Bank voles and elf caps at Maple Lodge NR

I spent a lovely, but cold, few hours at Maple Lodge today. I read in the sightings book that two Bank Voles were being seen regularly at the Shell Hide, and I have never managed to get a good photo of the little cuties yet, so that was my first port of call. 

So I lost over an hour of my life sat inside the Shell Hide, with the door open and some seed scattered over the path and leaf litter. The plan worked in theory but what I didn't allow for was how fast moving these little critters are. All of my pics are a little out of focus because I really did not know where the voles would pop up next......

A Dunnock and a female Blackbird kept me company.... it was quite surprising how close they came to the door, I must have been well hidden inside....

I retreated to the warmth of the Rotunda Hide after the Shell, hoping to see at least one of the two Water Rails that are frequenting the pond area. I couldn't spot either of them and consoled myself with watching a pair of Little Grebes diving and 'trilling' to each other....

From the even warmer Clubhouse Hide I watched a constant stream of Blue and Great Tits going to the feeders, along with a large gathering of Chaffinch on the floor, the occasional Robin, Nuthatch and Long-tailed Tit, plus the usual Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a solo Woodpigeon.....

In the very wet Everglades some of the nesting boxes were being checked out, including number 13 by a Great Tit....

One of the main reasons for going to Maple Lodge today was to see the tiny delicate Elf Cap fungi. I normally find them along the Woodland Path but that area was taped off today due it being too flooded to walk through. However, after a tip off, I found three by the Rotunda Hide and the rest by the barges....

I noticed when I was at the Shell Hide that Reggie the Robin wasn't there. But when I was near the barges I noticed three Robins in the undergrowth. One of them flew straight at me, literally brushing past my head. When I put my rucksack down to get out some birdseed, the Robin jumped on my bag. And when I held my hand with seed in it, the Robin came within a few centimetres but wouldn't actually take the seed. And he happily hopped around collecting seed from around my feet and rucksack. It's got to be Reggie hasn't it ? Maybe he's now starting to expand his territory a bit more. Some Robins are already singing in preparation of attracting a mate...

More from Mums' garden

I spent a bit more time in Mums' garden today, the light the last couple of days has been pretty good for photography even if the mornings have had a hard sharp frost. 

Great Tit

 The Goldcrest visited a couple more times, and again let me creep quite close....

Both male and female Great Spotted Woodpeckers have been visiting the bird feeders for several weeks. It is coming up to the start of their breeding season and hormones are in the air. Every time the male chases the female off but then starts 'pecking' against a tree branch or trunk, a sign that he is trying to attract a female to his territory. On one day last week Mum and I saw four Great Spotted Woodpeckers in the garden at the same time, but the resident male soon saw off the other three. Today a pair were chasing each other around the next door neighbours birch tree, and this was the only photo I managed to grab....

There are at least two Robins frequenting the back garden. The other one has a leg ring which I've not yet managed to read...

A nice pleasant surprise was finding this Honey Bee warming up in the sun....

Red Kites in this area are a common sight, and we often see several over the back garden and swooping low over the field at the end of the garden. I watched one calling for a while and followed it as it landed in one of the tall trees that seperate the back of the field from the canal.

 There was another Kite already in the tree, and it immediately adopted the 'mating' position where the front is bowed down low. I missed that photo opportunity, but had my camera ready should they mate. They didn't and I did wonder if it is a bit early for mating, but the displays I was watching tells me it wont be long. The first bird eventually flew off and settled at the top of another tall tree, and both birds continued to call that wonderful eerie 'mew' 

Because of the vicinity of the back garden, backing onto a field that runs alongside the Grand Union Canal, we do see a good variety of birds. Today the pair of Stock Doves visited again, along with a pair of Collared Doves.

I really like Stock Doves. They're very attractive with their grey bodies and flashy green patch and beady black eyes. At home I only ever see these birds in Cranford Park Woods so it was lovely to observe them, even if it was through glass...

All three photos below were taken from a very odd angle through the glass patio doors....

A Reed Bunting also briefly visited but I wasn't fast enough to catch a photo. 

Below are a few photos that I forgot to post from the 27th December, also of the back garden. This was when the winter flowering daphne had just started to really bloom and I was testing some of my camera settings.....

Blue and gold in Mums' back garden

Due to the usual 'winter lurgy' I haven't been out much with the camera recently. I did plan on going to Maple Lodge NR this morning but the hourly coach didn't turn up. So I spent a few hours in my Mums' back garden. 

The daphne has been looking really colourful for a few weeks now, and the Blue Tits favour this shrub to perch in before going to the nearby bird feeders. I really wanted a nice colourful photo of a Blue Tit amongst the pink of the daphne but it was harder work than I thought it would be.....

There has been a tiny Goldcrest visiting the garden for several days. Although they are primarily insect feeders, it does seem to be attracted to the spilt food from the bird feeders and constantly pecks around the same area around the pots. Surprisingly this individual is quite approachable, so long as you don't move too quickly. Hopefully I'll get some better shots soon....

The back garden does seem to attract a really nice wide range of birds, so hopefully there will be plenty to 'tick' for the Big Garden Birdwatch 2020 which falls on the dates 25th to 27th January. So far in the last couple of weeks we have seen a Sparrowhawk, Reed Bunting, Stock Doves, Collared Doves, Long-tailed Tits, Goldfinches and more.