Late afternoon sunlit Stonechat .......

Taken from the Peter Scott hide at Titchmarsh LNR. The male, whilst present in the reed beds, was not quite as co-operative.

I know, I know ..... too much back chat ......

But you have to admit that when you have a very showy bird like this female Stonechat you have to make the most of it.

The seasonal nature of birding means that it may be a year before these chats return to this lowland reserve, the passage of time is we all know relentless so make the most of it whilst its there and whilst you can..

........ In a bit of a flap.

Chat up .... well nearly.

This little lady was a real poser perching in many different positions.

One thing that I have noticed with Stonechats is that they readily come along to check you out in an inquisitive and confiding manner and then spend less and less time in your presence, its almost as if  they get bored.

Still, what a little angel she is as she prepares to take flight ......they are stonking little characters.

A quality experience with a quality subject.

What a gorgeous day it was today, clear sunlit cloudless skies and warm temperatures ( 10 deg C ) for the time of year.

I knew that Stonechats were present in one of the reserves reed beds so I decided to occupy the hide and sit it out for a while.

Sure enough before too long the female pitched up for a look, Stonechats are a bit like Robins being curious and reasonably comfortable in the presence of people.

This little lady posed in a number of different positions in the late afternoon light, I did see the male bird but sadly he stayed at a distance.

An added bonus was some good images of a Wren.

                                             Classic pose with fanned tail.

Lets have another chat .........

I just love these chunky little characters, they have real presence !.

The male is very colourful with its dark orange breast and black head separated by its white neck patches.

Like our Robins, Stonechats are quite inquisitive and curious, it is not unusual for them to approach  quite close presenting good opportunities for photography.

Female Stonechat .......

Its always a pleasure to be in the presence of Stonechats, this little lady was quite curious and popped up on top of the bramble patch to give me a good look and a nice photocall opportunity.

I enjoyed our chat yesterday so much I thought we could have some more chats today !

What a fine chap he is, a real little poser ........... and in pristine condition.

I think we have to have a chat ...........

Not one but two, Male and Female.

These Stonechats posed very nicely for me in excellent light at Blueberry Farm.

Within ten minutes of arriving at the log pile on the perimeter of the southernmost set aside field they pitched up in a rather inquisitive  manner and perched on top the brambles on the opposite side of the track, distance about twenty five feet.

The log pile offered excellent opportunity to '' merge '' into the background without a visible profile and with the sun directly behind me, perfect.

I am glad that I made the most  of those ten minutes because after that I did not see them again for the remainder of my stay.

Next time I will take my tripod because the wind on the brambles  was rather gusty.

No Owls were seen but I am more than happy with the images that I obtained. 

The distinctive call of the Male Stonechat, likened to pebbles being clinked together, can be listened to via the following link to Xeno-Canto.

http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Saxicola-rubicola

                                                           Male

                                                                   Female