Kes.

Good focus but lousy back lighting as this bird is plucked off the power lines by a gust of wind.

Kes .........

This electricity pylon is a favourite perch for the Kestrels on the reserve, this particular bird always uses the same angle of the structure to rest and scan the surrounding rough grassland for prey.

In the nearby vicinity are a couple of old nest boxes that they have used for breeding in the past.

Barn Owl Ringing in Northamptonshire

Thanks to Neil McMahon I have recently established contact with Paddy Jackson, amongst many other attributes a respected Barn Owl ringer working in the County of Northamtonshire.

This was originally in relation to the Barn Owls at Titchmarsh LNR, it transpires that Paddy was responsible for erecting the two boxes on private land on the boundary of the Aldwincle side of the reserve a couple of years ago.

I would like to draw your attention to this video diary by Paddy, an overview of  the life and  incredible activity at a nest box on a farm over several months, '' the Life and Strife at a Nest box ''.  its 33 minutes long and well worth the investment in your time, unbelievable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNfgjhz4WSk

Stunning remote video footage, Fantastic !.

Windhover ..... aka Kestrel

When I started off this morning  at 07.45 the temperature was 0c, when I got back it had risen to 9c, bright blue cloudless skies and a still calm, fantastic !.

This little lady put on a great display for me.

Not a comfortable looking perch .......

The talons of this Male Kestrel really make this image for me, I find my eyes drawn to the posture of the bird, the positioning of its legs and the colour of its claws.

Kestrel with a point of view .................

I always check out electricity pylons from top to bottom for birds of prey and on this occasion I am glad that I did.

Low down on the structure and not at all distant was this very confiding Kestrel that allowed me to take photographs for about ten minutes, I was quite surprised as I was standing out in the open with no cover but it showed no signs of flight.

I took a load of images many of which, when viewed on my return home, showed the bird with its eyes shut so I think it was feeling very secure on its perch and taking a bit of a midday snooze.

I have thought many times that it is the participation and tolerance  of birds that allow photo opportunities as much as the field craft of the photographer.  

Windblown .....

This rather ruffled Kestrel was hunkered down in a strong breeze keeping its profile as low as possible on top of the telegraph pole.

She was clearly in two minds, most of the time she was staring down at the roadside verge below looking for prey with periodic glances in my direction to check me out.

The stand off lasted for about five minutes before she extended her wings in a very leisurely manner and the wind plucked her from her perch without so much as a wingbeat, she continued on her way without a backwards glance to hunt along the hedgerow stopping occasionally to hover and inspect promising prey opportunities.  

A very pleasant encounter.

Kestrels at Harrington Airfield ( disused )

We are nearly at the end of October but today the weather was balmy, we really are enjoying an '' Indian summer '' so I decided to see what was around Harrington Airfield ( disused ).

Plenty of Yellowhammers, Red Kites, Golden Plover, Meadow Pipits and Green Woodpeckers to name just a few.

The highlight of the day was the resident Kestrels who are quite tolerant of humans due in the main to the daily presence of walkers both with and without dogs.


With this image and a sun low to the horizon I feel that I have captured the intensity that these birds display when hunting.

Kestrels - What a joy to see.

I recently had the pleasure of spending some time with David Lindo - '' The Urban Birder '' - who specialises in birding in city's and built up areas, his regular patch is Wormwood Scrubs in London, more famous for its nearby H.M. Prison. 

Davids motto is '' look up ''.

Before going birding this morning I went to my local Tesco store in Kettering which is sited next to the A14, on getting back to the car I did indeed '' look up '' and what a  pleasure it was to see this Kestrel perched between the car park and the embankment of the A14.

Well, David may be the '' Urban Birder '' but this bird is nowadays a very common urban bird and certainly not restricted to rural environments where intensive agricultural practices are depleting their food stocks, the uncultivated margins of motorways and dual carriageways are ideal hunting grounds for this raptor.

I have a Sparrowhawk visiting my back garden most days, habits and habitats are dynamic and birds adapt to change so - look up - you never know what you will see !.