It’s early February and it’s noticeable that wildlife activity is picking up in the local woods and meadows.  The herons are beginning to reoccupy the best nest sites in the heronry, there is more birdsong, I’ve got blue tits occupying a nest box outside my bedroom window and I’m seeing and hearing a lot more green and great spotted woodpecker activity.

I’ve also been trying to get some shots of two kestrels; probably a reforming pair. Unfortunately, photographically wise, it’s not really going my way at present.  I know the habits of these birds, their perches and favourite hunting spots across the meadows.  Issue is that I can’t get in anywhere close enough yet while mobile and the area I photograph in is possibly too good as they have about a dozen trees that they rotate around and many many areas they will actually hunt over.  So I can’t even spot a reliable place for a hide.  Ideally, I need a more predictable pair!  Things will possibly settle down once they are hunting heavily for chicks in a nest but thats several months off yet.  

It’s not just the kestrels, just about all the other subjects I have in mind are also playing hard to get and we are in a period of overcast weather with just the occasional break.  

So instead, I keep watching, waiting and taking pic’s of more run-of-the-mill subjects.  Here are a couple of black headed gulls in winter plumage.  It is amazingly hard to get decent photos of such starkly white birds.  They may be common (here at least) but they are pretty special aero-naughts. 

Adult in winter plumage

Younger bird (first winter), the more orange (rather than red) bill give it away.