Digital Time and Date

Thursday 26 September 2013

Whats on My Patch



Hi , Here is the update of what wildlife and birds are on my patch also with a Few Photo's too


  1. Kingfishers 
  2. 3 Ravens doing there display's in the Sky 
  3. 4 Buzzards 
  4. 14 Swallows getting ready to leave for that long flight to Africa 
  5. 3 Grey Herons fishing on the Canal 
  6. Mute Swans Flash & Snow 
  7. Coots and Moorhen 
  8. Water Rails on the canal Banks feeding on elder berries
  9. Otter Prints and Otter Spraint in the sand

     
I Decided to go down to the river bank and go see if there was any fresh Otter
Spraint nearby and there was two of them one was covered in sand and the other one was
uncovered which you can see on the Photo above. Also I found some Fresh Otter Prints going 
towards where I found the Otter Spraint. But if you didn't know and you wanted to found out Otter spraint 
smells of pure Lavender and has fish scales and Mink is a tar smell and is all Black.

        Swallows are gathering on my wildlife Patch more and more Everyday , 
          Today's count there was just over 200+ Flying around and preening there  
feathers waiting for all the others Swallows to arrive.

                                Meet Flash the Male Mute Swan and he has a mate called Snow , I
                               go and see them everyday and take some photoshoots of them both sitting together
                               on the bank. 



 Best Wishes Ryan

Friday 20 September 2013

My Photo of a Swallow was onthe Springwatch Website in 2011


Signs of spring update: chiffchaffs, swallows and... basking sharks


Jeremy Torrance web producer Jeremy Torrance web producer | 16:29 UK time, Tuesday, 22 March 2011
However you choose to mark it, spring is officially here. We're past the first of March, the equinox has happened and the somewhat arbitrary 21st marker was yesterday. For me though, spring is when the chiffchaffs start singing. And boy have they started singing...
Over the last few days we've had reports of their song in Marsham Heath in Norfolk, in Newport and Colwyn Bay in Wales, in Coventry, up at Oxford University, in Tamworth and in Wenlock Edge in Shropshire.
The earliest report was from Heathdweller, who pointed us to the Herts Bird Club website where one lucky person reported chiffchaff song on 14 March. Can anyone beat that? (If you're none the wiser about what a chiffchaff sounds like, the RSPB have a recording.)
One swallow might not make a summer but it's enough to get this office excited. Last week, Paul Stancliffe at the BTO told me there had been a steady trickle of swallow sightings which was gradually moving northwards. One was spotted in Lancashire on Thursday.
Our Twitter folk could beat that, though. Binocularface reported that one had been seen the day before in Southerfield, Cumbria. How long before these beauties get to Scotland?
Another summer migrant to get the pulses racing is the sand martin. Overall its progress this year is on a par with the swallows. But one's got further north. To Lothian in Sotland to be precise on 13 March. This, tweeted dOSssDaz, was a new record.
I spoke with Stephen Welch, the Bird Recorder for Lothian, to confirm. "It must be a record," he said. "The report was at Musselburgh, over the boating pond at 11am. The sighting was by ex-RSPB Frank Hamilton, who has been birding here since the mid-1950s at least. I have searched the Lothian master database of about 500,000 records back to 1992, and found no others earlier. It would be very unlikely to have had an earlier one in years to 1992, there is a definite trend towards earlier arrival in recent years."
Stephen also pointed out that chiffchaff song has reached Scotland too. It's great to hear that after the bitterly cold Scottish March, spring has now arrived there too. First records of chiffchaffs are usually singles, he said, "but it seems they hit a sweet spot and all arrived together (in a manner similar to whitethroats, which in my experience tend to arrive all of a sudden)."
Another highlight from Paul at the BTO this week was the arrival of two white-spotted bluethroats (one at Spurn, East Yorks, the other at Oulton Broad, Suffolk).
It's less noticeable to us of course but spring's also been very busy out at sea. As Maya Plass, marine biologist and Autumnwatch guest presenter, so succinctly tweeted yesterday: "Nutrient upwelling = plankton = basking shark etc = Springtime!"
The most exciting is the basking shark. The Wildlife Trusts was in touch yesterday with news that on Sunday it had received the first official basking shark sighting for 2011. Scuba divers spotted the monster of the deep 50m from Roskilly Beach in Newlyn, Cornwall.
The Trusts said that the first sightings are usually in May. But the pattern has been shifting. Warmer seas mean the earlier arrival of the shark's food sources. And that's where the 'nutrient upswelling' Maya talked of comes in. A 50 miles long algae bloom was found yesterday off the southern coast of Cornwall and Devon, also a few weeks earlier than expected.
Possibly not a coincidence that it's brought with it the first of this year's basking sharks.
Meanwhile back to the birds. The RSPB today said it's getting more and more calls from worried householders reporting birds nesting in their lofts and attics. No cause for concern it says, the culprits (usually sparrows or starlings) aren't trapped and are very unlikely to cause any damage. So please don't disturb them.

Wednesday 18 September 2013

Oystercatcher is on Patch day 7 and Still here





Best Wishes Ryan 


My Dog photoshoot has Now Started!


Today's Dog Photoshoot - Millie the Greyhound down on the canal






 If you have a Dog and Wish to have a Photo-shoot
Please Do contact me Via my email address 
ryanmottram@aol.com

 Best Wishes Ryan


Tuesday 17 September 2013

Autumn Strong Winds brings birds


 I was walking along the canal on my second walk around my willdife
patch and I spotted this Black-headed gull and when I zoomed in I noticed it has no
foot. So I decided to call him stumpy . I will try and catch up with every day and keep 
you in formed to where he is.
Also on patch this morning were 40 to 50 lapwings all trying to fly in the gales 
force winds and they were mixed in with 100 gulls ,I tried to get some photo's of the gulls 
that were sat in the farmers field, Also the Oyster-catcher is staying around. But whist i was photographing the lapwings i noitced to the left of me that there was not one Oyster-catcher there was 2 put there beaks in the mud.



I managed to get a photo of the lapwing's gliding in the strong winds while
the heavy rain went off , there must of been about 50 of lapwings all flying in the air , but as soon
as the Heavy Rain Came back they went at the back into the fields and started to have a quick
bath the water.

Here is a far photo of the lapwing on patch having a quick bath , before
they go off to feed in the fields , they were going crazy , The flaping off there wings
as they came over my head.

As the rain went off this morning I stopped an look left to right into the trees
and Listened it was silent , but then all of a sudden long tailed tits and mix of birds went
crazy something was telling me that there was a bird of prey or they knew that it was going to rain.



More to Come soon
Best Wishes Ryan

Sunday 15 September 2013

Kingfisher and Flash Mute swan

Kingfisher Perched On tree Branch on my local canal , There must of been about 
3. I was Photographing elderberries in the tree and I heard a noise to my right hand side and saw 
a flash of Blue as soon as I saw the blue I knew what it was straight away i turned to my right as slow as a snail and started to take photo's of the Kingfisher , but then a canal boat came around the corner and the kingfisher flew up and sat in the tree with 2 more of them , I couldn't believe how close i was stood must of been about 4 or 5 meters away. 

 On my way back I managed to see the Kingfisher fly right in front of me also in his beak was a fish it must of been for a female Kingfisher. It landed in front of me on a post then it saw me slightly move and it was off straight away. 


 The Grey Heron was also hunting on the canal but this was a lot further down, Luckily i had my
waterproof trousers on and was lying on the floor , i couldn't move at all ,one move and it would fly. As I waited a canal boat did the work for me and made the Grey Heron Take off , As I was hiding in the Undergrowth on the canal path the boat didn't see me either.

Flash our Male Mute Swan Posing for this Weekly Photo Shoot down on the canal. Meanwhile Snow the Female Swan with no tag was Preening her Feathers and and watching Flash was his Photo Taken . I requested Info or flash and is 16 yrs Old. I couldn't realize that he was that old.

Thankyou 
Best Wishes Ryan

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Wildlife rescues this year 2013

Hi

Wednesday 11th 2013

Injured Falconry Kestrel - Harbutt's Field Middlewich
A Friend knocked at my Door and said do you what to look after a Injured Kestrel Until the Rspca come collect in the Morning but i have no where to put it so we went to the Local Vets In Middlewich Willows
      An Injured Falconry Kestrel , that Cannot Fly, picked it up and took to his Garage and put into a box and then came to me and and i carried and help take it to the local Vets and they took it off us so the Rspca can take tomorrow.


Thursday 29th 2013
A Stray Jack Russel Terrier - Location Big Pub Middlewich 

I was sat doing some Blog and I saw this dog running around over the bridge , so i asked a few people that were around if they had lost there dog and they said it has been running around a few days. So i went to see if i could catch the dog but it wasn't easy as i thought because it was very scared and very hungry. luckily had some dog biscuits on me and managed to grab and have a closer look. There was no collier on it but what i did notice there was an infection on its tail. Luckily there was a Cheshire East Worker coming towards me and I asked if he could ring the Local Dog Warden come and collect. So i left him to wait with the dog so they could collect it from him.

Thursday 23th August 
Cat Black and White with Grey 
I had a report that there was a Injured cat down near a bypass near by the canal, So i went to investigate and check it out. When i arrived at the scene i could see the cat sat in the bush ,the cat was very scared and was trying run away. I got my Gloves on and picked the cat up . My friend Fionna was walking her dog and i ask if she would help take the cat to the vets. I carried half way and the cat suddenly turned on and bit me on my Thumb 7 Times my thumb was bleeding really bad so i asked her to take the cat and i took dog, so she put it in a box and we went to the Local vets Willows and they said it was broken and it had a broken Pelvis and they check to see had a chip and it did it was someone from Middlewich and they took off our hands. 


Best Wishes Ryan