What have you seen

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  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #152
  • Impy
    Impy Forum Participant Posts: 257
    edited January 2017 #153

    Lovely photos everyone, I enjoyed looking at them, thanks for sharing laughing

  • greylag
    greylag Forum Participant Posts: 584
    edited January 2017 #154

    I also saw the Hoopoe at Flamborough...I watched 2 people walking up and down searching for what I had no idea.....bit further along the road I saw on the back lawn the Hoopoe.  Did I shout to our searching birders 'is this what you are looking for'?  No......I just enjoyed it all to myself.

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited January 2017 #155

    What a greedy little Greylag, I bet the guilt kept you up all nightsmile

  • greylag
    greylag Forum Participant Posts: 584
    edited January 2017 #156

    Naw.......slept like a log.

    If they had smiled and said 'good morning' as we walked past and shared what they were looking for, they would have gotten the call.

    I always share any highlights with people near me, I just love to see their faces when they witness something special.

    When I volunteer at Norwich Peregrine watchpoint during Spring, sharing info and pointing out these birds to anyone who happens to pass by is very enjoyable and they always leave smiling.

    And......I volunteer with some lovely people!

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #157

    I always try to share but some people are just anti everyone and everything.  Last year at Minsmere I ask a guy in a hide where about on the scrape the Yellow Legged Gull was (I didn't have my Scope) his reply just look for the yellow legs, He didn't come across as trying to be funny,  won't tell you what I thought of thisyell.

    Like you GL I just love to see people get a glimpse of something unusual.  I get excited about seeing fairly common species.

    If I see a group of people looking in scopes/long lenses, I always strike up conversation and they are happy to share

    GL - How long have you been a volunteer at Norwich Cathedral watch point? 

     

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited January 2017 #158

    Quite a sad end to the events of last year at Norwich, how many chicks actually survived.

    Is the aggressive female from Bath still in residence this year.

    I must say I found the footage from the nest cam addictive, but it wasn't until days after the last chick left the nest that I caught up on the events.

  • HelenandTrevor
    HelenandTrevor Forum Participant Posts: 3,221
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    edited January 2017 #159

    Some more great pictures, thanks again to all for sharing.

    We are novices at bird watching/identifing but have always found people really helpful .

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited January 2017 #160

    I can manage the common or garden plus a few waders and buzzard, perrigrine. After that take a picture then look it up when we get home. Most folk are happy to share knowledge, so just ask away.

    has anyone got the collins app for bird recognition, is it any good. Should be but is it easy to use.

  • greylag
    greylag Forum Participant Posts: 584
    edited January 2017 #161

    Op...This will be my third year, although with our trip to Croatia, I will not be doing as much.

    If you have never been there, the Hawk & Owl trust supply around half a dozen scopes and ipad(live video) for the public to view the nest tray.

    I was there the day the intruding female turned up...she sat on the spire for 30 minutes until driven away by the nesting pair.  She was id'd by the ring GA on her leg and was seen occasionally during the remainder of that year...2015.

    The resident female laid 4 eggs in 2016 and everything was going lovely, chicks hatched and then GA turned up again....there was an aerial tussle one day and the next day the resident female was never seen again.

    GA sat around the spire watching the male feeding 4 chicks on his own, with GA watching every movement,  When the chicks fledged GA then attacked, knocking 2 down and finally 2 were rescued,  They have both succumbed and 2016 breeding came to nothing.

    It now looks as though GA has paired up with our resident male and the soap opera continues.

    Better than Coronation St.

    Picture is the of the male dropping prey to our long departed female.

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #162

    Hi GL, I went to the viewing point a couple of years ago and keep an eye on the website.

     

    Just read that there are approx. 300 Siskins at Worlingham Marshes so may trot along their this morning

  • greylag
    greylag Forum Participant Posts: 584
    edited January 2017 #163

    My daughter is with us for two nights and may take her to see the seals at Horsey, although it's looking cloudy at the moment.

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited January 2017 #164

    Reported sightings of a short eared owl stirred me from the football on the tv this afternoon, but as usual it did not want to see me. However as soon as I moved away from the car and headed along the severnside estuary, first sighting was a kestral hovering about 50 yds away. Then it dropped onto a log and hopped onto the ground and out of sight. As it popped back onto the log, a mouse was hanging from its beak. It dropped of the log again and then flew off. A mile or so along the track, I came across a little egret feeding in a distant pool. Returning to the car, I was putting away my camera and binoculars when a fellow birder pulled up for a chat, when a pair of perigrines were chasing a pigeon which they caught right above us, then they flew back towards their nesting place alongside the old bridge, probably about a mile carrying the pigeon. Unfortunately I could not get the camera out until the bird was heading away with the catch.

  • greylag
    greylag Forum Participant Posts: 584
    edited January 2017 #165

    Tried again to get the Long tailed tits, but yet again missed the sunlight, just went out too late.  I will try again the next (tuesday) sunny day,  I consoled myself with a walk up the river...loads of Widgeon, swans and Pintail's.  Egrets were around and a couple of Marsh Harriers, the harriers are always there.

    It seems the Waxwings are a thing of the past, unless you live in Bury St Edmunds.

     

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited January 2017 #166

    There have been a number of reported sightings around the Bristol area of small groups of waxwing , but only it seems for one visit to each site.

    Still hoping as there are many trees around laden with berries.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #167

    I've put a story on about NT Stourhead today but couldn't include the photo of these snowdrops which was a cheery site. The lakes were frozen over so many of the water fowl were teetering around on the ice and the coots had taken to dry land. I spotted a nuthatch, whitehroats and blackcaps.

  • twitch
    twitch Forum Participant Posts: 52
    edited January 2017 #168

    Managed my first Waxwings of the Winter today. 20 in a pub car park in Worsley, very handy and definitely 1 up from the usual supermarket car park site they pick.

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #169

    Great spot Twitch

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #170

    Watched Winterwatch and thought I would post my pic of a Dartford Warbler taken at Dunwich last year

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited January 2017 #171

    I thought you might like to see a pic that has recently appeared on the website Avon Birds by a Photographer/Tweeter called Pagan Birder of an Albino Blackbird, something I have not seen before.

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited January 2017 #172

    The fox that I posted a few days ago has now taken over the garden it seems and has even entertained a prospective mate. He/she has claimed the left corner of the garden and is presently flat out asleep soaking up the sun. It didn't even bother to chase off the ginger cat that also likes to roam our patch.

    Oneput, these were taken with the 100/400 canon mk2 with a 1.4 converter hand held and about 50% crop on full animal and about 75% for full face pics. May help you to decide on your new len.

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Posts: 8,190 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #173

    Beautiful photos. Do you have a large country garden?

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Posts: 8,190 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #174

    2 Gold finches arrived on our bird feeders yesterday 😃 a first for years for us. And a long tailed tit this morning, these were conspicuous by their absence for the last year or so. Delighted to share my garden with them and other wild birds. The local fox has been about in the garden as the dog checks out his route each morning 😉.

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Posts: 8,190 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #175

    You did well to capture it judging by winter watch last night 😉. Pretty nippy moves.

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited January 2017 #176

    That would be nice, but we live in the middle of a large housing estate and the garden is about 60ft long by 30ft wide at the Foxes end.

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #177

    Hey BM, still considering but will update you later on the Photography thread.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited January 2017 #178

    Beautiful fox photos BM. The fox looks in good condition. Thanks! 

  • Impy
    Impy Forum Participant Posts: 257
    edited January 2017 #179

    Great foxy photos Bluemalaga laughing

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited January 2017 #180

    The last time we had a pair of foxes in the garden, they produced four youngsters that ran riot every morning at first light. Very noisy, so perhaps some early mornings are ahead. This pair are in very good condition, as you mentioned.

  • Pliers
    Pliers Forum Participant Posts: 1,864
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    edited January 2017 #181

    Agree, great photos, and the fox looks very settled and content in your garden, Blue!