The Wheat Harvest

Due to weather conditions and various committments I missed the Wheat Harvest on my local walk areas this year. However, I went to a Cerne Abbas which is a Dorset village about 7 miles from where I live this last week. This was mainly for one of those photo shoots that could provide something/anything in nature that would be of interest. I normally go there for butterflies, but as that was less likely on this occasion, I didn't know what I would find.

Walking through the woodland area I could hear the sound of a Combine Harvester working in the fields next to the woodland. So my luck was in this in this time. In a long valley outside the woodland I was able to take the following images.

Due to the inclement weather that we have experienced over the last month or two, the wheat would not be of a good enough standard for bread manufacture this year. It would be used for animal feed instead.

Walking through the Woodland area I shot some of these magnificent trees.

Spotted Flycatcher/Chiffchaff

On a very warm day this week I went for a local walk.

Recently there has not been many opportunities to observe birds on the local routes, but this day was different.

I was walking up a track that leads to a Farm and looking up at this bare tree I observed a lot of bird activity. I stood in the welcome shade of the next tree and observed two Spotted Flycatchers and at least two Chiffchaffs. They were flying out and catching flies and returning to the branches, a habit particularly known of the Flycatcher. I was there for over and hour shooting images, many of which were not much use as the birds were to high and the angle was wrong. These birds are frantically feeding up before their migrating night flight South over the English channel.

Spotted Flycatcher

 

Chiffchaff

This particular Chiffy below looks to be a first year bird as the yellow marking behind the beak and close to the eye is a good sign that it is a first year bird. 

Wheatear Travelling South

It is that time of year again when the Wheatears arrive back on the South coast of Dorset, where they spend a few days feeding up before their night flight South across the English Channel and on to Africa.

As they are lovely birds to photograph, it has become a tradition for me to search them out over the few weeks of outward migration. Portland Bill area and Ferry Bridge are definitely two places to look for them. They certainly like to pose for photos when you approach them, but they will only allow you so close.