What have you seen
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Micky
If you visit the rare bird alert map, it will show you as a red star in Harrogate. Park View is the road shown, fairly near Harrogate station.
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I don’t either, but use the map page on map rather than satelite as you get a good idea where to look.
There is no requieprement to join just for the map page.
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It would now appear that the hawk-owl was an escapee. The 'owner' has been on social media showing concern for the bird if it has failed to successfully hunt in last few hours. Apparently they are flown in the art of falconry or hawking, I'm not sure which form of the sport though.
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Can't offer much in the way of hawk owl, will a Widgeon do? This must be one of the most beautiful water birds......then went to see the seals, pups all over the public walkways.
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I have not come across these before, or even heard of them.
About a dozen Blue Pheasants in the fields around the National Trust house Newark Park near Dursley. I thought they were black until the clouds parted and allowed a chink of light to brighten them up.
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These are melanistic pheasants, 'ordinary' ones purpose bred about 100 years ago from natutrally occurring mutants. Fascinating breeds a bit like the lutino varieties of some other birds. They are often bred, or purchased in, by some estates to destiguish their birds from neighbors.
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Thanks micky
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These early winter daffodils were in bud a few weeks ago, now they're opening out. As we start turning towards the sun again tomorrow it's good to see new growth.
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Walking along by the Ouse today we spotted a couple of pairs of Goosanders, a Grey Heron, a Kestral and quite a number of Bullfinches.
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Following on from marine mammals, saw four common dolphin about fifty miles west of Ushant a couple of days ago. Difficult to visit with a caravan though as it might exacerbate any damp problems.
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Until this week I had only known about straightforward brown pheasants. Now I have seen blue ones and the Avon Birds website has this pic by Bob Brewer of a white one, taken near to Chew Valley Lake.
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There are also Golden ones in the wild there days, which have escaped from private collections. We saw one on the road north of Dornoch earlier this year.
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The goldens are a different species altogether where as the 'blue', 'black', 'green' and 'white' pheasants are usually varieties of those common pheasant, bred for shooting. There are melanistic variations in most birds and animals.
Have seen Lady Amherst Pheasants in the white form too but only in private collections.
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Oh, and occasionally Reeves Pheasants have been seen as escapees.
As far as colour variations are concerned this may help!
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When going past a neighbours garden just now with an old stone wall nearly head height I can smell this wild plant as I walk along. She gave me a cutting for our garden but warned me it's a bit of a thug so it's planted in a neglected space that needs a bit of ground cover. It's got such a lovely smell, a bit like it's summer version. So this is Winter Heliotrope and in summer it's the "cherry pie" version of heliotrope. I've often seen it growing in the banks at Hillhead on early winter stays. Sorry this is not scented viewing....
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Snapped this little beauty, a stone chat, flitting around in the grasses today.
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Very surprised to see half a dozen partride feeding on the hard shoulder of the M4 yesterday around the Swindon junction area.
Followed by several Red Kite soaring over the carriageways around Reading.
Surprisingly enough, no pics
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Back from a morning walk along the coast. Snapped this, think it's a whitearse but which one?
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Can't help with this one micky, there are far to many varieties of white arses to mention.
But could well be a male Wheatear.
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