Weekly Digest

Posted on by Brian Scott

A collection of images from my wanders on “the patch”

October – Week 2

Looks like last week started busy, I have a feeling the weather was much better as the week began, especially when I look back at the photos as I edit them. The news of the week was the confirmed sighting of the leucistic, all white Chaffinch near the end of our lane so, several of my walks ended down there in my attempts to get some shots of it, I will be back 🙂

Monday 13th saw my first walk down the lane in search of that bird but one thing I got out of being in a slightly new area was that they have a great selection of birds visiting.

I stopped at the first feeding post and didn’t see a lot of activity but I did see this …

A dying fern with white underside, you can see the brown of the upside in these shots, I have no idea what would make the undersides white? Anyone?

I also spotted a day flying moth as I approached the mill pond.

I added a couple of shots to iNaturalist, see what species it is, nothing yet.

There are also still a few Common Darter around.

The route I took, past the ponds, is just over a mile to the garden where the Chaffinch has been seen so, I settled in to watch and wait. Im did drop some temptation around the area and someone liked it!

Helped pass the time watching that wee Bank Vole pop in and out of the gaps in the wall.

There are two huge Laurel (I think) bordering the garden and they were attracting the Redwings and Fieldfare, first I’d seen this year, no Fieldfare photos yet but I did get a photo-shoot with a young tatty Blackbird.

I did spot the white Chaffinch flying by but that was it and I stood for a couple of hours before heading back up the lane, at least I get good walks out of it 😉

I set off again on Wednesday 15th, taking the full green lane loop and I got checked out by a pair of red Kites (again), they really seem to be quite inquisitive birds.

At least one of them flew slowly right over my head, you can see how clear and blue the sky was but, I’ve mentioned before, my ability to track even a slow moving bird is lacking!

So, I kept some of the original shots to share alongside a cropped shot

So you can see I caught the bird, but off-centre and there are quite a few like that!!! 🙂

So that three are all cropped to centre the bird which of course also brings it in closer to our view.

A couple of shots to close off my Red Kite experience …

And proof that there were actually two of them.

I think one reason I struggle to track the birds is that I also stay as zoomed in as I can, if I backed off a little, there would be more room to centre the bird in? 🙂

That was it for the walk; Thursday 16th was the day I captured the white Chaffinch and while I was down there, I caught a few more.

My first sightings and shots of Redwing which are just arriving back in our country, usually in their thousands.

I’d actually just about given up for that session and was walking back along the garden wall towards my exit, when. Buzzard dropped into a tree not too far away, I had to be quick.

Those three shots were all in the same burst so I’m amazed to get them all in focus.

I was also seeing more Redpoll in the area, they’re flighty so-n-so’s and I’ll be trying for some good shots as we drift into Winter, now and again they’ll drop into the garden so fingers crossed.

A young Siskin and a Redpoll together.

I went back down on the 17th but saw very little but I loved this fungus village on a mossy tree stump.

As I stood patiently waiting I was also watching a Goldcrest and Coal Tits foraging in a Rowan tree.

Goldcrest

Difficult to capture, they rarely stay still 🙂

I wandered over to the Mill Pond before heading back up the lane, most of the wild flowers are dying back now but there are still a few Sunflowers standing proud.

And that was Week 3 in October. The weather has now turned grey and dank, I still get out of r my walks but for the most part I don’t take many shots, the light is poor, the sky is dull and bland so unless it’s something very special, I don’t bother.

Always have a camera with me, you never know, right?

See you next week I hope 🙂

October 2025

patch photos

13 thoughts on “Weekly Digest”

    1. Thank you, very lucky with all the wildlife just on the doorstep. One reason I enjoy sharing, we all get to see birds, locations etc. that we may otherwise never see 🙂

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      1. I work in the city area live over an hour north. I’ve met birding tourists. Last year there was a man from England where the short eared owls come every year. This summer I met several birders in New Jersey from Germany and Scotland. They were ticking birds on their lists. The snowies on a good year go to certain beaches on Long Island, NJ and Ct. They were low in numbers last year, but came.

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      2. They’re such beautiful birds, we had a shorty here last year so maybe this year again but I was spoilt with the Long-eared earlier. I consider myself a casual birder, enjoy a good walk, with a camera and binocs, getting a good shot is a bonus 🙂

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      4. Same here Sharon, I “found” an owl in a wood in Vancouver once, just sitting watching us, no idea which it was, wandered a mucky woodland trail in my work suit because I heard a hoot and found a tawny and youngster staring at me but I’ve not had that many owl opportunities. We do have a pair of Barn Owls in the barn right next to the house but I VERY rarely see them out and about, sadly.

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