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~ a celebration of nature

earthstar

Category Archives: birds

243/365 Turn of the seasons

31 Saturday Aug 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, autumn, birds, nature

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, autumn migration, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Turnstone

The yellowing of the leaves on the tree outside my window, my sightings of migrating birds, the cooler night-time temperatures have all been telling me for a couple of weeks that autumn is on its way, something the calendar will agree with tomorrow. But, for me, one of the true indicators is the arrival of the Turnstones, back from their breeding season in Greenland and northern Canada.

190831 turnstone

The five I spotted on the Ely embankment this morning still show some of their summer colouring but those chestnut feathers will soon disappear as the birds complete their moult into winter plumage. Welcome back, my little friends!

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241/365 Spot fly

29 Thursday Aug 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, autumn migration, birding, birdwatching, British birds, migrating birds, Spot fly, Spotted flycatcher

The day started cool, with a heavy dew and clouds hiding the sun, and I thought I wasn’t going to find a lot during my Cosmeston meander. I was wrong.

190829 spot fly (2)

Once the sun came out so did the creatures: two Green woodpeckers together on the grassy track ahead; two migrating Whinchats, my first this season; a Hummingbird hawkmoth that only hummed a little before landing on the dirt track in front of me – not something I’ve ever seen before; another magnificent Clouded yellow; and, today’s star, yet another Spotted flycatcher, my fifth at Cosmeston in the past week and the most confiding, allowing me to get quite close for photos. It has been a wonderful, and much needed, immersion in Nature today.

190829 spot fly (1)

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238/365 Peek-a-bo II

26 Monday Aug 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

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Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, fledgling robin, migrating birds, robin

In recent days I’ve been spending some time searching for migrating birds, and I’ve had some success, with several Spotted flycatchers, a couple of Tree pipits, and good numbers of Willow warblers, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and both species of whitethroat. Although Redstarts have been seen locally, I haven’t yet managed to find one so, when I caught a reddish flash through the bushes at Cosmeston, I thought I’d got lucky. Unfortunately, it turned out that the flash of red was at the wrong end of the bird – redstart comes from the Anglo-Saxon for ‘red tail’. My little bird had a red breast.

190826 robin

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235/365 Phenomenal flying

23 Friday Aug 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

birding, birds, birdwatching, British birds, Kestrel, Kestrel hovering

When my friend Jill and I returned to her car after our walk to Rottingdean Windmill last week, we were treated to the sight of a Kestrel hunting for food in the meadow immediately in front of the carpark. After one unsuccessful plunge down into the grass, it retreated to a fencepost.

190823 kestrel (1)

But, within minutes, it was airborne once again, and even closer to us this time. What always amazes me with Kestrels is how, even in very strong and gusty winds, they manage to keep their heads perfectly still so as to focus on their potential prey. Their flying skills are phenomenal.

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224/365 It’s autumn!

12 Monday Aug 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, autumn, birds, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

autumn migration, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Lavernock Nature Reserve, Spotted flycatcher

Willow warblers are peeping from every bush, Blackcaps are chacking, Swallows and martins are swooping low over the fields at Cosmeston for last minute snacks before they cross their first stretch of water on their way south and, today, at Lavernock, I saw my first Spotted flycatcher of the year. Autumn migration is well and truly underway!

190812 spotted flycatcher

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217/365 Second brood

05 Monday Aug 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, House martin, House martin nests, second brood of House martins

I don’t think it will be long before this young House martin fledges and heads out into the wide blue yonder.

190805 house martins (1)

These nests are in a local street that I’ve blogged about previously, which I checked up on during a wander around the town today.

190805 house martins (2)

Several of the nests were still occupied with, what I assume to be, second broods of chicks. There are actually two in this nest – you can just see the beak of the second on the left.

190805 house martins (3)

When there are two nests sharing a ledge, there does seem to be the occasional spat with the neighbours, though I think junior, on the right, is more interested in whether adult, on the left, is bringing food.

190805 house martins (4)

Finally, one of its parents has arrived bearing snacks.

190805 house martins (5)

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203/365 Juvenile Green woodpeckers

22 Monday Jul 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Green woodpecker, juvenile Green woodpecker

Two visits in a row I’ve seen this juvenile Green woodpecker and its parent in the same area at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park. (You can tell it’s a juvenile by the dark streaking on its face and underparts.)

190722 green woodpecker (1)

it was checking out a Nuthatch further up the tree

It’s a small fenced off area where not too many people venture but that makes it all the more attractive to me. The lack of frequent foot traffic means it’s a good place to observe birds and butterflies, and I guess the adult woodpecker has also realised it’s a safer place for its offspring as the juvenile begins to make its own way in the world.

190722 green woodpecker (3)

the adult Green woodpecker

This is not the only juvenile Green woodpecker in the park at the moment. After seeing these two the other day, I also heard a lot of yaffling in another location and, as I approached, saw four Green woodpeckers fly up from the ground into the neighbouring trees. Whether that was two adults and two juveniles, or one adult and three juveniles, I’ve yet to discover.

190722 green woodpecker (2)

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200/365 A pack of juveniles

19 Friday Jul 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, juvenile Long-tailed tit, long-tailed tit

A pack of juveniles they may be but I saw no delinquents here.

190719 long-tailed tit (1)190719 long-tailed tit (2)

These are the cute little bundles of fluff known officially as Long-tailed tits, and yesterday, at Cosmeston, I followed a flock of perhaps 40 of these, with an assortment of Great and Blue tits and Chiffchaffs, all young birds, as they were feeding.

190719 long-tailed tit (3)190719 long-tailed tit (4)

Following a shrubby fence line, they pecked about amongst the low trees and bushes, and also ventured out into the field of wildflowers, perching precariously on the stems of tall umbellifers while surveying the surrounding plants for small insects and caterpillars.

190719 long-tailed tit (5)190719 long-tailed tit (6)

It was a great delight to watch them and, being young, they were not as wary of my presence as adults might be, so I managed to get some reasonable photos.

190719 long-tailed tit (7)190719 long-tailed tit (8)

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184a/365 The Big Yin lives!

03 Wednesday Jul 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, gull chicks, Lesser black-backed gull, urban gull nest

190703 LBB gull chick

The best news! The biggest of the three Lesser black-backed gull chicks is still alive. It must’ve fallen off the roof. I had searched the back of the house with my bins and found nothing and couldn’t hear anything, but now it’s on the roof of the lean-to attached to the back of the house. It’s moving around just fine and a parent has been down to feed it. I suspect it may have fallen into the front garden (a miracle it survived the tumble), the home owners have found it, and moved it around the back and on to the roof so it could be seen by its parents. Fingers crossed!

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184/365 Sad news

03 Wednesday Jul 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, gull chicks, Lesser black-backed gull, urban gull nest

I am the bearer of sad tidings today. All three of the Lesser black-backed gull chicks, who were living amongst the chimney pots across the back lane, have perished. I think one died a week or so ago, probably because it was the runt of the brood and was out-competed for food by its two older siblings. I’m not sure what happened to the other two – one was definitely much larger and more dominant than the other, so perhaps the smaller of the remaining two also died from starvation. I noticed the third chick had disappeared late yesterday afternoon, when I spotted a couple of the local Jackdaws inspecting the nest site – I don’t think they would’ve killed the chick, as it was bigger than them, and they seemed merely to be picking through the nest materials.

190703 jackdaws

The female Lesser black-backed soon chased them off and has spent quite a bit of time sitting on the chimney pots, peering at the nest as if looking for the chick(s). She has also been staying nearby, as if she expects them to reappear and she’s been calling for them, which has been very sad to hear.

190703 lesser black-backed gull (2)

There have been many other gulls in the area, some of whom have been taking an interest in the nest. Several times I’ve heard lots of screeching and watched while the parents chased off the interlopers. I presume that, while the parents were out looking for food, either those gulls or some other predator has carried off the remaining two chicks. ‘Tis the sad reality of the natural world.

190703 lesser black-backed gull (1)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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