October 2019
The autumn colours have been fantastic here in Cumbria but I have resisted the temptations of landscape photography and continued my focus on wildlife.
The bearded tits have been showing really well at Leighton Moss but for the first 3 weeks of the month you needed wellies to get anywhere near them. The photos below were all taken in the same session after I stood for over an hour in the rain. As soon as the sun appeared so did the birds and up to a dozen spent about 15 minutes in the reeds and on the grit tables.
The wet weather and flooding has been playing tricks on some of the other wildlife. As I approached one of the hides I noticed the ground moving on the ramp leading to the door and a mole popped up. I've never photographed one before and managed a few pictures even though the light was dull. Voles were scampering around above the water line as well and I found one 10ft up a hawthorn eating berries.
I spent a day in Galloway half way through the month for a change of scenery. The barnacle geese are starting to arrive at Mersehead on the coast and there are large numbers of ducks, occasionally spooked by a marsh harrier. As I walked to the hide at Ken Dee a red deer stag with a broken antler appeared from the woods. The bird/squirrel feeders have all been removed at Ken Dee so I visited the deer feeding station further north before I drove home and got even better photos of the deer there.
September 2019
A much quieter month with just a few trips to Leighton Moss. All the photos below were either taken at Lower Hide or on the path leading to it. Unfortunately it is now closed for safety reasons so I hope they can repair it or replace it quickly. I've seen otters all over the reserve but that has always been the most reliable place at all times of the day. The autumn leaves are starting to change so I might go back to landscape photography next month.
August 2019
I've added an extra Field Trips page after a two week visit to Scotland. The first week was based in Ardnamurchan with Naturetrek and the second was a family holiday in Aviemore.
eight otters on a rock
There are a few other August photos from local nature reserves in the grid below.
July 2019
Another quiet month. Not much wildlife about, or I haven't been looking hard enough (busy at work). The photos are all from Leighton Moss. The spoonbills have been around for a while but always seem to be a long way off. The bitterns have bred successfully but the avocets haven't done as well. August will be better!
