"Shooting" British Birds

[Lafone]

Had a great visit to Titchwell Marsh on 26th August, a Bank holiday here in the UK. While it might seem madness to go to the beach on a sunny bank holiday, my previous experience of Titchwell is the long walk to the sea keeps the crowds away. Again there was a reasonably quiet reserve, nearlyempty beach and great weather. Recent trips have seen quieter summer spaces but there were lots of birds to enjoy on this visit.

The reserve is an interesting mix of brackish marsh, fresh water and sea beyond the wall. There were of course numerous gulls about the place



Large groups of Greylag and Canda geese were also present and three Spoonbills were on the main pond, though they were too far away for pictures. The geese were obliging in offering some nice shots and flypasts while Spoonbill gazing



The Canadas flew back and forth too



It was lovely to see Dunlin properly for the first time this year, with large flocks on the ponds and individuals coming pretty close to the hides



There were several Kites soaring around and so the birds were frequently up, offering nice views of the variety of birds on the day from Avocets, through Dunlin and Godwit to Herring and black headed gulls and Teal (and even the Spoonbills snuck in blurrily and out of focus behind). There is something wonderful about flocks of waders in flight in a busy reserve.



On the boardwalk there were also opportunities for some smaller birds with a nice Great tit



and the opportunity to see pigeons billing up close as they were sat on one of the rails



The day was completed by a couple of notbirds with some pretty butterflies around the reedbeds



and ponds

 

[Dr. Loxodonta]

Had a great visit to Titchwell Marsh on 26th August, a Bank holiday here in the UK. While it might seem madness to go to the beach on a sunny bank holiday, my previous experience of Titchwell is the long walk to the sea keeps the crowds away. Again there was a reasonably quiet reserve, nearlyempty beach and great weather. Recent trips have seen quieter summer spaces but there were lots of birds to enjoy on this visit.

The reserve is an interesting mix of brackish marsh, fresh water and sea beyond the wall. There were of course numerous gulls about the place

View attachment 726495

Large groups of Greylag and Canda geese were also present and three Spoonbills were on the main pond, though they were too far away for pictures. The geese were obliging in offering some nice shots and flypasts while Spoonbill gazing

View attachment 726496

The Canadas flew back and forth too

View attachment 726499

It was lovely to see Dunlin properly for the first time this year, with large flocks on the ponds and individuals coming pretty close to the hides

View attachment 726497

There were several Kites soaring around and so the birds were frequently up, offering nice views of the variety of birds on the day from Avocets, through Dunlin and Godwit to Herring and black headed gulls and Teal (and even the Spoonbills snuck in blurrily and out of focus behind). There is something wonderful about flocks of waders in flight in a busy reserve.

View attachment 726498

On the boardwalk there were also opportunities for some smaller birds with a nice Great tit

View attachment 726500

and the opportunity to see pigeons billing up close as they were sat on one of the rails

View attachment 726501

The day was completed by a couple of notbirds with some pretty butterflies around the reedbeds

View attachment 726503

and ponds

View attachment 726504

Looks like a nice trip, brilliant shot of the pigeons.

 

[Lafone]

Had an enjoyable day at Frampton and the nearby Frieston shore on 8th September. Frampton was fairly busy as a couple of Baird's sandpipers had been spotted in the preceding days so keen birders were out seeking them, including a coach party. No sign of them on the day by all accounts, but still lots of things to see.

Linnets and finches were active in the reedbeds which had emptied of the migratory warblers. It's a fairly quiet time of year but there are still a good number of ducks



and a glorious number of Spoonbills. More than 30 were on site on the day which was just fantastic to see, particularly when some of them were flying about

and with so many it was great to find a few feeding near to the paths



and moving back and forth to the island where the rest were gathered.



Seeing them sailing over the Geese, Godwits and Lapwings was fantastic.



Other bird wise there were a couple of Marsh harriers about, which had the Lapwings up a few times



before they settled back down



I headed up to Frieston to end the day, but found the hide occupied by a couple with a dog who advised me not to go in as the dog might bite me. Bit strange given the hides have no dog signs but I wasn't going to argue about it.

It worked out for the best in the end as I headed off onto the high path leading out of the car park and chanced on a lovely Kestrel sitting on a post. The high brambles on the path meant I got a good view.



After a while it flew from the post to the trees and back into the field, too far away for a good shot, but fun to watch for nearly half an hour and a great end to the day.

 

[Dr. Loxodonta]

Had an enjoyable day at Frampton and the nearby Frieston shore on 8th September. Frampton was fairly busy as a couple of Baird's sandpipers had been spotted in the preceding days so keen birders were out seeking them, including a coach party. No sign of them on the day by all accounts, but still lots of things to see.

Linnets and finches were active in the reedbeds which had emptied of the migratory warblers. It's a fairly quiet time of year but there are still a good number of ducks

View attachment 729999

and a glorious number of Spoonbills. More than 30 were on site on the day which was just fantastic to see, particularly when some of them were flying about
View attachment 730002
and with so many it was great to find a few feeding near to the paths

View attachment 730003

and moving back and forth to the island where the rest were gathered.

View attachment 730004

Seeing them sailing over the Geese, Godwits and Lapwings was fantastic.

View attachment 730005

Other bird wise there were a couple of Marsh harriers about, which had the Lapwings up a few times

View attachment 730006

before they settled back down

View attachment 730007

I headed up to Frieston to end the day, but found the hide occupied by a couple with a dog who advised me not to go in as the dog might bite me. Bit strange given the hides have no dog signs but I wasn't going to argue about it.

It worked out for the best in the end as I headed off onto the high path leading out of the car park and chanced on a lovely Kestrel sitting on a post. The high brambles on the path meant I got a good view.

View attachment 730017

After a while it flew from the post to the trees and back into the field, too far away for a good shot, but fun to watch for nearly half an hour and a great end to the day.

In all sounds like a lovely trip, brilliant numbers of spoonbill as well.

 

[Prochilodus246]

A bit late uploading this one but here it is nevertheless:

I too recently visited Frampton Marsh (31/08) like @Lafone and was also treated to good numbers of spoonbill with me counting 43 on the day. For the majority of my visit they all stood in a group snoozing but towards the end of my visit around 15 birds took flight and headed east.


The remaining birds at this point had also awoken but the majority of them stayed on the reserve and were feeding in the shallow water:


Generally, my visit was a quiet one with not an awful lot of bird activity but the strips of sunflowers made for some lovely photos which will likely be a hive of activity for finches once they go to seed:



However, the highlight of the trip has to be the albeit distant view of three curlew sandpipers. Admittedly this isn't at all a quality photo but at least I have a photo record of this lifer. The bird on the left is just finishing moulting out its summer plumage:

 

[Lafone]

A bit late uploading this one but here it is nevertheless:

I too recently visited Frampton Marsh (31/08) like @Lafone and was also treated to good numbers of spoonbill with me counting 43 on the day. For the majority of my visit they all stood in a group snoozing but towards the end of my visit around 15 birds took flight and headed east.
View attachment 731900

The remaining birds at this point had also awoken but the majority of them stayed on the reserve and were feeding in the shallow water:
View attachment 731902

Generally, my visit was a quiet one with not an awful lot of bird activity but the strips of sunflowers made for some lovely photos which will likely be a hive of activity for finches once they go to seed:
View attachment 731903
View attachment 731905

However, the highlight of the trip has to be the albeit distant view of three curlew sandpipers. Admittedly this isn't at all a quality photo but at least I have a photo record of this lifer. The bird on the left is just finishing moulting out its summer plumage:
View attachment 731904

Looks like a great day; love to see the Spoons and Frampton has such a lot it feels like we are being spoiled. The sunflowers were really pretty this year, so many bees and butterflies. I like the painted bouys they have around the site, they are well done. Good views of the Curlew Sandpiper too, worth a long shot for a lifer!

 

[Lafone]

Visiting YWP in mid September, the Polar Bear enclosure was busy with a variety of seabirds offering a good reminder of the number of our coastal birds who have recently joined the red endangered list

Alarming declines in UK seabird species sees five more added to the Red List

A bright sunny day offered some good photo opportunities - our zoos offer good wildlife opportunities, particularly if the target animal is asleep while the birds eat their food!



It was also a good space to play around with birds in flight



as the birds soared around the pathways framed against the bright sky



and there were a few smaller species to see too, the sealion enclosure is always a good place to find Pied Wagtails.

 

[Lafone]

Back out at Slimbridge, it was going to be a day for ducks as the record rainfall started on 22nd September. The morning was fairly dry but by midday torrential rain set in which meant it was time to find a hide and watch the birds go by. It was a quiet day for visitors due to the weather.

From the Estuary tower I was able to see the Eurasin Crane family I'd photographed fledging their chicks earlier in the year, with Ruby and Wilde escorting their two juveniles around. Too far for photos, but a good moment to have binoculars handy.

Although we might say bird photography in the UK is not all about Robins, I can't resist one myself



and there were a variety of birds on the feeders in the morning



I was quite surprised to find some late ducklings, with a mallard and four on one of the captive bird ponds, making the most of the visitors and their grain



As the rain came in there birds collected outside the Discovery Hide, including three nice Cattle Egrets, a large group of Cormorants, hundreds of Lapwing, Avocet and Seabirds. The Godwits were changing to their plainer plumage



There were Ducks in abundance, from Tufted through Mallard to Teal, with large groups of the latter feeding around the hide and resting in between the showers



wading around as the rain hammered down



and it was a good opportunity to get some good shots of them



preening and flapping around



and to end a good day for ducks there were Northern Shovelers to enjoy

 

[Lafone]

Had a fun day at Frampton on 5th October, though also picked up a tyre issue that meant Sunday was spent looking at photos while waiting for a replacement vs heading out again. Well worth the tyre though as a sunny dry day made for some good bird views.

The noise of the geese, ducks and the wind in the reeds was briefly interrupted by the rumble of a Battle of Britain flight aircraft overhead - the markings of Lancaster PA474 were just visible high in the sky (is it a bird, well no, it's a plane and judging by this photo there is no surprise I shoot wildlife)



Feathered flight wise, Widgeon, Pochard, Teal, Shovelers and Mallards were out in numbers and it was great to see some of the Geese arriving back, with early Brents, Canadas and my first Pink Footed Geese of 2024. It's starting to be that time of year when birds fill the sky as they fly around the reserve, avoiding the Marsh harriers or seeking better feeding areas. Can't beat the drama and the Greylags were already present in the hundreds.

A breezy day made for some active flying



with the geese presenting their own version of a fly past



The wind saw them seek quieter grazing on the grass and sheltered scrapes visible from the car park, which made for some good photo opportunities



Elsewhere there were only a few Spoonbills visible compared to my last few visits, though there was a juvenile which was nice to see.

On the small bird front the reserve was alive with Gold and Green finches, feasting on the Sunflowers turning to seed



and it was fun to follow them as they went up and down the flower rows



taking their fill



Walking around to the East hide I encountered a couple of Stonechats feeding near the fence and offering the first decent photos for me of this pretty little bird this year



I was able to get closer as they sat on the fence waiting for me to leave. A lovely moment then I left them alone to get back to the grass seeds.



The water level across the reserve was still fairly low despite the rain, as the far wetland has been drained back for grazing, but Egrets were still busy feeding in the sunshine as the end of the day approached.

 

[Lafone]

As Prochilodus246 mentioned upthread we might include a few notbirds in this thread, I thought I'd share a day of deer photography at Bradgate park. The UK has a long tradition of deer parks where you can see some of our most interesting large mammals in a curated but still large setting. Although the deer are in managed populations, they do still display many wild behaviours and October is a great time to go and see one of the most impressive...the rut.

Bradgate Park was first enclosed as a deer park more than 800 years ago and these days retains 850 acres of parkland including a substantial area which is restricted to deer only (known as the 'deer sanctuary' but not a sanctuary in the rescue sense we often use here). The ruined house in the centre of the park was the childhood home of Lady Jane Grey in the 16th Century. The park is a dramatic mix of rocky outcrops, follies and ruins, heath and parkland and is home to around 550 deer, 75% Fallow and the rest Red. The park has a history of white and black fallow deer and there were examples of both wandering around. There is clear guidance on how to behave in the rutting season and everyone visiting respected the deer and their space, a good job as things got very active later on!

Arriving before dawn in mid October, the car park was full of car boot lights as photographers unpacked their gear to get out into the park before sunrise. Time to reflect on this being a slightly mad hobby. Both Fallow and Red deer were in full rut and things had kicked off properly with the cooling weather and both were amazing to see. It was the calls of the Red Deer, bellowing out in the fading darkness that provided the sountrack of the day however, as alarming as they were impressive.

Fallow deer were chasing, marking and guarding their territories and the sight of a Black / melanistic fallow stag was the first treat of the day



Though this was quickly followed by a close encounter as a couple of stags tracked each other through the bracken and ferns



The stags were more interested in the females and each other (fortunately) so keeping a safe distance was easy enough but still needed a sharp lookout



The main target of the day for me were the Red Deer and started with fairly young stags moving around with hinds who had probably been mated elsewhere and were wandering away from their groups. These young stags were still bellowing, licking and sniffing but the sound of larger animals drove them off. Interesting to see the difference between Fallows holding a territory and Reds linking up to a harem. Some of the large Reds around the park had 20 hinds and youngsters with them.



The noise that had scared off the younger stag was a really big stag destroying a young sapling. The noise of crashing branches and bellowing deer was a proper wow moment and you get to appreciate the sheer size of a fully grown stag. Not something you want to get close to, particularly in the rut!



A couple of larger harems had stags with them out in the park and the big males were in full bellow, chasing the hinds to mate with them and seeing off their rivals



A younger male was chasing hinds around who were trying to join back to the group but he was soon seen off



Over the other side of the hill was the largest harem of the day and the most impressive stags. Two large rivals marched in a stately manner next to each other, parallel walking back and forth, before turning for a clash of antlers.



After a couple of clashes the victorious male dashed back up the hill, bellowing, panting, sweating and wild in the eyes and came pretty close (obviously these are taken with a zoom lens so they are not really that near, but in the moment it felt like it), so a quick retreat was in order



He was soon back to chasing the hinds

 

[Lafone]

The hinds are also lovely to look at



But it was the bellowing stags who provided the real moments of the day and it's no wonder they are exhausted after the rut between the bellowing, running, fighting and mating.



It was certainly something I'd recommend going to see and photograph if you get the chance



I am looking forward to capturing the CWD rut in November, a different affair and harder to get near as they are living wild, but so interesting to see different deer behaviours up close.

 

[Lafone]

Reassuringly bird like was a visit to Slimbridge on 19th October and there were a couple of great moments in the day. The first was a lovely group of around 20 or so Common Snipe on the Rushy. The clear, sunny, calm day made for some lovely shots of a bird I haven't seen near too much this year



And they were obliging in wading around



And preening, showing off their tail feathers



There were some nice spotted Redshank too



And the light really brought out the colours in the Lapwings



There were some nice small birds on the feeders



And from the Estuary tower there was a fantastic view of a flock of Golden Plovers sailing back and forth in front of the Estuary



A fantastic sight and sound. I had another opportunity to see Plovers at Frampton this weeked and hopefully got some better shots, but in my view there are few things as lovely as these large flocks of visiting birds whistling through the air.

 

[Pertinax]

The hinds are also lovely to look at

View attachment 743065

But it was the bellowing stags who provided the real moments of the day and it's no wonder they are exhausted after the rut between the bellowing, running, fighting and mating.

View attachment 743066

It was certainly something I'd recommend going to see and photograph if you get the chance

View attachment 743067

I am looking forward to capturing the CWD rut in November, a different affair and harder to get near as they are living wild, but so interesting to see different deer behaviours up close.

Some great photos here. I love both deer and deer parks. I haven't been to Bradgate (yet) but I know its history and where it is and might get the chance to visit it sometime. I've watched rutting deer both in the wild (I was on Exmoor last week) and in deer parks over very many years, its always an interesting spectacle.

One big difference seems to be how the deer assemble at the rut.. In deer parks larger numbers come together and overall as a result there is perhaps more activity and vocalisation than in the wild. A couple of years ago in Bushy Park outside London, I was there at the height of the rut. The fallow deer were all in one huge group- maybe 100/150(or even more?) deer- I suspect it was all the Fallow in the park gathered together in the one small area. In the wild you rarely get more than 20-30 deer at one rutting stand. Also in Bushy Park a lot of the Red deer all came together later in the day which resulted in a crescendo of roaring and herding from the biggest stags. I also saw one stag resting away from the action which had lost an eye, presumably from fighting, and wondered whether the rangers might cull him(or not?).

By comparison on Exmoor the rutting groups are far more widely spaced apart. There is still bellowing etc particularly at dawn and dusk, but also long periods when nothing much is happening. But overall I enjoy the 'wild' experience more than the 'park' one I think.

 

[Lafone]

Some great photos here. I love both deer and deer parks. I haven't been to Bradgate (yet) but I know its history and where it is and might get the chance to visit it sometime. I've watched rutting deer both in the wild (I was on Exmoor last week) and in deer parks over very many years, its always an interesting spectacle.

One big difference seems to be how the deer assemble at the rut.. In deer parks larger numbers come together and overall as a result there is perhaps more activity and vocalisation than in the wild. A couple of years ago in Bushy Park outside London, I was there at the height of the rut. The fallow deer were all in one huge group- maybe 100/150(or even more?) deer- I suspect it was all the Fallow in the park gathered together in the one small area. In the wild you rarely get more than 20-30 deer at one rutting stand. Also in Bushy Park a lot of the Red deer all came together later in the day which resulted in a crescendo of roaring and herding from the biggest stags. I also saw one stag resting away from the action which had lost an eye, presumably from fighting, and wondered whether the rangers might cull him(or not?).

By comparison on Exmoor the rutting groups are far more widely spaced apart. There is still bellowing etc but long periods when nothing much is happening. But overall I enjoy the 'wild' experience more than the 'park' one I think.

Interesting stuff. I enjoy both but for different reasons. The park one allows you to see the deer consistently up close, but there's little to match a wild deer encounter.

Bradgate is interesting and worth a visit. I've visited Richmond in the rut a couple of times and noticed as you mentioned the deer gathering, seen the same at Belton. Bradgate appears to have areas where deer spend more timem so they were not as grouped up particularly the red deer who were quite spread out (except when they clashed), though younger males were hanging about within bellow but not fighting distance. Possibly has something to do with population or perhaps the terrain divides the harems more, it felt more territorial for reds than I have seen before.

Am looking forward to seeing the Chinese which are very different again (and a bit harder to find, I'll spend all day lurking in a pop up hide vs wandering about!).

 

[Pertinax]

How do they enforce the 'deer sanctuary' part of Bradgate? Is it just signs asking people to keep out ?

 

[Lafone]

How do they enforce the 'deer sanctuary' part of Bradgate? Is it just signs asking people to keep out ?

Yes, no fences or gates just signage at regular intervals saying no one should go into particular areas. There are a few other areas that ask people to stay on paths or not go into some spaces too (plants growing, managed areas etc) and people seemed respectful of it.

 

[Pertinax]

Interesting stuff. I enjoy both but for different reasons. The park one allows you to see the deer consistently up close, but there's little to match a wild deer encounter.

Bradgate is interesting and worth a visit. I've visited Richmond in the rut a couple of times and noticed as you mentioned the deer gathering, seen the same at Belton. Bradgate appears to have areas where deer spend more timem so they were not as grouped up particularly the red deer who were quite spread out (except when they clashed), though younger males were hanging about within bellow but not fighting distance. Possibly has something to do with population or perhaps the terrain divides the harems more, it felt more territorial for reds than I have seen before.

Am looking forward to seeing the Chinese which are very different again (and a bit harder to find, I'll spend all day lurking in a pop up hide vs wandering about!).

Yes, when I arrived in Bushy the stags all had their seperate smaller harems, but when a lot of the hinds drifted toward the same grassy area later on in the day to graze, the stags had no power to stop them and just followed trying their best to maintain some ownership.

 

[Pertinax]

Yes, no fences or gates just signage at regular intervals saying no one should go into particular areas. There are a few other areas that ask people to stay on paths or not go into some spaces too (plants growing, managed areas etc) and people seemed respectful of it.

Any idea how many Deer they have in Bradgate(for both species?).

 

[Lafone]

Any idea how many Deer they have in Bradgate(for both species?).

Around 550 according to their site, 75% of them are Fallow and the rest Red.

 

[Pertinax]

Around 550 according to their site, 75% of them are Fallow and the rest Red.

There's a privately owned deer park in a very rural area not far from me that has Red, Fallow & Sika. It has a public footpath running through it but not very satisfactory as you mustn't leave it (very strict) and the deer always seem to stay distant. There's also a farm lane (public road) running behind part of the park where you can look through the fence at the main area the Red deer use for the rut- which is great of course- but though perfectly legal, I always have an uneasy feeling that if someone from the estate sees me there they're going to accuse me of poaching(!) or something nefarious- although its a large and beautiful park its nowhere as good as the big 'public access' parks for watching the deer..