pied Flycatcher

Our annual sojourn to Yarner Wood on Dartmoor for the Pied Flycatchers is always a sign that spring has sprung and summer will fast slip away from us!

Several pairs feeding young in the hundreds of nest boxes scattered about the wood.

No sign however of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker or Wood Warblers.

Heard Redstarts and watched Great Spotted Woodpeckers feeding their young.

Female Pied Flycatcher

 

Female Pied Flycatcher

Male Pied Flycatcher

A good evenings birdwatching produced lots of mammals! 16th May 2019

Roe Deer buck

Went birdwatching last evening and ended up photographing 3 different species of mammals all from the same spot!

Saw 4 Roe deer, a hare & a fox all within the space of 30 minutes just as the light started dropping about 8:30 pm.

Sometimes you just get lucky!

Brown Hare

Brown Hare

Roe Deer buck

Fox

Fox

Birds of the river... Dippers & Grey Wags 15th May 2019

"Today, I have been mostly sat in the river!"

A few shots of a Dipper and a Grey Wagtail on the River Camel on North Cornwall this morning sadly cut short when a black labrador decided to play in the river where I was photographing!

A dog owner myself but still not amused!

Seabirds off the North Cornwall coast 10th May 2019

Puffin

 

Some photos of seabirds this morning off the entrance to the Camel estuary at Mouls island and near Gulland.

Actually had 7 puffins on the water which is quite a good count for this site.

Good numbers of Auks on all the traditional breeding ledges.

Thanks to Wavehunters at Padstow / Rock for the trip.

Puffins

Guillemot

Razorbill

The Auk colony at the Mouls, mostly featuring Guillemots

Common Dolphin off the North Cornwall coast 10th May 2019

A few images of Common Dolphin off the North Cornwall coast out of Rock / Padstow this morning aboard Wavehunters rib.

First dolphins of the year for me despite it being my 8th or 9th trip this year, hopefully they're moving in closer as the summer progresses.

Always a joy to see!

Wavehunters trip out for wildlife. 7th May 2019

Composite of a single Gannet diving

A pleasant trip out into Port Isaac Bay and onward towards Trebarwith & back via Gulland courtesy of Andy Cameron at Wavehunters, Padstow.

Sadly no cetaceans but some good birds, especially around a shoal of fish a couple of miles out that produced diving gannets, kittiwakes, manx shearwaters and auks.


Here are a few images, including 503 guillemots I counted (via my computer screen!) on the Mouls.

503 Guillemots plus a handful of Razorbills at the Mouls

Hauled Grey Seals at the Mouls

Kittiwakes

Manx Shearwaters

Manx Shearwater

Guillemots at Gulland island.

Guillemots at Gulland island.

Guillemots at Gulland island.

Guillemots at Gulland island.

Leaving Gulland in our wake

Willow Warbler at Tregonetha Downs 4th May 2019

Willow warbler

Really pleased with this "simple" shot of a Willow warbler on gorse at Tregonetha Downs, a Cornwall Wildlife Trust reserve in Mid-Cornwall.