A Spotted Fly Catcher’s Breakfast

Sitting having breakfast this morning looking out into the back garden I saw this Spotted Fly Catcher on a cable stretching across our garden. I have seen this bird other mornings but this time I left the table to try and ‘catch’ it on camera.

This bird’s habits are predictable. It will sit on a branch or such like and then when an interesting flying insect passes by it will chase and catch it and then return to the same perch to eat it. So I knew that providing I didn’t spook it I should be able to get a photograph.
My luck was in!

It was such a good morning for birds that I stayed a bit longer but only got this usable shot of a Thrush.

I took more shots but there was a bit of a breeze and most of them are blurred. I was that rushed in setting up the camera that I left it on automatic exposure and of course the camera didn’t take any notice of the need for speed!!

I do not know where the days are going now that Mae has retired. Of course, I now find I have the time to do the jobs that Mae wants doing that I never had the time to do before!

I still have a back-log of my own jobs. Still, Autumn approaches and there should be more ‘indoor time’.
I can only hope that it is so!

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Bank Holiday Garden Safari

After such a busy August we decided that Bank Holiday Monday would be a day of relaxation.
I put my mind to seeing what birds were visiting our garden. So, having read the newspaper and finished the quick crossword (not an everyday occurrence I hasten to add), I settled down on the patio in the shade with my camera on a mono-pod in one hand and a pen in the other with the cryptic crossword before me. I didn’t finish the cryptic and I didn’t photograph many birds either. They were just not visiting the garden.
So, as the sun settled in the west and the heat dissipated, I took my camera on ’safari’ to see what little creatures were out.
I came across this Garden Spider ( Araneus diadematus):

This 7 Spot Ladybird was also soaking up the sun:

Another Garden Spider I found was this fine specimen:

I got quite close to this specimen but I have done a little digital zooming to get even closer – beautiful isn’t he!
I even saw him (or her come to that) eat a victim.

It was then that the birds came visiting:
There was a Dunnock:

I am pleased to say that there was no sign of Avian Pox (see earlier post).

The Blue Tit family were very active – for their size they can be very noisy.

The little-’uns were having a great time using the water tray as a bath:

There was a Robin darting out of the trees but I was not able to photograph it.

Most of the time though I had a Feral Pigeon looking over my shoulder.

This was taken (as were all my bird photographs here) with my Canon 350D and 600mm Mirror Lens. I have only cropped this a fraction to balance the image – he was that close!

A successful and relaxing day sitting doing nothing.
Now, that is my sort of Bank Holiday.

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