275/365 Black-tailed godwits

02 Wednesday Oct 2019

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds, nature

Tags

birding, birdwatching, Black-tailed godwit, British birds, RSPB Lodmoor

For me, the Black-tailed godwits were a highlight of our walk around RSPB Lodmoor. They’re not uncommon birds but I don’t see them on my local patch and don’t often get close views of them.

191002 black-tailed godwit (1)

There were several at Lodmoor but the little beauty shown below was feeding quite close to the western path. That feeding was a constant repetition of probing the mud to locate some choice morsel, raising its beak from the water and throwing back its head to gulp down said morsel, then plunging its head down into the water again. If its frequent gulps were any indication, the bird was finding plenty of food.

191002 black-tailed godwit (2) 191002 black-tailed godwit (3)

Black-tailed godwits are handsome waders that can be seen almost year round in Britain. Though local populations migrate to overwinter in Africa, birds from Iceland come to Britain to enjoy our relatively milder winter climate.

191002 black-tailed godwit (4)

274/365 Egrets and herons

01 Tuesday Oct 2019

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Great white egret, Grey heron, Little egret, RSPB Lodmoor, RSPB Radipole

On the way to Portland last Friday our birding group stopped off at the RSPB’s Lodmoor Nature Reserve on the outskirts of Weymouth. It’s a wonderful environment for birds, with small lakes and large reedbeds, open saltmarshes and hedge-enclosed pathways, and it always turns up a good variety of birds.

191001 egrets

Now, I’ve only been in Britain four years so I don’t remember the ‘old days’ when twitchers would race across the country to see a Little egret or a Great white egret, but even I can see how much these birds have increased in number in a very short time.

At Lodmoor, there were several Little egrets (above) – I didn’t count the ones I did see, and I’m sure there were several lurking amongst the reeds that I couldn’t see and, amazingly, there were six (!) Great white egrets (below), for a time all congregated in one spot. Now, that was a sight to see.

I was also impressed by the large numbers of Grey herons, especially those at nearby RSPB Radipole, all lined up along the edge of the reeds, sheltering from the strong westerly winds.

191001 herons and little egret

273/365 Corn buntings

30 Monday Sep 2019

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Corn bunting

I’m just back from the annual Glamorgan Bird Club 3-day trip to the Portland Bird Observatory, one of the highlights of my birding year so, be warned, the next few days’ blog posts will be a bit birdy!

190930 corn buntings (2) 190930 corn buntings (1)

En route to Portland last Friday, we stopped for a short time in the car park at Maiden Castle hill fort, near Dorchester. You may well think that an odd place to go birding but we are almost certain to spot Corn buntings there, birds we never see in my part of Wales. And we were certainly not disappointed – in fact, we saw more Corn buntings this year than I’ve ever seen before, and many were enjoying a fun splash in the puddles along the dirt road leading in to the site. A delight to watch!

190930 corn buntings (3)

266/365 The charm of it

23 Monday Sep 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 4 Comments

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#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, charm of Goldfinches, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Goldfinch

This charm of Goldfinches numbered at least 60.

190923 goldfinches (1)

They were feeding in the wildflower fields at Cosmeston this morning, plucking at fluffy seedheads, nibbling at the exposed seeds.

190923 goldfinches (2)

They were skittish though, constantly whirling about from one area to another, into the nearby trees and back again, chattering all the while. Such a pleasure to watch!

190923 goldfinches (3)

261/365 Almost ready to go

18 Wednesday Sep 2019

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds, nature

≈ 2 Comments

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, House martin, House martin nests

Two weeks ago, on 28 August, I spotted these House martin chicks still in their wonderfully engineered mud-built home, gaping greedily whenever their parents returned with niblets of food.

Today they, and the chicks from the neighbouring two nests, were out and about, practising their flying skills and catching their own insects to eat, but returning often to their nests as if not yet quite ready to break their bonds with the comfort and safety and security of home to fly the thousands of miles to over-winter in Africa. Soon though, their time will come …

190917 house martins (3) 190917 house martins (4) 190917 house martins (5)

260/365 Stonechats

17 Tuesday Sep 2019

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

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, autumn migration, bird migration, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Stonechat

The Autumn migration flow of birds continued through Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, with several species reported: a Redstart, a Whinchat, a Spotted flycatcher and several Stonechats, two of which very kindly popped up in the hedge right in front of me.

190917 stonechat (1) 190917 stonechat (2)

258/365 Staking a claim

15 Sunday Sep 2019

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

≈ 5 Comments

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, British robin, robin, singing Robin

I’ve been reading a book by a man who has gradually been losing his hearing and, as the book progresses through a year of his life, so he has lost the sounds of certain birds whose songs are no longer within the range of his hearing. I find this incredibly sad but it’s also made me value even more the birds I can hear, like this little Robin. Having finished its breeding and parenting duties and its moult, it’s now singing to stake its claim on a nice bit of territory to see it through the lean months of winter.

190915 robin

256/365 Reed bunting

13 Friday Sep 2019

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

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Reed bunting, umbellifers

190913 reed bunting (1)

This is not the setting I would normally associate with Reed buntings – not a reed to be seen – but this little beauty seemed perfectly at home searching for insects amongst the umbellifers in Cosmeston’s west paddock this afternoon, and the colours made for good camouflage as well.

190913 reed bunting (2)

248/365 Baldy blackbird

05 Thursday Sep 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 9 Comments

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#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, blackbird, British birds, moulting bird, moulting Blackbird

As I’m sure most of you know, birds undergo a moult of their feathers after breeding, which is why everything goes very quiet for a few weeks: they’re vulnerable to predation while their new feathers are growing in. This Blackbird appears to have completed its moult of body feathers but not yet its head. Either that or it has some kind of infection or parasite, perhaps, that’s caused this partial loss.

190905 blackbird (1)

Fortunately, the bird’s baldy look is not affecting its ability to get about or feed. As I watched this morning, it cleared away a big pile of leaves and snaffled down the fat juicy worm it found.

190905 blackbird (2)

243/365 Turn of the seasons

31 Saturday Aug 2019

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

≈ 3 Comments

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#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!