Yesterday we had two Mistle Thrush turn up in the garden. They tend to show up at this time of year. My observations aren’t exactly scientific, but I do have a couple of similar photographs from early in December 2019. It might be that they’re just a bit more obvious at this time of year due to the lack of foliage on the trees, but I suspect that that they are looking for food in local gardens as the food supplies in the nearby woodland becomes more scarce.
They are a bit bigger than our usual resident species of sparrows, robins, and finches. Probably just a bit bigger than a blackbird. The large spots on its light coloured chest are a significant element of its identification. The photo was taken through a grubby kitchen window so the picture isn’t of the highest quality. I always enjoy seeing these birds and trying to figure out whether they are Song Thrush or Mistle Thrush.
Another subtle observation and reminder of the natural rhythm and season.
Most of my walking is without a camera. I probably clock up 20 miles a week just doing the school run. Its part of my fitness regime, which I missed out on during the first UK lockdown when schools were closed. Joe Wicks did a sterling job with his online HIIT workouts during that time, although the ‘High Intensity’ element was a bit challenging.
Most days I will join Jacki and Pippin on the daily mid morning exercise walk. I may take my camera on this. I love the countryside of East Dorset. We have an amazing diversity of habitat: woodland, heathland, farmland, riverside walks, lakes, beaches, cliffs and gardens. We also have quite diverse wildlife. One can never be sure what one will see.
The season has an impact on the light, which is quite important for a photographer. I was out over the weekend and the light was constantly changing: bright sunshine one moment and cloud cover the next. I was changing camera settings for every shot and making further adjustment for whether the subject was light on a dark background or dark on a light background.
For the past two years I have focused my photography on wildlife requiring fast shutter speeds, a lot of patience and a sudden flurry of activity lasting only a few seconds. More recently I am trying to introduce more landscape photography. The fundamentals are the same, but the technique is quite different. The landscape isn’t moving so slower shutter speeds can be used and a tripod. The lens is different too. Instead of a long telephoto lens, landscape photography uses more of a wide-angled lens. I am still getting to grips with the technique and will try and share some of my efforts in the blog over time.
This blog post includes some recent shots from heathland walks. First are a couple of landscape shots of Holt Heath in the sunshine. Followed by an excited Pippin. Then we have a few birds: peregrine falcon, yellowhammer, blackbird, thrush and dartford warbler all from heathland locations. As the nights are now drawing in and sunset is about 4.30 pm, there are a couple of moon shots. And finally, a rainbow; we’ve had quite a few of these recently reflecting the changeable nature of the Dorset weather at the moment.
PippinPeregrine FalconYellowhammerFemale blackbirdDartford WarblerThrushMoon shining through the branchesMoon over Longham LakesRainbow
When I lived in London I used to see Thrushes regularly on my jogs around Victoria Park in Tower Hamlets. That was 15 – 20 years ago. Today (23/10/2019) I saw one from my Dorset garden for the first time in quite a while. There are 170,000 Mistle Thrush pairs in the UK, a decline of 40% from 1969. They moult from May to September, so looks quite smart in October in its new feathers.
Song Thrush
The Song Thrush (23 cm) is smaller than the Mistle Thrush (27 cm) and more common (1.2 million). It is seen quite often on the ground searching for juicy worms, but also feeds on caterpillars, beetles and berries in the autumn.
Stephen's Wildlife 