Kestrel again !

Following on from my last post and the rewarding photo opportunity I had of the Kestrel with the Vole in its beak, I was surprised again today with what I believe to be the same bird in the same spot as the day before no Vole this time but allowing me another couple of shots.Its obviously good hunting ground around the feeding station,here's a couple of pics.

Capture in the morning sun

A frosty walk down to the pond this morning but at least I had a little sun on my back,the feeding station was quite busy but most pleasing of all was the increase in Tree sparrow numbers counting up to twelve on my walk down to the public hide.Curlew were next to catch my eye up to twenty off to my right in the flooded field and twelve to my left in the sheep field ,nothing of any note from the hide other than a pair of Canada Geese eying up the island as a poss nesting site.
At the members hide there was one lone Cormorant drying of on the wooden stakes and just as I was closing the shutters two Shellduck landed further down the pond to my right,the highlight of the morning came just as I approached the metal gate to leave the reserve this Kestrel flew onto the old post with his/her breakfast (I only managed one shot).

Dinner for two !!

Just finished my dinner as I looked out of the dining room window to see this fella looking for his,he is quite a patient chap always allowing me time to get the camera from the bag ,open the back door and fire off a few frames.He was unlucky today as the Goldfinch gave him the slip.

His new strategy now is to walk along the fence looking into the beech hedge to see who if any are hiding before going in after them.

New Year Suprise

With skeins of Geese overhead and appearing to be heading for Holywell Pond and a text from Holywell Birder reporting a female Scaup on the pond the previous day I headed towards the patch in glorious sunshine,a quick stop at the corner feeding station produced the usual suspects also good numbers of Tree Sparrows. (what no Rats!! )
Trying to count Geese numbers in the sheep field as I walked the path to the public hide I caught sight of birds flying down to the field edge to drink from the numerous puddles as I got closer it was a group of five Waxwings,here is a couple of efforts whilst trying to handhold a 500mm.

As I said only five but a nice first for me on patch,the Geese were quite active so ended up being a rough count of 267 mixed Pinkfoot and Greylag.Heading back to the members hide the Waxwings had been disturbed by dog walkers so no chance of more pics,the door into the members hide is in an awful state and to be honest it wasn't worth the effort of getting in just to view two Coots and a female Mallard and no sign of the Scaup. 

SEASONS GREETINGS

GOOD HEALTH AND ALL THE BEST FOR 2013

JOE.

My own murmuration !

Looking out of my bedroom window this morning watching the sunrise over Whitley Bay and Tynemouth a Cormorant circled a couple of times before landing down by the burn closely followed by a Grey Heron ,the burn is running high and coloured at the moment so one wonders how they are finding food in that.This behaviour seems to be the exact opposite of kingfisher strategy who tend to move onto lakes and ponds when the rivers are up and coloured,lifting my head I watched the Kestrel hovering over the stubble field opposite and diving a couple of times before catching and flying off with prey.
As it looked like being a nice day (light wise) I thought I would try my hand at back garden Photography having got my own small Starling murmuration  here's a few pics.

                                   And of coarse we cannot miss out the garden master
                                                                          can we !

Predator

Sorry no Waxwings I'm afraid in fact nothing ,but that's not surprising with this guy posing on my feeder tree and back fence, and he didn't seem to mind me clicking away either.BUT I just couldn't sign out without one Waxy pic could I !.