What have you seen
Comments
-
It took me a little while to work out what these young Black Headed Gulls were doing. There were about 40 or so looking like they were splashing around having a good wash, but they were in fact stirring up the sediment below water level to disturb some food. Then they took to flying up a few feet then plunging into the water to pick up anything they had disturbed. Not sure what they were taking.
1 -
Thanks Brue
I have no idea what they were catching, it looks like a shell with something hanging out. Perhaps it was cockles.
Spent this afternoon watching a Winchat Shrike catching bees. Something of a rarity in these parts and with a quite gory habit of impaling smaller birds on Hawthorn bushes to eat later
0 -
That should have read Woodchat Shrike. This one is a stray juvenile and can be found on Chipping Sodbury Common at present.
One of the birdwatchers had travelled from north leicestershire to see the bird, so I guess they are few and far between.
0 -
Bluemalaga – Hope it’s OK so I could see clearer. Gull seems to be carrying a snail like shape so maybe a Winkle ? Great photos.
0 -
Thanks
I think the area they were fishing was probably fresh water, but not certain. There are a couple pics all taking the same thing. Once caught, the gull took them on to a small spit of land, but I could not see what they did next.
0 -
I have seen quite a few Roe Deer this week just over the road from the CL we are staying at in Flamborough.
Sorry can't post any pics on poor WiFi.
0 -
Good day today, managed to see a Wryneck at Kessingland Sluice.
1 -
Never seen one, and don't even know if I'd recognise one anyway. There were about 100 Lapwings on a shallow lake in the parkland of Towneley Hall today.
0 -
Yesterday, having dropped my wife off in Norwich, I thought I would spend a couple of hours watching the Water vole at Strumpshaw.
The vole was out when I got there, slightly hidden by reeds and then it all went downhill. A man turned up and with an 800 mm camera and then did not stop talking for two hours. He had photographed everything in the world, sold loads of photo's, got photo's that no one else was able to. His name of D.... W....... of Harwich. will be engrained on my memory for a long time, what a bore.
I swear I heard him say, when he was boasting about photographing Adders at Minsmere that he had " photographed snakes all round the world and I've been bitten by a Puff Adder", only pity was it didn't kill him.
I thought you always sit in near silence watching nature and just wait for it to appear, not these moron's.
Oh, and the vole never came out again, what a rotten morning.
I do feel better for getting that off my chest.
1 -
OP
Walk past reception, 200 mtrs and there is a signpost, bear left and you will find a wooden platform, with bench seat on a small pool. There is usually someone there. Sit on bench and look straight ahead, slightly to the right, in the reeds and the vole sits there in full view. Looking at pool, sit on left bench......I can do no more for you.
0 -
If you guys are free, there appears to be a Citrine Wagtail at minsmere. Ref rare bird alert
OP did you visit the Great Bustards ?
0 -
Yes, heard about that, but can't get down to see it so hope it will still be there tomorrow.
Didn't get to see the Great Bustards as I couldn't get a slot on a tour. I did go over to the rough area where I believed them to be but the roads between Larkhill and Stonehenge were a nightmare.
Did you see we have a Wryneck not far from us?
0 -
Hi OP
Just catching up after our aborted trip to Dorset. The weather was pretty poor with just one visit to Arne before we gave up on the second week of our trip.
Only saw fleeting glimpses of the Osprey's and about 20 Spoonbill.
Have never seen a Wryneck, so I guess they are pretty scarce. How close were you able to get to snap the pic?
First sighting a few weeks ago of the Woodchat Shrike which must be fed up with posing for photos by now.
0 -
We are not bird watchers as such, but always enjoy watching birds from our caravan window.
We've been at the New England Bay site for 15 nights, and have seen the most fabulous bird on 2 occasions, which due to it's very bright coloured plumage, thought it must be a tropical bird which has escaped from somewhere!
The warden has just told us that it is a Golden Pheasant, which he said is very rare. It seems to 'live' in the gorse bushes. We've tried to take a picture, but it's too quick hopping across our pitch!
1 -
We are on a site in the Aveyron area and yesterday on a ride round the area we stopped near some wind turbines quite high up and there huge numbers of buzzards and kestrels flying and hovering about 200 metres from the turbines no bothered by the turbines going round or the noise, we then went to Lac de Paraloup which is a large lake and just about to get out of car and Oh said look above you and flying around was a Golden Eagle wow and very low but too quick for photo shot but also again a lot of buzzards but the eagle was my first time of seeing it in the wild stayed awhile just gliding about on the thermals so it made my day, have had a few warblers behind caravan but moving about a bit quick for me to see and check book, we have a tawny owl that starts hooting before it gets dark just started now, yesterday also saw a lesser spotted woodpecker again a first for me.
Enjoy your wildlife where ever you are.
Weather here could be better like UK changeable.
1 -
Lynnruby - wouldn't have thought photoing a Golden Pheasant too difficult as they are a pretty big bird but do keep trying. Plenty of birds around the lighthouse south of you.
Great spot Redkite, we travelled to Scotland to see, amongst others, Golden Eagles, didn't see any.
0 -
As I said, we are not birdwatchers, so we don't spend our time looking for birds (with a camera at the ready!) We just happened to spot the Golden Pheasant crossing our pitch a couple of times.
Leaving here tomorrow, so probably won't see him again. Yes, there are plenty of birds around the Mull of Galloway. We've been coming to this area for 3 decades, but this is the first time we've seen a Golden Pheasant!!
0 -
Lots of Butterflies out today along the Llangollen Canal, Red Admirals, Painted Lady, Large and Green-veined Whites, Speckled Wood and a beautiful Comma. The Swallows are starting to gather on the wires & bare trees, time for them to set off to the South can't be too far away.
0 -
OP
Not sure if your interest stretches beyond bird pics, but just looked at photos on flickr by Alan Chard who is local to me. He has taken some very good pics of butterflies and dragonflies using his 100/400 lens, some with a 1.4 converter.
I took some at minsmere last month of the wasps that lay eggs in bees, and they came out really well, unfortunately they were the ones I managed to delete from my records.
The lens will focus at about 5 foot which on full mag gives a good size image of a wasp.
0 -
Visited Arne earlier this week unfortunately in awful weather – strong winds with occasional very heavy showers. An Osprey had been seen earlier in the day but not by us. Saw approx. 12/14 Spoonbill [most we’ve seen together], ducks, waders some of which were Godwits. We saw a single male Wheatear whilst walking back over the Heath & the usual tits/finches around the car park area. Hope for better weather when next we visit.
1 -
Whilst up in Scotland my spot list is...
A pod of dolphins on the Black Isle. A ptarmigan near Tomintoul. A red squirrel at Newtonmore.
A headless red deer on the Drumochter Pass.
Lots of sea birds, seals etc on the Moray Firth.
Not a big count but varied.
0 -
We should have been with you there, but called time on our second week at Haycraft due to the weather.
If you are still there this week, the hide run by the NT gave us a good view of the spoonbills and the Osprey fishing.
We paid a visit to Steart Marshes this week and saw an Osprey passing through but not much else.
0
)
