Bird life caught on camera

With so much tall grass and bracken triggering the cameras I have been placing them up trees recently to see what is happening in the canopy. I have picked up a good selection of secret goings on over the last month or two including some lovely Woodpecker, Jay and Owl activity. The downside of watching the activity in branches is the number of grey squirrels running up and down. It looks like the numbers are up this year and I am talking to neighbours about managing the numbers as the South Lakes grey population migrate north and threaten one of the last remaining populations of Red Squirrels. They will also pose a threat to the newly planted trees as they become more established as they will be vulnerable to damage to the bark. The ratio on the cameras is about 80% squirrel to 20% something else. Here I am including the ‘something else’. 

NB the temperature reported on this camera has always been out by about 8ºc!

One of the most common birds I see and hear at the wood is the blue tit - here is some misty footage. They often peck the camera where spiders gather.

Pheasants are an occasional sight at the wood now that the breeding and shooting has stopped but the odd survivor from the shoots turn up.

I hear the Jay calling often at the wood although don’t spot them often. Nice to see this one feeding on acorns. They apparently stash them for later and maybe will forget the odd one leading to new oak trees at  Bel’s Wood.

I’m not entirely sure what is happening here. The bird on the branch at the beginning is a thrush. The bird that comes in doesn’t look like a thrush but more like a female blackbird. 

Unusually I picked up this Greater Spotted Woodpecker footage. This is another bird I hear often but don’t get to see so frequently and they appear to spend time higher up in the canopy than I can reach to locate the camera. 

I am thinking a ladder could be good to see what happens higher up some time.

Sometimes the location of the camera is just right. Last year I picked up a Tawny Owl hunting early in the morning. Below are a series of videos of a Tawny Owl hunting at night. There were quite a few 20second videos of them standing completely still that I have not included but gives an insight to the patience and silence involved in hunting.

Success! Although of course a hunting success comes at a price

I’ll give the last frame to this acrobatic squirrel vertically taking off!

This footage came from the camera located in the largest Oak tree on the site (Gandalf). I have this idea of trying to map all of the plant and animal life supported by this beautiful tree. The holly tree growing alongside makes access difficult but maybe over the winter months while the other vegetation has died back I shall investigate.