Salute
A Herring Gull lingers over the ponds despite the fact that the heavy rain is just minutes away. Overcast skies make an optimal backdrop for the white flier.
6 Likes
Maybe it’s the time of year but this male pheasant appears to know no fear - it seemed to challenge me and the lawn mower on Monday, but this is pushing luck to the max!
Peter
9 Likes
Nothing surprises me about the death wish of pheasants. Surely the most stupid birds on the planet!
1 Like
Indeed, though it’s funny to watch the Pheasant cockerel chasing/herding his harem of Pheasant hens. We had an old boy pheasant living in our garden… and he had two hens… he was always herding them usually with much commotion … then one morning he was stalking about on his own… I assume his hens got fed up with him and flew off.
2 Likes
We had a pheasant in and around the garden, perching in the hawthorn and calling at all hours of moonshine. He has now disappeared and last weekend I found a little pile of pheasant neck or breast feathers next to a fence, so it looks like a fox had him.
1 Like
We have a pheasant that hangs out under the bird feeder, feasting on the seeds that the great tits throw over their shoulders. He has become very vocal in the last few days, probably trying to attract a female. There were small gangs of them around a week or two ago but he ignored them then.
In the art of seduction, timing is everything!
The weather’s changed at last and it tells the blue tit to start nest building. Look how much cleaning it did today. Remarkable that it took out every piece of dirt in one day. Before/after.
4 Likes
Just checked in on the camera to see the blue tit locked in combat with another one. They stayed locked for 9 minutes that I saw, had a fight, then flew. It’s all kicking off now. Never seen this before.
Locked for at least 9 mins like this, without changing position:
Then turned around and locked beaks for a minute:
Threw their handbags at each other:
Then flew off.
Shame you can’t post videos here, as it’s fascinating.
3 Likes
Home Improvement
Blue Herons adding on to last year’s nests. The area is flooded, providing the couples with plenty of privacy.
6 Likes
One out of 370 millions
“According to the Partners in Flight database (2019), the American robin is the most abundant landbird in North America (with 370 million individuals), ahead of red-winged blackbirds, European starlings, mourning doves and house finches. It has seven subspecies.”
6 Likes
Having morning coffee in the garden today and noticed the blue tits flitting about the bird box, and “casing the joint”.
I really hope they nest again this year, as I love seeing them. Apologies for photo quality - it was taken on my iPhone rather than the proper camera. Have a good weekend all 
3 Likes
Apologies, done with my iphone through the hospital window, but I have never been so close to a Redwing. Lovely to see, along with the Goldfinches in the garden.
9 Likes
A 30 seconds break
A gulp of Tree-swallows taking a momentary break on the beaver’s mound before resuming their aerial insects hunt. Very busy guys.
10 Likes
Heard..
..long time before seen. I had to wait patiently till Mr. Downy finally agreed to show his face. The first shutter release made him fly away. Now, if I only had an electronic shutter..
9 Likes
A male black-tailed godwit landing - there were a few of them partnering up - its that time of year…
A female black-tailed godwit
A teale hen camouflaged in the reed beds
A black-headed gull at nest building time
These two make a wonderful couple
An egyptian goose dabbling in the marshes
11 Likes
Red-tail hawk preforming an acrobatic one legged landing
..because he was carrying his mouse with the other one
8 Likes
No photo but the verbal bones of a recent bird encounter.
Driving home this week we saw a kite taking a magpie from the ground (which was intrigue enough).
As the kite took off it was successfully ambushed by a buzzard who took the magpie. In turn, the buzzard was mobbed by a second kite, another magpie and a crow.
The crow acrobatically liberated some of the dead magpie from the buzzard and flew off while the buzzard continued to be mobbed by the kite and magpie.
It was excessively dramatic.
5 Likes
Sounds like a typical Friday night in Doncaster…