Scozmo's Photery

October 3rd 2025 – we drove back from Cellardyke, a day earlybecause Storm Amy was heading our way and the wind was getting up and it just felt right to get home before the full storm hit. We live on a hilltop, pretty exposed to the wind so we’d rather be here if anything happens than discover it later and, the wind kept blowing through 4th/5th anyway so we were all tucked up at home, rather than wondering about the drive.

I did get out for a walk on the 4th but, it was pretty wild out there and I didn’t take many shots at all, just enjoyed the walk in an invigorating wind.

I did stumble upon a pair of Roe deer right next to the lane on my way home, it was like they hadn’t seen me at all, maybe twenty feet away before they panicked and shot off into the woods and I wasn’t quick enough.

One thing there is no shortage of at the moment is Fungi, they are everywhere and I counted 15 Fly Agaric as I walked back towards home.

Back home and snuggled in to listen to the wind beat against the building for most of the night.

I woke this morning, 5th to a slightly calmer day, still a good breeze but beautiful blue skies so, off I went again, same walk, the new green lane loop, checking my wildlife cam en route. I spotted a couple of Red Kites or, the same Red Kite a couple of times 🙂 but not close enough to try photographing it, there were a good few small birds around but mostly moving too fast and into cover quickly, again, I just enjoyed the walk for the most part.

I did grab a few shots as I approached the camera location and glad I did!

Lots of Goldfinches over the weeds in the reed beds, at least one family of Stonechats flitting over the same or the Radish crop in the field.

It was while I was watching these that a bird popped up further ahead, out of the reed area, seemed to spot me and take quick evasive action. I grabbed the binoculars, decided it was a Sparrowhawk and fired off a few shots.

A Hen Harrier female, I only figured that out when I got back to the Mac and checked the shots; happy chap, I hadn’t seen her for some time and despite not being the best shots, getting any of a Hen Harrier is a win.

She flew into the sun which didn’t make it any easier, that and I’d been shooting into the ground essentially when she appeared so some fast adjustment was needed, glad I got any shots at all.

I guess that’s one of the hazards of walking and trying to take bird or wildlife images, constantly changing light!

I checked the wildlife cam and headed up the lane to the old Oak to leave out some food, see what might drop down and just as I got to the end of the field ….

Another, or the Red Kite flew slowly by.

I grabbed a quick shot of a bird perched in the hedge just before I turned the other way.

A lovely Reed Bunting female, that hedge gets full of birds as we go into Winter, I love it.

Up to the Oak, dropped some food off and watched Coal & Great Tits and a Robin & Chaffinch, no Nuthatches today so I ended up carrying on down the lane a bit further, see how the apple tree was doing.

Pretty good crop and still growing, I think; I grabbed a good pocketful of the biggest ….. there’s an Apple Crumble on the go as I type :). There are around twelve apple trees on the patch, wonderful but almost all fruit is small this year, hmmmmmmm.

I also spotted a few dragonflies around the same area, I don’t know at what point they disappear but, there are still a few around today.

Common Darters, I only saw three or four but always good to see them. And that was me, t^me to head back, I’d been out for around 2.5 hours, time to get those apples home 🙂

When we moved here in 2022 I had hoped we might see Yellowhammers and Tree Sparrows …

This small flock off mixed House & Tree Sparrows was sitting in the hedge end, we may not get many migrants or rarities up here but I LOVE that we have both Sparrows. 🙂

So what started out as a pretty quiet weekend and walk today, actually turned out to have a real bonus with the Hen Harrier sighting.

Happy Chappy once again.

See you all soon.

October 2025