Sparrowhawk goes a’hunting

23 Tuesday Oct 2018

Tags

birding, birds of prey, birdwatching, British birds, Goldfinch, Lavernock coastal fields, Linnet, Penarth-Lavernock coastal path, Sparrowhawk, Sparrowhawk trying to catch prey

Until the farmer decided to plough them last week, the fields alongside the coastal path between Penarth and Lavernock were alive with birds, hundreds, perhaps thousands of Linnets and Goldfinches.

181023 Sparrowhawk hunting (1)

For those fascinated by birds, it was a feast for the eyes but for the local birds of prey, it was just a feast … or, at least, this Sparrowhawk was fervently hoping it would be a feast.

181023 Sparrowhawk hunting (2)

However, although I watched it for over an hour one day, flap-flap-flap-gliding effortlessly overhead and then swooping very low and very fast over the fields, I never saw it actually catch anything.

181023 Sparrowhawk hunting (3)

It seems the Sparrowhawk mostly went hungry and most of the little finches lived to fly another day.

181023 Sparrowhawk hunting (4)

In a Pengam garden

05 Thursday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, blackbird, British birds, bullfinch, Carrion crow, Collared dove, garden birds, Goldfinch, Great spotted woodpecker, Woodpigeon

My friend Sharon has a lovely garden: an area of lawn bordered by flowers, shrubs and hedge; a separate area for growing vegies, the glasshouse and the beehives; and a lovely little bit of wild woodland at the end. It’s a paradise for birds, particularly because Sharon also has lots of feeders that she keeps stocked up with seeds of various kinds and suet blocks. As a person who lives in a first-floor flat with no garden, I just love visiting Sharon’s garden. I could sit watching the birds all day long.

180705 1 Pengam garden birds

My photos show just a few of the birds that entertained us yesterday – and these 14 species are not the only birds that visit: House sparrow, Blue tit, Great tit, Collared dove, Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Carrion crow, Great spotted woodpecker, Magpie, Robin, Dunnock, and Blackbird.

The Great spotted woodpeckers have been bringing their offspring to the garden this year

The Woodpigeon doesn’t look too happy about the Carrion crow being so close

A Blackbird with an odd beak

‘This is ours’, squawked the Goldfinch to the Bullfinch, but …

… the Bullfinch won out on the day!

A beautiful Collared dove

Why I bought bins

28 Monday Aug 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

benefits of binoculars, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Goldfinch, Little egret, Rock pipit, Yellowhammer

I have always been a bird lover but my birding enjoyment has increased immeasurably since I finally bought myself a pair of binoculars. (I’d previously relied on using the 300mm lens on my camera to bring me closer to distant birds but I now realise how utterly inadequate that was.) From yesterday’s trip to Gileston and Aberthaw with my bird club, here’s why buying bins has been brilliant …

170828a Goldfinches

I could see these Goldfinches with the naked eye and the camera got a reasonable, though not crisp shot.

170828b Yellowhammer

This was my first sighting of a Yellowhammer this year. You can perhaps just make out a yellow dot perched on top of the hedge.

170828c Sparrowhawk

You’ll have to take my word for this one – there’s a Sparrowhawk in this photo. It was well camouflaged but I could just see it with my bins.

170828e Turnstone Dunlin Ringer plover

There were lots of waders foraging on the beach: Turnstones, Dunlins and cute little Ringed plovers. Just specks through the camera, though.

170828f Rock pipit

This one’s a little easier. Spot the Rock pipit.

170828g Little egrets

Their bright Persil whiteness makes these two Little egrets much easier to see but with the bins I could almost see what they were catching for lunch!