Mid-May on The Levels

These images were taken on the Somerset Levels at Shapwick Heath and at Greylake.

This Wren was singing at full volume, but in a very difficult position for a photograph.

I tried several shots, but this was the only one worth keeping.

Crows at Shapwick are notoriously difficult to get near, but this one seemed fairly comfortable with my being nearby.

Things were not going too well and I managed the usual perspective of this Mute Swan.

A Willow(?) Warbler hung around for a while ...

... and here's a different angle on a Reed Bunting.

I went to check out the new screen at RSPB Greylake.  You're a bit exposed to the weather, but it looks as if it might have potential for getting nearer to the local Peregrine Falcon pair.  They did fly over me and I learned that panning to capture in-flight shots of that species comes with its own health and safety risk!  Whilst recovering I grabbed this image.

Mute Swan

Little Grebe

Both adult Little Grebe were around, but I would have expected chicks to have hatched.  I'm afraid that I have to suspect that the late-April / early-May flooding at this site probably washed out the nest.

To flesh out this posting I have some images from Stourhead:

Juvenile Coot

Most of the staff and volunteers at Stourhead know me quite well and, on my way out of the garden, a steward at the Temple of Flora drew my attention to a newly-fledged Treecreeper family in (on?) a tree almost opposite the temple.  With the steward as my spotter, I lay back on the grass at the 'wrong' side of the rope-fence and obtained these.  One good thing about juveniles of this species is that they are relatively still – unlike their parents.

Looks a long way down

Wait for me

 

Stick together

I think the last image made it all worthwhile.

I took these Treecreeper pictures on the 19th May 2012.  On BBC SpringWatch on the 6th June 2012,  similar images were shown and Chris Packham said he'd never seen this sort of huddling behaviour before.