Adventures in the United Kingdom - the Recap Part 5 - Wildlife in Windsor Great Park October 13th

Having walked directly down the Great Walk to Snow Hill and the Copper Horse I quickly deviated from the paved walkway, exploring a good sized woodlot to the west of the statue. I was able to get bad, but identifiable shots of Great Spotted Woodpecker and Spotted Thrush. One of the real highlights of that area was a group of young Pheasants that were passing me as I descended the hillside. They kept their distance, but our directions were generally merging, and it was a nice few minutes of watching stealthy birds try to move more slowly than my notice. The ground wasn't the only source of interest though. Birds were also in the trees, this Great Tit for instance.

All the while Pheasants lurking.....I thought this shot really highlighted the adaptation of their plumage for camouflage. What are feathers and what are fern leaves? In all honesty, at the time I wasn't sure what these birds were. It was my first experience with this age of Pheasant, and I wondered if they weren't some form of grouse. Going to a place where the majority of birds are unknown kept me guessing. I also noticed that I had a much more difficult time picking birds out of the canopy. In past posts I have noted my repeated experience of finally spotting a long sought bird, and then refinding the species several times over the following days. One of my impressions from this trip is that the same brain function seems to happen on a larger scale as well. My visual cortex didn't seem to be dialed in on the patterns and shapes of unknown birds. I could hear them, and even spot motion, but until I had really picked a species out they would remain hidden far longer than I would have expected were I birding on familiar territory.


On the flip side, once I 'got to know' a species I would pick them up far more readily. Granted, the Blue Tit below was fairly obvious against a bare trunk, but they became frequent sights over the course of the trip.


I left the wooded hillside, and headed north across open fields, keeping the Long Walk in sight off my right shoulder. I was heading generally closer to where the Red Deer had been on my visit the day before. I spotted this lone bull, and gave it plenty of space as I walked past at an angle.


Despite my distance and passing route the deer eventually decided he had enough of my presence and camera and wandered off.


Meanwhile, I had arrived at a small pond I had noticed the previous evening. With clear skies and a sinking sun I had much better light for this visit. Common Moorhens are colorful sights on the water. Their red and yellow bills are very impressive against a mostly black body.

I don't think Egyptian Geese are going to be mistaken for classic beauties often. I will give them high marks for having a striking appearance though. They are certainly well suited to picking up the colors of fall.


I had just moved beyond the pond, when I suddenly found myself in an uncomfortable situation. A different male deer had crested a small rise, and I found myself too close for assured comfort, with a lake directly behind me. The male was 'roaring', and headed towards the walk, and the herds I knew to be beyond it. I didn't stick around for the 'killer' shot, opting for the middle ground of a short move to show him I was not a challenge, and then see what I could get for a photo. Unfortunately, (or fortunately), he moved off and didn't give me another direct look. Even in passing the shot is good enough to show the velvet shedding from his antlers. Definitely a memorable experience.


Having determined that he was not going to charge me, I settled back to the geese, getting another Egyptian Goose to pose on land.


Once again the sun was getting low, Windsor and London sit at roughly the same latitude as Calgary. That gave extended periods of soft light, and I took the opportunity to get a slightly different view of the castle towers.


Even though the day was winding down, and I was heading back towards a welcome seat at a pub, I still had one more memorable interaction in store.

Red Kite!


I was just at the point of leaving the deer enclosure fence along the long walk, when I spotted this bird working on a kill farther down the clipped lawn. It gave me a few looks, but I had sat down against a tree and was willing to watch as long as the bird remained.


It did just that, allowing me many shots, and a memory card swap, before a walker on the path behind it finally set it to flight. I believe it had finished its meal at that point, and was just waiting for a bit of motivation before moving to a perch to roost and digest.


A great sight, and a wonderful conclusion to a long and memorable day in Windsor. The remainder of my walk was highlighted by views of the castle, and anticipation of a good pint when I reached town.

The following day, Friday the 14th, I would meet my parents when they arrived in the early afternoon, but the question was how I would spend my morning...

Adventures in the United Kingdom - the Recap Part 1 - Arrival Afternoon

Following an overnight flight that had departed Denver at around 9 in the evening, I arrived in London just after noon the following day, (Wednesday). I had two days to my own devices and had decided to stay in Windsor, a ten minute or so drive from the airport - and loaded with both natural and historical sights to see. I dropped my bags at my room, and grabbed camera and bins for an afternoon walk. The weather started in typically English fashion, with overcast skies and cool fall temps - there were hints of drizzle but no real rain. [The shot above was taken at the end of my walk as the clouds lifted and the sun sank below them.]

My plan was to explore the "Long Walk", a footpath that extends from the gates of Windsor Castle south to Snow Hill and the 'Copper Horse' statue of George the Third. It is the long parallel row of trees in the map below, and the view from the castle is shown above.


I headed out, generally looking east, beyond the fence into Home Park, which is private land of the Crown Estate and featured tilled fields. Within there were Eurasian Jackdaws, Carrion Crows, and several hundred Black-headed Gulls. In addition I spotted this colorful bird dropping to forage on the ground from the trees that bordered a parking area. Unfortunately, this was to be my best look at a Eurasian Jay for the trip, but one I was glad to have gotten.


The overcast skies were prohibitive from my catching distant flight shots of the gulls, but did help to show some feather detail on the otherwise drab Carrion Crows.


Eager to see more, I pressed on and crossed the road bisecting the Long Walk, and found a nice group of Red-Legged Partridge scurrying in a field. It was at about this point that the feel of the area began to change over. I had left the majority of the tourists, the casual games of football (soccer), and those parents or nannies with their children behind. The sound of traffic began to fade, and I began to unwind from the flight and travel.


I was now in the Windsor Great Park. This is an 8 square mile area, that has largely been set aside since the 13th century as parkland. Up until the 18th century an area that large was held by the monarch to ensure a vast supply of game animals for sport and table. Perception of the parkland since that time has shifted to recreation, with attitudes of the times reflected in various features. It was right about here that I had my first flyover visit from a Red Kite. There were a pair in the area, and moments later I was able to confirm the species with a local whose golf ball I returned after it had strayed over a fence and into the Long Walk. The Kites are a large readily identifiable bird, so even non-birders knew of them and were happy to know they were being seen.


They were really cool to watch in flight, their swallow shaped tail is used rudder-like, while their wings remain motionless as they soar. Add to that their contrasting red body, black and white wings, and pale eyes, and you have an eye catching bird to shoot a few hundred frames of. The Red Kites I had read about as I prepared for this section of the trip. The following bird was a fun surprise....


Ring-necked Parakeets. [Rose-ringed Parakeets - when I switch my eBird preferences to English US]. I have seen these guys in the guidebooks, and of course there are many kept in captivity as pets everywhere, but it was very unexpected to hear, and then see them out in the wild, in England. It turns out that escaped/released birds have done well in England, and the ones I saw are a part of a growing population. Their loud calls were unknown, like most I heard in the UK, but so distinctive that I quickly came to know them by ear and could then try to locate them in flight. When flying in clear weather their tails almost give them a magpie appearance, but on cloudy days that green really stood out as they flew.

At one point along the walk visitors must pass through the deer fence, there large signs warned humans to give the Red Deer space during the 'rut'. Being familiar with Elk and Moose, I didn't need to be warned twice about what competing male deer could do to a human that was perceived as a threat. I did encounter a large heard of Red Deer, (see below for a male), including multiple harems and some efforts of males to keep their females within their respective groups. At the time the lighting was horrid, and my distance didn't lead to any great shots to share of the groups. Instead, I headed to the first significant woodlot I had encountered. There I unsuccessfully tried to get a Wren to perch in sight in a dark ditch. While that effort wasn't too fruitful, I did get a passing shot of a Treecreeper, [Eurasian Treecreeper]. It was a great add, as they are difficult to pin down and a species I didn't really expect to happen upon while traveling.


Another species ended up being far more difficult to pick out than I would have imagined. The Goldfinches [European Goldfinch], were devils to locate in the tops of large trees. I could hear them and see them as they flew (large dots), but they would disappear when they landed, and I would scan blindly through my bins trying to locate them. Finally I had a few in the viewfinder of my camera and shot away. Amazingly enough, even in the past week while working on the photos I would look at this set and not see the birds. Then I would find one, know the general area where it was perched in the shot, zoom in to see where I would crop - and it would be gone again! For brightly colored birds they are amazingly well camouflaged in fall foliage.


Likely another factor was that by that time it was getting darker, and colder, and I was ready for a pint. I had emerged from the wooded area that looks like an upside down "f" to the left of the walk on the map above. I was short of the hill, but decided to turn back rather than risk getting closed in a park after dark on my first night in a foreign country. Before I left though I had a great look at a Red Deer, 'roaring'. It does not have the ring of Elk bugling, but plays a similar role and is equally impressive to experience.

I hustled back towards the castle and town, and on the way the sun poked through offering better light for the view of the castle I included in my post that evening, and the look back along the Long Walk at the top of this one.

Hall Creek Morning

A busy weekend was capped by a quick one-night camping trip to the Hall Valley, this is a nice spot and one I enjoy visiting. As we arrived after a fun day at the Rocky Mountain Showdown college football game the sky looked a bit ominous in the valley as we climbed. Sure enough, as soon as we met with the rest of the group at the site the drizzle turned to snow! Winter camping 2011, check! Actually the weather cleared after an hour or so and the evening was very nice for the late season.

Yesterday morning I woke early and headed off for a walk. Unfortunately the location of this valley has never been good for early morning photography, but it is a nice area for a walk regardless. I failed to relocate the Moose a couple of others had seen the previous evening, but did see Juncos, Mountain Chickadees, and Colorado Chipmunks.

When the sun finally did peak over the ridge the Chipmunks all came out to socialize and bask.

Posing on the edge of a creekside meadow this Chipmunk shows that the colors are beginning to change, and soon will be in full fall mode.

Even so, some remnants of summer are hanging on, like this Pleated Gentian(?). There is still a new species I have to update from last week, and perhaps a few more Wilson's Phalarope pictures from Friday, which I haven't had a chance to look through closely yet.

Sunrise, Grand Isle Style

One of the highlights of my recent trip to Louisiana, or any recent trip for that matter, was my excursion to Grand Isle to catch the sunrise over the Gulf of Mexico.  I had to be up at 3:00 to make it, but would do it again in a heartbeat - it was that memorable.    

The high humidity and haze over the water allowed the sun to get up fairly high before it began to 'rise'.   That offered some interesting colors to form up for silhouetting the Brown Pelicans that were emerging from the darkness.

Soon the sun began to break free though, making smaller birds and other shapes visible.  

Occasionally, the inhabitants beneath the surface would pop up for a tantalizing moment, generally not where I was looking, or, as if toying with my intentions, just outside the target light.   Finally though...

a fin captured in the golden light.  What did those fins belong to?   Coastal visitors know of course, but capturing one in an image is tougher.......

Finally!  My guess would be Bottlenose Dolphin, but I've lived in Minnesota and Colorado, so what do I know.   I do know that I had a blast standing and shooting for an hour as the sun rose and the colors changed on the Pier at Grand Isle State Park.   Watching and shooting a full 8Gb card trying to capture Dolphins in the first part of their breaches is a great way to start a day.    They weren't the only mammals about though.  

The parade of boats heading out and in was entertaining as well.   I was shocked at the heavy traffic as I drove towards the coast before 5:00am, but for fishermen and roughnecks that is rush hour.  

Only smaller craft had the luxury of cutting through the colored waters of sunrise on that memorable morning.

Getting very excited.....

No, I haven't been out doing any more birding than I had two weeks ago - but I will be soon.

For everyone checking back periodically I appreciate your patience, and will hope to reward it with some birding adventure reports in the coming weeks and months. First up, a return to New Orleans in a few weeks to see if I can add a bit more intensity to the birding part of my trip this year. I coordinated with my work to arrange a week long visit this year, and in the midst of doing some real work will have more mornings and some weekend days to get out and about.

Then, this blog is going to get international! Its about time too. I'll save the details for future installments, but a flight has been booked and I can't wait.

For now a couple of pictures from a June trip to Rocky Mountain National Park:

Gray Fox

Really just a gratuitous post of more Gray Fox pictures from Friday afternoon.


I first spotted a single fox as it lay in what appeared to be the prime spot in the sun. I just saw the eyes and a light colored face in the sunlight and had my heart skip a beat as I briefly thought I had spotted a bob-cat. I was no less excited as I continued to watch and eventually saw four foxes as they alternately rested and played. At the time I had no idea what type of fox species they were. I see red foxes with a bit of regularity, but these were the first Grays that I had the chance to observe.


I had just emerged from some scrub Oak when I saw them, and was able to stay there to watch them until the sun had moved and they departed from their spot, (twenty minutes). They kept an eye on me, but weren't overly cautious - often flopping down to yawn or stretch. I had come upon their sun spot just after the trail split, and twice walkers headed down the other path, speaking as they went. That would get a moment's attention from the family, before they dismissed the potential threat and went back about their business.


Important activities like sneak attacks and play harassment are the leisure sports of the fox. Those practiced actions will be important for the youngsters as they head out on their own in the coming months.


I really enjoyed the opportunity to watch these wild dogs interact with one another. It is fun to see how much of their behavior when at rest is similar to that of the domestic dogs so many of us share our homes with.


The bit of detail I noticed as I looked through pictures of this family was the difference in eye color. At first I wondered if like birds, young foxes may have lighter eyes that changed as they matured. It seems though, that foxes like other mammals, just have a variety of eye colors that are possible. That makes sense, and seems to be upheld through a number of random hits for Gray Fox eye color on Google.


Of course now that I have seen them once I will be on the lookout for more!

White Ranch Open Space

Last Saturday morning I had a chance to do a bit of hiking at White Ranch Open Space with my roommate and his dog. It was a bit late for ideal birding, but it was a fun morning and there were even a few good birds to boot. The Mountain Bluebird above was hanging out in the meadow near the parking area when we started.


A bit later Blizzard (the dog) flushed what appeared to be a House Wren, I tried to catch a shot, missed it, but was happy to find a Green-tailed Towhee peaking out at me from the same patch of brush.


The small mammals were putting on a show for me, this Pine Squirrel checked me out from behind a tree before retreating a bit and giving us an earful. A few feet further on and again right at eye level I met a Least Chipmunk. It was working its way across a canopy of bushes, and decided to freeze when our party moved past. It didn't need to worry though, I just wanted a couple of pictures, and the dog was oblivious.


The return portion of the loop took us through more meadow, and I tracked a flying Stellar's Jay as it approached from a distance. It was interesting that the first thing I noticed was the jay flight pattern, and the next were the white eye-brows and other facial markings. The brilliant blue of this species just disappears on a cloudless day.


Unfortunately, the great morning was followed by an embarrassing football display by my alma mater, the Colorado Buffaloes. They had their first match up with future division opponent Cal, and made an impression by not even being competitive on the field.

Birds once again came through, as 4 of us sat on the deck contemplating the depths our school's program had sunk to; a Common Nighthawk flew directly over my backyard! Even if none of the others appreciated the addition to my yard list it went a long way towards brightening my spirits.....at least until the Bronco game the next day - sigh. Perhaps there will be more time for birding this fall.