Not Lepidoptera (Birds)

[Jack Harrison]

Comino (Malta) plants - request for i/d.

Moved to new sightings' thread "Not Lepidoptera (flowers, plants)

Jack

[eccles]

Pete launched this thread as a birds topic, Jack. Maybe a new thread would throw up a better response?

[Jack Harrison]

Pete launched this thread as a birds topic

He said:

especially of birds

A tiny bit ambiguous given the header, "Not Lepidoptera" which I interpreted rather differently.

But a new thread it is to be.

Jack

[Pete Eeles]

Pete launched this thread as a birds topic, Jack.

Actually - that wasn't the intention. But it does sound like a good idea! So I've renamed this thread based on Jack's convention.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Gwenhwyfar]

We stopped by a river today, and there were lots of Black Headed Gulls, and a couple of Swans. I thought it would be a good opportunity, to take a couple of pictures, but the chances of getting my camera out the boot of the car with out them all flying off were pretty slim. But as I grabbed my camera, they just flew around me thinking I had some nosh for them. They got too close, so this is the only shot I managed to get off - Just a head.

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[eccles]

For tit lovers.
Snapped today: Sony A700, 70-210mm F4 'Beercan', 1.4x teleconverter. 1/100s, f7.1, iso800, hand held, natural light.

[Shirley Roulston]

There are loads of birds in Nefyn now the weather is terrible, these photos are taken through the window.

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These photos were taken with the Kodak P712, auto focus, with a tripod. Pair Siskins, Fieldfare, Robin and Pied Wagtail.

[eccles]

I'm very jealous of the birds you get in your garden, Shirley. I have to go out to get mine. I haven't seen any fieldfares this season yet, and I don't recall ever seeing a siskin.
I saw a pied wagtail today and ran back to the house to get my gear but it had gone by the time I got back.

[twitcher]

Favourite raptor
Shaun.

[Jack Harrison]

Lovely pictures Shirley.

Plenty of Fieldfares in this area - a flock of several hundred today on a ploughed field for example. They fly over my garden regularly at this time of year but despite lots of berries, I have never seen one stop to feed.

I once had a Waxwing on cotoneaster berries. Apparently, there have been large numbers of Waxwings arriving from Scandinavia this autumn so worth keeping a look out (Tesco car park shrubs are favourites)

Jack

[twitcher]

little owl earlier in the year

[Shirley Roulston]

Hi Jack, Twitcher and Eccles,

I have just read in one of my birdy books that the Fieldfares like windfalls but that's not what they'll find in a ploughed field but they are supposed to like berries. Twitcher, is the raptor a Red Kite, fantastic photo, can you say what camera you used?
Just where I live up a lane is a large pond, a few of the locals cleaned it out which took years and this is one we have now and a lot of birds come to this, the Pied Wagtail always has a nest in old farm buildings and every day its seen along the edges of the pond.

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I don't live in these houses sort of round the corner. In the olden days I think around 1950's the locals used to skate on it, sometimes it freezes over, at the moment its nearly overflowing.
Shirley

[Jack Harrison]

Fieldfares will eat berries or alternatively feed in ploughed.stubble/grass fields, presumably on worms. (Parallel behaviour to Blackbirds). There is some evidence that they prefer berries early in the season, eg up to the end of the year, but when these run out, they feed on the ground. But clearly no hard and fast rules and I regularly see flocks of over 100 at this time of year. I once counted 1,995 in one big field and amazingly, when I did a recount, the total was almost exactly the same. I use an ordinary calculator (no need for one of those clickers) The method varies slightly from calculator to calculator, but try this:

Press 1, then M+, then + key, then start pressing the =key to count. (every press of the = brings the total up by one)

Jack

[twitcher]

Hi Shirley,
Yes it is a Red KIte, Thanks for the comment although to be fair the feeding station where it was the amount you can take sooner or later you are going to get some good pics,
the camera is a 40d with a canon 300mm.Here is a Fieldfare taken last month.
thanks shaun

[eccles]

It's been fine and sunny today down at Willsbridge wildlife park.
The usual gang of birds were there, with a new guy taking over the top spot from last year's robin who looks like he's probably expired, hopefully after passing on his genes. They have such short lives.



Also present were my favourites , bluetit...


and great tit.


And a real surprise, since there are no large bodies of water there apart from the two wildlife ponds, was this heron.



I saw 19 different species of bird in and around this small reserve this morning, plus a very late hawker dragonfly, which I think was probably a southern hawker.

A cracking day out, Gromit!

All taken with Sony A700, 70-210 F4 'beercan' plus 1.4x teleconverter. EXIF is intact.

[twitcher]

Not a rarety to some of you southerners but a recent new breeder to Cannock Chase (warmer winters?)
Shaun

[Jack Harrison]

Dartford Warblers are now on the Suffolk Heaths (Sandlings) at for example, Dunwich. But I don't think they have colonized Breckland (Thetford Forest), presumably because that area is one of the coldest parts of Britain in winter.

Or are they in the Brecks?

Jack

[Denise]

Cracking photo's twitcher. You really have an eye for the birds
Your Red Kite, Fieldfare and Dartford Warbler are stunning.

Denise

[Shirley Roulston]

This is turning into a very nice thread with lovely photos of birds, your photos Eccles are perfect and that Dartford Warbler has perfect camouflage, my Kodak battery charger has gone kaput. My field has the appearence like a few pigs have been ploughing it up, I had a word with the local game keeper and apprently I have badgers looking for worms. Well I never!
Shirley

[eccles]

It is a nice thread, Shirley. Great shots everyone - keep them coming.