Ron's Wildlife Photography blog

Meadow Pipit Lammermuir Hills Scottish Borders

Ron McCombe — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:47:21 +0000

I have uploaded a set of four pictures of a meadow pipit I took a few weeks ago in the Lammermuir Hill. I waited the little bird for some time, it seamed to be looking for something, not that it found it.

Its a sequence of images I particularly like of this little bird most people just dismiss as being “little brown jobs”. I think they have a particular beauty and bags of character which I think is evident from the pictures.

I hope you enjoy looking at them

Just Looking

It's not here

Or here

There it is

Wheatear on the Lammermuir Hills Scottish Borders

Ron McCombe — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:06:58 +0000

I took these images just before I went up to the Black Isle for the dolphins. I had forgotten about them until tonight when I started to go through some folders.

The picture were taken on the Lammermuir Hills in the Scottish Borders right at the end of the day just as the sun was disappearing behind the hills.

Wheatear

Brown Hares at Fogo, Scottish Borders

Ron McCombe — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:31:51 +0000

At last, they have started cutting and harvesting the grain. This means I can now have another go at the brown hares around the area. They have been impossible to see due to the long crops.

I notice this one by accident as they were still harvesting in the field at Fogo which is a small hamlet in the borders. The bare was quite close to the field margin and I managed to get these pictures.

Brown Hare Portrait

Brown Hare

Black-tailed Godwit

Ron McCombe — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:03:20 +0000

The last in the series from Leighton Moss RSPB in Lancashire. These pictures are of the black-tailed godwit. It was a lone bird sitting and preening with a flock of common redshanks.

The pictures show the black tail of this species quite well as it preens

Greenshank at Leighton Moss RSPB Lancashire

Ron McCombe — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:10:05 +0000

The next in the series from my visit to Leighton Moss RSPB in Lancashire. These are the greenshanks that were at the Allan Pool viewed from the Eric Morecambe Hide. They came quite close to the hide giving good opportunities to get pictures. The light wasn’t the best but it was OK.

Little Egret Leighton Moss RSPB Lancashire

Ron McCombe — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 21:38:48 +0000

Another species of bird photographed in Lancashire last week was the little egret, they seem to be doing very well over much of the country these days. Twenty years ago these birds were very rare indeed but now they seem to be in most areas.

The egrets were on the Allan Pool and we counted about forty five in the area during the day, and these are some of the pictures taken………

Spotted Redshank, at Leighton Moss RSPB, Lancashire

Ron McCombe — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:43:14 +0000

I stopped off at Leighton Moss RSPB for a short time on my journey back home from Lancashire. There was a Spotted Redshank just in front on the hide for short time, one of the distinguishing features on this bird is the long slender bill and the paler breast of the common redshank.

The light was good so I got these pictures.

Spotted Redshank

Spotted Redshank with a Greenshank

Spotted Redshank

Common Redshank

Spotted Redshank

Badgers in Lancashire

Ron McCombe — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:10:08 +0000

I visited a site with a photographer friend (Andrew) in Lancashire managed by the Lancashire Badger Group. Its a site I have visited before many years ago, probably fifteen years ago. The site was once used by the BBC for filming badgers even further back than my last visit.We booked the site primarily for photography, just the two of us. Andrew had been previously a few weeks ago, and didn’t take any picture for fear of spooking then with the shutter noise and therefor depriving the other eight visitors in the hide that night.

We met two members of the Badger Group at the farm were the sett is situated at 7:30pm and made our way along the path to the woodland about four hundred metres away. The hide overlooked a small wooded clough and the sett was very close affording good vues of the activity area. We were settled in our seats by 7:50pm and started to wait for some action.

The first badger showed itself at 8:30 and was quickly followed by two more. the light was quite poor but had good views of the badgers. They performed quite well for a couple of hours before eating their fill of the peanuts used for bait. The conditions for photography weren’t very good the light was poor, but with the modern camera, not impossible to get pictures. An ISO speed of 6400 and a lens with and aperture of f2.8 allowed pictures to be taken. This could be done a few years ago as the technology of the day wouldn’t allow it.

The images are not prize winning images but I think as record shots, these are very passable.

I would like to thank the Lancashire Badger Group for their help and guidance on what was very very good and interesting night.

Check out their website at http://www.lancashirebadgergroup.org.uk

What do you think?………..

Farne Islands Puffins

Ron McCombe — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:36:26 +0000

I was going through some of Farne Island puffin pictures. I found a few of them flying, some bringing in sandeels and others just flying past

I think they have done quite well this year, there seams to have been plenty of food for the resident puffins

Here are the pictures…..

Puffin in flight

Puffin with Sandeel

Puffin

Glendale Show, Nr Wooler, Northumberland 30th August 2010

Ron McCombe — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:58:05 +0000

I will be attending the very popular Glendale Show this year, on August Bank Holiday Monday 30th August in the craft marquee. The show is usually well attended and if you are coming along, please come and say hello. It … Continue reading →