Elmley Break Part One.

 I did think I would just do one blog concerning our 3 day break to Elmley, but having looked through the photographs that I wanted to post, I have had to make it a two blog trip, as the wildlife and opportunities were so brilliant.

As I had absolutely no idea what to get Lisa for her birthday, we decided together that an Elmley experience would be a really good idea, just hoping that the weather would treat us well too. As it was, despite it being cool we had very little rain, and sunshine some of the time. In fact, almost perfect weather conditions.

The deluxe shepherd hut that we stayed in was everything we could have hoped for, with stunning views across the marshes. This one was also very private and not overlooked at all, so we could sleep with the curtains open, and with a full moon, the marsh was visible all night. In the morning before getting up we had a Barn Owl fly past each morning, along with a Marsh Harrier and Brown Hares running around.

The Shepherd Hut.

Sunrise on our final morning.

As we arrived and drove down the entrance track we enjoyed the sightings straight away with several birds and Hares. Of course, as we were there for the 3 days, we could drive up and down the track as many times as we wanted, although we also walked an awful lot, and saved some of the track for after all the day visitors had left, this was when the Hares came to life.

Many Redshank were present and showing along the entrance track.

Male Marsh Harrier.

Skylark.

Lisa spotted this Common Snipe on one of the drives.

Curlew.

A pair of Little Grebes were paired up and diving in a pool just by the track. This one had just caught a tiny fish.

This Kestrel pounced on prey while we were watching it, and immediately started to pull the prey apart.

One of the first Chiffchaff in the wooded area.

One of the things we both really enjoy about Elmley, is the large number of Brown Hares. Here they are allowed to live without the terrible persecution that they suffer in too many places these days. It must be a tough life being a Hare, living out in all weathers, and so often being hunted. On one of the drives we even saw a mating pair. Along with most things a Hare does, it was a very quick process!!

Mating Brown Hares.

A grooming Brown Hare.

A close encounter!!

Eyeing up one another.

This Hare was wet, possibly from the dew, or perhaps an early swim.

Part two coming soon concerning the spectacular Owls we saw during our stay.

Elmley Winter Visits.

 Towards the end of 2024 Lisa and I visited Elmley. We had joined the Friends of Elmley back in late 2023, but had as yet not covered the cost with enough visits, so although we were unlikely to get full value from our membership, we managed to get pretty close. Elmley, from Sussex is a long way, so we were often put off by the drive.

However, we do love the place, and we always enjoy the odd visit we make. I have been going there for many years, either with Matt, or for some time, when I was a sales rep for a photographic company, I would sometimes drive all the way up the entrance track and back to see what I could spot.

For Lisa's birthday, I was planning on taking her to stay for a couple of nights in one of their shepherd huts, but during the winter we had 2 visits, one in late November and one in early February to give us a taste of what's to come when we stayed. 

As ever, the Short-eared Owls were seen in good numbers, along with Bearded Tit. These birds during the winter turn to eating seeds, instead of insects, and during this time can often be seen feeding on top of the reeds and reedmace. Brown Hares are also always a treat at Elmley. Other birds found in good numbers are Barn Owl, Marsh Harrier and some unexpected rarities.

Male Bearded Tit.

The trip in November also turned out to be quite an expensive trip for me, as after the camera failed to focus on an approaching male Hen Harrier, I decided to invest in a new Nikon mirrorless camera that appearing by many comments, was much quicker at focussing on birds in flight. I doubt if I will ever get such a good opportunity to photograph a male Hen Harrier as close as this one came, but hopefully the frustration of the camera not focussing quick enough will be a thing of the past. The only photo I kept from this memorable moment is below. Probably the worst photo I have ever posted here!!

Male Hen Harrier.

Following the purchase of the mirrorless camera I'm pleased to report that things have been much better with flying bird photos. 

The trip in early February was an improvement. Here I was using the mirrorless camera. Once again the Bearded Tits performed quite well, along with some Reed Bunting. However, needless to say, the male Hen Harrier didn't show at all!!

With most of the owls staying hidden until just before the reserve closed, very frustratingly, the day was saved by a fabulous Brown Hare, that we managed to get very close to as it fed on the grass along the footpath to one of the shepherd huts.

Male Bearded Tit doing the splits.

Female Reed Bunting.

Little Owl.

The amazing Brown Hare.

The Brown Hare gradually moving towards us.

And yet closer.

So close it now almost filled the frame.

This experience really saved the day for me, and probably is the experience that made us take the decision to book our visit to the shepherd hut. Our experience really was amazing, and will be the subject of my next post.

Hiding From The Fox.

 My good friend Phil recently invited Lisa and I to use his hide. It's been a while since I've been in the hide, and as ever it was a fabulous few hours that we spent there, this time in freezing conditions, but the visiting wildlife made us forget the discomfort that the cold weather gave us.

With many interesting birds paying us a visit, we had some lovely encounters with both Jay and Great-spotted Woodpeckers, before the main attraction arrived.

Jay with Acorn.

Jay with Acorn.

Female Great-spotted Woodpecker.

Male Great-spotted Woodpecker.

The main attraction turned up after several hours of waiting. A simply beautiful Fox, that slowly wandered into our vision, I was watching a male Pheasant walking towards us, when I saw the Fox a few meters further back. In fact I think the Pheasant saw the Fox at the same time as it suddenly took flight!! We were really lucky at this point as the Fox spent several minutes walking around the area in front of the hide, totally unaware that we were enjoying watching and photographing it. The advantage of having recently getting one of the new generation mirrorless cameras is that the shutter going off is silent. Phil has seen a couple of foxes in recent times at his hide, so we were hoping for this experience, but as ever with wildlife, there is absolutely no guarantees that the animals will show up, so we were extremely lucky, especially as the light was also perfect for photography.

A small selection of the numerous photos follow.

A truly beautiful Fox in tip top condition.

A massive thanks to Phil for his generosity in giving us this amazing opportunity in his wildlife haven.

Purple Patch.

 After failing to see Purple Sandpipers on Newhaven East pier for the past 2 winters, despite a few attempts, it was great to see that several had returned this winter, with around 8 seen. This is still well down on numbers from years gone by, but encouraging, all the same.

It was also a chance to try out the new camera on some birds that one could get pretty close to, so Lisa and I headed down to Newhaven, on a day that was not particularly bright. However, during our time there we were treated to around 30 minutes of unexpected sunshine.

Purple Sandpiper.

Ruddy Turnstone.

Purple Sandpiper in the sunshine.

I also wanted to see how well the camera would perform with flying birds. The main reason I changed the camera was that the cameras I normally use struggles at times with focussing on flying birds, and after missing a very close fly-by of a male Hen Harrier recently, I wanted to ensure that the new gear would be more reliable. I have always enjoyed watching and photographing the Fulmar, as they use the thermals just off the local chalk cliffs. It was quite early in the season for seeing these birds, so I didn't spend too much time there, but a couple of images gave me hope for success in future attempts. I just need that male Hen Harrier to fly close again!!

Fulmar.

Stonechat Madness.

 On one of my regular longer walks from home, I often encountered a pair of Stonechat which were particularly approachable. To be fair, this is often the case with this species, but this pair were even more approachable than usual. In the middle of January, with little else to photograph, I decided to carry my camera with a stronger telephoto on it, just to see if I could get a small set of photos of these delightful birds. Often when I try doing this with a particular bird, I get to the site and find they are not showing, but these birds were not going to let me down like that.

After a short bit of stalking them, I found I was able to get even closer than I had expected, especially with the female bird. I ended up getting nearly 100 photos of them, and believe me, that is a lot of photos from just one session for me!!

Male Stonechat.

Female Stonechat.

I enjoyed myself so much that a couple of days later I went to the same area again, and once again this pair of birds performed for me.

With no other birds worth photographing, I then took David there to have a go. I once again took my camera with me, and again came back with many pictures. This time the skies were a bit brighter. In fact at times, almost too bright.

Of course, with all this fun, Lisa then wanted to have a go, so by now the birds and I were almost on first name terms!!

However, they were not that surprised to see me again, and fortunately, they once again excelled in their new modelling careers. I guess at the end of all this I will not have to photograph another Stonechat. Although, given the right opportunity, I'm sure I will again very soon.

What made this day even more special, was that we also saw the Humpback Whale that had spent several weeks off the Sussex coast. Despite seeing several Humpback Whales in Antarctica, it was even more special seeing one here, where they are not so expected. It was far too way out to sea to photograph, but a great memory for both of us to see such a fabulous animal on our home patch.