LTTs

There have been two flocks of Long Tailed Tits feeding here this winter, one consisting of four birds and the other of 10-11. Oddly the larger flock always has a single Blue Tit with it, quite why I'm not sure as the Long Tails continually bully it off any food. Anywhow, its good to see that after a very successful breeding season here, the Long Tails are continuing to survive the harsh weather pretty well so far (assuming of course that these are the same ones that were around in the summer).
They have been feeding in the garden almost exclusively on the insect fatblocks and when the large flock arrive they remind me of this old Russian toy which most people of my generation (and countless generations before no doubt) will remember

Am I losing my marbles? Well maybe.

 Either way they are delightful creatures that entertain everyone who stands in my kitchen, birdwatchers or no.

Its been a while since my last posting, but the upside of this is that my Bathroom and Kitchen are both refitted and finished. At last. I still have a couple of major undertakings house-wise for next year, so there will continue to be gaps as the world around me consists largely of sawdust. On to more important things.

For us in Hampshire, despite the many and wondrous species that have graced our skies of late, December has definitely been the month of the Waxwing.

A successful breeding season in Scandinavia led to a very large influx of Bohemian Waxwings into northern Britain this year, and together with the terrible weather in Scotland and N. England, has meant unusually good numbers have even reached down here. Record numbers even. And even to the top of my road.

These pictures are all of our local birds. I tried to avoid the classic poses (though I failed on occasions) as there were plenty of photographers about who are better than me and have better equipment than me searching for just that perfect shot. I was after one particular picture of the back of an adult male with wings spread. It might sound easy, but it defeated me, although I got close on a couple of occasions.

I don't mind a bit of blur on moving parts, I think it is more how you see it naturally, at least thats my excuse.

Easier than flying...

The invisible branch trick....

 The classic wing pattern of a mature male

 A mature male with a first winter behind

 Mistle Thrushes seem to accompany every flock of Waxwings onto the estates

 This was the closest I got to the photo I was after. If only it had been a sunny day I might have got it bang on. Nevermind, it was fun trying and I learnt a lot more about Waxwings, and a bit more about my camera.

It might look incongruous, but most Waxwings in England tend to be photographed in an urban setting as that is where the Aspen and Sorbus trees are planted.

 Pausing before dropping into a Sorbus to feed

Another close photo. Unfortunately the autofocus shifted onto the berries just as I pressed the shutter. Still, some things are fortuitous accidents and I love this photo

I cannot explain the tail feathers on this individual, it looks like wear, but odd that it should be alone in showing this feature, and odder that it should exactly follow the area that should be yellow. Mind you this particular individual looks generally scruffier than any of its compatriots.

This isn't a composite photo, just 4 birds out of a flock who just happened to be very nearly in flight sequence