What have you seen

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  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #122

    You going to post any pics GL?laughing

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited January 2017 #123

    Hi OP

    There are some wonderful pics of waxwings and many other birds on Flikr. They were taken by a guy called Pete Blanchard. Just click explore, and then type in his name, select a photo by him then click on his link. I believe he is local to us but not met him so far. 

  • greylag
    greylag Forum Participant Posts: 584
    edited January 2017 #124

      

    I should never have used the word 'brilliant'...I just meant they were for me.

    There are better about..but i am pleased with these.

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #125

    Great Photos GL, None of mine are of them eating, so I think yours has more interest

    See that they are still around this morning

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited January 2017 #126

    Greylag

    There is no need to be anything but very pleased with your pics. I have only seen these fabulous birds in a supermarket car park in Scotland.

    I put my I pad down after my last post and was surprised to see a fox approaching our pond, not sure if it was for a drink, or a mouthful of Koi Carp.

    Just snatched a pic through the window before it ran off. Same pic but cropped a bit tighter to better show the look I got.

  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #127

    Cracking photos GL  and Bm.

    Light too flat today here and little action for photography in the garden apart from the usual suspects. 

  • Impy
    Impy Forum Participant Posts: 257
    edited January 2017 #128

    Greylag - you use the word brilliant, rightly so,  I would love to see  waxwings and what a bonus to capture photos like yours laughing

    Bluemagala - right place, right time with your foxy photo - like the foxes reflection in the pond very much laughing

  • HelenandTrevor
    HelenandTrevor Forum Participant Posts: 3,221
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    edited January 2017 #129

    Wonderful pictures,  Thankyou to all for sharing. 

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited January 2017 #130

    The lovely pics of waxwings earlier gave me the motivation to get out for some rather damp fresh air. We did have waxwings locally about 5 years ago and the trees are laden with berries, but no waxwing to be seen, however 4 have been seen in recent weeks but not today unfortunately.

    Undaunted I made my way over to the A420 near Bath where rumours of a pair of Cattle Egret sightings over the last few days. Fortunately they had not strayed, but were a long way from a vantage point, so the pics are pretty big cropped images, still a new species for my records.

  • Pliers
    Pliers Forum Participant Posts: 1,864
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    edited January 2017 #131

    Great photos!

    Do you think cattle egrets will spread through the UK the way that little egret have? A bird that only a few years ago I associated with much warmer climates!

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,636
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    edited January 2017 #132

    Great pictures from all of our contributors, thanks!

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited January 2017 #133

    One of the guys watching the birds today, who is a keen birder said that he was sure some had bred locally in recent years, so if that were fact, it is possible.

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #134

    We have had 3 cattle egrets hanging around our local area since last October. There does seem to be more around the country now.

  • greylag
    greylag Forum Participant Posts: 584
    edited January 2017 #135

    Bluemalaga....did you put your pic's on 'Birdguides'?....some very similar on there.....good pic's by the way.

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #136

    one of 3 cattle egrets at Halvergate marshes last week 

     

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited January 2017 #137

    Hi GL

    Not my pics on birdguides, I am still honing some form of skill with wildlife pics. My experiences with photography have been sport related until retirement, now adjusting to a completely different approach.

     

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #138

    Just read that there are 800 Curlews and 2500 Black Godwitts at Breydon Water today, wonderful.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #139

    I was out in our garden today, we have a Glastonbury Thorn tree in one corner. It's quite a famous thorn locally and it's unusual because the leaves and flowers appear very early. It's related to Hawthorn which flowers much later in May. Our tree is just coming into leaf, if the weather stays mild the flowers will follow.

     

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited January 2017 #140

    Just read the latest sightings on Avon birds and there are 9 cattle egrets at Chew Valley resevour.

  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #141

    Good to see the early signs of Spring. The Glastonbury Trorn is indeed the bifloral form of the common Hawthorn, it has mutated this ability to leaf, and often, if the weather is kind, flower twice in one season. Such mutations do pop up in from time to time but many of these in our gardens have been grown from cuttings originally from one of natural mutations. Many of us will have heard about the famous one from Glastonbury. 

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #142

    Yesterday there were 25 Hawe Finches reported at Lynford Arboretum so drove the 50 miles and didn't see one!  Never mind did see plenty of others, Marsh Tits, Nuthatches, Goldcrests, Little Grebes etc..

  • dougscriv
    dougscriv Forum Participant Posts: 14
    edited January 2017 #143

    I saw three  male and two female goosanders on the Skipton canal this morning, I had my camera with me but they wouldn't keep together or pose for a photo. Could this be another sign of spring getting nearer?

    Also it looks like last years resident swans have dumped their cygnets, it looks like they have been left to there own devices since last week, could parents be preparing for this years brood.

  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #144

    Similar experience at Clumber on our last visit, Hawfinches about but only heard them.frown 

  • greylag
    greylag Forum Participant Posts: 584
    edited January 2017 #145

    Oneputt

    Just seen your post about Breydon........spent around 3 hours today and those birds are doing there best not to be seen.  Admittedly it was very gloomy and in the end I got fed up carrying the camera, so I went home grumpy,  Only highlight was a large flock of Widgeon, something spooked them and was able to get some action as they took to the air.

    This morning it was my fault as I got there on a rising tide and I am sure the birds were driven off.  Next week I will try to get there before low tide and hopefully there will be some spectacular flying clouds.

  • greylag
    greylag Forum Participant Posts: 584
    edited January 2017 #146

    Oneputt

    Just seen your post about Breydon........spent around 3 hours today and those birds are doing there best not to be seen.  Admittedly it was very gloomy and in the end I got fed up carrying the camera, so I went home grumpy,  Only highlight was a large flock of Widgeon, something spooked them and was able to get some action as they took to the air.

    This morning it was my fault as I got there on a rising tide and I am sure the birds were driven off.  Next week I will try to get there before low tide and hopefully there will be some spectacular flying clouds.

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited January 2017 #147

    Loads of Brent geese, a small flock of Dunlin and a solitary Wigeon on my perambulation round the shore of Portsmouth harbour

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #148

    GL I usually go to Burgh Castle and walk down Breydon from there.  Nearly always Curlew there and if the tides in they disperse to the surrounding fields.

  • greylag
    greylag Forum Participant Posts: 584
    edited January 2017 #149

    Oneputt

    I've not done that side of Breydon for a few years, although that would be nearer for me and save me driving through Yarmouth.

    From previous visits I have some pic's of BTG's, flock of 200 +.....and Golden Plovers  couple of thousand+, but today....empty skies......

    The Suffolk website is playing up at the moment and I'm not keeping up with what is around.

    Not much in the way of blue sky coming up in the next few days, so I will stick to my local patch.  The small reedbed, 20 minute walk from home has breeding Marsh Harriers, Kingfisher, simply loads of marsh type birds and I can sit there for a couple of hours and not see a soul.

    Give it a few more weeks and the MH's will be sky dancing and displaying....can't wait.

     

  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #150

    Snook up on this yellowhammer, don't know who was more surprised, me or him!  

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited January 2017 #151

    The sun returned to the west country today, so a trip to Greylake south of Glastonbury followed by a visit to Ham Wall to watch the starling mermeration was the order of the day.

    The car park at Greylake was teeming with birds, male Chaffinch and female Corn Bunting.

    Ham Wall reed beds were bathed in sunshine as we waited for the starlings while a Great White Egret stalked its prey.

    I do hope the pic of the Starlings give some scale to the numbers, but this was a tiny percentage of the numbers, estimated at over 500,000.

    Final pic taken as we returned to the car park as the setting sun lit the sky.

    Lovely day out.