We opened the door of the hide at Holton Lee and and several heads turned to greet my son and me with the news that a sparrowhawk had visited the feeders about 17 times. Each time it swooped in, circled the area, remaining in flight only to retreat to nearby trees. No sooner had we settled than the bird flew in but this time landed.
It stayed put for only a few seconds, but just long enough for us to capture a few snaps. My son had his camera well set up with a fairly high ISO and shutter speed of 1/1,000 sec and captured a handful of sharp shots.
The consensus view was that the bird must be young and inexperienced – and hungry.
Wildlife photo opportunities last only a few seconds. This female sparrowhawk landed in my back garden this morning. This was the first time observed visit in the last fifteen years. It stayed for only 20-30 seconds, then it was gone. The poor quality of the photo reflects: the low light conditions (requiring a high ISO setting and a low shutter speed), shooting through a dirty patio window, and the limited time available to adjust the manual focus.
There are over 35,000 pairs in the UK. It is an extremely swift bird of prey, taking its quarry by surprise. It will attack most bird species up to the size of a wood pigeon.
Peregrine Falcon photographed at a bird of prey centre in Cornwall
The fastest animal on the planet; clocked at 243 mph in a stoop! A targeted pigeon would not know what hit it. There are 1,500 breeding pairs in the UK. Peregrines breed on buildings in some towns and cities, e.g. Salisbury Cathedral has a web cam focused on a peregrine nest on its spire.
Peregrine in flight
Earlier in the summer I attended a morning performance at the Minack open air Theatre in Cornwall. The performance was brilliant, but towards the end my attention was drawn to a peregrine falcon flying overhead. I cannot remember much of the performance from that point on. Beautiful, graceful and powerful bird.
There are only 200-250 pairs of the Osprey in the UK. They winter in Africa, so they are not here all year round. One of the places where they have been seen is RSPB Arne, about 10-15 miles from home. I have been there several times and not seen them. So I wasn’t that hopeful when heading out with my boys early one morning before the start of the new term. We were thrilled to have the hide to ourselves as the Osprey performed some aerial manoeuvres right in front of us. Both boys got photos and excitedly informed everyone they met on the way back to the car park that they had sen the Osprey.
The Common Kestrel is the UK’s second most populous bird of prey, behind the Common Buzzard. There are 46,000 in the UK. They are usually seen practising their party piece – hovering over rough grassland in search of small mammals or birds.
Kestrel being harassed by a RookRook chasing Kestrel Kestrel hovering over coastal grassland
The Kestrel is a small bird of prey (32-35cm), but not quite as small as its cousin, the American Kestrel.
Rare visitors this month include peregrines overhead as well as willow warblers hiding deep in the foliage. Dragonflies, bees and butterflies maintain their seasonal visit. September has also seen the ongoing presence of resident birds such as sparrows, robins and blue-tits.
Colourful flowers
Colour continues into September. The purple Clematis particularly provided a beautiful backdrop. The roses revival is nothing short of resurrection, considering the dry, brown state of the whole bush in August. A trip to the local garden centre injected some additional colour. No idea what we got – the sole criteria was that anything we bought had to be in flower.
Dragonflies
The dragonflies continued presence was as welcome as the warm, late summer temperatures. My photography skills limit my ability to catch these bugs in flight. I have to wait until they land before approaching with the camera.
Sparrows
There are long stretches of time when there are very few birds present in the garden. Sparrows arrive one or two at a time, but these gregarious birds are not on their own for long.
Our sparrow population has risen this year. There is now a group of about a dozen birds. When they are in the garden they chat to each other as they move around. However, they can be very quiet once settled.
Peregrine
We are used to seeing Common Buzzards circling overhead. This Peregrine Falcon was a pleasant surprise and represents a first sighting from the garden. It was instantly recognisable, as we had seen some close up at Bird of Prey centres earlier in the summer.
Long-tailed tits
The long-tailed tits are similar to sparrows; they come in groups. After a summer break they are returning to the garden.
Finches
Greenfinch and anonGoldfinch
Greenfinches are difficult to spot. They blend in so well to the background; its only when they move that one’s eye is drawn to them. Goldfinches are regular visitors, but tend to stay high in the trees. Some of the juveniles are tempted down onto the feeders occasionally.
Blue tits and Great tits
Blue tit in the low morning sunGreat tit
Warbler
A first sighting of a willow warbler in the garden.
Temperatures have exceeded 30 degrees Celsius. Not since 1976 has Dorset been this hot. There have been great opportunities to photograph widely differing species, some like the dragon flies and butterflies quite exquisitely beautiful. The sparrow population in particular has increased significantly since spring.
Bugs and butterflies
The garden has well and truly come alive with all sorts of creepy crawlies: peacock butterfly, red admiral, greenbottle flies, hoverflies, dragonflies, bumble-bees, honey bees.
Dragonflies
Buzzards overhead
Record temperatures have encouraged buzzards to soar on thermals in search of prey. As they pass over the garden, smaller birds call out warnings to each other, as they scurry around seeking cover.
Juveniles
Jays, blue tits, robins, goldfinch and sparrow are among the juvenile species seen this month.
Sparrow population growth
At least two clutches of juvenile sparrows have produced so far. Judging by the antics of these two, there are more to come.
A brilliant destination for a half term outing turned out to be only a few miles from home. Liberty’s Owl, Raptor And Reptile Centre is based in Ringwood. The centre has a display field where the falconers give public presentations each day. We attended the midday presentation on Tuesday 28th May 2019 and were treated to displays of an owl, Harris Hawk, Black Kite and a Verreaux Eagle Owl. These are some of the images from the presentation:
Stephen's Wildlife 