So only two more to add to the Big Bird Race list but have added a pic of a Meadow Pipit as I quite liked it and it's better than the one I added for the Race.
74. Yellowhammer
75. Collard Dove
Meadow Pipit
Tuesday 31 December 2013
Happy New Year!!
A couple more to add to the Bird Bird Race list, have been fortunate enough to have 6 Yellowhammer frequenting my garden boundary over the Xmas break, always nice to see. I've started my 2014 year list now but this does not affect the Big Bird Race as this does not finish until the end of February 2014. I haven't been out birding yet as I have a week away on a round Britain tour so didn't want to test the patience of the misses, even is she is a saint......!
So only two more to add to the Big Bird Race list but have added a pic of a Meadow Pipit as I quite liked it and it's better than the one I added for the Race.
So only two more to add to the Big Bird Race list but have added a pic of a Meadow Pipit as I quite liked it and it's better than the one I added for the Race.
Thursday 12 December 2013
Saafend...! 30th November 2013
So, I had a weekend away in Southend and although I knew Southend was a Mecca for Mediterranean Gull, this was not my primary reason for visiting...........
Having been with my girlfriend for a little over 5 years now, I thought it was about time I attempted to make an honest women of her before she decided that I was dragging it out a bit! We went for a long weekend (took Friday and Monday off work), travelled down on the Friday during which I felt rather calm. We stayed at a fabulous B&B which if you visit Southend I HIGHLY recommend, it was Suenos Guesthouse, both Teresa and Neil were extremely nice. Saturday was the big day and I normally being extremely (some would say over..) confident, I preceded to degrade into an absolute jibbering nervous wreck when it came to the proposal on the pier (I know it doesn't sound romantic but it was on one knee and there's history behind it so say ahhh...) I'm pleased to say she didn't tell me I'd left it too late and we are currently planning our wedding for 2014 = a very happy me... :)
Anyway, this is a birding blog and you are not interested in my soppy goings-on, needless to say I was at the coast so saw a few new species for the year but managed to photograph quite a few for the blog list. I'm sure it goes without saying by now that these photos are your usual amateur 'I'm new to this' type quality. I'll just list them in order without boring commentary, 1. because you are not interested and 2. because it's late and I'm reasonably merry (#drunk):
Ok so I lied about the additional commentary, this first group of birds were seen along the Southend seafront with the Mediterranean Gulls seeming to like being in close proximity to the pier, the photo with two in actually had four together on a small wooden frame alongside the pier. The following photos were taken along the seafront at Leigh-on-Sea.
Having been with my girlfriend for a little over 5 years now, I thought it was about time I attempted to make an honest women of her before she decided that I was dragging it out a bit! We went for a long weekend (took Friday and Monday off work), travelled down on the Friday during which I felt rather calm. We stayed at a fabulous B&B which if you visit Southend I HIGHLY recommend, it was Suenos Guesthouse, both Teresa and Neil were extremely nice. Saturday was the big day and I normally being extremely (some would say over..) confident, I preceded to degrade into an absolute jibbering nervous wreck when it came to the proposal on the pier (I know it doesn't sound romantic but it was on one knee and there's history behind it so say ahhh...) I'm pleased to say she didn't tell me I'd left it too late and we are currently planning our wedding for 2014 = a very happy me... :)
Anyway, this is a birding blog and you are not interested in my soppy goings-on, needless to say I was at the coast so saw a few new species for the year but managed to photograph quite a few for the blog list. I'm sure it goes without saying by now that these photos are your usual amateur 'I'm new to this' type quality. I'll just list them in order without boring commentary, 1. because you are not interested and 2. because it's late and I'm reasonably merry (#drunk):
57. Ringed Plover
58. Starling
59. Turnstone
59. Turnstone
60. Mediterranean Gull
60. Mediterranean Gull
60. Mediterranean Gull
61. Great Black-backed Gull
62. Dark-bellied Brent Goose
62. Dark-bellied Brent Goose
62. Dark-bellied Brent Goose
62. Dark-bellied Brent Goose
63. Oystercatcher
64. Redshank
On our last day we couldn't tear ourselves away so we went for a walk around Three Tree NR which is actually more of a dog walking circuit but happens to have a hide overlooking the estuary, these next photos were taken from that hide.
64. Redshank
65. Dunlin
66. Little Egret
67. Avocet
68. Shelduck
69. Teal (in the foreground)
Actually the Little Egret was also taken at Leigh-on-Sea but I'd numbered it in the wrong order so it's staying there, the next lot were also from the hide.
70. Curlew
70. Curlew
71. Widgeon
This last lot were then seen back along the Southend seafront.
72. Sanderling
72. Sanderling
72. Sanderling
73. House Sparrow
Can't believe I didn't already have House Sparrow, I have a troop of them living in the hedge outside my kitchen window...
Wednesday 27 November 2013
A Couple More
Finally managed to take a few additional photos to count towards the Big Bird Race.
First up is a Jay, although a very distant one, taken from my flat in London across the garden on 15th November, I'll hopefully get a better one as it is a frequent visitor, problem is I'm only really home when it's dark at this time of year.
First up is a Jay, although a very distant one, taken from my flat in London across the garden on 15th November, I'll hopefully get a better one as it is a frequent visitor, problem is I'm only really home when it's dark at this time of year.
52. Jay
At the weekend we had relatives down from up north, they wanted to see the big bright lights of London Town and to witness the gold paved streets, bless... Anyway we had a full weekend, a quick hour of which was a dash around half of the Serpentine where I managed to grab a few more photos.
53. Egyptian Goose
54. Herring Gull
55. Common Gull
Today (27th November) I had to travel for work, on the way back and knowing the misses was going to be Xmas shopping till late I check tinterweb to see if I would be passing any nature reserves. I was astonished to find that RSPB Fairburn Ings was only 20 minutes from my location so I thought I'd pop in for a quick hour (wish I'd had a long hour, the quick ones whizz past). There wasn't a great deal to see as it was already getting dark but a rare treat for me was the mass of Tree Sparrows, I haven't seen Tree Sparrows for years, probably 15! Certainly not in the last three years that I've been keeping year lists anyway. Here is a sample of them, beautiful little things:
56. Tree Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Tree Sparrow (Ringed)
Tree Sparrow
Tuesday 26 November 2013
Sri Lanka - April 2013 - Part 2
This is the 2nd instalment of my photos from my Sri Lanka trip back in April this year, where does the time go, thought I'd only uploaded the first lot last week but it was three weeks ago!
I've just booked my place on Lee Evans 'Round Britain Tour' for January so already getting excited about that one, a birthday treat to myself since it's a big one. If we achieve the target species I've been told about then I should score about 25 new birds for my life list, all those species which require travel to specific locations like Capercaille and Cirl Bunting. Hopefully managed to acquire some decent images for this blog as it will still be within the 12 month time limit set at the beginning of the race.
Anyway, some of the birds from my Sri Lanka trip, more to follow as I work through them all:
I've just booked my place on Lee Evans 'Round Britain Tour' for January so already getting excited about that one, a birthday treat to myself since it's a big one. If we achieve the target species I've been told about then I should score about 25 new birds for my life list, all those species which require travel to specific locations like Capercaille and Cirl Bunting. Hopefully managed to acquire some decent images for this blog as it will still be within the 12 month time limit set at the beginning of the race.
Anyway, some of the birds from my Sri Lanka trip, more to follow as I work through them all:
Asian Openbill
Barn Swallow
Black-headed Ibis
Brahminy Kite
Brown-headed Barbet
Cattle Egret
Changeable Hawk Eagle
Common Kingfisher
Common Lora
Common Myna
Darter
Great Thick-knee
Green Bee-eater
Green Imperial Pigeon
Hoopoe
House Crow
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