New to me. Egyptian Geese I believe…
No idea where they came from(!)
Forgive IQ, very low light when I came across them.
4 Likes
They are very common in my local park - Bushy Park.
The Pink-footed Geese have been returning to Scottish shores for the past 3 or 4 weeks and their morning honking, as they move from roosts to feeding sites, is a welcome sound on these Autumn mornings.
I’ve also seen the first Redwings and Fieldfares in the last couple of days. Yesterday, I walked around 8 miles in Culbin Forest, seeing good numbers of birds. Highlight was certainly Crested Tit, though they eluded my camera. I also saw more Crossbills than I’ve ever seen and was fortunate to get a few shots. However, with their preference for treetops, even with a 600mm lens, these remain pretty big crops.
Cheers,
Ian
16 Likes
My wife caught this beauty at a distance of about 5m on her phone. Sparrowhawk?
I think there are ‘parts’ of a pigeon in the photo too!
When we went out about 6 hours later it was there again with another one. Watching it fly off with the carcass dangling from one foot was impressive.
8 Likes
Yes, female Sparrowhawk.
2 Likes
A Ringed- bill Gull is skimming the river’s surface in search for fish, constantly changing speed, direction and altitude.
6 Likes
“Bye bye Poland. Off on our holidays. See you next year !! “
Cranes in Biebrza, East Poland, early evening last Saturday.
My lil’ Canon 70-300.
14 Likes
A lonesome Lesser Yellowlegs
..hiding his yellow legs in the pond’s cold waters. Done eating, he was watching a pair of beavers doing their sundown swim.
6 Likes
Wood ducks from today. Photographed at the Montreal botanical gardens with a Nikon Z5II and Nikkor Z 24-120 F4 lens.
10 Likes
It was a stormy day yesterday but the birds didn’t seem to notice.
Black-headed Gull
Rock Pipit
Cheers,
Ian
12 Likes
Exhausted
The highly illusive Gray-cheeked Thrush, catching a much needed breather on his very long way south to the Amazon basin. The breeding range of these birds includes the boreal forests from Newfoundland to Alaska in North America and across the Bearing Sea to Eastern Siberia. A world traveller, as we say.
These two bellow are from the following day, same guy on the same tree. This time I watched him for five minutes without raising the camera, ushering him into a comfort zone and letting me get closer.
15 Likes
Really interesting “In Our Time” on Radio 4 this morning chosen by Melvin Bragg from the archives. Various expert guests discussing what is known about the science behind bird migration.
1 Like
Some winter waders.
One legged Redshanks
Turnstone formation foraging team
Tasty morsel
Stretching out
Cheers,
Ian
12 Likes
Making a fist
..and making sure to keep a healthy distance, hence the poor resolution. . The return of the Bald Eagles is an indication of cooler weather to come. They are predicting an exceptionally harsh winter for the MidWest.
7 Likes
It ain’t my feather
A female Rusty Blackbird is foraging along the muddy banks of a large pond.
7 Likes
My pet pigeon turned up a few weeks, sometimes has a young pigeon for company.
Doing quite well considering he is at least 12 years old, although he does look a bit bedraggled compared to other pigeons.
Still tame. He’s the only pigeon that doesn’t fly off when I walk into the garden with a handful of peanuts.
10 Likes
I took this photo many moons ago with a Nikon D70s and a 70-300mm. I just love the look on the little fella’s face staring at me as if saying “do you mind not staring as I’m having my dinner”.
9 Likes
Just purchased a winter supply of 300 suet balls, and the feasting has started!
However, this morning two (of three) fat ball hangers were on the ground, the one left hanging was empty…
It didn’t take long before the corvid culprits arrived, one big black crow, and one cheeky magpie. I have since zip tied the hangers to the hooks to spoil their plans.
Within seconds of loudly clapping my hands to see off the crow, a mixed flock of small birds came and mobbed the feeders, they must like the taste of 'em.
Great Tits and Blue Tits mainly, a few sparrows, and Mr Robin
6 Likes
We’ve had to do the same! The crows are especially clever, and will grab the strings to things like coconut shells and lift them off the hooks so that they fall to the ground, and hence “Noms Time!”
The local “murder” inhabits the ash trees about 100-150 yards from our garden. However they are most amusing when one of the buzzards flies over from “their” patch along M27 (less than a mile away). The crows then shout a lot and mob the buzzard.
1 Like
I live in Red Kite central just west of the Chilterns and close to the M40 corridor. My village must have one of the largest Jackdaw populations around and they only mob the kites during the March-June nesting season, the same with Buzzards and the occasional Marsh Harrier.
As for fat balls, we’ve given up, multiple Jackdaws flapping around on the feeder just scares off all the other birds.
2 Likes