{"id":1637,"date":"2010-05-23T00:05:43","date_gmt":"2010-05-22T23:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.permuted.org.uk\/photography\/archives\/1637"},"modified":"2013-11-10T21:12:53","modified_gmt":"2013-11-10T21:12:53","slug":"woods-mill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.permuted.org.uk\/photography\/woods-mill\/","title":{"rendered":"Woods Mill"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

Woods Mill is a local wildlife reserve, about 15 miles from here. It's quiet spot, but usually provides something worthwhile to see. Last year I saw kestrel chicks<\/a>, and had hopes of a repeat. I was too early, or at least there were no chicks in evidence. The kestrels were though, including this one which perched on the nesting box.
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The sparrowhawks were out as well, though I hadn't expected to see one being mobbed by swallows!
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The ponds were teeming with tadpoles…
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But the real display was just above the small streams that criss-cross the reserve. The beautiful demoiselle damselflies are just beginning to appear. This is a female.
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Late afternoon, just before we were leaving, we stopped by a woodland nest box. I've seen these birds before, but have never managed more than a snatched and blurred photo. Today I was in luck. A pair of adult nuthatches were busy gathering grubs for their brood.
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You can just make out a hungry beak in this shot…
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And talking of greedy youngsters, we have a few of those in the garden. Four or five of the cubs were out this evening, creating a touch of mayhem in the borders. They are certainly gaining in confidence…
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Bold was keeping a close eye on them… and as a reward for her patience we gave her an egg.
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But like greedy youngsters everywhere, one of the cubs badgered her so much that she dropped it. The cub made off with its prize.
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\"Nature<\/a><\/span>
Camera note: all the Woods Mill shots taken with the EF 400mm f\/5.6L USM lens. The garden photos were taken with the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM lens.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,990,980,309,4,278,3],"tags":[627,1142,1128,1152,625,1154,1165,200],"class_list":["post-1637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-behaviour","category-bird-of-prey","category-birds-2","category-damselfly","category-foxes","category-tadpole","category-wildlife","tag-beautiful-demoiselle","tag-cub","tag-fox","tag-kestrel","tag-nuthatch","tag-sparrowhawk","tag-swallow","tag-tadpoles","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t