# Birdwatchers of RFUK unite!



## Ozgi

I've noticed that there are quite a few of us here that appear to be into birds, there's a load of wild bird photos and most people seem to know what they are on about.

So post your latest birding trips and sightings here! It'll be interesting to see what has been spotted around the country!

I have only been a couple of times lately. The most recent was to the RSPB headquarters in Sandy, Bedfordshire. 

Never been there before, was a really nice walk through the woods, but nothing out of the ordinary bird wise.... Treecreeper, brambling, long tailed tit etc... Did see a family of young stoat though, that was pretty cool.

What's everybody else seen!


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## fergie

I come from a long line of twitchers. There's a squad of us members of the RSPB and Ulster Wildlife Trust as well. Up in my Granda's house he has a stack of of old LP's with bird songs and calls on them. I can mind my Uncle sitting for hours getting himself familiar with the different songs and calls before he went out on his twitching adventures.

I have a few pics I'll post up later, they're also posted in this section as well. Nothing out of the ordinary but some nice pics. 

I wonder how many forum members are members of the likes of the RSPB, etc? With Spring upon I'm sure we can expect to see loads more folk posting pics, instead of the usual suspects.


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## erewegoagain

Im living with a friend at the moment in her house in the country and spotted nuthatches, great, blue, coal, long tailed tits, wren, grreenfinch, blackbird, in her garden. Oh yes, and mandarin ducks on next doors pond!


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## wolves121121

ive been birdwatching/ twitching since i was 9. now just stick to the midlands, favourite places are upton warren, wye forest, belvide reservoir and blithfield reservoir


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## Ozgi

My dad used to be a full on twitcher, now he's older he doesn't go as much. He's definately passed the interest down to me though.

I'm a member of RSPB and BTO, been birding for years. My favourite places are Norfolk and Suffolk. Great for the rarities!

I went skiing at xmas to Italy and saw a Golden Eagle soaring right above me, best moment I've had for a long time! lol.


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## George_Millett

I guess here might be the right place to post this.

Now it has shown up on the building I work I will be watching a bit more often. It should soon get fat on all the pigeons we have round here.


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## Testudo Man

Ive only just got into watching out for bird shots...Ive taken pics of birds before...but I'm more aware of what birds are around me now...

A couple of weeks ago, whilst I was taking pics of various birds at some lakes close to me, I did see a huge Heron gliding around a distant lake, so I'm hoping to get a shot of that soon...

Also a month ago, whilst going on a walk, I spotted a Kingfisher too...but no chance of getting a shot of that:blush:...it was just to fast in flying off.


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## laurencea

my usual hangout is the london wetland centre. i knew very little before i went there, but i'm learning all the time. it's also been great for photography - i had a compact digital camera for my first trip. i now have a rucksack with 2 dslrs and 5 or 6 lenses (plus extension tubes).

last week i went to the Welney wwt site to see the bewick's swans flying in at dusk - an incredible sight and sound. i'll be at welney tomorrow with a load of the LWC people.

other fave sites are Caerlaverock WWT (you can stay in the farmhouse cottage and explore the site when it's 'closed') and Aberlady Bay near edinburgh - the mass roosting of pink-footed geese is another incredible sight and sound, approx 60,000 at times!

Last year i did an RSPB cruise on the Forth and saw puffins, gannets, guillemots and loads of other great stuff.

so, i guess you could say i'm a bit of a birder.... but i'm also a bit of a photographer, but mainly a lover of (non-human) nature!


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## diamondlil

Since New year, a little egret at Horrid Hill (Riverside country park, Gillingham) and in slow traffic going up to Brum, about 10-12 red kites! I'd seen egrets in Spain, but the kites were a first for me and just amazing to watch them.


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## Big Red One

I used to go to a place called Risley Moss most weekends as a kid and all the time in the school hols... 20 plus years later I still love the birdlife but rarely go out 'just' for the birds.
Basically I love the outdoors full stop and all the wildlife that goes with it, you really can't beat just being out there, whether its birdwatching,fishing,shootiong or walking the dog. I hate being indoors - I think that's why I have the reps, so I can pretend I'm out with the wildlife !! :lol2:

I took my lad out today for a few hours fishing (in the snow) and we saw Great Crested Grebe, Goldeneye, Tufted Ducks, Chaffinch, Coots, Long Tailed Tits, Buzzard, Kestrel - loved it....

Best sighting recently has been 2 pairs of Bullfinches last Sunday while walking through the local park. Looked beautiful in the sunshine, me and the lad stopped and watched for a few minutes, awesome colours on the males !

I'm teaching the kids the bird calls, as that's another thing I love , picking out the different 'background noises' while you are out and about. My lad told me he saw a Jay last week walking to school and was made up cos he had heard it first and knew what to look out for ! I think it's sad that a lot of kids these days wouldn't know one bird from another, never mind sounds...

I still reckon I could ID most british birds, apart from waders , I was always rubbish with them ! (Too many little brown flocks of dunlin/knot or whatever to confuse me....) :lol2:


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## lizamphid1

I.ve been a big twitcher for years with a Uk list of over 500.
Theres a few Waxwings about the country at the moment, so keep a look out folks, these have to be one of my fav birds, little stunners.
cant wait till the spring and the next MEGA.:2thumb:


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## lizamphid1

Be nice to have this thread as a sticky, for the birders???


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## wolves121121

500 is impressive mate my uk list is 411. i dropped out off twitching years ago, not through choice. my last twitch was the white crowned sparrow in cley


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## lizamphid1

I remember the White Crowned, viewing was fun a few people getting somewhat heated.


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## wolves121121

yep i went for it afew days after it was reported and the guys pushing to the front digiscoping were getting alot of stick


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## wolves121121

whats your best twitch then mate


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## feorag

I'm not a twitcher, but a couple of years ago when we were on holiday at Ardnamurchan we went on a boat trip to the Treshnish Isles and Fingals Cave. I took these photos on the farthest westerly of the Treshnish Isles.

This was a totally separate rock that was literally covered in nesting Guillemots - there was barely an empty space anywhere.










I took this photograph over the cliff edge - these birds were on a ledge about 3 feet below. In the middle of this picture is a tiny newly hatched Guillemot, which was very tiny and very wet and was having a problem getting under its mother's wing beside it. It appeared to know what _it_ should be doing, but it's mother didn't and every time it snuggled under her wing she lifted the wing and moved away. Eventually the chick became separated and then went to another female, who literally picked it up by the neck and flung it to one side. The guy who ran the boat trip and I lay on the grass watching this little drama unfold for about 25 minutes, while the little chick tried out a few mother's before it finally got back to the right one and she finally realised what she was supposed to do. It was a freezing cold day in June and I just thought if the chick didn't get some heat soon it could end up dying from hypothermia as by the time it had been rolled around in all the faeces and water lying on the ledge, it was soaking wet.










Nesting shag










Puffin


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## lizamphid1

Golden Winged Warbler straight after a heavy night at a wedding still in wedding gear and a hangover from hell. The Brun Gilly on Orkney and sailing back in the night in a 9-10 gale. 1987 was one of the best years i have had on Scilly


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## Ozgi

I've never been on a proper twitch before, it's always appealed to me though. I'd love to go to the Scilly's, although Norfolk can be just as good at times.

I'll have to dig out my UK list, it's about 180 I think, not very impressive, lol.

Best twitch I've had was Black Stork at Minsmere, my dad has had loads!


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## RENT-A-GOAT

I am a bit of a twitcher but mainly go for photography now and not jsut spotting and listing my regular place to go is Brandon Marches part of the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust (Am a member of both this and the RSPB) and the main highlight for me is the regular showign of the bitterns abelit a bit too far out for my current longest lens


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## BuzzzKilllington

I like watching the birds at Bluewater. Have to be careful though, they often bring their boyfriends :whistling2:


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## Ozgi

feorag said:


> I'm not a twitcher, but a couple of years ago when we were on holiday at Ardnamurchan we went on a boat trip to the Treshnish Isles and Fingals Cave. I took these photos on the farthest westerly of the Treshnish Isles.
> 
> This was a totally separate rock that was literally covered in nesting Guillemots - there was barely an empty space anywhere.
> 
> image
> 
> I took this photograph over the cliff edge - these birds were on a ledge about 3 feet below. In the middle of this picture is a tiny newly hatched Guillemot, which was very tiny and very wet and was having a problem getting under its mother's wing beside it. It appeared to know what _it_ should be doing, but it's mother didn't and every time it snuggled under her wing she lifted the wing and moved away. Eventually the chick became separated and then went to another female, who literally picked it up by the neck and flung it to one side. The guy who ran the boat trip and I lay on the grass watching this little drama unfold for about 25 minutes, while the little chick tried out a few mother's before it finally got back to the right one and she finally realised what she was supposed to do. It was a freezing cold day in June and I just thought if the chick didn't get some heat soon it could end up dying from hypothermia as by the time it had been rolled around in all the faeces and water lying on the ledge, it was soaking wet.
> 
> image
> 
> Nesting shag
> 
> image
> 
> Puffin
> 
> image


That must have been awesome. After all my years of birding I am still yet to see a puffin! It's on my list of things to do this year!


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## feorag

We see a lot of Puffins up here on the Farne Islands which is only about 40 mile north of us, but there were loads on that island off Ardnamurchan. They were flying off fishing, then scurrying down their little burrows with their catch.

I don't think I've ever seen as many birds in one place in my life before - everywhere we looked every ledge around us was covered in puffins, guillemots, shags and fulmars. 

Then of course in that area of Scotland there are Golden Eagles and Sea Eagles,- we spent ages watching a couple of hunting Goldens one evening. There are herons almost everywhere you look and a large heronry in a group of pine trees almost at Ardnamurchan point.

Ardnamurchan is well worth a holiday visit if you like wildlife.


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## sasandjo

not a twitcher of such but admire them when im out fishing ....

so positive id require i think its a field fare ...


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## laurencea

i'd say fieldfare too


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## Testudo Man

I went on a local(Kent)trek yesterday, and despite the cold weather(parts of the lakes were iced over)...I managed to get some interesting pics...

Heron, Comorants, possible Shag and Great Crested Grebe?? and a possible Mallard Hybrid?...photos will follow soon enough...


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## laurencea

look forward to the pics.

i went to WWT Welney yesterday and managed to miss the marsh harrier! i did see (amongst other things) corn buntings (first for me), all three swan species, black-tailed godwits, pheasant, pochard, tree and house sparrows - avoiding the sparrowhawk! it was also my first sighting of hares 'boxing'.


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## feorag

Another shag on the Treshnish Isle










And a couple of tits in the garden of our holiday cottage near the Isle of Skye










Baby robin in the same garden - came out every morning from under the rhododendron bush to help himself to the seeds and fruit I was putting down for a visiting woodmouse and vole to come and eat.


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## RENT-A-GOAT

Here's a couple of links to my Bird galleries taken at Brandon Marshes clicky clicky


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## Testudo Man

laurencea said:


> look forward to the pics.
> 
> i went to WWT Welney yesterday and managed to miss the marsh harrier! i did see (amongst other things) corn buntings (first for me), all three swan species, black-tailed godwits, pheasant, pochard, tree and house sparrows - avoiding the sparrowhawk! it was also my first sighting of hares 'boxing'.


Sounds like you had a good day then...got any pics?:whistling2:



feorag said:


> Another shag on the Treshnish Isle
> 
> image
> 
> And a couple of tits in the garden of our holiday cottage near the Isle of Skye
> 
> image
> 
> Baby robin in the same garden - came out every morning from under the rhododendron bush to help himself to the seeds and fruit I was putting down for a visiting woodmouse and vole to come and eat.
> 
> image


 
Another great set of pics from you, excellent...

Ok then, start off with the Mallards then...

Normal Pair...










Now Im kinda new to birds, so forgive me if Ive got this wrong, but what is this one???...


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## laurencea

the 2nd one looks like a mallard - it's got the DA curls on its tail. probably just an odd coloured one, which are fairly common now - but cause a lot of confusion. there's some odd ones at my local, the london WWT site, including a beautiful black and white one who had a couple of broods last year and all looked to be 'normal'. it's a bit like snake morphs.


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## Testudo Man

laurencea said:


> the 2nd one looks like a mallard - it's got the DA curls on its tail. probably just an odd coloured one, which are fairly common now - but cause a lot of confusion. there's some odd ones at my local, the london WWT site, including a beautiful black and white one who had a couple of broods last year and all looked to be 'normal'. it's a bit like snake morphs.


Ok, just another morph of mallard then, cheers: victory:...

This duck was another odd one out too, much lighter than the rest...Could this be a Pintail?










And are these Pochards? (bad quality pic, because these were a long way off)...


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## laurencea

here's one from yesterday. this is part of the gathering that assembles for one of the feeds. more that twice this ammount will be there when the man walks out with the wheelbarrow!

mainly it's mute and whooper swans, pochard and mallards.


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## laurencea

Testudo Man said:


> Ok, just another morph of mallard then, cheers: victory:...
> 
> This duck was another odd one out too, much lighter than the rest...Could this be a Pintail?
> 
> image
> 
> And are these Pochards? (bad quality pic, because these were a long way off)...
> 
> image


not a pintail... could just be another mallard morph, but female ducks can be tricky. too light for a pochard or tufty. not a long enough bill for a shoveller. the stripe on the head makes me think mallard, but someone else might have a better idea.

they be pochards - male ones at that. most will be migrants - the males come here, most of the females go to spain!


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## feorag

laurencea said:


> the 2nd one looks like a mallard - it's got the DA curls on its tail. probably just an odd coloured one, which are fairly common now - but cause a lot of confusion. there's some odd ones at my local, the london WWT site, including a beautiful black and white one who had a couple of broods last year and all looked to be 'normal'. it's a bit like snake morphs.


I thought it looked like a mallard too, certainly nothing really like a different species, but I don't know what you mean about DA curls. I've always thought all (or most) male ducks have those curls and that's how you can tell the sexes apart.


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## Testudo Man

laurencea said:


> here's one from yesterday. this is part of the gathering that assembles for one of the feeds. more that twice this ammount will be there when the man walks out with the wheelbarrow!
> 
> mainly it's mute and whooper swans, pochard and mallards.
> 
> image


That is a hell of a scene there...and the guy with the wheelbarrow must get swamped...



laurencea said:


> not a pintail... could just be another mallard morph, but female ducks can be tricky. too light for a pochard or tufty. not a long enough bill for a shoveller. the stripe on the head makes me think mallard, but someone else might have a better idea.
> 
> they be pochards - male ones at that. most will be migrants - the males come here, most of the females go to spain!


That lighter duck has sort of striped type feathers???...I didnt see another one like it...


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## laurencea

here's a wigeon that risked the food scrum


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## laurencea

feorag said:


> I thought it looked like a mallard too, certainly nothing really like a different species, but I don't know what you mean about DA curls. I've always thought all (or most) male ducks have those curls and that's how you can tell the sexes apart.


i think only (male) mallards have the curls on their tails (hence the DA hairstyle of many years back!). i can't recall them on any other wild duck.


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## laurencea

Testudo Man said:


> That is a hell of a scene there...and the guy with the wheelbarrow must get swamped...
> 
> 
> 
> That lighter duck has sort of striped type feathers???...I didnt see another one like it...


the birds only stay because he has a wheelbarrow! if he went out without food they'd all fly off. he throws scoopfulls of seed out onto the water, so they stay just off the bank and wait. the odd thing, i've seen them do this at the site in scotland too and the birds all start congregating in the hour or so before the feed - i have no idea how they know the time, but they do. they are there waiting for the food, only a few fly in once the feed has started.

that other duck has lovely patterns on the wings, but it still could be a mallard morph. they have very intricate patterns and a lighter colour would show it. i've seen mallards breeding with escapee 'domestic' ducks... there are also Call ducks that have escaped into the wild, could be one of those. i haven't seen a Call duck in the flesh, so to speak, to know one. she's very pretty.


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## Testudo Man

This was the "stake out" for the Cormorants...I stumbled across this lake by accident, its not open to the public, you cant walk around most parts of it, and it is fenced off too...All the pics taken here, are from a great distance away, and my camera is a very basic one, so the pics are not that good a quality, I think I stretched my camera to its limits...I just lent on the fence, and clicked away...

The 1st pic shows my view...it was very cold too, at one point a few snow flakes fell...










2nd pic shows a possible Cormorant "flying in"...I was lucky to get this shot, when you workout the distance involved...Spot the birdie???:2thumb:


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## laurencea

looks like a cormorant - it's black and pointy! they are like arrows when in a glide - but pretty clumsy when flapping.

i'll try and find my, very lucky, cormorant in flight shot - a full frame one, complete fluke i got it in focus as it came in fast and close.


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## Testudo Man

laurencea said:


> the birds only stay because he has a wheelbarrow! if he went out without food they'd all fly off. he throws scoopfulls of seed out onto the water, so they stay just off the bank and wait. the odd thing, i've seen them do this at the site in scotland too and the birds all start congregating in the hour or so before the feed - i have no idea how they know the time, but they do. they are there waiting for the food, only a few fly in once the feed has started.
> 
> that other duck has lovely patterns on the wings, but it still could be a mallard morph. they have very intricate patterns and a lighter colour would show it. i've seen mallards breeding with escapee 'domestic' ducks... there are also Call ducks that have escaped into the wild, could be one of those. i haven't seen a Call duck in the flesh, so to speak, to know one. she's very pretty.


 
The local birds to me are very clever too, they know all the people with the bread coming a mile off, they just move to one side of the lake, then the other, depending who goes close to the water 1st...

Yes, its a nice duck, I have a couple of more pics of it too...It just stood out from the crowd, so I homed in on it.


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## laurencea

here's the cormorant


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## Testudo Man

laurencea said:


> looks like a cormorant - it's black and pointy! they are like arrows when in a glide - but pretty clumsy when flapping.
> 
> i'll try and find my, very lucky, cormorant in flight shot - a full frame one, complete fluke i got it in focus as it came in fast and close.


Sometimes the lucky shots are the best shots...Be good to see that shot...

Yes it was a Cormorant...I reckon there may have been approx 6 of these there, I'm just wondering if shags were there too, but my pics get a little blurry now, because of the distance involved...

I only spotted this one, because he moved his head, and I caught sight of the white on it...










Zoomed in on him...


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## feorag

laurencea said:


> i think only (male) mallards have the curls on their tails (hence the DA hairstyle of many years back!). i can't recall them on any other wild duck.


That may be it then. We had a female mallard and an Aylesbury white as pets when the children were young and the Aylesbury had the curls on his tail.

I just remember being told many years ago that male ducks had curls and females didn't, although with mallards it's patently obvious which are males, so I assumed it was a tip how to sex other breeds.


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## Testudo Man

laurencea said:


> here's the cormorant
> 
> image


 
That is a cracking shot there...

I would love to get one of those...they are very sensitive to any kind of movement though...no chance in sneaking up on one.


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## laurencea

doubt you'd see a Shag in kent. they tend to be more northern and coastal. the white bit would make it a cormorant for me.

i've seen Shags and Cormorants together and it's easy to see the difference, but on its own it would be very hard to tell (unless it had the tufty crest). Shags are slightly less black, being very very VERY dark green in look, but it is hard to tell at a distance.


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## feorag

I agree - fabulous photo that! :2thumb:


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## laurencea

feorag said:


> That may be it then. We had a female mallard and an Aylesbury white as pets when the children were young and the Aylesbury had the curls on his tail.
> 
> I just remember being told many years ago that male ducks had curls and females didn't, although with mallards it's patently obvious which are males, so I assumed it was a tip how to sex other breeds.


quite probably true. oddly, the only escapees i've seen have been female - usually escorted by a couple of male mallards.

the wild ducks i've seen have had distinct colour differences between the sexes.

egads, birds can be confusing!

that cormorant shot was luck, as i said. i have tried to creep up on some, but without luck. even when they are fishing they will swim away if they see humans on the bank. it tends to happen to birds who have been hunted historically. point a camera with a long lens at a duck if it's coming into land and chances are it will change course!


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## Testudo Man

laurencea said:


> doubt you'd see a Shag in kent. they tend to be more northern and coastal. the white bit would make it a cormorant for me.
> 
> i've seen Shags and Cormorants together and it's easy to see the difference, but on its own it would be very hard to tell (unless it had the tufty crest). Shags are slightly less black, being very very VERY dark green in look, but it is hard to tell at a distance.


Your probably right about the Shag...

In these last set of pics, you can see some with white markings to their heads(Cormorants) and some with no white showing?...could they be Shags???


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## laurencea

i know younger cormorants have a grey colour to their chest and sometimes head. the white spot just behind the wing is another giveaway, although some don't have it!

they look a similar size, which would suggest all cormorants... hmmmmm... i don't know!

you're just going to have to keep going back and taking loads more pictures.


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## feorag

laurencea said:


> that cormorant shot was luck, as i said. i have tried to creep up on some, but without luck. even when they are fishing they will swim away if they see humans on the bank. it tends to happen to birds who have been hunted historically. point a camera with a long lens at a duck if it's coming into land and chances are it will change course!


That was the beauty of when we went on the boat trip to the Treshnish Isles. There are no people there, the only people who they ever see are boat trippers, so they have little fear of humans, as you can gather by the photograph I took of the shag! He made no move to fly away as i crept as close as I could. At the time I only had a 4meg auto focus digi camera with a limited zoom.

I must admit I often have a problem differentiating shags and cormorants from a distance, because they are so similar.


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## Testudo Man

laurencea said:


> i know younger cormorants have a grey colour to their chest and sometimes head. the white spot just behind the wing is another giveaway, although some don't have it!
> 
> they look a similar size, which would suggest all cormorants... hmmmmm... i don't know!
> 
> you're just going to have to keep going back and taking loads more pictures.


I think they are all Cormorants too...the distance, the basic camera, didnt help matters, but Im pretty pleased with these shots...

So, is this a Great Crested Grebe then:whistling2:...


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## Big Red One

They will be cormorants, they are everywhere inland these days and can destroy inland fisheries as the fish can't escape anywhere from them (unlike the sea)... :devil:

That's definitely a Great Crested Grebe by the way... :2thumb:


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## laurencea

grebeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!! :flrt:

one of my favourite birds, the great crested grebe. Little Grebes are adorable too.

i've got thousands of pictures of grebes!


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## Ozgi

Oh my god! I've struck birding gold! A couple of days ago my parents asked me if my girlfriend and I would like to go to Costa Rica with them in August for 2 weeks!!!

We are staying in the cloud forest for 4 days for some dedicated birding. Here's a sample list of the species they have there!!......

Olivaceus Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Cattle Egret
Great Egret
Solitary Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
Black Guan
Highland Tinamou
Spotted Wood Quarl
Buffy Crowned
Wood Partridge
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Swainson's Hawk
Collared Forest-Falcon
American Swallow tailed kite
Peregrine Falcon
American Kestrel
Bat Falcon
Merlin
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Barred Forest-Falcon
Collared Forest-Falcon
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ornate-Hawk Eagle
Osprey
Band-tailed Pigeon
Ruddy Pigeon
White-tipped Dove
Chiriqui Quail-Dove
Buff-Fronted Quail-Dove
White-crowned Parrot
Sulfur-winged Parakeet
Barred Parakeet
Mottled Owl
Bared-Shanked Screech-Owl
Unspotted Saw-Whet Owl
Andean Pygmy-Owl
Dusky Nightjar
White-collared Swift
Black Swift
Chestnut-collared Swift
Vaux’s Swift
Barn Swallow
Northen Rough-winged Swallow
Blue-and-white Swallow
Green Violet-ear
Violet Sabrewing
Green-fronted Lancebill
Green-crowned Brilliant
Magnficent Hummingbird
Gray-tailed Mountain-Gem
Fiery-throated Hummingbird
Steely-vented Hummingbird
Volcano Hummingbird
Scintillant Hummingbird
Resplendent Quetzal
Collared Trogon
Ringed Kingfisher
Emerald Toucanet
Golden-olive Woodpecker
Acorn Woodpecker
Hoffmann's Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Streaked Xenops
Ruddy Treerunner
Spotted Barbtail
Spotted-crowned Woodcreeper
Buffy Tuftedcheek
Streeeaked-breasted Treehunter
Lineated Foliage-gleaner
Silvery-Fronted Tapaculo
Zeledonia
Barred Becard
Masked Tityra
Tropical Kingbird
Western Kingbird
Golden-bellied Flycatcher
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Social Flycatcher
Torrent Tyrannulet
Dark Pewee
Ochraceous Pewee
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Western Wood-Pewee
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Tufted Flycatcher
Black-capped Flycatcher
Yellowish Flycatcher
Olive-striped Flycatcher
Paltry Tyrannulet
Mountain Elainia
Yellow-bellied Elaenia
Gray-breasted Wood Wren
Timberline Wren
House Wren
Ochraceous Wren
Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush
Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush
Swaison's Thrush
Veery
Wood Thrush
Mountain Robin
Sooty Robin
Clay-colored Robin
American Dipper
Gray Catbird
Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher
Silvery-throated Jay
Rufous-browed Peppershrike
Yellow-throated Vireo
Solitary Vireo
Yellow-winged Vireo
Brown-capped Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Black-cheeked Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
Flame-throated Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Black and White Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Collared Redstart
Mourning Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Baltimore Oriole
Yellow-billed Cacique
Elegant Euphonia
Golden-browed Chlorophonia
Common Bush-Tanager
Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Silver-throated Tanager
Spangled-cheeked Tanager
Blue and gray Tanager
Western Tanager
Summer Tanager
Hepatic Tanager
White-winged Tanager
Flame-colored Tanager
Black-thighed Grosbeak
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Chesnut-capped Brush-Finch
Yellow-thighed Finch
Yellow-faced Grassquit
Slaty Flowerpiercer
Peg-billed Finch
Slaty Finch
Yellow-bellied Siskin
Volcano Junco
Rufous-collared Sparrow


----------



## slippery42

Ozgi said:


> Oh my god! I've struck birding gold! A couple of days ago my parents asked me if my girlfriend and I would like to go to Costa Rica with them in August for 2 weeks!!!
> 
> We are staying in the cloud forest for 4 days for some dedicated birding. Here's a sample list of the species they have there!!......
> 
> Olivaceus Cormorant
> Great Blue Heron
> Cattle Egret
> Great Egret
> Solitary Sandpiper
> Spotted Sandpiper
> Black Guan
> Highland Tinamou
> Spotted Wood Quarl
> Buffy Crowned
> Wood Partridge
> Turkey Vulture
> Black Vulture
> Swainson's Hawk
> Collared Forest-Falcon
> American Swallow tailed kite
> Peregrine Falcon
> American Kestrel
> Bat Falcon
> Merlin
> Sharp-shinned Hawk
> Cooper's Hawk
> Barred Forest-Falcon
> Collared Forest-Falcon
> Broad-winged Hawk
> Red-tailed Hawk
> Ornate-Hawk Eagle
> Osprey
> Band-tailed Pigeon
> Ruddy Pigeon
> White-tipped Dove
> Chiriqui Quail-Dove
> Buff-Fronted Quail-Dove
> White-crowned Parrot
> Sulfur-winged Parakeet
> Barred Parakeet
> Mottled Owl
> Bared-Shanked Screech-Owl
> Unspotted Saw-Whet Owl
> Andean Pygmy-Owl
> Dusky Nightjar
> White-collared Swift
> Black Swift
> Chestnut-collared Swift
> Vaux’s Swift
> Barn Swallow
> Northen Rough-winged Swallow
> Blue-and-white Swallow
> Green Violet-ear
> Violet Sabrewing
> Green-fronted Lancebill
> Green-crowned Brilliant
> Magnficent Hummingbird
> Gray-tailed Mountain-Gem
> Fiery-throated Hummingbird
> Steely-vented Hummingbird
> Volcano Hummingbird
> Scintillant Hummingbird
> Resplendent Quetzal
> Collared Trogon
> Ringed Kingfisher
> Emerald Toucanet
> Golden-olive Woodpecker
> Acorn Woodpecker
> Hoffmann's Woodpecker
> Hairy Woodpecker
> Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
> Streaked Xenops
> Ruddy Treerunner
> Spotted Barbtail
> Spotted-crowned Woodcreeper
> Buffy Tuftedcheek
> Streeeaked-breasted Treehunter
> Lineated Foliage-gleaner
> Silvery-Fronted Tapaculo
> Zeledonia
> Barred Becard
> Masked Tityra
> Tropical Kingbird
> Western Kingbird
> Golden-bellied Flycatcher
> Boat-billed Flycatcher
> Great Kiskadee
> Social Flycatcher
> Torrent Tyrannulet
> Dark Pewee
> Ochraceous Pewee
> Olive-sided Flycatcher
> Black Phoebe
> Western Wood-Pewee
> Eastern Wood-Pewee
> Tufted Flycatcher
> Black-capped Flycatcher
> Yellowish Flycatcher
> Olive-striped Flycatcher
> Paltry Tyrannulet
> Mountain Elainia
> Yellow-bellied Elaenia
> Gray-breasted Wood Wren
> Timberline Wren
> House Wren
> Ochraceous Wren
> Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush
> Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush
> Swaison's Thrush
> Veery
> Wood Thrush
> Mountain Robin
> Sooty Robin
> Clay-colored Robin
> American Dipper
> Gray Catbird
> Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher
> Silvery-throated Jay
> Rufous-browed Peppershrike
> Yellow-throated Vireo
> Solitary Vireo
> Yellow-winged Vireo
> Brown-capped Vireo
> Philadelphia Vireo
> Black-cheeked Warbler
> Tennessee Warbler
> Golden-winged Warbler
> Flame-throated Warbler
> Blackburnian Warbler
> Black and White Warbler
> Wilson's Warbler
> Collared Redstart
> Mourning Warbler
> Black-throated Blue Warbler
> Townsend's Warbler
> Black-throated Green Warbler
> Yellow-rumped Warbler
> Louisiana Waterthrush
> Baltimore Oriole
> Yellow-billed Cacique
> Elegant Euphonia
> Golden-browed Chlorophonia
> Common Bush-Tanager
> Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager
> Red-legged Honeycreeper
> Silver-throated Tanager
> Spangled-cheeked Tanager
> Blue and gray Tanager
> Western Tanager
> Summer Tanager
> Hepatic Tanager
> White-winged Tanager
> Flame-colored Tanager
> Black-thighed Grosbeak
> Rose-breasted Grosbeak
> Chesnut-capped Brush-Finch
> Yellow-thighed Finch
> Yellow-faced Grassquit
> Slaty Flowerpiercer
> Peg-billed Finch
> Slaty Finch
> Yellow-bellied Siskin
> Volcano Junco
> Rufous-collared Sparrow


Forget the birds there is some serious herping to be done out there!

From my last trip out there


----------



## Ozgi

Don't worry I'm wetting my pants with excitement about the herps too!

I want to see an eyelash viper so much I think I'll cry if I don't, lol!

Bird, herps, inverts, I'm excited about them all equally!


----------



## Ozgi

Anybody been out recently?

I'm hoping to get out this weekend. It's pretty sparse round here for good birding sites though. I'm gonna have to travel quite a way if I want to see something a bit different.

Anybody know of any good sites in Bucks, Beds or Northants?


----------



## laurencea

i'll be out at the weekend - although i'll be on the lookout for lizards as it's due to be sunny, some might be awake.

you could try the rspb site, see if they have anything near you... or the wildlife trusts. or search for local bird-watching societies, they might have a list - there are also numerous egroups on yahoo.

good luck and happy birding!


----------



## Testudo Man

Ive had a few treks out...found another weird coloured mallard? too...also Redwings...and has anyone seen a Treecreeper in action? facinating to watch: victory:


----------



## Testudo Man

A couple of unusual coloured possible Mallard? ducks here then...These two were found living with many normal Mallards today...


----------



## Testudo Man

And a Redwing(I found several of these today)...










Not forgetting the little Treecreeper too...


----------



## Colosseum

Yep im a Twitcher, i live right out in the sticks here i walk the downland with my guides great fun :2thumb:


----------



## Colosseum

*


Big Red One said:



They will be cormorants, they are everywhere inland these days and can destroy inland fisheries as the fish can't escape anywhere from them (unlike the sea)... :devil:

Click to expand...

*


Big Red One said:


> That's definitely a Great Crested Grebe by the way... :2thumb:



Dont you just know it, we had all sorts of problems with them on the Carp Farm they were posing more of a problem than the Heron, great gutsy things.


----------



## laurencea

love the treecreeper shots... and the redwing, such a lovely bird.

those ducks/mallards are great, the first one is really unusual, you can see the mallard stripes around the eyes though. i've seen a few like the second one, the big white chest.


----------



## Testudo Man

laurencea said:


> love the treecreeper shots... and the redwing, such a lovely bird.
> 
> those ducks/mallards are great, the first one is really unusual, you can see the mallard stripes around the eyes though. i've seen a few like the second one, the big white chest.


Its the 1st time Ive seen a Treecreeper, I couldnt get any really clear shots because it was moving all over the tree at a fast pace, and then it went from one tree to the next, then back again...great to watch though...

I thought I was lucky to see that Redwing, but then not too far away, there were at least 4 more of them...I have got a couple of pics of one of those Redwings pulling a huge worm out of the ground, I will upload that at some point, I think its a cracking shot:whistling2:...

As for the ducks, again my 8 year old son spotted that unusual white one, it has a grey head too:gasp:


----------



## Ozgi

Very nice shots of the treecreeper! I always like seeing them, they remind me of mice scurrying around the tree. lol.

Good to see somebody getting into birding! You got yourself binoculars and telescope?

I went out yesterday to Willen Lake here in MK.

Tons of Goldeneye, probably the most I have ever seen at one time there, there were 10+ males and 12+ females! Also 4 goosander, 1 little egret, little grebe, pochard, teal, gadwall, wigeon, shoveler, tufted duck, oystercatcher and a very quick view of a sandpiper sp. in flight.

Not a bad day!


----------



## andyh75

nice pics of the treecreepers, very tricky to get pics of them as they are fast and always on the move, hehehe, not been out birding proper for ages, up to 110 species this year so far, went out for half hour this aft, had 4 shelduck, 32 lapwing, 2 dunlin, 18 curlew, 6 canada geese, 5 wigeon, c300 starlings, 100 woodpigeon, loads of herring, blackheaded and great blacked backed gulls, 2 siskin


----------



## Testudo Man

Ozgi said:


> Very nice shots of the treecreeper! I always like seeing them, they remind me of mice scurrying around the tree. lol.
> 
> Good to see somebody getting into birding! You got yourself binoculars and telescope?
> 
> I went out yesterday to Willen Lake here in MK.
> 
> Tons of Goldeneye, probably the most I have ever seen at one time there, there were 10+ males and 12+ females! Also 4 goosander, 1 little egret, little grebe, pochard, teal, gadwall, wigeon, shoveler, tufted duck, oystercatcher and a very quick view of a sandpiper sp. in flight.
> 
> Not a bad day!


Cheers about the Treecreeper, and your right, its almost like watching a mouse rather than a bird...I do have 2 sets of binoculars, but I always forget to take them with me:blush:...



andyh75 said:


> nice pics of the treecreepers, very tricky to get pics of them as they are fast and always on the move, hehehe, not been out birding proper for ages, up to 110 species this year so far, went out for half hour this aft, had 4 shelduck, 32 lapwing, 2 dunlin, 18 curlew, 6 canada geese, 5 wigeon, c300 starlings, 100 woodpigeon, loads of herring, blackheaded and great blacked backed gulls, 2 siskin


Thanks...both yours and the list of birds above^^^^^^ sounds like a good day out...

I mentioned the Redwing having a tug of war with the worm pics...so here they are then...I think I was quite lucky to get these shots...I dont think I have any other feeding pics like this yet, Im quite pleased.


----------



## Ozgi

andyh75 said:


> nice pics of the treecreepers, very tricky to get pics of them as they are fast and always on the move, hehehe, not been out birding proper for ages, up to 110 species this year so far, went out for half hour this aft, had 4 shelduck, 32 lapwing, 2 dunlin, 18 curlew, 6 canada geese, 5 wigeon, c300 starlings, 100 woodpigeon, loads of herring, blackheaded and great blacked backed gulls, 2 siskin


You live in Flamborough and you haven't been birding for ages?! I'd be out every day! lol. 



Testudo Man said:


> Cheers about the Treecreeper, and your right, its almost like watching a mouse rather than a bird...I do have 2 sets of binoculars, but I always forget to take them with me:blush:...
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks...both yours and the list of birds above^^^^^^ sounds like a good day out...
> 
> I mentioned the Redwing having a tug of war with the worm pics...so here they are then...I think I was quite lucky to get these shots...I dont think I have any other feeding pics like this yet, Im quite pleased.
> 
> image
> 
> image


Great pics! Don't think I've ever seen a redwing eating a worm before, all the ones I have seen have been feasting on berries.

Lol, remember to take your bins next time! You'll see so much more stuff!


----------



## laurencea

i had a very close encounter with a redwing just after xmas...



















not cropped. i was pretty much at minimum focus distance (3ft) and it wasn't fussed at all!


----------



## andyh75

if i could i would be out birding every day hehehe, weather permitting , i will be out on friday and sat this week for good birding sessions heheeh :2thumb:


----------



## Testudo Man

Ozgi said:


> Great pics! Don't think I've ever seen a redwing eating a worm before, all the ones I have seen have been feasting on berries.
> 
> Lol, remember to take your bins next time! You'll see so much more stuff!


Cheers...I know I was lucky to get them shots, I'd only been in the park for 5 minutes...



laurencea said:


> i had a very close encounter with a redwing just after xmas...
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> not cropped. i was pretty much at minimum focus distance (3ft) and it wasn't fussed at all!


Great pics mate...and lucky to be so up close...

I was at least 20 feet away from my Redwing pics.


----------



## Testudo Man

I came across a strange sight last Sunday...

Can you spot the duck in this pic?


----------



## laurencea

erm... i'm guessing it's in the tree, but i can't actually make it out. some ducks do nest in trees, Mandarin, for example.


----------



## Testudo Man

laurencea said:


> erm... i'm guessing it's in the tree, but i can't actually make it out. some ducks do nest in trees, Mandarin, for example.


 
Correct...its in the tree...

It stayed there for hours, an old couple came along and gave it some bread...It was still there when i left the area...

Here is the pic cropped...


----------



## laurencea

ahh, i was right... i did think that was it, honest!

looks like a mallard, but hard to tell. i've seen them in trees and they do nest in odd places (remember the ones on a ledge above a bank last year - the man catching them as they leapt down). could be nesting - it's that time!


----------



## andyh75

Testudo Man said:


> I came across a strange sight last Sunday...
> 
> Can you spot the duck in this pic?
> 
> image


 i spot the duck hehehe


----------



## andyh75

seen my first chiffchaff of the year today in our garden, 2 stock doves feeding on spilt grain under our bird feeders, along with 3 of the 6 moorhen we have on our pond ,


----------



## lizamphid1

andyh75 said:


> seen my first chiffchaff of the year today in our garden, 2 stock doves feeding on spilt grain under our bird feeders, along with 3 of the 6 moorhen we have on our pond ,


 Is old fall hedge your garden? wish it was mine, be nice to have a Brown Flycatcher in your garden:2thumb:


----------



## andyh75

lizamphid1 said:


> Is old fall hedge your garden? wish it was mine, be nice to have a Brown Flycatcher in your garden:2thumb:


 no i wish it was though, allthough we do have plenty of hedges round our fields, i live bout half a mile from old fall hedge too actually hehehe, got to see the brown flycatcher too when it was in old fall, and the brown shrike too when that dropped in on the headland hehehe :2thumb:


----------



## vawn

I'm really lucky I live in a very rural area, a penninsula so I got sea, woodland, marsh land, the moors all in one place n most of the birds I see are all in my garden! i filld out the rspb poll but now i can't remember all the species but as a usual load;
blue tit
great tit
long tail tit (nomad group of 6 that go from garden to garden)
black cap
chiffchaff
red wing
lapwing
song thrush
herring gull
jackdaw
magpie
robin (n he don half look funny in his summer clothes!)
bull finch
gold finch
green finch
wren
tawny owl
the occasional buzzard
collard dove
wood pigeon
some buntings and warblers that i have had difficulty iding (?)
some sparrows of some sort, 2 kinds but i can't tell which
crow
raven has visited from time to time
stone chat
a black back gull has visited
pied wag tail
grey wag tail
did i mention pipits yet?
winchat
black bird
chaffinch
a rook
think that's it but as i mentioned in another thread all my pix are rubbish


----------



## Ozgi

vawn said:


> I'm really lucky I live in a very rural area, a penninsula so I got sea, woodland, marsh land, the moors all in one place n most of the birds I see are all in my garden! i filld out the rspb poll but now i can't remember all the species but as a usual load;
> blue tit
> great tit
> long tail tit (nomad group of 6 that go from garden to garden)
> black cap
> chiffchaff
> red wing
> lapwing
> song thrush
> herring gull
> jackdaw
> magpie
> robin (n he don half look funny in his summer clothes!)
> bull finch
> gold finch
> green finch
> wren
> tawny owl
> the occasional buzzard
> collard dove
> wood pigeon
> some buntings and warblers that i have had difficulty iding (?)
> some sparrows of some sort, 2 kinds but i can't tell which
> crow
> raven has visited from time to time
> stone chat
> a black back gull has visited
> pied wag tail
> grey wag tail
> did i mention pipits yet?
> winchat
> black bird
> chaffinch
> a rook
> think that's it but as i mentioned in another thread all my pix are rubbish


Is that your garden list? Kicks my list of blackbird, house sparrow and blue tit into the gutter, lol.

Bet you've got some great birding sites near you too!


----------



## Rydeboyz

Saw my first ever Bullfinch the other day, albeit a female.


----------



## Ozgi

Rydeboyz said:


> Saw my first ever Bullfinch the other day, albeit a female.


Nice, I saw a pair a few weeks ago. Before that though it had been years since I'd seen one.

What about Yellowhammers? Has anyone seen any of these recently? It's been years since I've seen or heard these!


----------



## vawn

Ozgi said:


> Is that your garden list? Kicks my list of blackbird, house sparrow and blue tit into the gutter, lol.
> 
> Bet you've got some great birding sites near you too!


yeah just my garden, the gulls run the perimeter kept at bay by the magpies who breed 1 young a year n rule the main tree, the wren nests in my palm tree, the collard doves usually inhabit the bottom tree wen they not sittin on my phone line n the jakdaws share big tree at night wen the mags have settled down


----------



## andyh75

Ozgi said:


> Nice, I saw a pair a few weeks ago. Before that though it had been years since I'd seen one.
> 
> What about Yellowhammers? Has anyone seen any of these recently? It's been years since I've seen or heard these!


 we have loads of yellowhammer feed under our birdfeeders, highest single count was 22 a week or so ago heheh


----------



## Testudo Man

Another fruitful trek out today...finally got a pic of a green woodpecker(although the quality was poor, because of distance involved)...But I made up for that, with some great up close pics of a young Little Grebe...What a cute thing it was too.


----------



## Testudo Man

vawn said:


> I'm really lucky I live in a very rural area, a penninsula so I got sea, woodland, marsh land, the moors all in one place n most of the birds I see are all in my garden! i filld out the rspb poll but now i can't remember all the species but as a usual load;
> blue tit
> great tit
> long tail tit (nomad group of 6 that go from garden to garden)
> black cap
> chiffchaff
> red wing
> lapwing
> song thrush
> herring gull
> jackdaw
> magpie
> robin (n he don half look funny in his summer clothes!)
> bull finch
> gold finch
> green finch
> wren
> tawny owl
> the occasional buzzard
> collard dove
> wood pigeon
> some buntings and warblers that i have had difficulty iding (?)
> some sparrows of some sort, 2 kinds but i can't tell which
> crow
> raven has visited from time to time
> stone chat
> a black back gull has visited
> pied wag tail
> grey wag tail
> did i mention pipits yet?
> winchat
> black bird
> chaffinch
> a rook
> think that's it but as i mentioned in another thread all my pix are rubbish


Just seen this, thats a great list for your garden...I should do a list for my back garden too:whistling2:...although, it wont match yours:2thumb:


----------



## vawn

is cool, makes it all the more frustratin wen i get no shots though lol


----------



## Ozgi

Testudo Man said:


> Another fruitful trek out today...finally got a pic of a green woodpecker(although the quality was poor, because of distance involved)...But I made up for that, with some great up close pics of a young Little Grebe...What a cute thing it was too.


Lets see em then!!


----------



## laurencea

Testudo Man said:


> But I made up for that, with some great up close pics of a young Little Grebe...What a cute thing it was too.


a young one? already? or a fully grown one without its breeding colours?

little grebelets are THE cutest thing ever and the smallest bird babies i've seen. i got to follow a family of them a couple of years ago, saw them the day they hatched - of the 5 only 2 (maybe) made it to fledging.


----------



## Testudo Man

Ozgi said:


> Lets see em then!!


I will post up the pics later today...



laurencea said:


> a young one? already? or a fully grown one without its breeding colours?
> 
> little grebelets are THE cutest thing ever and the smallest bird babies i've seen. i got to follow a family of them a couple of years ago, saw them the day they hatched - of the 5 only 2 (maybe) made it to fledging.


I think you could be right about the Little Grebe, being a fully grown one? but as you say, showing winter colours..My naivety in birds:blush: made me assume that because of its small size and behaviour, it gave the appearance/impression of being young...

Pics will follow soon, and I think these pics are some of my best to date...good sun/light, a relaxed/willing subject, and almost within touching distance.


----------



## laurencea

a couple of years ago i was lucky enough to get very close to a family and watched them from hatching to fledging. because of the problem with attacks by coots and other aggressive birds, they would often stay close to human activity - especially when the regulars started throwing stones at the coots to deter them!

really bad shot - look into the reeds and you can see the nest with 4 grebelets in it - the other grebelet is to the right, the little black thing in the water in front of the adult's head!










little grebe and grebelet - think these were within the first week



















grebelet at a few weeks










how cute?










rubbish shot, but good for size comparison










did i mention they were cute?










parent and youngsters










this is at the three+ week stage


















this is four weeks... this was the younger of the grebelets and took longer to fledge










by this stage they're pretty much on their own


----------



## Testudo Man

laurencea said:


> a couple of years ago i was lucky enough to get very close to a family and watched them from hatching to fledging. because of the problem with attacks by coots and other aggressive birds, they would often stay close to human activity - especially when the regulars started throwing stones at the coots to deter them!
> 
> really bad shot - look into the reeds and you can see the nest with 4 grebelets in it - the other grebelet is to the right, the little black thing in the water in front of the adult's head!
> 
> image
> 
> little grebe and grebelet - think these were within the first week
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> grebelet at a few weeks
> 
> image
> 
> how cute?
> 
> image
> 
> rubbish shot, but good for size comparison
> 
> image
> 
> did i mention they were cute?
> 
> image
> 
> parent and youngsters
> 
> image
> 
> this is at the three+ week stage
> image
> 
> image
> 
> this is four weeks... this was the younger of the grebelets and took longer to fledge
> 
> image
> 
> by this stage they're pretty much on their own
> 
> image


And I didnt even have to ask you for pics of these:2thumb:...these shots are really great:no1:...cheers...I will go up load my pics then.


----------



## Testudo Man

Pics then...finally:blush:...


----------



## laurencea

wow... what great shots!

i've never seen a little grebe on land that clearly before.

certainly is a juvenile adult. they often have several broods and i saw some late ones last year, so it's probably not ready to breed yet. 

really super shots.


----------



## Testudo Man

laurencea said:


> wow... what great shots!
> 
> i've never seen a little grebe on land that clearly before.
> 
> certainly is a juvenile adult. they often have several broods and i saw some late ones last year, so it's probably not ready to breed yet.
> 
> really super shots.


Thanks...I'm really pleased with these shots(they have been cropped) but this Grebe was quite happy to go about its business, with my son an I, approx. 3 feet away from it...I just took about 15 pics...I even tried to get a pic of it swimming under water(which I did)...It wasn't strictly on land, it was on a large flattish rock, which was less than 2 feet from the bank...

The lake is quite small, there was no sign of any other Grebes either.


----------



## laurencea

Testudo Man said:


> Thanks...I'm really pleased with these shots(they have been cropped) but this Grebe was quite happy to go about its business, with my son an I, approx. 3 feet away from it...I just took about 15 pics...I even tried to get a pic of it swimming under water(which I did)...It wasn't strictly on land, it was on a large flattish rock, which was less than 2 feet from the bank...
> 
> The lake is quite small, there was no sign of any other Grebes either.


doubt he'd be there if there were other grebes as it's breeding season and they will drive away any intruders (although little grebes are only big enough to fight other little grebes!)

usually they are very nervous. i've got to recognise the ripples they leave when they dive as that's the main thing i see of them.

i've known great crested that get used to people, so maybe that youngster has come from a place where (s)he's been in close contact - or realised you weren't a threat. either way - result! :no1:

3 ft away... that's almost in reach. it could be happy in the bath, couldn't it? :lol2:


----------



## Testudo Man

laurencea said:


> doubt he'd be there if there were other grebes as it's breeding season and they will drive away any intruders (although little grebes are only big enough to fight other little grebes!)
> 
> usually they are very nervous. i've got to recognise the ripples they leave when they dive as that's the main thing i see of them.
> 
> i've known great crested that get used to people, so maybe that youngster has come from a place where (s)he's been in close contact - or realised you weren't a threat. either way - result! :no1:
> 
> 3 ft away... that's almost in reach. it could be happy in the bath, couldn't it? :lol2:


The small lake has 2 schools very close to it, and there are loads of dog walkers around too, so all the wildlife there must be used to humans all the time...When we 1st arrived, it was in very shallow water, around some reeds, then it started diving around the lake...the sun was out, we walked further up the lake, and there it was, on its preening rock?...so I started taking pics, and just slowly walked closer an closer...till I could have almost reached out an touched it...It was amazing to watch it up so close, for at least 15 minutes...and yeah, I doubt I will get pics as good as these for awhile?


----------



## lizamphid1

Had a blinding days birding in suffolk today.
Lesser Kestrel
Great Grey Shrike
Alpine Swifts
Penduline Tits

saw my first swallows today too:Na_Na_Na_Na:


----------



## laurencea

lizamphid1 said:


> Had a blinding days birding in suffolk today.
> Lesser Kestrel
> Great Grey Shrike
> Alpine Swifts
> Penduline Tits
> 
> saw my first swallows today too:Na_Na_Na_Na:


i have seen precisely none of those (apart from the swallows). not a bad day's birding then, you lucky pup.

i had a good day on saturday at Aberlady Bay... saw little things far away, little things being blown about in a gale and some waders - far away. always a good place to go, if you're in the Edinburgh area. also saw a hare and some deer. i did hear a skylark singing - not very enthusiastically, but he was having a go.


----------



## Lucky Eddie

I've had a few good run outs this year.

Welney Wash: whooper swans, tree sparrows, sparrow hawk, pochard, pintail.

Abberton res: goldeneye, goosander, white fronted geese, widgeon, red throated diver, turnstone, oystercatcher.

Hanningfield res: pink footed geese, reed bunting, skylarks (around 15 pairs), gadwall, goldcrest, glaucous gull and 3 black swans!!!!!

Minsmere: smew, marsh harriers, marsh tit, bewick swans, mediterranean gull.

Rainham marsh: stonechat, golden plover, curlew, shoveller.

Off to Exmouth marshes this week.

I just did a count for my garden. I'm up to 32, including spotted flycatcher, tree creeper, whitethroat & grey wagtail.


----------



## vawn

the results for the rspb garden watch survey are in Results


----------



## Ozgi

Great pics of the little grebe! I have never been anywhere near that close to one!



lizamphid1 said:


> Had a blinding days birding in suffolk today.
> Lesser Kestrel
> Great Grey Shrike
> Alpine Swifts
> Penduline Tits
> 
> saw my first swallows today too:Na_Na_Na_Na:


Nice one! I've seen the shrike and swifts, never seen the other 2 though. You are so lucky living near some of the best reserves in the country!



vawn said:


> the results for the rspb garden watch survey are in Results


Cool, I'll have a read! :2thumb:


----------



## Testudo Man

Ozgi said:


> Great pics of the little grebe! I have never been anywhere near that close to one!


Cheers...Ist time I have seen one:whistling2:...

Anyone see anything over the weekend?...I got some great shots of a baby Robin(being fed by its parents too)...Also a Dunnock, and finally got some half sensible shots of the Woodpecker......And all this was in my back garden, I didnt have to go searching far!


----------



## Ozgi

Testudo Man said:


> Cheers...Ist time I have seen one:whistling2:...
> 
> Anyone see anything over the weekend?...I got some great shots of a baby Robin(being fed by its parents too)...Also a Dunnock, and finally got some half sensible shots of the Woodpecker......And all this was in my back garden, I didnt have to go searching far!


Not much this weekend, I went for a walk through the local woods. Heard a few chiffchaffs and saw a treecreeper, no sign of anything else though.

Must be nice to get a woodpecker in your garden! A green one I presume? Put some peanuts on the lawn for it if you aren't already, it'll make it easier to get pics : victory:


----------



## Lucky Eddie

I did Exminster Marsh on Sunday.

A few chiff chaffs, willow warbler, little egret, loads of black tailed godwits, curlews, shelducks, teal, knot, grey plover, common sandpipers, one greylag and two buzzards. Not an avocet to be seen though 


I heard a Cetti's warbler close by but it was spooked by all the cyclists out for their sunday constitution.

It seems most of the winter ducks have gone now.

I saw two kites on the way home along the M4. They seem to be getting everywhere these days!!!!!


----------



## Ozgi

Oh I also saw my first house martin of the summer yesterday :2thumb:


----------



## Testudo Man

Ozgi said:


> Not much this weekend, I went for a walk through the local woods. Heard a few chiffchaffs and saw a treecreeper, no sign of anything else though.
> 
> Must be nice to get a woodpecker in your garden! A green one I presume? Put some peanuts on the lawn for it if you aren't already, it'll make it easier to get pics : victory:


I might have a pic of a chiffchaff, I just need it confirmed as such?...

As for the Woodpecker, no not the green one...I have a pair, possibly two pairs of Great spotted woodpeckers, who visit a dead/dying tree, over the fence of my garden. They were chasing each other from tree to tree this weekend, so I managed to get a few pics...I'd like to get a pic of them in pairs, but they don't stay still for 2 seconds when flying together...

A couple of pics then...These pics are shot(like most of my pics) from behind a glass door, and they had to be 40+ feet away.


----------



## Testudo Man

I forgot about the young Robin feeding shots...

These pics are not that clear, because of the distance involved...it had to have been approx. 75 feet away, so my basic camera was pushed to its limits:whistling2:...



















However I did get lucky, I managed to get outside, and much closer for these last pics: victory:.


----------



## laurencea

lovely little robin

i saw an adult robin feed a worm to another adult over the weekend! i assume it's a courting thing.

i heard loads of Cetti's singing, but didn't see one. they were taunting me.

the highlight was the grebes though. i spent hours watching them and took hundreds of photos as they displayed.

saw my first mallard duckling too. almost picked one up as it wandered right by me.


----------



## Testudo Man

laurencea said:


> lovely little robin
> 
> i saw an adult robin feed a worm to another adult over the weekend! i assume it's a courting thing.
> 
> i heard loads of Cetti's singing, but didn't see one. they were taunting me.
> 
> the highlight was the grebes though. i spent hours watching them and took hundreds of photos as they displayed.
> 
> saw my first mallard duckling too. almost picked one up as it wandered right by me.


I knew that the adult Robins had a young one down the bottom of my garden somewhere, it was just a matter of time before it showed itself...Plus for a few days, I could hear it calling them for food...

I set my camera to take 3 continuous shots, it was the only way that I was going to get a feeding shot in progress.


----------



## Ozgi

Great shots of the woodpecker! I'd love to have them in my garden!!


----------



## Testudo Man

This parrot is dead I tell you :2thumb:...



Well, they wasnt parrots, they were parakeets...

And they were very much alive!......I saw at least 4 of them today, I did manage to get a long range shot, but they were so far away, and flying high and bloody fast, it was sheer luck to get a pic.


----------



## Ozgi

Testudo Man said:


> This parrot is dead I tell you :2thumb:...
> 
> 
> 
> Well, they wasnt parrots, they were parakeets...
> 
> And they were very much alive!......I saw at least 4 of them today, I did manage to get a long range shot, but they were so far away, and flying high and bloody fast, it was sheer luck to get a pic.


:lol2:

I've seen flocks of them flying around near Gatwick airport, have also seen a couple of rogue ones here in MK.

Rumour has it that Jimi Hendrix released them in the 60's to "introduce a bit of colour to London" lol.


----------



## jamestheball

my house in Scotland has Lapwings, Curlews,Buzzards,Kestrels,Pheasants,oystercatchers,yellowhammers and generic boring brown songbirds and gulls this time of year. although i'm exited about the upcoming herping and birding in australia once i move there.
My currunt aussie lists:
Reptiles:
Morethia adelaidensis (Saltbush Morethia skinks)
Tiliqua rugosa (Shinglebacks, which are everywhere)
Ctenotus robustus (Robust Com-eared skink)
Marbled gecko
Eastern Brown snake
Peron's Lowland Earless skink

Birds:
Noisy minors
New holland Honeyeaters
Wedge Tailed Eagles
Black shouldered kites
Brown Falcons
Adelaide Rosellas
Rainbow Lorikeets
Musk Lorikeets
Australian Magpies
Australian Ravens
Murray Magpies
Willy wagtails
Collared turtle doves
Galahs

Also in Greece a week ago i found a colony of lesser kestrels nesting on the acropolis and parthenon.


----------



## Testudo Man

Ozgi said:


> :lol2:
> 
> I've seen flocks of them flying around near Gatwick airport, have also seen a couple of rogue ones here in MK.
> 
> Rumour has it that Jimi Hendrix released them in the 60's to "introduce a bit of colour to London" lol.


Your familiar with the Monty Python parrot comedy sketch then:2thumb:...

It appears these Parakeets started breeding here in 1969, and there are approx. 5000 of them now...

I did say I was extremely lucky to get any type of shot at them, because of the serious wind, distance, and these birds were traveling at a high speed over head...But I seem to get lucky with bird pics:whistling2:

1st pic shows 3 of the 5 that flew over, 2nd pic is cropped to show the 2 lower ones...


----------



## Testudo Man

jamestheball said:


> my house in Scotland has Lapwings, Curlews,Buzzards,Kestrels,Pheasants,oystercatchers,yellowhammers and generic boring brown songbirds and gulls this time of year. although i'm exited about the upcoming herping and birding in australia once i move there.
> My currunt aussie lists:
> Reptiles:
> Morethia adelaidensis (Saltbush Morethia skinks)
> Tiliqua rugosa (Shinglebacks, which are everywhere)
> Ctenotus robustus (Robust Com-eared skink)
> Marbled gecko
> Eastern Brown snake
> Peron's Lowland Earless skink
> 
> Birds:
> Noisy minors
> New holland Honeyeaters
> Wedge Tailed Eagles
> Black shouldered kites
> Brown Falcons
> Adelaide Rosellas
> Rainbow Lorikeets
> Musk Lorikeets
> Australian Magpies
> Australian Ravens
> Murray Magpies
> Willy wagtails
> Collared turtle doves
> Galahs
> 
> Also in Greece a week ago i found a colony of lesser kestrels nesting on the acropolis and parthenon.


Australian Magpies are different to our "Pommie" ones...and boy are they aggressive towards humans...I remember riding my push bike to primary school over there, and we had to pedal like shit, past their nesting sites, because they always swooped down at our heads!!!...

I may have seen a few of your Aussie reptile/bird lists too: victory:


----------



## Ozgi

jamestheball said:


> Willy wagtails
> 
> .


Please tell me that isn't a typo!



Testudo Man said:


> Your familiar with the Monty Python parrot comedy sketch then:2thumb:...
> 
> It appears these Parakeets started breeding here in 1969, and there are approx. 5000 of them now...
> 
> I did say I was extremely lucky to get any type of shot at them, because of the serious wind, distance, and these birds were traveling at a high speed over head...But I seem to get lucky with bird pics:whistling2:
> 
> 1st pic shows 3 of the 5 that flew over, 2nd pic is cropped to show the 2 lower ones...
> 
> image
> 
> image


Lol yeh, got to love Monty Python!

Nice pics! I went to Amsterdam last year and they appear to have quite a large feral population of them there, they were everywhere in the parks!


----------



## Ozgi

I'm off to Norfolk this weekend, gonna be visiting Cley at some point. Is there anybody local that knows of any good sightings recently? I'm on Birdguides.com but haven't got premium membership so can only see what's been seen today!


----------



## Ozgi

Went out for a walk yesterday and saw Willow Warbler, Chiff Chaff, a few Buzzards and 3 Raven, which was very unusual for this area!


----------



## andyh75

had a big fall of willow warblers and chiffchaffs here at flamborough on sunday, a few blackcap around too, we had a male in our garden, also a singing firecrest was in a gully on the clifftop along with a lesser whitethroat, 2 male wheatear in one of our fields too


----------



## Ozgi

andyh75 said:


> had a big fall of willow warblers and chiffchaffs here at flamborough on sunday, a few blackcap around too, we had a male in our garden, also a singing firecrest was in a gully on the clifftop along with a lesser whitethroat, 2 male wheatear in one of our fields too


Nice! Hopefully the whitethroats will start appearing around here soon. Went on a bike ride last night and saw a few more chiffchaff. One sat on a branch right next to me for ages, I've never seen one that close up before!


----------



## andyh75

pair of blackcaps in the garden this morn, and 1 of our resident stock doves was around, 29 greylag and 1 pink footed goose and a pair of shelduck in the flooded field next door to us this evening


----------



## Testudo Man

Been off the forum for awhile...

But this last week, Ive seen a Yellowhammer, probable Buzzard, 4 Sparrow Hawks(all flying together: victory, probable House Martins and a Swallow...


----------



## Testudo Man

Managed to get these shots last friday, they are not that clear because of vast distance, and basic camera used...I am assuming this is a Sparrowhawk......I also saw 2 small lizards, but could not get any pics of those.


----------



## laurencea

looks like a kestrel, but it's hard to tell. good spot, whatever it is!

i had a dream about yellowhammers the other day. alas, none near me.

this weekend is looking good. terns and swifts reported locally and loads of warblers. hopefully there'll be lizards too, although it might be too hot to find them as they'll be up to temperature quickly and won't bask long.


----------



## andyh75

Testudo Man said:


> Managed to get these shots last friday, they are not that clear because of vast distance, and basic camera used...I am assuming this is a Sparrowhawk......I also saw 2 small lizards, but could not get any pics of those.
> 
> image
> 
> image


 male kestrel :2thumb:


----------



## Ozgi

Have had a load of chiffchaff around near me over the last week, one willow warbler so far and I heard a yellowhammer yesterday. 

I haven't really explored this area much since I moved here, there is countryside a few minutes walk away and I think it has good potential. Definately going to be watching it a lot more regularly!


----------



## Testudo Man

laurencea said:


> looks like a kestrel, but it's hard to tell. good spot, whatever it is!
> 
> i had a dream about yellowhammers the other day. alas, none near me.
> 
> this weekend is looking good. terns and swifts reported locally and loads of warblers. hopefully there'll be lizards too, although it might be too hot to find them as they'll be up to temperature quickly and won't bask long.


Cheers for that, it seems that I see a lot of kestrels around my area...

The Yellowhammer was the 1st that I had ever seen, it was feeding on the ground, below a small tree, which was full of bird feeders, and had up to 6 Goldfinches in it, along with various other birds too...The old chap(owner of the property/tree) was very relaxed about the Yellowhammer, seems he sees a few of them there regularly...He planted the tree decades ago, and him and his wife are avid bird watchers themselves.



andyh75 said:


> male kestrel :2thumb:


Thanks for the I.D. too...I'll get the hang of this Bird watching lark one day:blush:...

Peregrine Falcon pics are on the cards next:whistling2: if Ive got the correct I.D.:blush:


----------



## grumpyoldtrout

Anyone know what this is? I thought along the lines of a wheatear, but so far out in the field and poor light did not help. 










Thanks in advance.


----------



## andyh75

grumpyoldtrout said:


> Anyone know what this is? I thought along the lines of a wheatear, but so far out in the field and poor light did not help.
> 
> image
> 
> Thanks in advance.


 male wheatear :2thumb:


----------



## grumpyoldtrout

:notworthy::notworthy: Thank you, faint! i got one right!! :lol2::lol2:


----------



## andyh75

lots of migrants on the head today, i should have pulled a sickie at work!! :whistling2:, had a detour and stopped off at buckton on my way home this evening though to get the wood warbler that was reported earlier today, my 135th species so far this year :2thumb:


----------



## grumpyoldtrout

I'm still trying to get the woodpecker that is demolishing the old, rotten tree in the back garden. Jim next door, got it on his peanut feeder. GRRRR

:lol2::lol2::lol2:


----------



## Lucky Eddie

I went to Hanningfield res yesterday.

Highlights were a single garganey drake and an adult little gull feeding with the common terns. Plus a red breasted goose, almost certainly an escapee.

Others spotted were a red crested pochard, common pochard, shoveller and shellduck.

Loads (30+) blackcaps, pair of coal tits, pair of oyster catchers. One chiff chaff, despite hearing loads.

I heard a goldcrest singing and two seperate grasshopper warblers.

35 species in all. A decent day!!!!!!!


----------



## Ozgi

andyh75 said:


> lots of migrants on the head today, i should have pulled a sickie at work!! :whistling2:, had a detour and stopped off at buckton on my way home this evening though to get the wood warbler that was reported earlier today, my 135th species so far this year :2thumb:


Nice work! I forgot to do a year list this year, I should try and knock one up before I see any more, lol. Going to Costa Rica in August should hopefully add quite a few!

Looking forward to the spring migrant influx over the next few weeks. Although living here we rarely get anything of interest :devil:



Lucky Eddie said:


> I went to Hanningfield res yesterday.
> 
> Highlights were a single garganey drake and an adult little gull feeding with the common terns. Plus a red breasted goose, almost certainly an escapee.
> 
> Others spotted were a red crested pochard, common pochard, shoveller and shellduck.
> 
> Loads (30+) blackcaps, pair of coal tits, pair of oyster catchers. One chiff chaff, despite hearing loads.
> 
> I heard a goldcrest singing and two seperate grasshopper warblers.
> 
> 35 species in all. A decent day!!!!!!!


That's pretty good going. I've been listening out for Grasshopper Warblers on the new patch I have started watching, no sign yet though!


----------



## laurencea

yesterday at the london wetlands centre - me in a hide when a man walks in
"have you seen the wheatear?"
"i saw it yesterday, was far away though"
"it's on the roof"
i blink
and blink summore
"the roof?"
"yes, the hide roof"
"this hide?"
"yes"
i dash outside and look up - nothing. i move away a bit for a better look - nothing. i was just about to storm back in when a little head popped up. i got a couple of shots. then the man called out that you could see it much better from the other side... so i moved and low and behold...










just as i was getting the shots there was a loud burst of noise from my left - the elusive Cetti's Warbler. i turned and started to focus (it's a manual lens) and then decided to just shoot and hope...










and i managed to get a couple of shots of this very shy bird.

there were also common terns, swifts, swallows, house and sand martins over the lake. later i saw a yellow wagtail, my first sighting of one.


----------



## Testudo Man

laurencea said:


> yesterday at the london wetlands centre - me in a hide when a man walks in
> "have you seen the wheatear?"
> "i saw it yesterday, was far away though"
> "it's on the roof"
> i blink
> and blink summore
> "the roof?"
> "yes, the hide roof"
> "this hide?"
> "yes"
> i dash outside and look up - nothing. i move away a bit for a better look - nothing. i was just about to storm back in when a little head popped up. i got a couple of shots. then the man called out that you could see it much better from the other side... so i moved and low and behold...
> 
> image
> 
> just as i was getting the shots there was a loud burst of noise from my left - the elusive Cetti's Warbler. i turned and started to focus (it's a manual lens) and then decided to just shoot and hope...
> 
> image
> 
> and i managed to get a couple of shots of this very shy bird.
> 
> there were also common terns, swifts, swallows, house and sand martins over the lake. later i saw a yellow wagtail, my first sighting of one.


The non-planned/accidental shots are sometimes the best, great pics there......I was kicking myself yesterday, I was walking down a path, alongside the river, and just off the path was a Jay, it looked like he was eating a dried up frog, I moved the camera up to get a shot, and he was gone:bash:...thats the 4th Jay Ive missed out on getting a pic of.


----------



## Testudo Man

Whilst I was taking pics of the Peregrine Falcons, these guys were sharing the same air space too...Male Kestrel?:whistling2:


----------



## Ozgi

laurencea said:


> yesterday at the london wetlands centre - me in a hide when a man walks in
> "have you seen the wheatear?"
> "i saw it yesterday, was far away though"
> "it's on the roof"
> i blink
> and blink summore
> "the roof?"
> "yes, the hide roof"
> "this hide?"
> "yes"
> i dash outside and look up - nothing. i move away a bit for a better look - nothing. i was just about to storm back in when a little head popped up. i got a couple of shots. then the man called out that you could see it much better from the other side... so i moved and low and behold...
> 
> image
> 
> just as i was getting the shots there was a loud burst of noise from my left - the elusive Cetti's Warbler. i turned and started to focus (it's a manual lens) and then decided to just shoot and hope...
> 
> image
> 
> and i managed to get a couple of shots of this very shy bird.
> 
> there were also common terns, swifts, swallows, house and sand martins over the lake. later i saw a yellow wagtail, my first sighting of one.


Great shots! Especially the Cetti's, they are damned elusive little things, lol.

I got Little Egret on my walk last night, it was in a small stream on some farmland. You get them everywhere these days, but it was exciting to find one on the new patch I have started watching!


----------



## HABU

i just saw a baltimore oriole right by me in my yard... not a common bird here...









*Baltimore Oriole*

http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Birds/Most-Wanted-Birds/Baltimore-Oriole


----------



## andyh75

wouldnt mind one of those in my garden , that sure would be a mega bird over here!!!! :no1:


----------



## Ozgi

HABU said:


> i just saw a baltimore oriole right by me in my yard... not a common bird here...
> 
> image
> *Baltimore Oriole*
> 
> Baltimore Oriole | Birds & Blooms


Very nice! You must get some brilliant stuff where you live. You see many birds of prey?

I went out for an hour or so today to Summer Leys in Northamptonshire before it started tipping it down :devil:

Managed to get ringed plover, spotted redshank and a hobby flying low over the water giving brilliant views. All firsts for the year!


----------



## vawn

:O what an awesome lookin bird, again, lucky you!


----------



## fergie

Great Tit.










Female Chaffinch.










Male Chaffinch.










Collared Dove.










Robin










Blue Tit










House Sparrow



















Turnstones










Magpie










Dunnock.










Chaffinch










Tree Creeper










Female Bullfinch










Herring Gulls










Blackbird.


----------



## fergie

Blackbird










Robin


----------



## vawn

you seem to live in a similar kinda environment as i do, moorland, wood land, marshland and sea all in one place?


----------



## fergie

vawn said:


> you seem to live in a similar kinda environment as i do, moorland, wood land, marshland and sea all in one place?


Aye it's a good place to live : victory:


----------



## vawn

awesome for birds too


----------



## fergie

Excellent spot for birding. Place is heaving with them. The Sparrowhawks are having a field day.


----------



## vawn

would you believe that wrens are nesting in my palm tree?!!, we got all that in a tiny strip of land so i get all the diff birds in one place


----------



## Testudo Man

HABU said:


> i just saw a baltimore oriole right by me in my yard... not a common bird here...
> 
> image
> *Baltimore Oriole*
> 
> Baltimore Oriole | Birds & Blooms


That Oriole is a beauty...

I used to take it for granted(when I lived in Australia) the amount of beautiful birds that were constantly around...Like the 28's(multi coloured parrots)...or 50 Pink and Grey Galahs all landing in a tree at once!...



fergie said:


> Great Tit.
> 
> image
> 
> Female Chaffinch.
> 
> image
> 
> Male Chaffinch.
> 
> image
> 
> Collared Dove.
> 
> image
> 
> Robin
> 
> image
> 
> Blue Tit
> 
> image
> 
> House Sparrow
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> Turnstones
> 
> image
> 
> Magpie
> 
> image
> 
> Dunnock.
> 
> image
> 
> Chaffinch
> 
> image
> 
> Tree Creeper
> 
> image
> 
> Female Bullfinch
> 
> image
> 
> Herring Gulls
> 
> image
> 
> Blackbird.
> 
> image


Nice pics mate, do you see many Bullfinches in your neck of the woods? I did see a male Bullfinch the other week(got a crap picture) but that is the only one Ive seen.


----------



## fergie

Testudo Man said:


> That Oriole is a beauty...
> 
> I used to take it for granted(when I lived in Australia) the amount of beautiful birds that were constantly around...Like the 28's(multi coloured parrots)...or 50 Pink and Grey Galahs all landing in a tree at once!...
> 
> 
> 
> Nice pics mate, do you see many Bullfinches in your neck of the woods? I did see a male Bullfinch the other week(got a crap picture) but that is the only one Ive seen.


Cheers T.T. :2thumb:

There's a right few Bullfinches about but they are a :censor: to photograph. Here's the only decent pic I have of a male. And even it is piss poor.


----------



## Testudo Man

fergie said:


> Cheers T.T. :2thumb:
> 
> There's a right few Bullfinches about but they are a :censor: to photograph. Here's the only decent pic I have of a male. And even it is piss poor.
> 
> image


Thats nicer than my pic, all I could get was this shot:blush:












I did have a nice surprise in my garden though, I think this is a Blackcap










Another garden visitor was this Mistle Thrush singing away


----------



## jaykickboxer

All I see in my gaff is pigeons anyways quick question as everyone here seems to be into birds can u buy hummingbirds? If not why? Thanks


----------



## vawn

i just asked mr google and got humming bird food but i would be wary of the illegal trade, plenty of birds don't make it cuz of that, dessecration of habitat and stress not just from travell but also they just don't adjust to a captive environment


----------



## Ozgi

Great pics everyone :2thumb: I haven't seen a bullfinch for ages, they're not doing too well at the moment around here.

As far as I know you can't buy hummingbirds, they would be insanely demanding and wouldn't do well as a pet.

There are only 2 or 3 in captivity in Britain and they are at London zoo.


----------



## Lucky Eddie

Ozgi said:


> As far as I know you can't buy hummingbirds, they would be insanely demanding and wouldn't do well as a pet.
> QUOTE]
> 
> NOt any more. Foreign imports were banned a few years ago after the Bird Flu scare.
> 
> Before then, I used to keep loads of exotics, including hummers and sunbirds. One hummer lived for 5 years with me before I sold him!
> 
> They are not that hard to keep believe it or not. There are /were so many ready made nectar recipes available. Just add fruit flies and away you go.


----------



## Lucky Eddie

I did Rainham Marsh on Monday.

It was a horrible dirty windy rainy day and spotting stuff wasn't easy. 

I still got 42 species though, including wimbrel, Cetti's warbler (not singing and who could blame him on the day), whitethroat, linnet, marsh harrier.

Quite a bracing morning!!!!!!!


----------



## Ozgi

Lucky Eddie said:


> Ozgi said:
> 
> 
> 
> As far as I know you can't buy hummingbirds, they would be insanely demanding and wouldn't do well as a pet.
> QUOTE]
> 
> NOt any more. Foreign imports were banned a few years ago after the Bird Flu scare.
> 
> Before then, I used to keep loads of exotics, including hummers and sunbirds. One hummer lived for 5 years with me before I sold him!
> 
> They are not that hard to keep believe it or not. There are /were so many ready made nectar recipes available. Just add fruit flies and away you go.
> 
> 
> 
> Oh right, I'd have thought they would be pretty hard to keep!
> 
> 
> 
> Lucky Eddie said:
> 
> 
> 
> I did Rainham Marsh on Monday.
> 
> It was a horrible dirty windy rainy day and spotting stuff wasn't easy.
> 
> I still got 42 species though, including wimbrel, Cetti's warbler (not singing and who could blame him on the day), whitethroat, linnet, marsh harrier.
> 
> Quite a bracing morning!!!!!!!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Tell me about it, I went out on Monday to Summer Leys and it felt like I was in a hide in Norfolk in mid winter!
> 
> Of course it's hot and sunny today :bash:
Click to expand...


----------



## Crab Man

Well what are the chances??!? I had just opened this page to post about how chuffed I am to have seen 3 ospreys at the same time on a fishing trip to Rothiemurchus today. I saw one of them catch a trout as well. Seen it a few times now but still finding it equally exciting. Watching this pretty darn big bird hitting the water at warp speed is damn impressive - what a splash that makes 
Now (together with catching a 7,5lb fish) would do me nicely for the day, but no no, as this page was loading I looked out the window just as a blackbird was flying through the garden at full pelt, distress calling. A split second after the reason for the distress, a peregrine falcon, appeared and took the blackbird in mid air! That just made my day!!!


----------



## Lucky Eddie

How flash is that, Crabman???

I'm just happy seeing a kestrel down here catching an earthworm!!!!

That's the amazing thing about the UK.

500 miles away, you've got ospreys, we have sparrowhawks.

Wanna swap????


----------



## laurencea

jaykickboxer said:


> All I see in my gaff is pigeons anyways quick question as everyone here seems to be into birds can u buy hummingbirds? If not why? Thanks


you're in wimbledon... go to the wetland centre at Barnes. wimbledon park has great crested grebes, i believe.

the wetland centre has a great selection of birds and it's a good place to learn as people are friendly there. it's my 'local' and i picked up most of my knowledge from there.

just been to edinburgh for a long weekend. lots of waders along the coast. got 'buzzed' by a small flock of turnstones. heard a grasshopper warbler. grey wagtails in a couple of locations and lots of little things that i didn't ID.


----------



## jaykickboxer

cheers will do


----------



## jaykickboxer

eddie where did u buy ur humming birds i gotta find myselfe one breeding dartfrogs i already bread fruitflys so im half way there already


----------



## Ozgi

Crab Man said:


> Well what are the chances??!? I had just opened this page to post about how chuffed I am to have seen 3 ospreys at the same time on a fishing trip to Rothiemurchus today. I saw one of them catch a trout as well. Seen it a few times now but still finding it equally exciting. Watching this pretty darn big bird hitting the water at warp speed is damn impressive - what a splash that makes
> Now (together with catching a 7,5lb fish) would do me nicely for the day, but no no, as this page was loading I looked out the window just as a blackbird was flying through the garden at full pelt, distress calling. A split second after the reason for the distress, a peregrine falcon, appeared and took the blackbird in mid air! That just made my day!!!


Awesome! I had a dream about an osprey last night, I haven't seen one for years!



Lucky Eddie said:


> How flash is that, Crabman???
> 
> I'm just happy seeing a kestrel down here catching an earthworm!!!!
> 
> That's the amazing thing about the UK.
> 
> 500 miles away, you've got ospreys, we have sparrowhawks.
> 
> Wanna swap????


I know how you feel, we are only just getting buzzards around here, a few years ago the only birds of prey were kestrels and sparrowhawks.



laurencea said:


> you're in wimbledon... go to the wetland centre at Barnes. wimbledon park has great crested grebes, i believe.
> 
> the wetland centre has a great selection of birds and it's a good place to learn as people are friendly there. it's my 'local' and i picked up most of my knowledge from there.
> 
> just been to edinburgh for a long weekend. lots of waders along the coast. got 'buzzed' by a small flock of turnstones. heard a grasshopper warbler. grey wagtails in a couple of locations and lots of little things that i didn't ID.


London isn't actually that bad for birding is it, it throws up something unusual now and again.

I'm off to Norfolk at the weekend so hopefully I'll get something good at Cley or Titchwell :no1:


----------



## Testudo Man

Update on that Little Grebe then...I had a spare hour at work yesterday, so I was in the area:whistling2:...and decided to check the lake out...

Well, the Little Grebe was there...he had changed into his summer colours too...










And...it appears he has found himself a friend/mate?...


----------



## fergie

Todays birdie pics. Not the best but the little blighters become harder to photograph this time of year.

Chiff Chaff



















Swallow










Long-tailed Tit.























































GoldFinch. Best I could get of this little dude.



















Starling


----------



## Testudo Man

I had some luck on Friday...I stumbled across a family of Grey Wagtails(both male, female and young)...I literally parked my car by the stream, opened the door, and sat in the car, taking a fair few pics...


----------



## Ozgi

Great pics guys :2thumb:

I was in Norfolk over the weekend and spent most of yesterday at Cley (birding mecca!).

Didn't see anything out of the ordinary, there were a couple of Temmincks Stint there and I'm pretty sure I had them in the scope, but the distance and heat haze made a positive ID pretty hard.

Other than that there were Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, Wheatear, Redshank, Greenshank, Ringed Plover, Skylark, Reed Warbler, Marsh Harrier... all the stuff you'd expect really.


If anybody is near Frampton Marsh in Lincolnshire then get down there ASAP, there is an Oriental Pratincole there at the moment.... a UK mega!


----------



## Lucky Eddie

Heat haze????????

WTF is that? 

It was freezing down here this weekend


----------



## Ozgi

Lucky Eddie said:


> Heat haze????????
> 
> WTF is that?
> 
> It was freezing down here this weekend


Lol, it was suprisingly warm in Norfolk yesterday. I always find it warmer than normal at Cley anyway for some reason. There was a load of heat waves coming off all the vegetation making scoping stuff slightly difficult :bash:


----------



## ducks

:2thumb:

I'm from near Cley originally and now live in Birmingham, so this made me smile! But today I saw on the way to work a bullfinch (hooray! just behind my apple tree, less hooray, but still on balance a big hooray), grey wagtails and a heron, amongst the usual very noisy more common birds. The herons I see often - I cycle to work down the canal - but this one was unusual as it stayed where it was on the towpath as I cycled slowly past, about a foot away from my pedal. I've never been that close to a heron in my life, it was astonishing.

haven't seen a kingfisher since before the big freeze, though.


----------



## laurencea

lovely wagtail shots... such great birds.


----------



## Testudo Man

laurencea said:


> lovely wagtail shots... such great birds.


Cheers...I took a fair few shots, in order to get the food passes/feeding pics:whistling2:


----------



## Ozgi

ducks said:


> :2thumb:
> 
> I'm from near Cley originally and now live in Birmingham, so this made me smile! But today I saw on the way to work a bullfinch (hooray! just behind my apple tree, less hooray, but still on balance a big hooray), grey wagtails and a heron, amongst the usual very noisy more common birds. The herons I see often - I cycle to work down the canal - but this one was unusual as it stayed where it was on the towpath as I cycled slowly past, about a foot away from my pedal. I've never been that close to a heron in my life, it was astonishing.
> 
> haven't seen a kingfisher since before the big freeze, though.


The north Norfolk coast is my favourite place in Britain. Why did you move away? I'd give anything to live there!


----------



## Testudo Man

Yesterday morning, brushing my teeth, looked out the window, and blimey a Jay flew in the garden...grabbed the camera quick and took a couple of pics, then it was gone...It all happened in seconds










Then when I was checking the pics, what a surprise...2 jays for the price of 1: victory:


----------



## Ozgi

Testudo Man said:


> Yesterday morning, brushing my teeth, looked out the window, and blimey a Jay flew in the garden...grabbed the camera quick and took a couple of pics, then it was gone...It all happened in seconds
> 
> image
> 
> Then when I was checking the pics, what a surprise...2 jays for the price of 1: victory:
> 
> image


Very nice, I never see Jays around here!


----------



## Testudo Man

Ozgi said:


> Very nice, I never see Jays around here!


Cheers...I had missed 4 or 5 opportunities, whilst out an about, of getting a pic of a Jay...so to have them land in a tree at the bottom of my garden, was a bonus.


----------



## diamondlil

My first jay, this is the best shot I could get of it though








Pied wagtail








Owl pellet


----------



## Testudo Man

diamondlil said:


> My first jay, this is the best shot I could get of it though
> image
> Pied wagtail
> image
> Owl pellet
> image


Nice shot of the Jay, Ive found them very sensitive to any type of movement, the slightest sound/movement and they are gone.


----------



## Ozgi

I went for a quick bird around Willen Lake here in MK last night and had the best views I've ever had of a Hobby. It did laps around the lake for a good 2 minutes and looked stunning. Also got Little Ringed Plover.

Has anybody been to Frampton in Lincolnshire to see the Oriental Pratincole? It's an absolute mega and has been there all week!


----------



## Lucky Eddie

Off to Lakenheath Fen tomorrow.

Hoping for a crane or two and a golden oriole! :whistling2:

There are about 60 hobbies there at the moment apparently.

Wish me luck!!!!!


----------



## Ozgi

Lucky Eddie said:


> Off to Lakenheath Fen tomorrow.
> 
> Hoping for a crane or two and a golden oriole! :whistling2:
> 
> There are about 60 hobbies there at the moment apparently.
> 
> Wish me luck!!!!!


I was holding out for a crane last weekend when I was in Norfolk, no luck though! Would be a lifer for me, hopefully I'll get one on the next visit!

Hopefully you'll get one tomorrow! Do you know if they have been about there? Do you use birdguides.com for up to date sightings?

I'm off to Summer Leys tomorrow, I went there for the first time a couple of weeks ago and was very impressed. It's close to where I live too, wish I'd discovered it sooner!


----------



## Lucky Eddie

No, I just look on the blogs for the RSPB site I want to visit.

Apparently, they have been breeding there for a few years, but are almost impossible to see hidden deep in the reeds.

I'm gonna struggle round tomorrow with the 60 x 100mm scope. I might look a bit of a kernob, but I want to max my chances!!!! (note to self...take wheel barrow!)

Good luck to you at the Leys. You cant beat a bit of water for a good session!


----------



## iiisecondcreep

Hello peeps!

Thought I'd join in 

I don't specifically go birdwatching although I used to a lot with my dad when I was younger, but I do like the wee birdies 

I live in a first floor flat, and the living room has french doors. A few months ago we decided to put some bird feeders on the railing. And nothing came 

So we put some feeders on the trees outside, hoping that maybe if they went to those then they'd spot ours.. but unfortunately the jackdaws finished them I think before anything else got a chance :|

BUT THEN!! Last week I spotted a little blue tit on one of the feeders at the french doors! Now it/they visit several times a day (along with some sparrows and the occasional jackdaw), even when I am sitting at the table by the french doors just a few feet away. Just need to clean the doors so I can get some decents pictures of them 

Today also I saw 3 goldfinches on one of the trees, I never even knew we had goldfinches round here! So hopefully eventually they will visit the feeders as well 

Recently for the first time I saw a pair of Grebe, unfortunately I was on a boat at the time and they were too far/it was too choppy to get any pictures.
Also near the grebe I saw a group of melanistic Pheasents for the first time, very pretty birds!
Some other recent first time sightings were partridge and a crake 

Only one I managed to get pics of was one of the pheasents, which i haven't uploaded so here is one my OH took


----------



## Lucky Eddie

What?????? You live in Scotland and all you can dish up is a pheasant? (nice pic tho).

Come on, get out there.

We want capercaillie, black grouse, merlin, eider duck and golden eagle.

Oh, and a white tailed eagle would be nice!!!!!! 

And a crossbill.


----------



## fergie

Had the wain at the park today and got a few nice wee shots of the ever present Chaffinch.


----------



## iiisecondcreep

Lucky Eddie said:


> What?????? You live in Scotland and all you can dish up is a pheasant? (nice pic tho).
> 
> Come on, get out there.
> 
> We want capercaillie, black grouse, merlin, eider duck and golden eagle.
> 
> Oh, and a white tailed eagle would be nice!!!!!!
> 
> And a crossbill.


I am a bit far south for most of those! Eider ducks aren't uncommon though.
TBH I am pretty sure I haven't even seen any of the rest in the wild :gasp:


----------



## Lucky Eddie

iiisecondcreep said:


> I am a bit far south for most of those! Eider ducks aren't uncommon though.
> TBH I am pretty sure I haven't even seen any of the rest in the wild :gasp:


I wish I lived up there, I would be out in the country every week-end with the bins.


----------



## Lucky Eddie

Well, lugging the big scope around Lakenheath paid off. I managed to get my first ever Golden Oriole.

Funny really. there was a Golden Oriole guided tour with the local expert. I met them all mid-morning and had all reported no sightings!!!!!

Anyway, not a bad day in all. 35 species, including cuckoo, loads of hobbies, six or seven marsh harriers, sedge, reed and grasshopper warblers, whitethroat,bearded tit,reed buntings, yellow hammer, the obligatory black cap (cant get away from them) and even a red legged partridge.

The high light of the day was getting charged by the local Hereford bull. That got the heart rate up more than seeing the oriole.

Plus I saw a couple of early morning roe deer and two seperate muntjak.

Then Chelsea went and won the FA cup.

A pretty good Saturday all in all!


----------



## Testudo Man

I took an interesting trip today...I went to my 1st proper "Birding" site...A place called- Oare Marshes, which is in Faversham, Kent.

Hard to take it all in really, but pics of Heron, Little Egret, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Avocet, Godwit etc. were all captured.

The quality of the pics isnt the best(because of distance) but wow, what a session.:no1:


----------



## Lucky Eddie

Testudo Man said:


> ..I went to my 1st proper "Birding" site... what a session.:no1:


He's got the bug....................:2thumb::welcome:


----------



## fergie

Spied this wee chap tonight. First I have seen a Goldfinch out the backs.


----------



## Ozgi

iiisecondcreep said:


> Hello peeps!
> 
> Thought I'd join in
> 
> I don't specifically go birdwatching although I used to a lot with my dad when I was younger, but I do like the wee birdies
> 
> I live in a first floor flat, and the living room has french doors. A few months ago we decided to put some bird feeders on the railing. And nothing came
> 
> So we put some feeders on the trees outside, hoping that maybe if they went to those then they'd spot ours.. but unfortunately the jackdaws finished them I think before anything else got a chance :|
> 
> BUT THEN!! Last week I spotted a little blue tit on one of the feeders at the french doors! Now it/they visit several times a day (along with some sparrows and the occasional jackdaw), even when I am sitting at the table by the french doors just a few feet away. Just need to clean the doors so I can get some decents pictures of them
> 
> Today also I saw 3 goldfinches on one of the trees, I never even knew we had goldfinches round here! So hopefully eventually they will visit the feeders as well
> 
> Recently for the first time I saw a pair of Grebe, unfortunately I was on a boat at the time and they were too far/it was too choppy to get any pictures.
> Also near the grebe I saw a group of melanistic Pheasents for the first time, very pretty birds!
> Some other recent first time sightings were partridge and a crake
> 
> Only one I managed to get pics of was one of the pheasents, which i haven't uploaded so here is one my OH took
> 
> image


Good work! Once you start paying attention to birds it's amazing just how many there are! I saw 23 species on a 30 minute walk the other night! People take them for granted too often and don't realise how fascinating they are. Welcome to the thread!

That pheasant is very interesting, never seen one like that before!



Lucky Eddie said:


> Well, lugging the big scope around Lakenheath paid off. I managed to get my first ever Golden Oriole.
> 
> Funny really. there was a Golden Oriole guided tour with the local expert. I met them all mid-morning and had all reported no sightings!!!!!
> 
> Anyway, not a bad day in all. 35 species, including cuckoo, loads of hobbies, six or seven marsh harriers, sedge, reed and grasshopper warblers, whitethroat,bearded tit,reed buntings, yellow hammer, the obligatory black cap (cant get away from them) and even a red legged partridge.
> 
> The high light of the day was getting charged by the local Hereford bull. That got the heart rate up more than seeing the oriole.
> 
> Plus I saw a couple of early morning roe deer and two seperate muntjak.
> 
> Then Chelsea went and won the FA cup.
> 
> A pretty good Saturday all in all!


Nice one! The Oriole breed at Lakenheath don't they? I may have to pay a visit there soon.

I got cuckoo at Summer Leys on Saturday, I've never actually seen one before, pretty chuffed with that one! There were a few other good ones about, nothing unusual though, Little Ringed Plover, Redshank, Hobbies, Blackcaps, Reed & Sedge Warbler, heard a Cetti's and Garden Warbler.



Testudo Man said:


> I took an interesting trip today...I went to my 1st proper "Birding" site...A place called- Oare Marshes, which is in Faversham, Kent.
> 
> Hard to take it all in really, but pics of Heron, Little Egret, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Avocet, Godwit etc. were all captured.
> 
> The quality of the pics isnt the best(because of distance) but wow, what a session.:no1:


You've got the bug! Be prepared to start ID'ing at everything you see now. I can't see a bird without having to identify it, lol.


----------



## Lucky Eddie

Ozgi said:


> Nice one! The Oriole breed at Lakenheath don't they? I may have to pay a visit there soon.


Yes. There are 3 breeding males left on the reserve apparently. Worth the effort, but it does turn into a bit of an 'Oriole Circus' unfortunately. I was talking to a local who said there were 20 breeding pairs there before the poplar woods were fragmented. It seemed the RSPB saw reedland more important. fair doos to them.......there were loads of hobbies feeding on the dragonflies and plenty of marsh harriers.

Trouble is, there are sooooooo many reed warblers singing, they do your head in! If only they could sing!!!!!!  Sounds like a bad collection of pub singers.

Dont expect to get a breakfast at the visitors centre though. Best fill up at the Little Chef first, eh!


----------



## Testudo Man

Lucky Eddie said:


> He's got the bug....................:2thumb::welcome:


That I have:blush::whistling2:



Ozgi said:


> You've got the bug! Be prepared to start ID'ing at everything you see now. I can't see a bird without having to identify it, lol.


Yeah, Im starting to do that now...But the good thing is, my youngest son is also getting into birding too, so its all good fun for him:no1:


----------



## Testudo Man

Some pics from the weekend then...

I was taking a couple of pics of these Godwits, and spotted a Lapwing in the foreground...nice.










An Oystercatcher...


----------



## Ozgi

Nice pics! I'd love to have somewhere like that local to me, if I want to see anything interesting I need to travel a good few miles!


----------



## laurencea

lovely oystie - one of my favourite birds.

oddly, living in london, lapwings are common for me! the godwits are great though, only seen the odd one here.


----------



## Testudo Man

Ozgi said:


> Nice pics! I'd love to have somewhere like that local to me, if I want to see anything interesting I need to travel a good few miles!


Thanks...This site was a 60 mile round trip for me, it seems we have at least 6 good sites like this, in an around kent...



laurencea said:


> lovely oystie - one of my favourite birds.
> 
> oddly, living in london, lapwings are common for me! the godwits are great though, only seen the odd one here.


Cheers...It was a 1st(for most of the species) that I saw on the day...There were heaps of Godwits there, I reckon at least 100 of them:whistling2:...

I watched our local news tonight, it seems we have a pair of Purple herons nesting here in Kent...

Here is a link to the story- Meridian Regional News | Merdian Tonight - ITV Local

EDIT- stick with the film clip, you may get an advert at 1st, but it will show the story on the Purple Herons.


----------



## iiisecondcreep

iiisecondcreep said:


> BUT THEN!! Last week I spotted a little blue tit on one of the feeders at the french doors! Now it/they visit several times a day (along with some sparrows and the occasional jackdaw), even when I am sitting at the table by the french doors just a few feet away. Just need to clean the doors so I can get some decents pictures of them


Finally got round to giving the glass a wipe and setting the camera up, got a few using the release, and then when I went over to get my camera to take the pics off the little blue tit came for a visit while I was standing right next to it! 

Anyway, quick preview, bit of a loss of quality with the image resizer, will try remember to sort the bigger ones out later.


----------



## Testudo Man

After a tip off from a local, I visited a fresh site close to me, I didn't even know this pond existed...Anyway, she said there used to be a Kingfisher there...sure enough, she was right...my 1st shot of one of these beauties...not the best quality pics, because of vast distance...


----------



## Ozgi

I got Temminck's Stint at my local patch last night, a nice new one for me :2thumb:


----------



## diamondlil

I spent ages watching this cormorant on the river Medway, but this is the best picture I got


----------



## cmazza

Had some Great Tits nesting in the back garden, all four chicks fledged on the weeked, here is a pic of one of them.


----------



## Lucky Eddie

JUst got back from MInsmere.

I had a feeling it was going to be a good day when saw 3 red deer on the way in.

Usual suspects for MInsmere really, topped by two different bitterns, one being mobbed by a marsh harrier, loads of bearded tits, mediterranean gulls, avocets by the shed load, nuthatches on the bird feeder by the visitor centre, redshank, oyster catcher, black tailed godwits, common sandpiper, green & great spotted woodie, blackcap, lesser whitethroats, marsh tit, sand martins.

52 species today on the reserve. A brilliant day!

Photos later!!!!!!


----------



## Lucky Eddie

*Pics from Minsmere*

Black headed gull









Avocet









Chaffinch









Bittern


----------



## fergie

Couple of nice wee Robin shots I got yeasterday when I was out painting the shed.


----------



## fergie

Lucky Eddie said:


> Black headed gull
> image
> 
> Avocet
> image
> 
> Chaffinch
> image
> 
> Bittern
> image
> 
> image


Nice shots. I have yet to to see a Bittern or Avocet.


----------



## fergie

Spied these wee chaps on a telephone line out the back. Had to crop them quite a bit though.

Goldfinches.





































The one on the left appears to be hovering.


----------



## simooshy

Nice piccys of the bittern and avocet. I've been lucky enough to see both by 23, but I've yet to get a picture. Patience. Patience.


----------



## Lucky Eddie

simooshy said:


> Nice piccys of the bittern and avocet. I've been lucky enough to see both by 23, but I've yet to get a picture. Patience. Patience.


I was just lucky for the bittern. He had been out for about an hour apparently............I just got in the hide in time to get some shots before he disappeared into the reeds. Ten minutes later and I would have missed out.

I've just got back from Holland. A lot of travelling and only a couple of hours birding with the bins. I did see 2 white storks and one black from the train. Montagues harriers on the grass at Schipol airport (not sure if the pest control people bring them in though?) and a black tern.

My proper birdy session got garden warbler, aquatic warbler, loads of blackcaps, song thrush (where they all gone?), buzzard, jays pics, goldcrests, marsh tits, williow warbler, but nothing exotic.


----------



## Testudo Man

I scored my 1st pic of a Buzzard today, after work...I went to an old church that is no longer in use(the last time I was there was 1981:whistling2...This place has promise, its right up on a hill, so the views are very good...and a local guy said he has seen as many as 7 Buzzards in a day...










And as a bonus, this Kestrel turned up, on its favourite perch...


----------



## fergie

Testudo Man said:


> I scored my 1st pic of a Buzzard today, after work...I went to an old church that is no longer in use(the last time I was there was 1981:whistling2...This place has promise, its right up on a hill, so the views are very good...and a local guy said he has seen as many as 7 Buzzards in a day...
> 
> image
> 
> And as a bonus, this Kestrel turned up, on its favourite perch...
> 
> image


Nice shots T.T.


----------



## tribolonotus001

DEANO


----------



## simooshy

love the starling, amazing colours!:flrt:


----------



## Testudo Man

fergie said:


> Nice shots T.T.


Thanks mate...I couldnt believe it, driving home this afternoon, I saw a buzzard too, but it was less than a mile from the church, so its bound to happen......I liked the vivid colours of your Goldfinches too: victory:...I had the chance to take a pic of a pair of them at the church site, but you know how you are a split second away from taking the pic, and the buggers fly off:bash:



tribolonotus001 said:


> image
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> DEANO


Great pics...I know Starlings have a bad rep. but they are beautiful birds.


----------



## fergie

Mistle Thrush whish proceeded to aerially assault me from the top of this lamp post. I had no idea these birds were as big or as bold.


----------



## Ozgi

Great pics everyone :2thumb:

If you're not aware of it yet, there is a website that has constant updates of bird sightings that are rare, unusual and worth mentioning from across the UK. It's well worth checking to see if there is anything good near you!

www.birdguides.com then go to the bird news extra section.




Lucky Eddie said:


> I was just lucky for the bittern. He had been out for about an hour apparently............I just got in the hide in time to get some shots before he disappeared into the reeds. Ten minutes later and I would have missed out.
> 
> I've just got back from Holland. A lot of travelling and only a couple of hours birding with the bins. I did see 2 white storks and one black from the train. Montagues harriers on the grass at Schipol airport (not sure if the pest control people bring them in though?) and a black tern.
> 
> My proper birdy session got garden warbler, aquatic warbler, loads of blackcaps, song thrush (where they all gone?), buzzard, jays pics, goldcrests, marsh tits, williow warbler, but nothing exotic.


Nice! I was at Minsmere last summer and saw 5 seperate bittern, they were flying about everywhere!

Good work with the stork, I've seen a black stork at Minsmere, never seen a white stork though. I've never had aquatic warbler either. There are some glaring ommisions from my life list, hopefully I'll sort that out soon!


----------



## fergie

Black-headed Gull.



















Sandwich Tern.


----------



## Testudo Man

fergie said:


> Mistle Thrush whish proceeded to aerially assault me from the top of this lamp post. I had no idea these birds were as big or as bold.
> 
> image


They appear a fair bit larger than a song thrush...I have seen approx 6 of these, in various locations...I even snapped a pic of one in my back garden.



fergie said:


> Black-headed Gull.
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> Sandwich Tern.
> 
> image
> 
> image


Nice pics here...I like the tern with the fish in its mouth.:no1:


----------



## andyh75

Had a very late staying Fieldfare in the trees at the side of Buckton pond this afternoon, a few miles from my house,


----------



## fergie

Pics taken today

Goldfinches














































Wood Pigeon










Sandwich Tern



















Oyster Catcher










Rock Pipit




























Wee Wren singing his little heart out.




























Youthful Sparrow


----------



## Lucky Eddie

Ozgi said:


> Nice! I was at Minsmere last summer and saw 5 seperate bittern, they were flying about everywhere!


Dont rub it in.

I've done Rainham twice, Minsmere twice and Lakenheath hoping to see one. I'm getting sick of marsh harriers!!!!

The storks and aqaitic warbler were in Holland...........a bit if a cheat. I also saw a Little Bustard. That would have been nice on the UK list!

I'm back there again at the end of the month. I'll hopefully get some stork shots.


----------



## diamondlil

Thanks to Paul (Testudo Man), I got to spend Saturday watching herons!


----------



## HABU

:notworthy:all kinds of great bird shots!!!:notworthy:

you guys have some spectacular birds...

funny how birds with the same name look so different than in my neck of the woods...

the robins and goldfinches... they are very different here...

keep up the good work...

i need an SLR... i can't do birds!:gasp:


----------



## Ozgi

Lucky Eddie said:


> Dont rub it in.
> 
> I've done Rainham twice, Minsmere twice and Lakenheath hoping to see one. I'm getting sick of marsh harriers!!!!
> 
> The storks and aqaitic warbler were in Holland...........a bit if a cheat. I also saw a Little Bustard. That would have been nice on the UK list!
> 
> I'm back there again at the end of the month. I'll hopefully get some stork shots.


Nothing wrong with seeing species in their native habitat, it's funny seeing all the twitchers chasing around the country trying to add stuff to their British list when they could just go to another country and see hundreds of them! 

I think I actually prefer seeing them where they belong, a windswept, rainsodden, tired, hungry bird on a Norfolk beach looks nowhere near as impressive as it would singing in a tree in the sunshine in its country of origin!



HABU said:


> :notworthy:all kinds of great bird shots!!!:notworthy:
> 
> you guys have some spectacular birds...
> 
> funny how birds with the same name look so different than in my neck of the woods...
> 
> the robins and goldfinches... they are very different here...
> 
> keep up the good work...
> 
> i need an SLR... i can't do birds!:gasp:


A lot of our birds are completely under-rated by a lot of people, some of them are quite impressive!

You can get some decent shots with a compact camera, I don't think TT has an SLR but some of his shots are fantastic :2thumb:


----------



## diamondlil

From today, skylarks
















and a kestrel. I completely fluffed getting a shot of it landing 6 feet away from me and taking off past me at low level, too busy watching it to take a photo!


----------



## Testudo Man

diamondlil said:


> Thanks to Paul (Testudo Man), I got to spend Saturday watching herons!
> image
> image
> image
> image
> image
> image


That site looks familiar...glad you found it ok...



Ozgi said:


> A lot of our birds are completely under-rated by a lot of people, some of them are quite impressive!
> 
> You can get some decent shots with a compact camera, I don't think TT has an SLR but some of his shots are fantastic :2thumb:


Thanks a lot for your compliment mate(I do try to take good pics)...I can tell you that my camera is nothing special at all...its a Fuji Finepix S5700...I think its refered to as a "bridge" camera...
I might be stretching my cameras capabilities now though, I went to Eagle Heights this last Sunday, and shot 100's of pics...heres one of them...












diamondlil said:


> From today, skylarks
> image
> image
> and a kestrel. I completely fluffed getting a shot of it landing 6 feet away from me and taking off past me at low level, too busy watching it to take a photo!
> image
> image


Nice pics, you must have kicked yourself when you missed the close shot, they dont come along that often.


----------



## Ozgi

Testudo Man said:


> That site looks familiar...glad you found it ok...
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks a lot for your compliment mate(I do try to take good pics)...I can tell you that my camera is nothing special at all...its a Fuji Finepix S5700...I think its refered to as a "bridge" camera...
> I might be stretching my cameras capabilities now though, I went to Eagle Heights this last Sunday, and shot 100's of pics...heres one of them...
> 
> image
> 
> 
> 
> Nice pics, you must have kicked yourself when you missed the close shot, they dont come along that often.


Oh I thought you had a more basic camera than that! That's a cracking pic of the eagle! Did you notice the username fail I did as well, doh! lol.


----------



## Testudo Man

Ozgi said:


> Oh I thought you had a more basic camera than that! That's a cracking pic of the eagle! Did you notice the username fail I did as well, doh! lol.


Its still a pretty basic camera, compared to a DSLR though...

And yeah, I noticed:2thumb:...but there are still a lot of people who know me as T.T. so its no big deal.

Thanks about the Bald eagle shot(I have many many more:whistling2 I even sneaked a pic of baby bald eagles in the nest too: victory:


----------



## Lucky Eddie

Here are some recent odds and sods!

The Missus had to get in on the act with this oystercatcher









A chaffie at Minsmere









Black headed gull......again!









Garden wobbler.....Holland


----------



## croc&chewy

Some fantastic pictures on here well done. I have recently started to get in to the birds near me.. don't have much choice since I live in a built up area but there are some woods near me (Tandle Hills) which has a nice selection. 

I've recently seen a Buzzard, Kestral and a Jay. The Jay was the first I ever saw and he was beautiful, a gorgeous blue down his wing.

We also have a very cheeky Magpie who likes to terrorise my house and a group of gorgeous white, brown and grey Pigeons who fly from each roof of bungalows and houses around my house.

I will try and get used to a decent camera and get some pictures!


----------



## diamondlil

Some better kestrel pictures from this morning, it was hunting over the skylarks' nests


----------



## Woodsman

diamondlil said:


> From today, skylarks
> image
> image
> and a kestrel. I completely fluffed getting a shot of it landing 6 feet away from me and taking off past me at low level, too busy watching it to take a photo!
> image
> image


Great photos.but those Skylarks look more like Meadow Pipits to me.


----------



## Ozgi

I heard my first ever grasshopper warbler this morning, such a bizarre call. 




Woodsman said:


> Great photos.but those Skylarks look more like Meadow Pipits to me.


That's what I thought....


----------



## RENT-A-GOAT

Went up to Northumberland over the last bank holiday and took at trip over to the farnes and it was a total hive of bird life ahve been to reserves in the breeding season many a time but this was something else the amoutn of terns with nests and eggs dive bombing you was un countable and the puffins were in good numbers as well. pics of my trip can be found here


----------



## diamondlil

Woodsman said:


> Great photos.but those Skylarks look more like Meadow Pipits to me.


Wow! After comparing the pictures with field guides, they must be breeding there too. I was watching the skylarks display flights, when I managed to get the pictures of the birds on the ground. So now I've looked at field guides I can see the similarities and differences. Seems the display flight is shorter and the song less elaborate, (I'm absolutely certain about the larks that were displaying, but now I'll see if I can get pictures of them on the ground too)Thanks for that ID!


----------



## Lucky Eddie

Ozgi said:


> I heard my first ever grasshopper warbler this morning, such a bizarre call. QUOTE]
> 
> Yeah. Obviously a name given 200 years ago.
> 
> If it had been named today, it would be the 'space invader warbler' or the 'pub one armed bandit triple gamble warbler'.............or even the 'Kraftweeeeeerk warbler'.


----------



## Testudo Man

Crikey...this thread has ground to a halt:whistling2:...

Has everyone run dry:Na_Na_Na_Na:


----------



## jamesthornton

My Grandfather has just given me A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe. It's from 1954 but I hear it's supposed to be a pretty good guide?


----------



## feorag

I found this little blackbird fledgling sitting in one of my garden bushes this morning.

I knew something was up because his mother and father have been foraging in my garden for the last couple of months or so and yet when I opened the door this morning she didn't fly off as usual, instead she ran into this bush. I wondered if it might be a fledgling, so went out and investigated. So now our cats are confined to the house until he can fly and fortunately no cats come in our garden (cos they can't get back out!) so he's totally safe out there until he can fly off himself.



















My husband went out later one to check it was still there, and this is what he came back with!


----------



## Lucky Eddie

Testudo Man said:


> Crikey...this thread has ground to a halt:whistling2:...
> 
> Has everyone run dry:Na_Na_Na_Na:


Ha! Sorry Mate...............I'm building a spider shed! Haven't been out for a few weeks. 

I did manage to snap some baby long tailed tits in the garden though. I will upload them one day.


----------



## Lucky Eddie

jamesthornton said:


> My Grandfather has just given me A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe. It's from 1954 but I hear it's supposed to be a pretty good guide?


Has it got the ring necked parrakeet in it? :whistling2:


----------



## SlinkiSnake

*Hi!*

Been sum raptor activity round ere! The other day I saw 1 take down a blackbird out of my bedroom window!
And AGAIN when I was in the park. He came flying out from a tree with I think a fledgling crow in his talons. Closly followed by a adult crow. All I can say 4 identification is e had a grey spotted tail.
N e 1 know who the culprit might b?


----------



## andyh75

i would say you saw a Goshawk , thats the only bird i can think of with a grey spotted tail, i would have said Sparrowhawk, but ive never known them to take Crows out


----------



## fergie

Buzzards and Peregrine.


----------



## feorag

Well it would appear that baby blackbird is still in the garden, but has now been joined by a brother/sister!! When we got back home this afternoon, I went out to check before I let Cadders out and found him/her in the variegated bush (can't remember what it's called!) so took a photo, whereupon he flew off and landed on the top of the cat mesh on the other side of the garden.



















So I came back into the house and observed from the back door, when he flew back across the garden and fell foul of the mesh (which is what is worrying us about letting the cats out you see, because it can actually trap them if they misjudge the edge), landing under it and hanging on by his feet! Eventually he dropped, so I went out to see where he was and found him sitting on top of the hosta.



















However........................ when I got close I saw something scuttle under the bush next to the hosta and that was when I thought "have I got 2 of them in here?" 

So I told Barry and he later went out and the 2 of them were sitting side by side in the variegated bush again. Course by the time he came in and told me and I went out with my camera, one of them was missing again, so I'm assuming that maybe one is a little more advanced than the other and maybe was in next door's garden and Mrs Blackbird has told him to get his *rse in my garden so she can tend to the 2 of them at once! :lol2:


----------



## diamondlil

I'm still enjoying watching the skylarks and kestrels every morning when I walk my dog, but just haven't been taking photos. The swallows are just too fast to get a decent shot of, but I'm trying!
Fergie, those buzzard and peregrine shots are exellent!


----------



## simooshy

The buzzard photos are good. They made me feel dizzy though. I think I scrolled too quick! :blush:


----------



## fergie

diamondlil said:


> I'm still enjoying watching the skylarks and kestrels every morning when I walk my dog, but just haven't been taking photos. The swallows are just too fast to get a decent shot of, but I'm trying!
> Fergie, those buzzard and peregrine shots are exellent!


Thanks Lil 

I was trying to get in flight shots of house martins when I was up snapping the Buzzards. I very quickly gave up though.


----------



## jamesthornton

Just got back from a week camping in Dorset. Saw some Terns catching fish and a huge Cormorant drying himself at sunset..didn't take my camera did I?


----------



## simooshy

jamesthornton said:


> Just got back from a week camping in Dorset. Saw some Terns catching fish and a huge Cormorant drying himself at sunset..didn't take my camera did I?


Nice. The terns are unbelievably hard to photograph though, I think I only have one good flight photo!


----------



## Testudo Man

Lucky Eddie said:


> Ha! Sorry Mate...............I'm building a spider shed! Haven't been out for a few weeks.
> 
> I did manage to snap some baby long tailed tits in the garden though. I will upload them one day.


The birds in my garden have all but gone, its very quiet there now...

Ive had to go on local walks to see anything of interest...

Finally got my 1st Yellowhammer pics, and also got an owl pic too(but that was with my phone) so poor quality...Ive got some cracking Robin, Swallow, and House martin shots though, just need to go through them 1st


----------



## Lucky Eddie

Testudo Man said:


> The birds in my garden have all but gone, its very quiet there now...


Yes, its getting very quiet.

I still have a blackcap singing. Damned if I can find him though..........and that incessant drone of those poxy wood pigeons. I hate them.


----------



## Ozgi

Lucky Eddie said:


> Yes, its getting very quiet.
> 
> I still have a blackcap singing. Damned if I can find him though..........and that incessant drone of those poxy wood pigeons. I hate them.


Wood pigeons are a nightmare when you are out birding. They have the ability to be mistaken for almost anything when in flight. :bash:


----------



## Big Red One

Hi all - anyone know if Nutcrackers have been sighted anytime up in Argyll ?
Was up nr Loch Awe last week and saw something 'jaylike' that was black and spotted white , never seen anything like it before.

All I could think of was a Nutcracker from a book I had years and years back, anything else it could have been (deffo not a woodpecker by the way, far too big and different flight/shape)...?


----------



## fergie

A few pics from yesterdays dander through the forest. Nothing spectacular but always worth sharing.

Young Blue tits feeding. There must have been about thirty of them flitting from branch to branch feeding on the caterpillars.














































Wren. Someday I will get a good shot of these wee chaps.




























Big old Pheasant that was making a terrible racket.




























That was all the pics I got before the dog decided to run onto the golf course and start chasing golf balls and golfers about. Took me about twenty minutes to get him back again :bash:


----------



## andyh75

1st summer male King Eider still at Filey Brigg this evening, 4 Manx Shearwaters north, and quite a few Sandwich Terns about, Barn Owl in our paddock this morning


----------



## Testudo Man

fergie said:


> A few pics from yesterdays dander through the forest. Nothing spectacular but always worth sharing.
> 
> Young Blue tits feeding. There must have been about thirty of them flitting from branch to branch feeding on the caterpillars.
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> Wren. Someday I will get a good shot of these wee chaps.
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> Big old Pheasant that was making a terrible racket.
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> That was all the pics I got before the dog decided to run onto the golf course and start chasing golf balls and golfers about. Took me about twenty minutes to get him back again :bash:


Nice shots mate...and i hear what your saying about getting a decent shot of a Wren too, Ive yet to do it...

Some more from me then...

Housemartin in flight...










Greenfinches, I can count 8 of them here...










Finally got a Yellowhammer...










Housemartins in the nest...


----------



## andyh75

Big Red One said:


> Hi all - anyone know if Nutcrackers have been sighted anytime up in Argyll ?
> Was up nr Loch Awe last week and saw something 'jaylike' that was black and spotted white , never seen anything like it before.
> 
> All I could think of was a Nutcracker from a book I had years and years back, anything else it could have been (deffo not a woodpecker by the way, far too big and different flight/shape)...?


 
Sounds like a Nutcracker from your description, if it was you have seen a mega bird indeed !! there hasnt been one reported as far as i know, if it had been reported Argyll would have had an invasion of birders from all over the country !!! there was an unconfirmed report of one down south last year, but there hasnt been any british sightings for quite a few years


----------



## Tony W

Black headed gulls mobbing a Little Egret at Strangford Lough early June...I was around 400m away from the action hence the poor photos...and at this range I couldn't actually see what the squabble was about...territory...food???? I'll never know, but interesting all the same!









OK one I can manage.....









Two??? You guys are having a laugh!!!









"Mexican Stand Off"


----------



## Ozgi

Big Red One said:


> Hi all - anyone know if Nutcrackers have been sighted anytime up in Argyll ?
> Was up nr Loch Awe last week and saw something 'jaylike' that was black and spotted white , never seen anything like it before.
> 
> All I could think of was a Nutcracker from a book I had years and years back, anything else it could have been (deffo not a woodpecker by the way, far too big and different flight/shape)...?


The last confirmed nutcracker in the UK was in Suffolk in 2003. There have been a few reports since then but none are definate sightings.

How well did you see it? Could it have been a cuckoo maybe? Although Argyll quite regularly throws up rarities so you never know.....


----------



## fergie

Testudo Man said:


> Nice shots mate...and i hear what your saying about getting a decent shot of a Wren too, Ive yet to do it...
> 
> Some more from me then...
> 
> Housemartin in flight...
> 
> image
> 
> Greenfinches, I can count 8 of them here...
> 
> image
> 
> Finally got a Yellowhammer...
> 
> image
> 
> Housemartins in the nest...
> 
> image


Greenfinches are next on my hitlist of birds I need to get a decent shot of. Can never get close enough to the feckers though.

I've yet to see a Yellowhammer, I think they might be close to wiped out over here. Well round my locality anyway.


----------



## Big Red One

Ozgi said:


> The last confirmed nutcracker in the UK was in Suffolk in 2003. There have been a few reports since then but none are definate sightings.
> 
> How well did you see it? Could it have been a cuckoo maybe? Although Argyll quite regularly throws up rarities so you never know.....


Yeah - I know the Nutcracker is a mega rarity, which is why I really couldn't dare think it was one !

But it was definitely no cuckoo, not the pointed wings and flight pattern they show and way too dark. It was at a bit of a distance, so was difficult to really ID properly, I just have never seen anything like it - ever. 
If anyone knows the area it was near the Southern end of the Loch, by Ford...

It looked jay like in flight and shape etc, with real flashes of white and black as it flew which was what caught my attention. I saw it twice in the space of a few hours, flying over some coniferous woodland at 'tree height', then across the Loch itself. Only other thing I thought was ring ouzel, but the size and whiteness definitely didn't fit that either.

Very odd.


----------



## Testudo Man

fergie said:


> Greenfinches are next on my hitlist of birds I need to get a decent shot of. Can never get close enough to the feckers though.
> 
> I've yet to see a Yellowhammer, I think they might be close to wiped out over here. Well round my locality anyway.


Sorry for not getting back to this mate:blush:...

Ive only seen about 3 Yellowhammers, and those pics were the 1st for me to get...Although this last weekend, me and my son went back to the same area, and the yellowhammer was in the very same spot/area...got a few more pics, but he was quite a distance, so nothing really sharp...

I will agree on the Greenfinches too, Ive seen loads of them, but i only have a few pics, and all of these are again, zoomed from a distance...

When we saw the Yellowhammer, guess what was there too?...Yep a Greenfinch...He sat on top of these very high Hedgerows, so we must have been about 30 feet away, but I got a couple of shots...These pics are cropped...


----------



## diamondlil

As the hay is being cut, these guys are getting easier to see.


----------



## Ozgi

I just saw about 10 cormorants flying in a V. I can honestly say I have never seen them doing that before, I've only ever seen single ones flying!

I'm off to Costa Rica on the 15th so should hopefully have added a huge amount of species to my life list by the time I get back!


----------



## boywonder

i've not read past the first page yet but i'm into birding, i'm a member of WWT and the RSPB my local haunts are martin mere, the sandwash and mere sands near southport, just looking at buying a scope, like the kowa 883 of course but may just get the opticron hr80ed at half the price, going testing tomorrow at in-focus at martin mere


----------



## vawn

yet another rubbish pic from me
the buzzards are out n checkin out the neighbouhood, 3 of them this time swoopin n swirling
they come down into our gardens in the summer, our council estate is on the edge of moorland up against the cliff edge


----------



## Ozgi

Hola from Costa Rica!!

We've been here for 2 days and have already seen loads of birds and animals. This place is absolutely amazing and I never want to leave!

I'll make sure I post all the pics when I get back!


----------



## tomwilson

we get alot of kestrels here and i love it they are my favourite bird









is a very poor picture so heres some more


----------



## vawn

i love jays, there's none down here cuz there's no woodland


----------



## tomwilson

vawn said:


> i love jays, there's none down here cuz there's no woodland


 i don't think they are overly common here and more often than not you will here them but never see them


----------



## Ozgi

Spent last weekend in Norfolk and went birding all day Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Saw quite a bit but nothing amazing, added brambling and pintail to my life list, these 2 had been bogey birds for some time!

Went to Salthouse a few times, Cley, Titchwell, Wells Woods and a couple of other sites. Despite the conditions looking like they were going to produce a mega or at least a rarity at some point, nothing turned up. 

Was still a good weekend though and nice weather too! Going back in a couple of weeks! You can't beat birding in Norfolk!


----------



## Testudo Man

I have seen loads of Jays around lately, they are gathering their "nuts", and squawking loud too.


----------



## Ozgi

Testudo Man said:


> I have seen loads of Jays around lately, they are gathering their "nuts", and squawking loud too.


They were absolutely everywhere in Norfolk last weekend. I haven't seen one for years here in MK, but I must have seen 50+ over the weekend!

Apparently there has been a big movement of them in Holland the past few weeks so we must be getting quite a few of those over here.


----------



## Testudo Man

Ozgi said:


> They were absolutely everywhere in Norfolk last weekend. I haven't seen one for years here in MK, but I must have seen 50+ over the weekend!
> 
> Apparently there has been a big movement of them in Holland the past few weeks so we must be getting quite a few of those over here.


I can pretty much see at least one of them per day down here, and I did get some pics the other day of one or two of them too...Long distance pics:whip: but still good to get.




I saw my 1st Fieldfare today...well, I saw approx. 75 to 100 of them land in 2 trees:gasp:...I did get a couple of long range shots, but as i moved in closer, some swine on a bike rode past, and they all took off:bash:...Heres a pic of one of the trees full of them.


----------



## Ozgi

Get looking for waxwings people, they are arriving in the country in huge numbers! It looks like being an irruption year, an excellent opportunity to find some on your local patch! Look in rowan trees!


----------



## Testudo Man

Ozgi said:


> Get looking for waxwings people, they are arriving in the country in huge numbers! It looks like being an irruption year, an excellent opportunity to find some on your local patch! Look in rowan trees!


My 8 year old son has been going on about spotting a Waxwing for ages now(a 1st for the both of us) so it might just happen soon then?

We dont go out of our way to see different birds, but if they are local to us, then its all good.


----------



## Lucky Eddie

Ozgi said:


> Saw quite a bit but nothing amazing, added brambling and pintail to my life list, these 2 had been bogey birds for some time!


OMG! Went to Vange Marsh on Sunday. We were the only two people on the reserve!

Had around 20 pairs on pintail all in one clump on the FW lake. Plus shoveller, widgeon, shellduck, teal, blackwits and two close in feeding barwits...........and two late avocet.

When you do Norfolk again, try swinging round to Welney for the swans. You will get plenty of pintail there, but they are always a distance away for some reason. They seem to be the spookiest of winter ducks barring Golden eye.


----------



## Ozgi

Testudo Man said:


> My 8 year old son has been going on about spotting a Waxwing for ages now(a 1st for the both of us) so it might just happen soon then?
> 
> We dont go out of our way to see different birds, but if they are local to us, then its all good.


They are still flooding in to the country, Scotland and Norfolk seem to have the majority so far, but once they have eaten all the berries there they should filter a bit further inland. 

They are really nice looking birds and allow you to get quite close, good for photo's!



Lucky Eddie said:


> OMG! Went to Vange Marsh on Sunday. We were the only two people on the reserve!
> 
> Had around 20 pairs on pintail all in one clump on the FW lake. Plus shoveller, widgeon, shellduck, teal, blackwits and two close in feeding barwits...........and two late avocet.
> 
> When you do Norfolk again, try swinging round to Welney for the swans. You will get plenty of pintail there, but they are always a distance away for some reason. They seem to be the spookiest of winter ducks barring Golden eye.


I love it when you have the place all to yourself! Was in Norfolk last weekend! We actually made a de-tour to Welney to see the Glossy Ibis, didn't have time to go to the reserve though. I went there a few years ago for the swans, it's pretty amazing to see them all! 

Also went to Cley and got American Golden Plover and Grey Phalarope, although being a Sunday it was heaving!

Glossy Ibis






















American Golden Plover










Snow Bunting



















All record shots really, not great quality. The Ibis and plover were very distant!


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## Ozgi

We were in Manchester yesterday so popped in to Hollingworth lake to get the Pied Billed Grebe, we were running late and made it there at about 3pm when the light had started to fade!

There were quite a few people there looking at it and it didn't take long to locate it.

Great addition to the life and UK list!


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## Ozgi

I found 43 waxwings outside my work this morning! I heard them before I saw them. Couldn't believe it when I saw them! :mf_dribble:

They let me get really close and I'm gutted I didn't have my camera on me, lesson learned, take it everywhere!

They are only the second lot of waxwings seen in MK this year, there were 3 briefly last month.


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## vawn

goin to my sisters yesterday there where 40 odd gold finches all sitting together on the telegraph wire, never seen that many in one place before!


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## Testudo Man

Ozgi said:


> I found 43 waxwings outside my work this morning! I heard them before I saw them. Couldn't believe it when I saw them! :mf_dribble:
> 
> They let me get really close and I'm gutted I didn't have my camera on me, lesson learned, take it everywhere!
> 
> They are only the second lot of waxwings seen in MK this year, there were 3 briefly last month.


43 Waxwings:gasp::gasp: and you didnt have a camera:bash: You must have been gutted for sure......I always take my camera to work now, you just never know what you might see!

Im hoping to see some Waxwings here Kent soon(there have been several sightings/photos)...Ive never seen one before, and like you say, they do allow you to get close to them.


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## Zoo-Man

Went to Preston Docks this afternoon, had a walk round, looked at the usual Mallards, Coots, Mute Swan pair with 3 young, tonnes of Black-Headed Gulls, & a few young Herring Gulls. Then one part of the dock had a few blokes with cameras & binoculars, they were there for ages. We went up to them & asked what they were so interested in. They pointed out a bird, looked very similar to a young Herring Gull, but with white wing-tips & tail. Aparently it is a young Iceland Gull, has been here for a few days. Its on all the birding websites.


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## andyh75

Zoo-Man said:


> Went to Preston Docks this afternoon, had a walk round, looked at the usual Mallards, Coots, Mute Swan pair with 3 young, tonnes of Black-Headed Gulls, & a few young Herring Gulls. Then one part of the dock had a few blokes with cameras & binoculars, they were there for ages. We went up to them & asked what they were so interested in. They pointed out a bird, looked very similar to a young Herring Gull, but with white wing-tips & tail. Aparently it is a young Iceland Gull, has been here for a few days. Its on all the birding websites.


 
yes the iceland gull has been present there for a few days, a cracking bird hehe


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## Ozgi

Testudo Man said:


> 43 Waxwings:gasp::gasp: and you didnt have a camera:bash: You must have been gutted for sure......I always take my camera to work now, you just never know what you might see!
> 
> Im hoping to see some Waxwings here Kent soon(there have been several sightings/photos)...Ive never seen one before, and like you say, they do allow you to get close to them.


Tell me about it! They have since been refound a little further away in Woburn so I'm going to do a bit of waxwing chasing this weekend I think, they owe me some photo's!

They are very impressive to look at, although you will probably hear them before you see them!


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## Testudo Man

Ozgi said:


> Tell me about it! They have since been refound a little further away in Woburn so I'm going to do a bit of waxwing chasing this weekend I think, they owe me some photo's!
> 
> They are very impressive to look at, although you will probably hear them before you see them!


Go get them photos mate: victory: and they do have a sound/pitch/noise on them dont they...

Ive just googled a local Waxwing sighting(with photos) along the kent coastline(about 55 miles from me)...and there is talk of approx. 50 of them there...


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## diamondlil

Before the snow, some birds from the mudflats stocking up their winter reserves


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## Testudo Man

Confession time for me:whistling2:...

I went on my 1st ever "Twitch" this Sunday just gone:blush:...

It was local to me, it had been around for approx. a week, so i thought why not go check it out...

A Slovenian Grebe...


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## diamondlil

I got a fairly decent shot of a wren yesterday, just before it started snowing


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## Ozgi

Testudo Man said:


> Confession time for me:whistling2:...
> 
> I went on my 1st ever "Twitch" this Sunday just gone:blush:...
> 
> It was local to me, it had been around for approx. a week, so i thought why not go check it out...
> 
> A Slovenian Grebe...
> 
> image
> 
> image


Brilliant!

It's a slippery slope, hope you are prepared for it, lol. Travelling a little way (or even a long way) to see a bird isn't a bad thing though, once you have seen a lot of the commoner birds it's only normal to want to see something a bit different!

Not a bad one to go and see either! Did you use the birdguides site to find out about it? Hope you have got yourself a copy of the Collins guide and have started a life list now! :no1:


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## erewegoagain

Some great photos and sightings on here folks. Im quite excited today cos ive been off work and have been watching my birdfeeders more closely. I was wondering what species I would get here having moved house in February. Today the birds seen have been Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Chaffinch, Robin, Goldfinch, a pair of Redpolls and a pair of Siskins. I put up a Niger seed feeder and for a good two months didnt see anything on it, but at last its bringing in the more unusual finches. I just wish I had a decent telephoto lens to take some piccies.


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## Testudo Man

Ozgi said:


> Brilliant!
> 
> It's a slippery slope, hope you are prepared for it, lol. Travelling a little way (or even a long way) to see a bird isn't a bad thing though, once you have seen a lot of the commoner birds it's only normal to want to see something a bit different!
> 
> Not a bad one to go and see either! Did you use the birdguides site to find out about it? Hope you have got yourself a copy of the Collins guide and have started a life list now! :no1:


Cheers...Im a lazy, part time birder :blush: so i cant ever see me traveling long distances to twitch(but who knows what lengths I will go to in the future:whistling2 its not just seeing the bird for me though, because i like a bit of photography, its all about getting a half decent shot too...Also, when I go on treks like these, I photograph many other birds on the same day, so its a win win situation...On the same day, I got a Snipe pic, and because of me going after that Grebe, I got some very good shots of a Kestrel eating its prey:2thumb:......Ive heard there is a Goosander at the same lake now too, so i will try for that soon enough.

Yes, i look on the local birders sightings for my area, and see what is what and where, but this is the 1st time ive acted on it...I should have made a local 50 mile round trip recently, because a Rustic Bunting(rare for Kent) was around for a few days, but i didnt bother going after that bird.


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## tomwilson

thought this might be worth asking in here, i saw a few lapwings running about near here at 10pm in the pitch black the other night and wondered if they are normaly nocturnal or if it's just the cold weather, lack of food, or shorter days causing it, cheers to anyone who answers


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## sandmatt

If your a twitcher then the best place in the country has to be blakeney point in spring or autumn, ive done the walk 3 or 4 times and you wouldnt believe some of the birds that have been up there.


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## andyh75

sandmatt said:


> If your a twitcher then the best place in the country has to be blakeney point in spring or autumn, ive done the walk 3 or 4 times and you wouldnt believe some of the birds that have been up there.


An epic walk that sure is hehehe , specially in driving wind and rain , like ive done it in :lol2:


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## fergie

tomwilson said:


> thought this might be worth asking in here, i saw a few lapwings running about near here at 10pm in the pitch black the other night and wondered if they are normaly nocturnal or if it's just the cold weather, lack of food, or shorter days causing it, cheers to anyone who answers


From watching the lapwings round here I have found that they usually rest up most of the day in large numbers and then move off to feed when the day is approaching dusk. The playing fields near my house is full of them at night, especially this time of year. Hope that helps mate.


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## tomwilson

fergie said:


> From watching the lapwings round here I have found that they usually rest up most of the day in large numbers and then move off to feed when the day is approaching dusk. The playing fields near my house is full of them at night, especially this time of year. Hope that helps mate.


cheers mate, their brill birds we have a few on an industrial estate round the corner from here, quite a few kestrels too


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## rimonex

Have recently moved to Newmarket and have been pleasantly surpirsed with a flock of about 20 goldfinches using the cherry tree in the back garden as a stop off point (generally to our bird feeders)


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## vawn

jenny wren is back at her nest site in my palm tree cleaning it out ready for the spring :flrt:


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## Bruceyyy

Put a pole with feeders on it up at home over xmas. So far in the garden I have seen Blackcaps, wrens, goldcrests, goldfinchs, the usual tits, redwings, and a grey wagtail playing by the pond 

And whilst I am commenting here, I was just wondering if anyone on here has seen the crested tits that seem to have appeared at a few sites in hampshire (henley on thames)? My friend (who is not in to his birds as much as i am) swore blind he was seeing them at his local nature reserve, and I was naturally sceptical (its a long way from the caledonian forests that I thought was their last habitat). But sure enough, he sent me pictures! I know they are capable of surviving in much of britains forests, as they are relative common on the continent, but I just thought I would have heard news of these much more local crested tits. Anyone else heard this? or seen them themselves?


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