22nd
On my way back from university I stopped and got talking with a dogwalker who said they had seen what they thought were Smew (Mergellus albellus). I thought it was unlikely but still got super excited and decided to rush home and grab my camera just in case there were Smew. The rest of my journey home would take me along that stretch of the canal anyways. As I walked through the fields before the canal I noticed the Pair of Egyptian Geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca.) Once I reached the canal I immediately saw the "Smew", whilst they weren't smew it was still a very exciting species which rarely visits the Canal. It was a pair of Goosander (Mergus merganser), also called the Common Merganser in many countries. The females of Gossander do look very similiar to female Smew. After getting home and grabbing my camera I headed back to the Goosander, along the way I got a few out of focus shots of the Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis.) Photographing the Goosander was hard, they were far more elusive than the Mallards, Mute Swans and the Grey Heron always keeping to the opposite end of the small pool section of the canal. With the weather also being horrible the light was low making my images dark or grainy.
Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis.) Newport Canal, 22/01/24
Goosander (Alopochen aegyptiaca.) Male (Top), Female Goosander (Bottom). Newport Canal, 22/01/24
After spending around twenty minutes photographing the goosander it started raining so decided to head back to my flat.
23rd
The next day walking to lectures at university I decided to grab my camera. This time there were 5 pairs of goosander. Unfortunately whislt photographing the goosander a dog trying to swim in the canal distubrd 3 pairs who flew off but another 3 pairs stuck around. The light was muc better and with 4 (2 females and 2 males) I managed to get some more photos.
Goosander (Alopochen aegyptiaca.) Newport Canal, 23/01/24
On the way back home after lecturers I spotted a common buzzard (Buteo buteo) sitting and hunting from a telgeraph poll. I also noticed the Egyptian Geese again and this time photographed them.
Egyptian Geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca.) Edgmond, 23/01/24
26th
Again walking to university again I decided to bring my camera. This time I had my camera in me and was lucky enough to have a magical experience with the local Male Kingfisher. I was walking along and paused for just a second and when I looked to the right I noticed the Kingfisher sitting in a bare dead tree directly opposite me on the other side of the Canal. I took a few photos and pointed out the kingfisher to two walkers. Just as they approached it flew off but landed into a tree nearby they managed to walk on just ahead and get photos on their phones. As I was talking to a dog walker that had also stopped to view the Kingfisher the Kingfisher flew back and landed in front of me on the same tree for just a second before it flew other further down river. You can tell it's a male as it dosn't have orange to the underside of the beak. After photographing the Kingfisher I decided to head, I noticed there were still 5 Goosander (this time 4 females 1 male) along the canal.
Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis.) Newport Canal, 22/01/24
After a mentor meeting at univeristy I decided to head up to Caynton Gorse, one of the small woods that the university manages. Along the way I spotted a Goldcrest (Regulus regulus), aswll as Fieldfare, Redwing and Wrens. Inside the wood I spotted more Wrens, Goldfinch, Long Tailed - Tit and the ocasional Common Buzzard flying overhead. Once out of the wood I took the foothpath that follows along the edge of the wood and a lodge with a duck pond. When walking along I noticed a Kestrel sititng and hunting from a tree. I kept trying to get it leaping of the tree but didn't manage, evenutally flew past left of me and landed in a smaller tree at the end of a hedge. As I approached it flew off again and this time round the corner of the fence. Not knowing where it landed I walked slowly around the corner. And there it was sitting on a fence post I approcahed slowly and got everything set up ready for it too take off, setting AF tracking, increase shutter speed and enabling auto focus. I managed to get this shot.
Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Caynton Gorse, Edgmond, 26/01/24.
On the way back home from lectures I decided to check out a field filled with Goats. I decided to do these photos in portrait aspect ratio.
Domestic Goat (Capra hircus). Edgmond, 26/01/24.
27th
Today I took part in the RSPB annual Big Garden Bird Watch. With no garden of my own I had to use a local green space of mine to watch for an hour. Of course I decided to take a section of the canal during this hour the majority of what I saw were blackbirds, sparrows, dunnocks, goldfinch, wood pigeon, mallards and mute swans. I also got an excellent photo of a close up of an Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra).
Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra). Newport Canal, 27/01/24.
28th
Today I went to Shropshire Entomology Day at FSC Preston Montford with my univerrsity (some entomolgy lecturers, 4 other undergraduate entomoloigsts and 5 entomolohy master students.) The day was very interesting, topics involved fly specimens at the natural history museaum and collecting fly specimens around the world, new Dragonly, Damselfy species for Shropshire, new Bee and Wasp species for Shropshire and monmouthshire and the Natur Am Byth project. I also bought some interesting FSC ID guides including Ferns, Bryophytes and Waders laminated fold guide for my mum.
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