I just had a short stroll up into the woods that I have sole perm to play in.
Earlier in the year I watched (for the third year running in the same rotten tree) some Greater Spotted Woodpeckers nest and produce a large batch of young.
I have also followed the progress at a Badger set and associated Poo Pits (you can even tell what they have been eating!) and recently I located a Buzzards nest.
I found the nest by stalking the cries of a young, nest bound, Buzzard. I knew Buzzards nested in the wood but had previously been unable to spot the huge and untidy ball of twigs (my stalking and observation skills must be improving!).
Located in a Scots Pine, surrounded by mixed hardwoods, the nest is hard to observe except from close up and getting that close, without alerting the birds, is tricky - but today I managed it!
My reward was to be able to watch the lone youngster (who is still a bit downey around the head and neck) sitting in the tree ajacent to the nest, on a branch a bit lower than the nest itself.
He must have had his first flight yesterday and is now calling for food and excercising his wings as he is yet to weak to fly any further!
And where was my camera?
Packed ready for a trip I start tomorrow!
Earlier in the year I watched (for the third year running in the same rotten tree) some Greater Spotted Woodpeckers nest and produce a large batch of young.
I have also followed the progress at a Badger set and associated Poo Pits (you can even tell what they have been eating!) and recently I located a Buzzards nest.
I found the nest by stalking the cries of a young, nest bound, Buzzard. I knew Buzzards nested in the wood but had previously been unable to spot the huge and untidy ball of twigs (my stalking and observation skills must be improving!).
Located in a Scots Pine, surrounded by mixed hardwoods, the nest is hard to observe except from close up and getting that close, without alerting the birds, is tricky - but today I managed it!
My reward was to be able to watch the lone youngster (who is still a bit downey around the head and neck) sitting in the tree ajacent to the nest, on a branch a bit lower than the nest itself.
He must have had his first flight yesterday and is now calling for food and excercising his wings as he is yet to weak to fly any further!
And where was my camera?
Packed ready for a trip I start tomorrow!
