Bearded Tits

Out in search of the Bearded tits again this morning. It was a frosty start and the fen was shrouded in mist. I walked along past the oaks, not a good year for acorns it seems and consequently there are very few Jay’s around. A small mottled brown bird darts silently out of a tree to a cacophony of alarm calls. He perches on a branch ahead and bobs up and down – a Little Owl, he turns and glides away through the trees. Rounding the corner I come face to face with a Roe deer buck, for a few tense seconds we stare at each other. Then he barks and bounds away into the fen. As I walk through the area of cut fen two Snipe rocket out of the low vegetation, they are so well camouflaged I never see them before they see me. A few steps more and a trio more whisk away into the sky.

I set up in the same place as last week, but it’s quiet and again, I can’t help wondering if they’ve moved on. I hear some distant ‘pings’ in the reedbed behind me, was that an answering call to the reeds in front? I wait. There’s a group of three flitting around, but they’re distant and seem skittish. There’s a lot of Carrion Crow activity this morning, maybe that’s why they’re being extra shy today.

They pop up for a moment, then fly off together. Time for another long wait. An hour later, they flit over the reeds towards me, one flies high above to join it’s comrades out in the fen behind me, but two, a male and female remain.

 

The male poses for a couple of shots before they fly off together. A frustrating morning for me, though I didn’t come away empty handed, better luck next week!

 

If you like what you see, please consider sharing!

UK & Eire Natural History Bloggers

Subscribe

Sign up to receive blog notifications and exclusive content!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Similar Posts

  • In the evening

    With the lovely long days at this time of year, I can spend a few hours out on the fen after work. The atmosphere in the evening is very different to sunrise, which is when I’m normally there. The reeds buzz and flicker with insects, damselflies and dragonflies, birds cruise through the warm sky and…

  • The Dawn Chorus

    I got up this Sunday morning early enough to hear the start of the dawn chorus. The Song Thrush began, backed by the local Blackbirds, then Robins and Wrens. A Blue tit joins in with a simple trill, and a Woodpigeon adds his two penny worth too. Their voices merge into a wall of beautiful…

  • Not Otters

    Sometimes you can try too hard. My lovely boss let me have the day off (thanks!) and to make the most of every minute, and hoping to avoid other photographers, I was out at first light – first car in the car park.  Nothing doing. Retracing my steps up and down the rivers, still nothing….

  • Spring on the Fen

    Spring has sprung down on the fen, as the sun rises in the cold morning air, I’m greeted by the glorious summer song of the Sedge Warbler. A mix of musical trills and warbles, mechanical rasping, sweet whistles and low purrs, combined seemingly randomly like the best jazz singers. What wonderful medicine for the human…

  • Expect the Unexpected

    Had the day off work today, so of course I headed over to the Fen, hoping to try photographing the Redwing again. Unfortunately it looks like they have moved on. Lots of birds around today though, all quite vocal in the mild temperature especially the Great tits. Saw a Shelduck at the far end, and…

  • Finally

    Those who have followed my blog for sometime will remember that last year our garden was graced by the presence of a pair of Turtle doves. This year, as May approached, I waited with baited breath to see if they would return. They did, only to leave again for a while, perhaps just passing through….

One Comment

Leave a Reply