Friday 20 April 2012

Songsters and Flutters.

The early morning sunshine didn't last very long today before the rain clouds drifted through producing localised heavy downpours and even hail! I took a gamble and headed over to Bookham Common mid morning and was rewarded with plenty of bird song and my first sighting this year of several newly arrived Common Whitethroats.
The most common songsters where Chiffchaffs but every time I raised the camera they stopped singing!

 A male Chaffinch showed off his fresh colours as the sun peeked through the clouds.

 As soon as the clouds rolled in again the little Jenny Wren also stopped singing.
The other songster that eluded the camera (so what's new!) was the Nightingale but I did locate three separate territories around the common. While listening to the glorious outpourings of one male for over 20 minutes  I had a close shave with a Sparrowhawk that dashed past my shoulder and dived into the tangled mass of undergrowth and silenced everything for quite some time. I didn't see the Sprawk exit but the Nightingale wasn't harmed as it had moved to another hidden perch and continued to sing until the next rain shower dampend every ones efforts. You can follow this link to listen to a recording of this beautiful songster.

Once again with the changeable weather the only flutters I saw were this single Speckled Wood plus a high flying Holly Blue while trying to chase down one of the many Orange Tips that were on the wing today.
Eventually one male Orange Tip alighted for a lengthy rest but would only sit with its wings closed as usual. The image above was taken with my compact Canon Powershot and provided a much clearer outcome than the image below taken with the 70-300 lens!
Wherever you are I hope you have a glorious wildlife watching weekend ..... FAB.

20 comments:

  1. Lovely images Frank.
    The camo on the Orange Tip is fantastic to see and not shared as much as it should be.

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  2. your chaffinches are always so beautiful, but that plucky little wren is adorable. :)

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  3. Sounds like you had similar weather to me Frank.
    Cracking shot with the Powershot.

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  4. Thanks Theresa. AND Jenny Wren has a powerful voice for such a little creature!

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  5. Similar conditions everywhere Keith. Yeah .. the compact performs much better for macro shots providing the subject sits still.

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  6. Lovely images Frank, those Orange Tips do love the Cuckoo Flower. Best place is to sit next to a bunch and wait for them to come along.

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  7. Cheers Roy. I'll remember that when the grass is dry!

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  8. Lovely shots. I agree that the handy Canon Powershot can take some great pictures! I have one with me most of the time. I also have a great big beautiful Canon with a variety of lenses available to use. By the time I get them out, the shot is often gone. Love that Powershot!

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  9. Butterfly wings may have been folded in, but your final post is a beauty and those sweet birds...they sure are smart...does you camera make a clicking noise when you shoot...mine does and the birds always stop singing and try to find out what the noise is;)

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  10. Beautiful birds and I love the Orange Tip. Great photos and post. Have a great weekend, Frank!

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  11. Another lovely post! That Orange Tip is gorgeous.

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  12. So love that little wren ... I just don't see them in my back yard. Got to figure out a way to make it inviting for them.

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  13. The underside of the Orange tip is a beauty in itself Frank! Good to see the migrant birds are making themselves known, even with all these April showers!
    J
    Follow me at HEDGELAND TALES

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  14. I haven't seen a flutter since that warm spell a while back. By the sounds of the forecast for next month it could well be June before they appear again round here.

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  15. Nice post Frank... Love the chaffinch and the wren shots. They are beautiful! Well done! No sing of butterflies here yet, even if the sun has been shinning for four days now ;-)

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  16. Hi Frank, just joined your blog, have visited many times, fantastic pictures, my sister remembers adding tadpoles to the stew pond many years ago, her pond was overflowing! Weather permitting I will visit Bookham this week, see if I can hear that nightingale...x Kate

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  17. good photos...also like the wren...the orange tip I've never seen before, so great to learn something

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  18. Hi Michael. Thanks for your visit and comments.

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  19. Hi Kate. Great to hear from you ... hope the weather doesn't dampen the spirit of the Nightingales. Happy hunting. FAB.

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I hope you enjoyed your visit and I always appreciate your comments and feedback.

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