Photographer and bird lover AnnMackieMiller presents views of British birds in their natural habitats. Photographic series and information on the behaviour of common garden birds and rarer species.
Photo journal of the Gannet colony at RSPB Bempton Cliffs, Yorkshire
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO LOSE THIS NATURE RESERVE YOU NEED TO TAKE ACTION NOW - SIGN THE PETITION TO STOP FRACKING AT BEMPTON CLIFFS
- AND PASS IT ON TO YOUR FRIENDS.
http://action.sumofus.org/a/SSSI-fracking/2/4/
I am republishing this as a protest against the decision to allow fracking in this area - PLEASE HELP
Gannets with Chicks at RSPB Bempton Cliffs
I can't see too many pictures of gannets - they are so elegant and so charismatic they are hard to resist. So - Here are more beautiful original photographs of nesting North Atlantic Gannets . Follow the gannet's progress and wonder at the many displays of affection these elegant birds take part in.
The pretty chaffinch is the most common finch found in Britain.
It is about 6 inches in length, weighs under 1lb, and has a wing span of about 10 inches. It has a long tail and its short conical beak is ideal for breaking into seeds that is its favourite food, often taken from the ground.
The male is characterised by a grey-blue cap and neck; a chestnut back with pink underparts and a greenish rump. He has white shoulder patches and wing flashes that are more obvious when he is in flight.
The female is olive green with a brown tinge. She has greyish-white underparts and narrow white wing-bars.
female chaffinch at feeder by annmackiemiller
VIDEO of Chaffinch Singing
If you would like to know what a chaffinch sounds like, click this link. Chaffinch Singing
Male Chaffinch by annmackiemiller
What do chaffinches eat?
caterpillars and insects
seeds and berries
grass and herb seeds
How do Chaffinches nest?
they tend to pick hollows in trees and build a rough cup of a nest they will line with moss.
they lay around 4 or 5 eggs
the eggs are only incubated by the female
they hatch in around 12 days.
chicks are fed by both parents
they fledge in around 15 days
they mostly only have the one brood every year
They will nest in your hedge so be careful when you clip it.
They will come to feeder but also provide them with a ground feeder that is protected from predators and large birds. Provide them with a good mix of bird seed and meal worms in breeding season and winter.
'what ya doing?" white mallard duck by annmackiemiller
This page takes a look back at the "Fowl Tales", a collection of photo journals featuring British birds taken by me here in Yorkshire. I particularly love wildfowl. These are all photographs of my favourite families taken last year on a small stretch of the Leeds to Liverpool canal, near Bingley, West Yorkshire, England. This is also something of an anticipatory lens, I can't wait to see what I find to photograph every year.
Some people feel the need to travel to exotic locations to photograph birds, but there is plenty to see and learn around your own neighbourhood. All you need is a camera, a notebook and a willingness to venture out in all weathers. Personally, I love to be able to tell a story with my pictures and there is no better way to do that than by observing the birds day by day. I hope you enjoy sharing my journey.
6 Wildfowl Families Along Bingley Canal
There were several waterfowl families that captured my imagination last year.
In their pecking order:
Grumps and Lady: mute swans who had seven cygnets
The Canada Geese who had seven goslings
Greenhill Geese: White domestic geese with only four goslings
Mama Mallard: a golden-coloured mallard duck who produced 15 ducklings
Smudge the white mallard duck
Micklethwaite Moorhens: a mating pair of moorhens at Micklethwaite Wharf who produced two broods
Mute Swans
mute swans with cygnets by annmackiemiller
Two mute swans have been breeding at this site for many years. Lady is his second mate after his first mate was killed by foxes. Grumps is probably about 17 years old and definitely believes he rules the canal. He regularly chases everything off the canal, he seems to particularly hate the Canada Geese.
7 mute swan cygnets
'Lady' the mute swan with cygnets by annmackiemiller
Swans mate for life, Grumps' first mate died and this is his new love called Lady. They had seven cygnets.
Canada Geese
Canada Geese and Goslings by annmackiemiller
Parents keep watch as the goslings feed
Of the six visiting Canada geese on our Greenhill, there was one mating pair. They produced seven goslings who all survived. They tend to be quite aggressive but can’t stand up to the mute swan. One day in particular Grumps kept them penned in on the wooden workings of the swing bridge.
The folk who own the flats alongside the canal were fortunate to have these little gardeners keeping the grass short.
'On the water' Adult Canada goose with goslings on water
'Keeping it together' Canada Geese Goslings
Greenhill Geese: Embden Geese
'That tickles!' Embden geese with goslings
We have a resident flock of geese who live on our Greenhill- actually it is four small flocks. They are mainly white domestic geese, combining Emden and Toulouse geese, a single China goose and some hybrids that have mated with greylag geese. The gaggle started as escapees from local allotments, now gone wild. At their most there were 70. Of these only four goslings were born last year: one to one family and three to another. What was interesting was that the three chicks were cared for by three geese, mother and father and a beta female.
'follow the butt'
Goslings and adult Embden goose on water
'keep off!' Adult Embden goose protecting young
Mallard Ducks
female mallard duck by annmackiemiller
Mama Mallard is a golden-coloured mallard duck who produced 15 ducklings last year. Included in the brood was one golden chick. There is a really high mortality rate among chicks so sadly only 5 survived to adulthood. I was delighted that the little yellow duckling grew up to be a beautiful little white duck.
mallard ducklings
yellow mallard duckling
mallard ducklings
Smudge the White Mallard Duck
Smudge, mate and ducklings
White mallard ducks are fairly common and Smudge is a white duck with a dark smudge on her head. She and her mate had an early brood which they both looked after but they abandoned after about 3-4 weeks old. Incidentally they were adopted by another mother.
It is unusual for mallards to have a single partner but Smudge is the exception. Her mate is recognisable because he lacks the usual white ring around his neck.
What was interesting was that a few weeks later Smudge inserted her way into another mallard brood and eventually both females looked after the two surviving ducklings.
mallard ducklings
Smudge and her ducklings by annmackiemiller
Micklethwaite Moorhens
moorhens and nest
This was a delightful family of moorhens to watch from nesting their first brood to caring for their second. Of the first brood had eight chicks. All grew into juveniles and then one chick appeared from a second brood. The juveniles and the adults all cared for the tiny bug-eyed chick. Sadly he didn’t survive.
This family build their nest out into the canal giving me a great chance to watch them over a prolonged period.
'in the nest' adult moorhen with chicks on the nest
'Feed me Feed me' Adult moorhen with chick
I've written about these families extensively over on hubpages - you can see the photo journals and others there - AnnMackieMiller on Hubpages.
Adult Shelduck photography by annmackiemiller: copyright 2014
Shelducks are probably one of the most recognisable birds in the UK. They are certainly colourful enough! In flight they have wonderful black lined wings with white fills, a distinctive orange collar, white neck, black head and red bill with a red knob. The female may have a slightly lighter face and bill and lacks the bill knob. The tail is mainly white lined with black and orange.
Look for them in estuaries, marsh land, mud flats and nesting in coastal grasslands. Some folk think they are a cross between a duck and a goose - maybe they were at one time in the very distant past but they are firmly in the duck family now.
Adult Shelduck asleep
Shelduck in flight by annmackiemiller
What do Shelduck eat?
Shelduck chicks
You'll see Shelduck sweeping their bills through mud out on the estuary. They are filtering the mud for snails and other crustaceans and they are not averse to the odd insect or two. You'll even see them stirring up stones with their feet to get at anything that is underneath.
This shelduck chick has already learned to stir up stones on the pond floor to get to anything underneath.
Shelduck Breeding
These ducks tend to be monogamous and the female only makes the nest. This can be down a handy rabbit hole or among the grass in the dunes. They line the nest with down plucked from their belly. They lay 8-15 eggs and the female only sits on them though the male is usually nearby. The eggs will hatch in around a month. The chicks of many broods may form large nurseries. They are independent around 2 months old.
Adult shelduck with chicks
adult shelduck with chicks
Migration
Some in Southern Britain will stay year long but many migrate to Europe where they moult. Like all ducks, they will be flightless until their new feathers grow in. They return with bright new breeding plumage.
Shelduck chick gallery
Shelduck photos available as note cards and greeting cards - follow the link to my zazzle store.
Ever wondered what the geese are up to? or How do Geese Mate? - Answers here in glorious colour
Watching the geese in the canal near my home throws up some interesting goose facts. These are domestic Embden geese who have gone wild and watching their breeding behaviour is fascinating. Here you will find original goose pictures showing their sometimes very loving behaviour with each other.
I love photographing birds, particularly the water birds. But equally, I am totally fascinated by bird behaviour and habits. I don't think I even noticed much of what goes on around me in the natural world until I looked at it through the lens of a camera. Now I am finding hereto unknown aspects to birds I never would have imaged.
For those unfamiliar with my work, I live near the Leeds to Liverpool canal at a site called Greenhill or Micklethwaite Wharf where there is a flock of resident geese. These are mainly Embden and Toulous geese with a couple of greylags and a China goose. The originals were probably escapees from local allotments that have been breeding here for many years. Sadly this site is under threat of development so it is especially important I am able to document my stories and images while I can.
Image credit: 'mating geese' by AnnMackieMiller, copyright 2011 - please do not copy or reproduce them. Thank you.
Copyright
All images are original
copyright
AnnMackieMiller 2011
Please do not copy them
Pictures of geese
Wild Embden Geese - Greenhill Geese
2010, was my first year as both a photographer and as an observer of wildfowl (water fowl) behaviour. The breeding season on Greenhill produced four lovely little goslings, one with a single parent and four with what appeared to be three adult guardians. I assumed it was mother, father and earlier sibling or aunt. I now wonder if I was right.
The three took their responsibilities very seriously and fiercely and very loudly defended the little ones from all comers.
[EDIT 2012 – from these early days I have learned so much more about goose behaviour. In fact, this is a threesome – two females to 1 male and is very common. You can read all about it in my article — > Goose Beheviour
Goose pictures: A Mating Display
Geese mating on water
Most water birds mate on water. The first sign you will notice is when two birds start to dip their heads under the water in a mating display. So if you see birds on the water bobbing their heads, pay attention, you could be in for a water ballet display. Oh if you have the kids with you be ready with your explanations!
The following photo album shows you the display of one pair of mating geese. The geese do interlink their necks but obviously not so much as swans do.
Mating Geese
Click on the small image to enlarge it
Pictures of Breeding Embden Geese
The first goose eggs appear: 17th March 2011
This pair of Embden geese produced eight or nine eggs in a nest close to the water edge on the opposite bank of the canal to the tow path. In this photograph one egg appears outside the egg but I don’t know if it was retrieved or taken by predators. While she was laying the large male stayed with her, nipping on her neck every time she moved. I was interested to note the nest was little more than a hollow lined with down from her underbelly. In subsequent days I have seen her building up the sides more, possibly for better protection and containment for the goslings.
The day after she laid the eggs, she appeared to be alone, but when she came over to me to feed, her calls were answered by the male. I could see in the field above the canal running to her call. He duly made him way down the steep slope that is covered with bushes, and in the company of a grey goose. This goose is much smaller than the two white ones, and clearly has some greylap goose in his lineage.
Since then the three geese are together. The female sits on the nest, the male chases off all and sundry including any other geese – except for the little grey goose. Interesting!
