jolleychris
Member
Hi all,
I wonder if any kind locals to Moore nature reserve near warrington could help, as my other half and i are becoming increasingly frustrated!
I have recently re-discovered two passions from when i was young, namely photography and birds. Though a convoluted and somewhat boring trail of events (another time maybe!) i have come to decide that it would mean a huge amount to me to a.) properly observe, and b.) photograph some old favourites, and hopefully find some new ones in the process!
Having spent the last 6 weeks or so (since one outing just after christmas when we were both off work and bored) visiting sites around the north west at weekends, including Martin Mere WWT (fantastic!), Mere sands wood, Moore Nature Reserve, Loggerheads (north wales), and a few others, we have seen many wonderful birds and creatures great and small.
As alluded to by the title of this post, I did (foolishly!) set myself a few goals, one of which was to see and hopefully photograph (however blurred!!) a kingfisher. I have only seen one twice, both times way down south near to my parents house, and both times nothing more than the classic 'flash of blue' flying past.
From doing plenty of research online, on sites such as this, i have found a few places to keep looking (see list above!) but due to convenience from home and from work, we seem to have settled upon Moore as a favourite spot to visit. Its a fantastic walk around the site if nothing else, and i have some wonderful photos of the sun going down. But alas! no kingfisher!
Can anyone steer me towards the right places at moore to be looking - or at least locations where kingfishers have definitely been seen recently (ideally this year!). I see fairly regular sighting posted on the Moore NR website sightings pages, but few of these mention specific locations, and i understand that kingfishers can be creatures of habit, and do keep to strict territories.
I have no shortage of patience and will quite happily sit and observe for many hours at whatever time of day necessary (something else i am not sure of!), but need to make sure my efforts to spot a kingfisher are not being wasted in the wrong part of the reserve.
Recently i have only been able to get out during afternoons and evenings due to work commitments.. is this likely to be a great hinderance?
On an unrelated note, i have also heard that tawny owls can be seen at Moore, roosting in an ivy-covered tree. Have they been seen recently? If so i would love to add tawny's to the list (or rather cross them off!) as i have also never seen one in the wild. If anyone can drop me a PM with a specific location it would be much appreciated.
regarding woodpeckers, am i correct in thinking that 3 species can be seen at Moore? if so, am i getting way ahead of myself hoping to catch any at this time of year?
If anyone has any useful advice to send towards a newbie like me, then it would be very much appreciated.
I wonder if any kind locals to Moore nature reserve near warrington could help, as my other half and i are becoming increasingly frustrated!
I have recently re-discovered two passions from when i was young, namely photography and birds. Though a convoluted and somewhat boring trail of events (another time maybe!) i have come to decide that it would mean a huge amount to me to a.) properly observe, and b.) photograph some old favourites, and hopefully find some new ones in the process!
Having spent the last 6 weeks or so (since one outing just after christmas when we were both off work and bored) visiting sites around the north west at weekends, including Martin Mere WWT (fantastic!), Mere sands wood, Moore Nature Reserve, Loggerheads (north wales), and a few others, we have seen many wonderful birds and creatures great and small.
As alluded to by the title of this post, I did (foolishly!) set myself a few goals, one of which was to see and hopefully photograph (however blurred!!) a kingfisher. I have only seen one twice, both times way down south near to my parents house, and both times nothing more than the classic 'flash of blue' flying past.
From doing plenty of research online, on sites such as this, i have found a few places to keep looking (see list above!) but due to convenience from home and from work, we seem to have settled upon Moore as a favourite spot to visit. Its a fantastic walk around the site if nothing else, and i have some wonderful photos of the sun going down. But alas! no kingfisher!
Can anyone steer me towards the right places at moore to be looking - or at least locations where kingfishers have definitely been seen recently (ideally this year!). I see fairly regular sighting posted on the Moore NR website sightings pages, but few of these mention specific locations, and i understand that kingfishers can be creatures of habit, and do keep to strict territories.
I have no shortage of patience and will quite happily sit and observe for many hours at whatever time of day necessary (something else i am not sure of!), but need to make sure my efforts to spot a kingfisher are not being wasted in the wrong part of the reserve.
Recently i have only been able to get out during afternoons and evenings due to work commitments.. is this likely to be a great hinderance?
On an unrelated note, i have also heard that tawny owls can be seen at Moore, roosting in an ivy-covered tree. Have they been seen recently? If so i would love to add tawny's to the list (or rather cross them off!) as i have also never seen one in the wild. If anyone can drop me a PM with a specific location it would be much appreciated.
regarding woodpeckers, am i correct in thinking that 3 species can be seen at Moore? if so, am i getting way ahead of myself hoping to catch any at this time of year?
If anyone has any useful advice to send towards a newbie like me, then it would be very much appreciated.
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