What have you seen
Comments
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I saw something whilst walking with friends today that I do not ever recall seeing before. We were alongside the marshes near Ness on Wirral. We saw a number of lapwings, egrets, herons and other birds. What surprised me was a heron. I am used to their long gliding and flapping flight but this one was riding the thermals and circling higher and higher. At first glance I though that it could not be a heron as it was so high and lazily climbing on the thermals. I have never observed that behaviour before. I did a double check at first because its progress was more like that of a buzzard.
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We were watching 3 hares in the field next to the site at Skybarn Farm cl yesterday evening.
Plenty of birds onsite and nearby at Whisby Nature Reserve.
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Our 1st Bluebells seen this year whilst walking near Lechlade on Thames.
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N1805 I think I saw a similar bee type fly to the photo you posted awhile ago. I couldn't find your post but this is a web copy of one I found in our kitchen. I wonder if it was the same?
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I am mystified as to why no bird has ever been near our niger feeder. I change the seed regularly but nothing. even though we have goldfinch in the garden, they show no interest in the seed.Any suggestions why?
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Blue, we've had a similar experience with our feeders. For years, we fed peanuts, in wire feeders, and the birds loved them. Then last winter, they just stopped eating them altogether. Same good quality nuts, same clean feeders. Still plenty of birds, just eating different food, seed mixes, niger, fat balls etc. Oneputt might know why....
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Thanks N1805. When I found one in the kitchen I thought it was dead, I picked it up by a wing tip and noticed the long proboscis....then it started moving and I though I was going to get stung but I now know they are harmless. I see they aren't so harmless to bumble bees and wasps as they lay their eggs in solitary bee nests etc and the larvae eat the bee larvae.
They are obviously enjoying the spring nectar on so many early flowers.
I am quite pleased to have learnt something new!
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Hi OP
Checked last years calendar and was very surprised to find we visited Red Kite Touring and Clywdog reservoir mid August, which suggests barring another takeover the same conditions should apply in mid July.
Is this the reservoir you refer to and are you using Red Kite site or is there one better situated between the estuary and the reservoir?
Would you expect the juveniles to fledge late June or earlier?
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Now moved to the Baltic and on a site with plenty of birds. The return migration of cranes hasn't started yet although we saw 4 on the journey up here. Lots of stonechats, skylarks, also hares and deer. Feel a good 5 days coming up. If the weather stays ok might try to rent a canoe.
BM, I will use the Red Kite for both the Reservoir and the Esturay, distance wise it isn't too far.
Not sure when the reservoir birds fledge as a couple of years ago the male and a juvenile were still about in September and the female and other youngster had already gone. As you say last year with all the chicanery anything could have happened. The guy at the reservoir viewing point reckoned the female was still visiting her old partner at the Esturay, he said she never returned with any fish.
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Fantastic day, saw and counted 22 x Sky Larks, red deer, lots of traces of wild boar and Owl pellets. Decided to take a look around at 7pm to see if anything was showing when I was taken completely by surprise by a White Tailed Eagle flying over me. Got a picture but blurred as didn't have the camera set up properly.
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Onep, where about are you? We visited the Baltic coast last May. You're a bit earlier than us but if you're hanging around any of the areas we covered last year I might be able to provide info.
I love the way White Tailed Eagles just float around. Here one minute, gone the next.
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We were wandering around the grounds of Cholomendly Castle today and it was lovely to see our first Bluebells along with our first Wood Sorrell (very early) whilst there was still quite a lot of Wood Anenomes out. The Magnolias were still showing well and some Cowslips were peeking through.
Saw our first Blackcaps and Willow Warblers of the year and a couple of Partridges.
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Hi WN we are at Nature Camp Prutchen, staying till this coming Sunday and will then head Southish. Seen a few Cranes but too early for main migration North. Would have been great to see upto 100k all together, still there's hopefully another time.
The banks of the A47 Norwich bypass are always smothered with Cowslips at this time of the year. I'm addicted to their scent!
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Hi OP
Not able to get away at present, so rather envious.
I got chatting to the president of the local Hawk and Owl trust, I believe, last week and he told me he uses a set up that although I have not tried yet, seems a good set to have as the default set so that as soon as it is turned on, a pic is possible.
He uses a shutter speed of 1/1000 and auto ISO. not my preferred set but if the camera was in this set when turned off, it would enable a sharp and correctly exposed pic when something sudden turns up when the camera is needed in a hurry. Then set as preferred when settled.
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Lots of snipe displaying over our moors this afternoon.
An invasion of goldfinches on our garden feeders, at least 50. Not complaining, of course, just wondering where they've all come from! Keeping the niger and seed feeders well topped up.
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Saw my first House Martin today while walking along the by the coast road from Piel Island to Ulverston. Don't know if I'm late in spotting them or if they just arrived this far north.
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Walking on the local marshes here and noticed in the distance thousands of birds in flight so returned to car and drove in direction of birds. Delighted to see 3 fields full of Barnacle Geese, my estimate would be upwards of ten thousand. All was well until 2 women with 2 dogs (not on leads) decided to walk through the middle of them!
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This was a 1st for us 2 Geese with neck 'rings' on a sailing lake @ Cotswold Water Park. The other dropped into the water whilst my wife was getting the camera out. Have seen Swans with leg rings to identify them but thought this unusual. Wondered if anyone has come accross it before ?
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A heron landed on the roof of the house at the backs of ours, managed a photo, but the aerial was in the way.
Very unusual sight in the middle of our housing estate, probably couldn't find its way to the canal.
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Still only seen very small groups of Cranes not the thousands I was hoping for. The storks are sitting on their nests. Where we are now one of the nest built on a high chimney has been occupied every year since I first saw it in 1965! Plenty of Field Fares around here.
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