Common Snipe

A couple of photo`s of a Common Snipe that was conveniently perched on a post during my recent trip to the Nene Washes, RSPB. A picture that I have taken before, but never tire of doing so.

The Common Snipe is more commonly refered to as the Snipe and is a bird with an unbelievably long bill. The bird is extremely well camouflaged due to its delicately barred and streaked back, very useful for a ground nesting bird. They breed on moorland bogs and wet pastures in upland areas and in fenland and marshes in the lowlands. In winter they can be found in almost any lowland marshy place, both near the coast and inland.

The breeding habitat for Snipe has been reduced over the centuries as the wet grasslands, fens and bogs have been drained and `improved`. The number of breeding Snipe in lowland areas has fallen by 77% in recent years. This number has been reversed slightly on the Nene Washes, an area that is vitally important to this bird and, thankfully still holds fairly good numbers of this beautiful wader.

Some Butterflies

Hand-held Canon Powershot A640

Just a few shots of some of the butterflies seen on a recent visit to the Nene Washes RSPB with my Dad.

The sun was out and although the birds were scarce there were plenty of butterflies feeding on the thistles. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it was good to see fairly good numbers of Skippers, Green-veined and Small Whites, Small Tortoiseshells and Meadow Browns.

Just hanging around

My, the little ones grow up so fast, don`t they?!

I bought a new feeder the other day, a fat cake holder for the bargain price of a £1, including a fat cake! The juvenile Blue Tits have quickly found this source of nutrition and are making short work of the contents. There have been up to 8 visiting at any one time and have soon realised that hanging from the feeder is the only way to get a beakful, the Great Tit young have been looking on in wonder!

Bloodsoaked

Picture this, if you will;

A clear blue sky, not a cloud is in sight, the sun beats down on a Mediterranean island and you hear BANG! then another BANG!, not just a few shots, but hundreds of them. You are on Malta, an island that every birder has heard of and not for the right reasons. Every year hundreds of protected species of birds have their brains blown out, illegally by `hunters` on this island. I don`t understand how this carries on, for the past umpteen years we have paid our subscriptions to various wildlife charities to try and stop this happening, but yet here in 2011 birds are still being murdered.

Every year in Britain we notice the decline in numbers of our sub-Saharan migrants. The call of the Cuckoo will soon become a fairytale, the purr of the Turtle Dove will soon vanish into the mists of time. Yellow Wagtails and Spotted Flycatchers are becoming so scarce in some areas you have to `twitch` one to see any in a year! In Britain we are constantly building new nature reserves, encouraging farmers to be more aware of nature, but yet we seem to be doing very little to halt this vile and despicable act of murder by fellow Europeans. Malta is a slaughter field which spits on every effort we make to protect summer migrants.

In 2009 over 200 protected species of bird were found in an area called Mizieb hidden under stones, stuffed into old barrels and in plastic bags after a rather prolonged barrage. Amongst these birds were Marsh Harriers, Honey Buzzards and Hobbies, all rare and scarce birds in Britain, but also there were Bee-eaters, Hoopoes, Nightjars and Nightingales. The Honey Buzzard is a specially protected bird in Britain, it`s breeding grounds kept secret, but what is the point in this if they are blasted out of the sky by these Maltese murderers?!

I remember reading of a tale that is so outrageous it beggars belief! A Black Stork was reported as having arrived on the island, a rarity, but soon hundreds of gunmen were lined up firing hundreds of rounds into the sky. You can guess the outcome. Also, I have heard that the Maltese are now bemoaning the lack of their favourite prey, the Turtle Dove.

This damage is being done during the Spring migration, when birds are flying to their breeding grounds. They are killed before they get there. Malta is supposedly bound by the 1979 EU Wild Birds Directive that forbids spring hunting and trapping, but yet when hunters are approached by police, `caught in the act` you might say, they complain of harassment and are given slapped wrists.

For the sake of `our` birds, for our children's chance to hear the Cuckoo or see the splendidly beautiful Turtle Dove, please click on the link in my side-bar and sign the petition. If your stomach can stand it, I also urge you to visit the Birdlife Malta website, the pictures alone will sicken you to the pit of your stomach!

This Turtle Dove was digiscoped last year by using my old Lumix FS15 and my Kowa TSN-883 x30 ( I have had to use an old photo for obvious reasons)

I wish to thank my good friend The Blogger Formerly known as....... for helping me in creating the widget and links

Woody Woodpecker

There is a joy in watching these acrobatic birds trying their utmost to get a meal. The male (shown here with the red patch on the back of the neck, the female has an all-black crown and neck) and female have been coming to the peanut feeder, extracting pieces of peanut and then flying into the trees, presumably to feed their young.

These splendid birds will hopefully bring their young to feed once they fledge and I will be treated to red-crowned youngsters dangling from the feeders!

Where are all the butterflies?

All photo`s taken with hand-held Canon Powershot A640

There has been a distinct lack of butterflies this summer, none more so than on my recent visit to Bedford Purlieus the other day. The sun was shining and Lisa and I had finished work relatively early so we decided to go for a walk around the nature reserve to see if any butterflies were on show. After 2 hours of trudging around a very beautiful wood we didn`t have much to show for our efforts! Lots of Speckled Woods, a few Meadow Browns, a couple of Ringlets (not pictured), several Small Whites (again, not pictured) and what I think is an Essex Skipper, although it could be a Small Skipper, not quite sure as the antenna do look black, but I am no expert!

The day after our visit White-letter Hairstreaks and Silver-washed Fritillaries were being reported, so we obviously chose the wrong day! However, we will return and hopefully get to see a few more species at this lovely wood.

Butterflies are having a tough time of it at the moment with overall numbers in massive decline, with common species such as Meadow Brown falling by up to a fifth in numbers in 2010 compared with 2009. Certain species are showing signs of improvement due to the help of conservation work, but the future does look bleak. Follow my link to Butterfly Conservation to see what you can do to help.