Alecto's Nature

Around Par... St Andrews & Par Beach Pool

2012-02-12T20:16:00.002Z

I actually heard a Greenfinch today...!!!

Muscovy Duck

Robin

Chiffchaff posing as a Reed Warbler!

Chiffchaff posing as a Chiffchaff!

Distant GS Woodpecker

I don't think I have seen a Greenfinch since last March....

2012-01-25T22:35:00.000Z

The plight of the Swift

2011-06-22T21:26:00.000+01:00

Please, please get involved. I sent a report in yesterday and was very surprised to receive a telephone call today advising me that mine was the first received from Cornwall. Click on the link to find out how to report your Swift sightings to Stephen Fitt - RSPB ...

http://www.cbwps.org.uk/SwiftsFORM_2011.doc

2011-06-17T21:54:00.000+01:00

Thanks everyone. I can't even comment on my own blog at the mo, so I shall work on it!

2011-06-16T22:06:00.000+01:00

I wonder if anyone can shed any light? I am having problems with my blog. I can look at the blogs I follow, but I can't leave a comment "as me"; it just puts "anonymous" or boots me out! I can't view my followers either. I can sign into my blog and post, but when I click on another blog it forgets that I'm signed in ????????????????

2011-03-26T22:30:00.002Z

Rare bird at The Copse!

Well, as it’s officially “summer” tomorrow, I thought maybe I should put something on my blog!

I did do a brief head count today, the main highlight being the first sighting of a Greenfinch in the garden for a good while, hence the “rare bird” heading! It was a good looking; healthy male and I hope he stays that way!

I saw 3 Jays this morning, which is only the second record of 3 together around the garden since I started keeping records.

Our 3 Dunnocks were up to their usual antics of courtship rituals and chasing one another around the garden, flapping their wings. It appears that the (Polyandrous) female likes to show the males her lady parts – bizarre to watch!

The Collared Doves were collecting nesting material from the garden, favouring left over twigs from the patch where the mint grows. Maybe they like the fresh minty scent! They were then seen copulating, again. I'm sure they have done enough of that over the last few weeks and usually on top of the bird table roof for some reason!

2 Great Tits were collecting the dog fur, which I threw out for them last week when I groomed Hesper!

Things are hotting up! I love this time of year :0)

A Dunnock from last year...

2011-03-01T20:37:00.000Z

Beautiful Bewick's...

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2011-02-28T22:50:00.003Z

I've been looking at the species that pair for life and Jackdaws are amongst them. I took this at Slimbridge on Saturday; looking very relaxed and enjoying the spring sunshine...

2011-02-13T20:35:00.002Z

Today at Newquay...
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Grey Seal
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Pochard

Tufted Duck

Muscovy Duck

(thanks Mark)
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Mallard Hybrid!

2011-02-07T20:44:00.004Z

Strange behaviour:

This morning I saw a female House Sparrow feeding a male House Sparrow; presumably a "food gift" as part of a mating ritual. I had to blink and look again, as I thought my eyes were deceiving me! Pity I didn't have the camera at hand, as I'm sure no-one will believe me. I googled it and bizarrly found an account of a male copulating with a female (obviously!); the male holding a feather in his bill and the female holding a flower petal (how odd), but nothing of a female offering food gifts, as males do in exchange for mating. I've heard of liberation ladies, but this takes the biscuit :o) I'm baffled and I was sober, before anyone asks!

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2011-02-06T20:24:00.000Z

Bewick's Swan at Par Beach Pool.

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2011-02-05T20:51:00.003Z

Without doubt, a record shot, but it has to go on the blog, as it’s the first Hen Harrier I’ve seen or photographed!!!

2011-02-01T22:55:00.005Z

Just for the record:

My first images of a Barn Owl...

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In the Garden...

Friendly Mippit at Manoa

M & F Scaup at Par Beach Pool

2011-01-01T20:22:00.003Z

Happy New Year

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Black Redstart at the Western River, Par

Chiffchaff near the Western River, Par

Brambling in my garden

Two Barnacle Geese at Par Beach Pool

2010-12-28T22:53:00.002Z

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Female Shelduck at Par Beach Pool

2010-12-28T22:46:00.002Z

Thanks to Andy Carey for the use of his lens to get me a little closer, as this one was taken in poor light and on the other side of the pool.
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Five Bar Headed Geese at Par Beach Pool

2010-12-28T22:35:00.001Z

Info at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar-headed_Goose

2010-12-19T22:40:00.002Z

This and that…
Life on the back doorstep has improved a little lately; not just because we have a Moorhen living in & around the garden or the 2 female Blackcaps & 1 male Blackcap; the visit from 12 (yes 12!) Long Tailed Tits & 1 Greenfinch, which are scarce in our little area this year; the 21 Blackbirds I counted one morning & 56 Starlings, all waiting to be fed, but also because mother gave me some new slippers, which have enabled me to sit on the doorstep again with a little relief from the cold! They are 3 sizes too big (I’m a size 3 & the slippers are a 6!). I can wear enough layers to fend off a Shark attack, let alone frost bite. I just need some mittens to match now (in the right size of course); oh & a nose protector & the sores will be a thing of the past (I wish)!

Having said that I’m a little sad to say that I saw one of the young Rats this morning & it wasn’t looking too bright. I suspect someone local has put poison out. Its body was deformed; it moved very slowly & looked at me as though it was willing me not to hurt it. I just let it feed & kept very still so as not to alarm it & cause it to scurry off in pain, in the cold when food & warmth is hard to find for all wildlife. Finding food must be even harder in that condition. I can’t bear to see any animal suffer. There must be better ways to deal with "the problem" (not that it is a problem for me). For this one, I just hope the end comes soon.
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Happy Starling... Waiting for the food.
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I saw few Greenfinches in the garden this last summer & not looking good. I am quite sure they perished so I'm pleased to see this one.
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An unusual addition to the garden life list!

2010-12-14T15:44:00.002Z

Today, we added Moorhen to the garden life list! Just before leaving for work this morning I noticed an unusual shape in the tree and it was being hassled by a Jay. I was amazed when I realised it was a Moorhen. I have always thought it was possible that a Mallard may drop in on the stream that runs down the rear of the garden, as they pass over frequently, but never expected a Moorhen to add to the list!

2010-12-12T18:53:00.004Z

Waxwing (Wadebridge)... A Stunning bird from any angle!
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I think it is pooping here! :-)

2010-12-11T22:26:00.003Z

I feel I should pass this on...

I spend a lot of money on bird food. I have a monthly order that is delivered by my local pet shop. Part of the feeding regime is pellets - over £4o worth a month! All our birds love them, but especially the Robins and Blackbirds... Oh and the Starlings, who quite frankly eat too many; are too bossy and wind me up a little, but I love them all the same. Consequently, I have had to increase my order to over £50 per month and this includes Berry, Insect, Peanut & fruit varieties, which I mix together so they have variety! Luckily, as I buy them this way the pet shop let me have them at a very good price (by the way, that's Fields Pet Shop in St Austell and they deliver free of charge). They do 4 different varieties and the birds have different preferences throughout the year as to which flavour they like to indulge in. It's all very complicated and requires fine tuning at times with the food order! However, getting to the point, I ran out this month (hence the increase in order size yet again!) so (from the local garden centre) I bought a 3kg tub of Gardman Bery Suet Treats to get us by at £12.99 (stated as a "VALUE PACK") - (£12.9 flippin 9 for 3 flippin kg's!!!!!!!!!). They state on the tub that "they attract Song Thrushes, Blackbirds, Blue Tits, Great Tits and other species". Well, they may attract them, but that's where it ends! The birds will not eat them. Even the Starlings turn their beaks up at them. Now, it can't be a seasonal preference thing, as they are "berry flavour" and the Blackbirds and Robins (not to mention the pesky, but lovely Starlings) love the berry treats at this time of year, but not these VERY EXPENSIVE BERRY TREATS!
Just for the record, the ones they absolutely love are from "PREMIUM WILD BIRD FOOD" and are called "Suet to Go - High Energy Suet Pellets"... Happy Feeding :-)

2010-12-07T23:06:00.000Z

A gloomy day at Par with Andrew Carey's lens on my camera!

2010-12-07T23:03:00.001Z

Autumn at Treskilling or thereabouts!

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2010-12-07T23:01:00.001Z

Standing by a gate near Charlestown where I always intended to stop and look, but didn't until the 10th October 2010... Glad I did!

2010-12-07T23:00:00.000Z

A glum, cold wintery day at Menabilly...

2010-12-07T22:58:00.000Z

In the garden...
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2010-12-07T22:57:00.000Z

In the garden...

2010-12-07T22:55:00.000Z

Starlings at Par...

2010-10-11T22:46:00.001+01:00

Tamworth Two become one as Butch passes away

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-11507280

2010-09-18T15:06:00.002+01:00

PROPOSED DOG CONTROL ORDER - HAYLE ESTUARY

So far there have been 12 objections to the dog control order on the Hayle Estuary and only one letter of support! We hear so many complaints from birders about disturbance caused by dogs on the estuary so this is your opportunity to do something about it!! PLEASE write showing your support for a Dog Control Order on the estuary BEFORE 27th September to the address below or send an e-mail to Tina.Beeley@cornwall.gov.uk

The area to be covered by the DCO and further details can be seen on the Council’s webpages: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=25172

We suspect the number of objections has been helped by the letter in last week’s ‘The Cornishman’ newspaper in which a local resident expressed her views on the introduction of a DCO in no uncertain terms. Unfortunately, in spite of two excellent responses (by Cornwall Council and Dave Parker) correcting the misinformation and total nonsense in that letter, the paper has declined to publish these today. We are not surprised, but of course very disappointed. Please write if you can before the 27 Sept to: Ms Tina Beeley, Legal and Democratic Services, Room 43, Cornwall Council, St Clare, Penzance,TR18 3QW.
Thanks, Cornwall Birding and RSPB.

Please support the DCO, remember the Swan that was mauled to death by a dog on the estuary a few years back!!

Pass on the message!

2010-09-13T23:05:00.001+01:00

Record shots at Par...
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Kittiwake (Par Beach Pool)

2010-08-22T20:50:00.000+01:00

2010-07-27T22:16:00.001+01:00

German Society for the Protection of Swifts... some interesting information on this site, but it needs to be translated.

http://www.apusapus.net/intro.html?&L=3

2010-07-19T22:35:00.004+01:00

A few images from the last few weeks…

I’ve not been about for a while and this trend may continue for a while yet, but I took a little time out this evening to post something. I am trying to catch up with what everyone has been up to. I’ve missed so much!

A bit of this and that from the last few weeks:-

Swifts nesting in the roof above my bedroom. I have been trying to capture the male coming in to feed the female, who I can only assume is sitting eggs, but he's too quick for me, even though he stuggles to get in. Very difficult to take the shot with the bright sky in the background when all you have is a small face peering at you from the darkness. Any advice would be greatly appreciated to improve on quality!

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A Herring Gull with a problem, at Par... Fishing twine protruding from the head and I suspect that is attached to a hook, which must be lodged in the throat.
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Moorhen at Par (with six chicks altogether).

2010-07-02T23:04:00.001+01:00

Jersey birds...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8782000/8782605.stm

2010-06-10T13:21:00.001+01:00

Four Great Bustard chicks born on Salisbury Plain...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/10280831.stm

2010-06-10T13:19:00.000+01:00

Grey Squirrels face Cornwall cull...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/10281203.stm

2010-06-08T23:39:00.003+01:00

Badger cull faces new legal challenge...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_and_environment/10270111.stm

Good news for the Large Blue...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8725000/8725411.stm

Journey to the centre of oil spill operation...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/us_and_canada/10252256.stm

Mystery Grey Whale sighted again off Spanish coast...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8729000/8729064.stm

2010-06-05T23:00:00.000+01:00

Speckled Yellow Moth. 22nd May 2010 - Treskilling Downs (thanks to Roger Lane for identification).

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2010-06-03T07:04:00.003+01:00

Record shots...
I had to be up at 4am this morning to take my Mum somewhere, and having dipped on the Turtle Dove at Snowlands Fisheries, Par on two occasions I decided to drop in and have a look this morning. This is a very shy bird. Even though it was high up in dense foliage it still spooked if I got within a few hundred yards of the tree, but I did manage a couple of record shots. You need to use a tripod for this one and keep your distance!

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2010-06-02T21:55:00.001+01:00

Hedgehogs, Badgers and Hispaniolan solenodons...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8710000/8710604.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/10199015.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_and_environment/10149148.stm

2010-05-31T21:21:00.002+01:00

We had a good day today and I took a lot of photos, but I have to dedicate this post to the Marsh Fritillary. We met up with the very friendly John Nicholls. He showed me “Micro-Moths”. I have never heard of them before and if I had seen one on a Buttercup I would have thought it was some kind of bug! He showed us: Glyphipterix Simpliciella (aka Cocksfoot Moth) and Micropterix Calthella. Now, there is no way I could get a picture of these Moths, especially hand held so here’s some links to UK Moths’ website for anyone who is interested. Amazing!
http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?bf=391 and http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=723.
John went off hunting for Moths at Ninestones after our chat, only to return a short while afterwards to show us what he had really been looking for; Marsh Fritillaries. Not one, but two and copulating! They were beautiful. What a privilege. We took some pictures and then left the loving pair to it, under a leaf! We met up with Steve and Patricia a short while afterwards and went back to the site. By the time they parted they must have been copulating for about an hour and a half that we knew of, so who knows how long they were actually together. Roger told me this evening that he knew of a record of copulation, which was 9 days (I hope that’s right). The ones we saw looked exhausted today so I cannot imagine what 9 days would do to them! My photos are below, but treat yourself to a viewing of Steve Rogers’ images and information on the rare Marsh Fritillary at: http://www.swopticsphoto.com/
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. I took this one with my camera on Steve's tripod; Steve set up the camera and I just pressed the button!

2010-05-30T20:39:00.001+01:00

A short visit to Treskilling Downs this afternoon produced my first opportunity to take pictures of an Osprey. It was being mobbed by Corvids when I first spotted it and was even more distant by the time I got the camera from my car. At least I got record shots. I THINK it was a ringed bird.

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2010-05-26T23:11:00.001+01:00

Bird conservation: Alaotra grebe confirmed extinct

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8702000/8702598.stm

2010-05-23T15:22:00.001+01:00

I couldn't resist a few more shots today...
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2010-05-22T22:12:00.004+01:00

Squacco Heron today at Snowlands Fisheries, Par. Sorry there's so many images, but it's not every day you get a Squacco Heron up the road from where you live, and I have to THANK Ashley for letting me know it was there. I am going to get that iphone Ash! It's a beautiful bird.
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2010-05-17T22:26:00.004+01:00

We had a very lively visitor this evening. I grabbed a few shots with the Nikon Coolpix after cooling it down a little, but I didn't like to keep it for too long!

I think it's a Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata), but would appreciate it if anyone can correct me.
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Arial Mating Swifts

2010-05-16T20:55:00.005+01:00

Whilst I was in the garden yesterday, looking up at the Swifts I saw something I've not seen before. There were two Swifts in flight together and in a split second one maneuvered itself above the other and they mated. It was all over very quickly. I was amazed, but suspected it would be common. When I mentioned it to Roger today he said that I was lucky to have seen it, so I thought I would look into it a little more. The link below is interesting, with in flight, arial mating shots:-

http://www.commonswift.org/Aerial-mating.html

2010-05-13T21:27:00.004+01:00

An unexpected highlight to brighten my day!
I just had to get out this evening. I am so busy at work and with other "stuff" too; I just needed to get away from it all. I intended to do a bit of a tour of the area; Par, Menabilly, Porthpean and maybe even Pontsmill but at the first stop, which was Par I realised it was hopeless. It was just too cold and my condition is pretty severe at present. I can only describe it as like having a ball and chain. The will is there, but it always holds me back.
Enough grumbling!
I gave up at Par quite quickly and said I needed to go home, but Trevor suggested Menabilly and I could just stay in the car, which I didn't of course! On the road to Menabilly we spotted two blobs in a field. We pulled into a gateway and I jumped out to get some shots. (Unbeknown to Trevor) I had wedged his car door against the hedge and stood on the sill, leaning against the door to get some height, as I was not tall enough to focus on the birds above the grass! Anyway, they are over-exposed and I couldn't hold myself steady, let alone the camera, but at least I got some shots!

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2010-05-08T21:55:00.005+01:00

I decided to take time out today to write a post. Much the same as always, I stocked up the feeders early morning and huddling my cup of tea I did the head count. Today is the first day for a long time that we have had 4 Long Tailed Tits feeding. There have only been two for a while now. The number of Swifts is increasing too. I saw my first two over the house early last week and the count now is 12. After I came in Trevor went out and within minutes I heard something that made my heart sink. It was Trevor sounding like something awful had happened… “Oh no… oh no, no, no…” I raced outside and he looked devastated. He had been watching the Wren, who has been spending a lot of time in the garden lately. It wandered along the fence and onto next door’s fence. The cat from next door but one must have been hiding, as, in Trevor’s words “it just appeared from nowhere and snatched the Wren”. I just hope that Wren got away; I have to believe it did.

I then went out to get Molly some sweets and chocolate. She loves fruit jellies. I visited her (in the residential home where she is staying) before heading out to her house to sort a few more things out (you can collect a lot of “stuff” in 88 years, and at this rate Molly will be 100 before we are finished sorting it all out!). We didn’t go for a walk in the garden today; it was far too cold for Molly, and me, truth be told. We sat by a window and talked, but we still managed to see a Green Woodpecker, Great Tits, a Nuthatch, Corvids, Swallows and a Buzzard!

I managed 20 minutes at Porthpean late afternoon. The sea was choppy and it was blowing a hooley! I could hardly keep the scope steady. I heard a Chiffchaff and saw GBB Gull x 3, Gannet x 5, Fulmar x 23, Great Northern Diver x 3, Cormorant x 3, Shag x 1, Sandwich Tern x 5, and just before I was planning to leave I spotted two back dots on the horizon, which appeared to be heading towards me. I watched them getting closer and closer until eventually I realized they were Swifts. As they got closer to land one took a drink from the sea, and then headed in towards Par. It was lovely to see them arrive. A very special moment and much needed after the sadness of the Wren this morning.

One of our garden Wrens…

2010-05-07T22:18:00.006+01:00

Apologies for the length of this post, but it has been a while! I have not had much time to myself lately. My work and my friend, Molly have been taking up most of my time, which is good in a way, as I am unable to walk too far. Never take your mobility for granted! I have been concentrating on bird watching, rather than taking pictures, so I have very little to show in the way of images for the last few weeks...
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The Moon this morning (taken from my back doorstep)
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The evening Moon from my back doorstep
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A gathering at Manoa (St Austell Sewage Works)

Collecting nesting material at Ninestones

Bullfinch (M) in the garden

Robins in the garden

In the garden again

Ninestones

Par

Garden

Par

Wild Flowers

My best friend... Up to no good!

Amusement for my best friend!

Taken at Siblyback

2010-05-01T00:26:00.001+01:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_and_environment/10089022.stm

2010-05-01T00:24:00.001+01:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8653411.stm

2010-04-30T13:51:00.002+01:00

New Bristish Moth is World FIRST... Click on the link:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8647000/8647558.stm

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2010-04-28T21:23:00.002+01:00

Cuckoo - Carloggas Downs this evening... I have to find a way to get closer over the next few days. Something to focus on :-)

2010-04-08T21:07:00.002+01:00

Home-making Blue Tit in the garden...
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2010-04-08T21:04:00.001+01:00

It is after 9pm. Looks like fun, but the balancing must be tricky. No wonder they had six attempts!
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2010-04-07T16:38:00.001+01:00

My garden Wren is no longer camera-shy!
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2010-04-06T23:07:00.003+01:00

Having polished off yet another handful of Mealworms, along with it's mate, during which time it plucked about ten feathers from an innocent Great Tit who tried to grab a Mealworm from the dish (and let's face it, those little birds can't afford to lose feathers in this weather!) this Robin then bathed in the stream running along the back of my garden and then sat up on the favoured perch for a blow dry. I was dithering; the wind was so cold!
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2010-04-06T23:05:00.002+01:00

Defensive Blackbird in the garden... The troublemaker was a Starling!
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Close ups from the garden

2010-04-03T13:52:00.000+01:00

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2010-04-03T13:49:00.000+01:00

2010-04-03T13:47:00.000+01:00

2010-04-03T13:46:00.000+01:00

2010-04-03T13:42:00.000+01:00

2010-03-26T21:35:00.002Z

Another one of my own... Her feet are not missing because I think they are unimportant; they are missing because I don't like my efforts at drawing bird feet! They never look right. I shall have to work on this. Maybe I should concentrate on drawing the "feet first"...!

2010-03-21T21:45:00.003Z

Sometimes, when you are out and about you can stumble upon something that is not necessarily new or interesting to everyone, but it may be to you. I have watched Mallards for hours. I used to spend at least two hours every evening after work for seven years at Chasewater, near Cannock watching Mallards, Coots, Mute Swans etc, and I have said it before that I wish I had taken it more seriously. They fascinated me, but I have never seen this before. A female Mallard showing off her best bits! I think it is safe to say she's looking good :-)

2010-03-19T21:05:00.001Z

Another one of my own drawings...

2010-03-16T19:00:00.002Z

More from Sunday. Tufted Ducks; male and female. I love ducks. They are so attractive!

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2010-03-16T07:25:00.002Z

We had a lovely day out in Dorset with Derek, Sam, Ben & Poppy on Sunday, primarily looking for the Bufflehead, which, thanks to Derek we did see. I have a photo, but it only just about makes it into the record shot file! Thanks guys.

Hooded Merganser at Radipole. He could do with a female to keep him company!

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2010-03-12T21:37:00.004Z

Garden visitors....

A Long Tailed Tit wedged in twigs, and munching on a sunflower heart...

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Nice to have the Bullfinches back...

2010-03-06T21:32:00.003Z

I finally got that photoshoot with the Firecrest in the garden today...

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Bottoms up!

2010-03-06T08:30:00.000Z

Great Crested Grebe without any waffle!

2010-02-28T18:52:00.003Z

A photo shoot with a Goldcrest in the garden yesterday morning. It fed for such a long time in this session, but they move SO quickly! It's nice to get shots from lots of different angles.

I hope I get the same lengthy opportunity with the Firecrest soon.

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2010-02-27T23:04:00.005Z

Smew...
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I just knew today was going to be difficult somewhere down the line! I did as I said I would and purchased £17.48 worth of pencils, white cartridge paper, a putty smudger and some charcoal thrown in for good measure! Only problem was that I had a family party to attend this afternoon. I did enjoy it, as I don't see much of my family and I got the opportunity to take some nice pictures of the Springtime lambs!

The male Smew was my choice for this evening, as I thought "how difficult can it be to draw a black and white bird in black and white?"

I have looked at many pictures (48 to be exact) and they are all very different to what you will see in the Collins' field guide! I nearly gave up, but determination kept me going and the need to practice so here he is (looking very unfinished, but he is, I can assure you!). The practice will have done some good I suppose!
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2010-02-27T18:52:00.002Z

Springtime fun and frolics at Lanteglos...

2010-02-25T23:51:00.003Z

Less time this evening, as I had committee work that NEEDED to be done, but I was determined to pick up that pencil again. GC Grebe was still top of the list. Maybe a Redwing or Songthrush next! I have to say I am finding this much more enjoyable than my failed attempts at meditation in the past. With drawing you have to concentrate, but not like when you are working; it is much, much more theraputic! The difficulty is, with modern technology you can be tempted to tamper, and I did have a dark pencil line that needed to be removed.

2010-02-24T22:47:00.003Z

I feel like a cake at the moment! Everyone has a portion of me! I'm snowed under at work; there's a lot to do on the membership (which I enjoy of course), My friend Molly, who I am trying to help and it's no fun being 88 years old, with no family so I can't complain can I?
With the need to de-stress; memories of having time on my hands (a long time ago!) and some inspirational words from a friend who unleashed a passion inside me, I decided to take time out and be spontaneous this evening. Out of practice with Staedtler 120-HB, a rubber and one of my GC Grebe shots for company... ! It has been nearly 20 years since I did anything like this...

2010-02-23T20:10:00.003Z

More from the weekend...

I really do like to see birds from different angles; with different expressions and going about the daily business that being a bird entails. This Songthrush kept me amused for a good while!

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It was a pleasure to spend time watching Oystercatchers preening and enjoying a little sunshine..

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Berry heaven at Par

2010-02-22T20:02:00.000Z

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2010-02-21T21:41:00.005Z

We stayed local this morning. I wanted to walk to Spit Beach, but I didn’t think I would manage it, as my feet are not good again so we started off at Manoa and then to Par BP. I ended up walking all the way around the pool so I suppose I could have managed Spit! I am suffering for it now mind you. The highlights of PBP had to be close up views of Snipe in flight and male and female Bullfinch together. Yes, it really is that time of year again; love is in the air and the sound of the spring chorus is incredible. We had a quick look in the bay too, before heading up to Menabilly Barton and on to St Andrews Pool. This afternoon we went over to Colliford to look for the Black Duck. Located a Black Duck look-alike sleeping in some reeds. Only problem is it never woke! I watched and watched, but there was no movement. It appeared to be facing us, with its head tucked over its body and facing left. I convinced myself I could see the bill and the outline of the eye. I drew a sketch for a guy from Devon who was watching it with me. He then drew a sketch, which was completely the opposite of mine. (Later he rescinded and decided mine was more like it – he’s obviously well trained by his wife who was sitting in the car patiently waiting to get home!) It’s no good though… I just cannot tick it because it didn’t move. It could have been anything!

The day list was a very confident 68, including the Firecrest in the garden first thing, which gave me hope that it would be a good day. I took so many pictures, it was a struggle to decide which ones to put up!

Marsh Tit at St Andrews - Thanks to a nice lady for feeding them :-)

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Springtime blooms...

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Redwing (behind PBP)...

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Dunnock - PBP...

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Songthrush - PBP...

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Oystercatcher enjoying the sunshine at PBP...

Wren at Manoa - I really struggled to get this shot!

Trouble at PBP... I was watching the Adult Lesser Black-Backed Gull and the Juv. H Gull came from no-where... I have no idea what the LBB did to deserve what ensued. They were some distance away, so the images are not good, but I had to put them up - I don't get action shots very often!

Victory!

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If looks could kill...

2010-02-21T00:07:00.001Z

Blackbird...

2010-02-21T00:01:00.001Z

Never underestimate the female... I love watching House Sparrows and in my opinion, the females RULE. Sorry guys!

Blue Tit

2010-02-20T21:43:00.003Z

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My highest count of Blue Tits in the garden after last year's breeding season was 8. This slowly reduced to 2. I suspect, amongst other things, the local Sparrowhawk may have had a little to do with the decline. This is one of the lucky ones I suppose. I love the way they hold the sunflower seeds on a branch to strip them.
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2010-02-18T21:19:00.005Z

Spring is in the air... My favourite time...
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Little Gems at Powderham Castle...

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Taken at Saltash. I think the one on the right is the female and quite young, as she still has juv. feathers on her wings...

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Dunnock at Dawlish Warren...

2010-02-17T22:44:00.000Z

Distant Avocets on the Tamar - 14th February 2010...

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2010-02-16T22:55:00.000Z

Black Redstart at Dawlish Warren…

When we arrived a nice couple stopped me and told me that there was a Black Redstart about. After having a look at the Surf Scoter we decided to see if we could find it. We actually found two! It was a nightmare trying to get a shot of one of them. At one point (obviously looking as if I had been possessed) I found myself laying down in a dip in the ground (being a dune area). I jumped in and positioned the camera on the edge, ready to capture the shot of the day… then I felt the boggy stagnant water seeping through my jeans; into my thermal under garments and freezing my legs instantly! My thought to myself… “Well, you’re wet now so just stick it out”… Then, yet another family with about four lively children wandered by and the Black Redstart disappeared into the trees in the distance. “Half term is not really the best time for this” was my final thought on the matter!

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14th & 15th February

2010-02-16T22:17:00.004Z

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We had a lovely weekend; Sunday was the Cruise on the Tamar with Bruce Taggart http://www.tamarwildlife.co.uk/ and for the day I recorded a day list of 58. I shall definitely be doing that again. I really enjoyed it. We headed up to Devon that evening as we had booked a room so as to make an early start in the morning. We did just that, as we hardly slept. Trevor got up in a bad mood, having been cold all night and I was just too excited, as usual! We got off to a dull start. It was misty and raining, but the weather improved eventually and I should like to visit a few of the places again and spend more time wandering around. I had two life ticks for the weekend and quite a few for the year list. The only problem with trying to fit in so many places in one day is that you don't get enough time to have a good look - hint hint :-)

My day list for Monday has beaten my record of 74 and I am now on 78 (provided I identified them all correctly). I dare say I could have added at least 10 more, had Derek, Sam and Ben been there! :-)

2010-02-13T22:11:00.003Z

No shame...!
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Birdlife Malta

2010-02-10T23:13:00.000Z

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Sorry, but I’m on the warpath again! Those of you who know me well will know that I do not go in for politics; debates etc. All I care about is the wellbeing of animals/birds/nature. There is a link here to Birdlife Malta and you can sign a Petition against the illegal hunting of birds in Malta if you feel minded to do so. Thanks, Angie.

http://www.birdlifemalta.org/petition/

2010-02-09T21:10:00.003Z

Spring is on it's way at last; we saw Buzzards mating on Sunday and today the House Sparrows were "at it" in the tree right outside my window at work - shame on them! It is staying light for longer and I've realised I can snatch just under an hour after work if I don't have to go straight to Molly's, and today I didn't. Molly was in day care and I had to collect her at 5.45pm near Porthpean so I decided to have a quick 10 minutes at Porthpean to see what I could ID with the scope. I added a handful to the day list (I just hope my ID'ing skills were positive!)

My day list was 34, including a garden head count on the back doorstep this morning and a quick 10 minutes at lunchtime, namely:-

Black-Throated Diver
Fulmar
Cormorant
Common Scoter
Oystercatcher
Tawny Owl (heard only - Penrice House, Porthpean)
Black-Headed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-Backed Gull
Feral Pigeon
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Pied Wagtail
Goldcrest
Wren
Dunnock
Robin
Songthrush
Redwing
Blackbird
Blackcap
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Long-Tailed Tit
Magpie
Jay
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Raven
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Bullfinch

There were two female Blackcaps in the garden at lunchtime and I managed to get some shots of one of them feeding...

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2010-02-07T20:09:00.004Z

Well, we have spent the whole weekend with Derek and I can honestly say I’ve had more Phalacrocorax aristotelis’ this weekend than I’ve had in the whole time I’ve been bird watching I think :-) We must have had over 200 of them! Well done Derek; you have worked hard! I had another three life ticks today; two of which were with Derek and are Black-Necked Grebe and Cirl Bunting and one, which we decided to look for on the way home at Dozmary Pool, namely the Lesser Scaup. The light was fading fast as we arrived at Dozmary, but I managed to find it quite quickly. I hope it stays around for another visit.

The day list was 72, which I am more than pleased with as my highest is 74 and if I had been able to add a few more wildfowl and a Coot or even the Firecrest and Goldcrest in the garden before I left home this morning, I could have set the record higher, but I mustn’t be greedy! We had great close up views of Loons, Grebes/Seabirds and the Cirl Bunting was a special moment. Also had a very good view of a Peregrine Falcon, which was posing on a ledge.

THANKS again Derek. I do feel I have learnt an awful lot this weekend. Time to do some work now!
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Cirl Bunting (Female)
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Peregrine Falcon
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Red-Breasted Merganser
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Great-Northern Diver
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Red-Breasted Merganser
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Robin...

2010-02-06T20:42:00.010Z

I was not supposed to be bird watching today (apart from the garden head count this morning, which I am very pleased to say included Firecrest and Goldcrest, but not at the same time), but as Derek was in the area we ended up going out for what was supposed to be a short session around St Austell Bay! Pentewan, Mevagissey, Porthmellon, Gorran, Porthluney (Caerhays). THANK YOU Derek.

What followed was a day list of 69 species, 3 life ticks for me (Red-Throated Diver, Red-Necked Grebe and Eider) and numerous year ticks; as always a valuable lesson out in the field and a very enjoyable morning! In fact I enjoyed it so much that after I had left Derek and visited my friend Molly I decided to use the last hour or so before the light faded to have a look at Manoa Valley Sewage works, where I spotted the gates to the sewage works had been left open and a couple of South West Water employees were sitting in a van inside the compound. I smiled at Trevor and jumped out of the car. I went in and explained to them why we were there; how the sun is always in a difficult position at that time of day to look into the trees and how nice it would be if we could spend some time inside the sewage works compound (never thought I’d ever find myself saying something like that to anyone!). Anyway, the one chap said to me “you are welcome to come in for a while; we’ll be here for another half an hour, but I doubt you’ll see anything in ere except seagulls love”… to which I replied “where there’s muck, there’s flies and where there’s flies there’s birds”… He smiled, winked at me and said “enjoy!” :-)
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Chiffchaff - Manoa Valley
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Dunnock - Gorran - I got to know the Dunnock better today, thanks to Derek. The female Dunnock is apparently "Polyandrous" - No further comment!
Info. for the Dunnock can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunnock
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Female Eider - Porthmellon
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Razorbill - Mevagissey
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This shows how far away it was, but it was so close in the scope - we had a lovely view!

Herring Gull - Mevagissey
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Robin - Gorran
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Robin singing at sunset in the sewage works - a lovely end to the day!
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2010-02-05T21:37:00.002Z

On a coach heading for London on the 27th of November 1799 ' Coleridge' saw and jotted in his notebook:-

“Starlings in vast flights drove along like smoke, mist, or any thing misty without volition - … some moments glimmering & shivering, dim & shadowy, now thickening, deepening, blackening!"

I love Starlings with their wings a sheen of purples and greens. They are noisy, cheeky and very, very bossy!
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Visiting Blackcaps... We have two males and one female visiting the garden as far as I know at the moment

2010-02-04T22:34:00.003Z

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Some treasures from my garden last weekend...

2010-02-03T21:36:00.004Z

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The Firecrest is showing very well in the garden at present, but I've not seen the Goldcrest. I hope that's just because I missed it and not because it's not around any more.
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The Coal Tits are lively too; We have three around at present...
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The ever-obliging Robin...
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Great Crested Grebe - Cheddar Reservoir

2010-02-01T21:33:00.002Z

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2010-01-31T22:09:00.004Z

We had a day out with Derek again today at Chew Valley Lakes and the Somerset Levels. What can I say? “THANK YOU” (again) Derek. I had a fabulous day with FOUR more life ticks, one of which was the Ruddy Duck, which I was thrilled to see as I may never get the chance to see them again here, given that they are all to be destroyed. We also had Glossy Ibis, Red-Crested Pochard and Smew. We also raised my highest recorded day list of species from 67 to 74!

We saw plenty of other wildlife too, including Highland Cattle, Sheep, Alpacas, Fox, Roe Deer, Goats and Rat-Bats! (Rabbits) – I couldn’t resist that one D :-)

I took over 400 photos, so forgive me if I don’t go through them all tonight, but I’ve been up since 3.40am and I need my bed. I have put a few up, along with my day list. Thanks again Derek.

1. Little Grebe
2. Great Crested Grebe
3. Cormorant
4. Bittern
5. Grey Heron
6. Glossy Ibis x 3 (life tick)
7. Mute Swan
8. Whooper Swan
9. Bewick’s Swan
10. Greylag Goose
11. Canada Goose
12. Shelduck
13. Mallard
14. Gadwall
15. Pintail
16. Shoveler
17. Wigeon
18. Teal
19. Pochard
20. Red-Crested Pochard (life tick)
21. Tufted Duck
22. Long-Tailed Duck
23. Goldeneye
24. Smew (life tick)
25. Goosander
26. Ruddy Duck (life tick)
27. Common Buzzard
28. Sparrowhawk
29. Kestrel
30. Peregrine Falcon
31. Pheasant
32. Water Rail
33. Moorhen
34. Coot
35. Ringed Plover
36. Lapwing
37. Dunlin
38. Redshank
39. Curlew
40. Snipe
41. Black-Headed Gull
42. Common Gull (300+)
43. Herring Gull
44. Lesser Black-Backed Gull
45. Great Black-Backed Gull
46. Feral Pigeon
47. Stock Dove
48. Woodpigeon
49. Collared Dove
50. Great Spotted Woodpecker
51. Pied Wagtail
52. Wren
53. Dunnock
54. Robin
55. Stonechat
56. Songthrush
57. Redwing
58. Fieldfare
59. Blackbird
60. Cetti’s Warbler
61. Great Tit
62. Blue Tit
63. Long-Tailed Tit
64. Magpie
65. Jay
66. Jackdaw
67. Rook
68. Carrion Crow
69. Starling (lots)
70. House Sparrow
71. Chaffinch
72. Goldfinch
73. Bullfinch
74. Reed Bunting

Chew Valley Lakes

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Frost on the feathers of a Mute Swan...

The Mute Swan with the frosty feathers...

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A strange looking meal for a Great Black-Backed Gull...

Frosty Wigeon...

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Kestrel...

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Great Crested Grebe...

Robin...

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The perfect end to a perfect day - The Moon over The Eden Project...

Ten minutes in the life of a...

2010-01-30T21:02:00.002Z

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2010-01-27T21:36:00.003Z

I love all the Corvids. Taken at Drift last Sunday morning...
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