I rarely set my trail cameras for pictures of birds but birds trigger more recordings than mammals. Most of the mammals are rats and mice and most of the birds are wood pigeons and moorhens but sometimes it is something more interesting. Several Eurasian bitterns have been in Gosforth Nature Reserve all winter and at least one is still there - it is rarely seen but constantly heard as its booming call echoes through the reeds. This one did me the honour of walking past my camera.
Another surprise was a cormorant, a common sight on the lake but not previously within range of a trail camera.
Next two little brown jobs. Reed buntings are common enough and the singing males are very visible in spring. Females are less showy but still very attractive and, like the bittern, beautifully camouflaged for life in the reeds. Cetti's warblers are easily heard but rarely seen, which is a pity as they are also very attractive little birds.
Common birds tend to get overlooked but the trail cameras can give us an intimate view. Here are a few recent ones that caught my eye.
Finally another surprise - a tawny owl trying to catch a rat. Perhaps a bit optimistic but it may have misjudged the size of its prey in the dark. The rat lived to tell the tale.
