Tag Archives: British birds

32/366 Grey wagtails

01 Saturday Feb 2020

Posted by in birds, nature

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

Grey wagtails are tough little birds. It was blowing a gale here today, yet these small creatures were still out foraging along the water line of the Ely embankment, poking their needle-thin beaks between pebbles and, sadly, amongst the human detritus, to find the tiny invertebrates they feed on.

200201 grey wagtail (1)200201 grey wagtail (2)

It amazes me that such small birds can fly so well in gusty conditions yet, with a flash of their bright yellow underbellies and a blast of their cheery call, they seemed to move further along the stony shore with ease.

200201 grey wagtail (3)

Two of the birds pictured here are from today, the other three are photos taken during recent walks along this same path, as I’m always happy to pause and watch these cheery little bobbers.

200201 grey wagtail (4)200201 grey wagtail (5)

25/366 Grey, but a grebe

25 Saturday Jan 2020

Posted by in birds, nature, winter

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Today’s seven-mile walk was through thick grey drizzle-like mist and, except for the raucous gulls at the edge of Cosmeston’s east lake (where everyone feeds the birds), the land was hushed and still. Not wanting to get my gear wet, I only got my camera out of my backpack once, for a few shots of this handsome Great crested grebe.

200125 great crested grebe (1)200125 great crested grebe (2)200125 great crested grebe (3)

24/366 Black swan

24 Friday Jan 2020

Posted by in birds, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , ,

This Black swan was a nice surprise during my ramble around Barry today. Though it wasn’t ringed, it may well have been an escapee from a wildfowl collection somewhere, which is the case with almost all British Black swans. As far as I’m aware, these now-wild birds have not yet established a self-sustaining local population so are not yet considered official British birds … but they must be close to reaching that level.

200124 black swan (1)200124 black swan (2)

Back in August 2016, I wrote a longer blog post on Black swans, using photos I’d taken in New Zealand, where there is a large wild population. You can see that blog here.

200124 black swan (3)200124 black swan (4)

23/366 Siberian chiffchaff, 2020

23 Thursday Jan 2020

Posted by in birds, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

It’s just over a year since I saw my first ever Siberian chiffchaff. These Siberian birds are a subspecies of the Common chiffchaff we all see during the summer months but, as their name suggests, these scarce but regular winter visitors to Britain spend their summers and breed in Siberia.

200123 siberian chiffchaff (3)

Two Siberian chiffchaffs were found in Cardiff Bay yesterday so, of course, I had to go and see for myself today. I only saw one of them, though both birds have been seen today – this one seems the dominant bird and chased the second bird away when that bird ventured within its territory.

200123 siberian chiffchaff (2)

As you might expect of a bird that comes from Siberia, it was quite confiding, as it may not have seen many humans before arriving in Cardiff. Hanging out in the small garden area in front of a Cardiff Bay pub has probably been a bit of a shock to the wee creature!

200123 siberian chiffchaff (1)

21/366 Siskin

21 Tuesday Jan 2020

Posted by in birds, nature, trees, winter

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

On yet another very frosty morning, I met a friend to explore a woodland near Caerphilly called Coed y Werin, which I hadn’t been to before. And it was a delightful place, full of grand old trees, small streams and an iced-over pond.

200121 siskin (1)

And we saw Siskin, birds that seldom venture into my coastal patch, though these were very high up, nibbling at the cones in the tall larch trees, so my photos are heavily cropped. But hopefully you can see the birds today – not like yesterday’s Snipe challenge.

200121 siskin (2)

20/366 Crispest

20 Monday Jan 2020

Posted by in birds, nature, winter

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

It was frosty white again this morning so, in the hope that the chilly temperatures might have lured the resident Snipe out of their hiding places in the reed beds, I headed to Forest Farm Nature Reserve for a meander. And I was lucky – though they were very distant, I managed to spot three Snipe. Full marks if you can actually see them in this photo.

200120 1 snipe

Of course, the cold temps also meant the birds were hungry and frantic to be fed. I took plenty of seed with me but many of the good folk who walk this reserve regularly had already covered fence post tops and feeding tables with food of various types. This Nuthatch was stocking up, taking away several seeds and nuts at a time to stash in nooks and crannies in nearby trees.

200120 3 nuthatch

Jays were also busy stashing. Birders were spraying the grass in front of the bird hide with peanuts, which at least two Jays were gathering and carting away to their local hiding places. Best to be prepared in case this chilly spell continues.

200120 2 jay

15/366 Immature drake scaup

15 Wednesday Jan 2020

Posted by in birds, nature, winter

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

What a difference a month makes! Well, actually, not quite a month – my first photo below was taken on 21 December, the other two today, 15 January.

200115 scaup (1)

Two juvenile drake Greater scaup (Aythya marila) have been over-wintering in my local area, some days on the lakes at Cosmeston, some days in Cardiff Bay, either at the wetlands reserve or on the opposite side of the bay, near Ferry Court, always in the company of the flocks of Tufted ducks.

200115 scaup (2)

When they were first sighted, it was difficult to tell them apart from the female Tufties, so brown were they in appearance. But, as you can see in these photos, they are gradually acquiring more grey feathers on their backs and white on their lower bodies.

200115 scaup (3)

In February and March, scaup begin to migrate to the Arctic in preparation for breeding, though, according to my bird guide, some immature birds remain in their wintering grounds over the summer months. It will be interesting to see what these two decide to do.

14/366 Peter and friends

14 Tuesday Jan 2020

Posted by in birds, nature, winter

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

200114 redshank (1)

During my early morning walk my little Redshank friend Peter (the bird ringed at Peterstone in 2016, hence my name for him) was on the foreshore where the River Ely flows into Cardiff Bay.

200114 redshank (2)200114 redshank (3)

And he wasn’t alone – his companions included 5 other Redshanks, 21 Turnstones (a large number for this site), 1 Pied and 5 Grey wagtails, 7 Great crested grebes, 2 Mute swans, 7 Mallards, 5 Goosanders, and the usual large numbers of Coots and gulls.

200114 redshank (4)200114 redshank (5)

Were there so many birds because they were all sheltering from Storm Brendan’s wild winds or is it simply that I need to walk early more often?

200114 redshank (6)