Mick Stevens’ Birds of Bridge

Bridge is blessed to be bestowed by beauty and wildlife in abundance, and as the summer weather finally arrives (fingers crossed) CommunityAd thought it wise to check in with beady-eyed wildlife photographer Mick Stevens who knows what to look out for in the coming months.

Mick, who uses the power of the internet to upload some truly stunning shots to his Flickr page and delights the Bridge community on Facebook with local animals, told us to “Look out for spotted flycatchers. A drab LBJ (Little Brown Job) but incredibly aerobatic when it comes to feeding. They tend to sit on a high perch and dash out to catch their prey (flying insects), they then return to the same spot. They are quite distinctive when they move between feeding stations as they have a dipping/undulating flight pattern and a pale breast”.

Mick adds that it’s still early in the season to see much fluttering feathered activity but “in late summer you will have a good chance of seeing flocks (Charms) of goldfinches feeding on the seed heads of thistles and other drying wild flowers”.

Wildlife is there to be seen if you’re clever about it as a late-evening stroll will increase your chances tenfold of seeing a fox or badger, also be sure not to strain your neck spending the days looking for wildlife above as a scan of the Nailbourne may serve up a sighting of a water vole. “You may think that it’s a rat when you first see one but they are much cuter, with a chubbier face, small fur covered ears and shorter fur covered tail. When disturbed they make a distinctive ‘plop’ sound as they dive for cover. Keeping dogs out of the river will help protect this timid and endangered species”.

To see more of Mick Steven’s marvellous photos head to his Flickr creepin_moses.