• ABOUT
  • BIRDING 2018
  • Birding 2019
  • BLOG POSTS
  • Butterflies 2018
  • Resources

earthstar

~ a celebration of nature

earthstar

Tag Archives: British birds

Feasting Chiffchaff

26 Thursday Jan 2023

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Chiffchaff, Chiffchaff fly-catching, over-wintering Chiffchaff

So many flies, so little time …
Although the majority of Chiffchaffs still migrate to warmer southern climes for the winter, increasing numbers can now be seen over-wintering locally. This little beauty was feasting well on the hundreds of tiny gnat-like flies that had emerged in Monday’s sunshine.

230126 chiffchaff

Like this:

Like Loading...

Snoozing

23 Monday Jan 2023

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Common Gull

When life finally gives you a little winter sunshine, you might as well relax and enjoy it. This Common gull was doing just that, snoozing in the relative warmth of the midday sun.

230123 common gull

Like this:

Like Loading...

A posse of Reed buntings

21 Saturday Jan 2023

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Reed bunting

I was hoping to hear my first Skylarks of the year but was instead entertained by a little posse of Reed buntings, fossicking for titbits amongst the tall tufts of meadow grasses. If a noise alarmed them, they’d flit up to a higher vantage point, on a branch of Field rose or the twigs of a nearby tree, to survey the area and check out its source but, as I kept very still, the birds seemed unconcerned by my presence.

230121 reed buntings

Like this:

Like Loading...

And then there were three

18 Wednesday Jan 2023

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, drake Goldeneye, female Goldeneye, Goldeneye

I know I’ve blogged about this drake Goldeneye very recently but I want to share yesterday’s magical experience. The drake was much closer than usual to the boardwalk along the edge of Cardiff Bay so I was able to watch its almost constant diving for food and to admire its stunning plumage when it washed and flapped its wings.

230118 goldeneye (1)

Suddenly, a flock of Tufted ducks flew in to join the couple of hundred already present and, amazingly, they were accompanied by two female Goldeneyes. It took ten minutes or so for the three Goldeneyes to find each other, and then I was able to watch all three interacting. It was enchanting!

230118 goldeneye (2)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Drake Goldeneye

14 Saturday Jan 2023

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, drake Goldeneye, Goldeneye

Almost a month ago we had the pleasure of two Goldeneyed gals cruising around in Cardiff Bay. Now, and for the past few days, perhaps due to the very blustery weather we’ve been experiencing, we’ve had a drake Goldeneye visiting. He mostly maintains a discrete distance from the water’s edge but, yesterday, was close enough for slightly better photographs. He’s a very handsome bird, his head a glossy dark green, his body and wings a stunning pattern of blacks and whites, and I particularly like his white cheek patches. If yet another squall hadn’t come in, I would’ve stayed longer to watch him but I’m hoping he will linger and provide more viewing opportunities in more clement weather.

230114 goldeneye drake

Like this:

Like Loading...

Spreading its wings

11 Wednesday Jan 2023

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Ring-necked duck

To get this photo, I got drenched, hailed on, flashed by lightning and rumbled by thunder … but it was worth every drop of rain. Seen here with the Tufted ducks it has befriended and a local Gadwall, this female Ring-necked duck is one of two that have been in the local area for several months. They have mostly spent their days together on Lisvane Reservoir in north Cardiff but the turn of the new year has seen this particular duck spread its wings, spending a day or two in Cardiff Bay, and several days, as today, at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park.

230111 ring-necked duck

Like this:

Like Loading...

Little poser

09 Monday Jan 2023

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, long-tailed tit

I always stop when I hear Long-tailed tits, partly because their little flocks are often accompanied by other small birds, which might include something of particular interest, but also because they’re just a joy to watch as they flit from branch to branch, picking up almost invisible invertebrates, hanging upside down or leaning sideways to check every crack and crevice. They’re mostly too quick for sharp photos but this little poser paused for a moment or two on a fence post, just long enough for a couple of reasonable images.

230109 long-tailed tit

Like this:

Like Loading...

The Fab Seven

05 Thursday Jan 2023

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, starling

230105 starlings (1)

They flew up to the sign after being disturbed from their grass-grazing by a mad spaniel, spent a minute or two sprucing up their appearance, then these glorious Starlings began to sing. And I had a front row seat. Now that’s what I call entertainment!

230105 starlings (2)

Like this:

Like Loading...

New year, new lists

02 Monday Jan 2023

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, Scaup

Yes, I make lists. Each year, a new page in my notebook, new pages in the spreadsheets on my laptop. I only keep two lists, one for the birds I see and one for the butterflies, which, unless I’m very lucky, won’t have any names added for a few months yet. I don’t do this in competition with other listers but rather as a way of comparing one year with another, and also of remembering. Just as photographs trigger memories of places and events, so too do my lists. And then there’s the personal challenge, particularly on the first day of the new year, to see how many bird species I can find on a walk around Cardiff Bay (31 in 2018, a whopping 47 in 2019, 44 in 2020, 40 in 2021, 45 in 2022). And this year’s total? Well, incredibly, yesterday’s 9-mile walk resulted in a total of 50 bird species, which was definitely helped by the lingering presence of Black redstarts, the Whooper swan, and this female Scaup.

Like this:

Like Loading...

New year, first bird

01 Sunday Jan 2023

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, first bird of 2023, robin

In previous years my first birds, seen or heard, have variously been a wee Robin that would tick-tick-tick its way around the tree at the front of my flat in the pre-dawn light, one of the many Lesser black-backed gulls that whirl around this seaside town, and a Blackbird whose alarm call rang out while I was still abed, probably in response to a prowling cat. This year, as last year and the year before, it was a little Robin, this one singing a merry tune as it sat in the tree. The RSPB website says Robins usually only live a couple of years but the oldest recorded was 11 years 5 months, so this could possibly be the same bird as in previous years.

230101 robin

Like this:

Like Loading...
← Older posts

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.

View Full Profile →

Follow earthstar on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent blog posts

  • Fern Friday: Hart’s-tongue January 27, 2023
  • Feasting Chiffchaff January 26, 2023
  • A Water vole does lunch January 25, 2023
  • A cool cloud January 24, 2023
  • Snoozing January 23, 2023

From the archives

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

COPYRIGHT

Unless otherwise acknowledged, the text and photographs on this blog are my own and are subject to international copyright. Nothing may be downloaded or copied without my permission.

Fellow Earth Stars!

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • earthstar
    • Join 578 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • earthstar
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.

    %d bloggers like this: