Saturday 31 January 2015

January Patch Birds.

My wildlife watching got off to a slow start this year due to a virus contracted over the Christmas period that laid me low for a couple of weeks. Local patch water fowl sightings have been thin on the ground due to the pond freezing over a week ago and everything appeared to be in hiding.

Fortunately four Northern Shoveler present on the pond since early December were still around prior to the water freezing up and one male in full breeding plumage was close enough during one patch visit to provide an opportunity for a few images.
Other sightings have included up to six Teal; with four males displaying to two females; and two pairs of Mandarin Duck plus the resident Mallard and Moorhens.


Northern Shoveler

Moorhen

At this time of year it is not unusual to see large parties of Long-tailed Tits foraging through the woodland but obtaining a clear shot as they flit from perch to to perch is another challenge! On a few occasions the flocks have included one or two Goldcrests but I have still to capture a decent image of this tiny species.


Long-tailed Tit.


One species that rarely allows a close approach is the Jay but I was fortunate recently to catch one searching through the leaf litter and totally oblivious to me creeping close enough for this cropped shot.

During this continued cold and wet weather raptor sightings have included Kestrel, a Sparrowhawk darting through a large flock of Redwing, Common Buzzard and an over flying Red Kite. 


I spotted this (juvenile or female) Kestrel perched in a tree close to one of the main paths and watched it surveying the ground below for a possible meal. After a few minutes it flew to another perch to continue its vigil before eventually flying away.




One Black-headed Gull has taken up residence on the main pond and regularly takes flight when another interloper flies in and chases off any competition!


My patch tally for January has now reached 40 species and you can view the full list on my Bird Sightings page. FAB.

Linking to Saturday's Critters hosted by Eileen.

20 comments:

  1. Glad to see you are feeling better. I missed your blog posts immensely. Love that Northern Shoveler bird.

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  2. Prachtig wat een mooie serie maar de valk springt er voor mij huizenhoog bovenuit.

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  3. Hello Frank, I am glad to hear you are feeling better. Awesome series of birds and photos.. The Shoveler shots are my favorite..Thank you for linking up and sharing your post.. Have a happy weekend!

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  4. I'm glad you're feeling better. Lovely birds, as always. I never tire of seeing your images.

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  5. Shoveller is a duck that eludes me on my local waters. Handsome fellow!

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  6. Beautiful images of the Kestrel Frank........and great to get that close to a Jay.
    They are frequent visitors in the garden but I am never able to get an image of them, well done.

    Glad that you are feeling better and are back out there, doing your own thing :)

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  7. great shots all the way through! neat to see the shoveler on land. :) glad you're feeling better!

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  8. A fellow birder told me that here, Kestrels are hardly ever seen. I love the pix of the one you saw, Frank!!!!...:)JP

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  9. Glad you are feeling better. This is a wonderful selection of critters and images. Have a lovely weekend.

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  10. Such lovely captures. The male Northern Shoveler is a beauty.

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  11. Stellar shots, Frank! I'd love to see a Shoveler! Glad you're feeling better.

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  12. I love the kestrel, but they're all great birds. I'm glad you're feeling better.

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  13. Hello Frank!:) I wondered what had happened to you, so glad you are feeling better. These are all superb shots, but I especially like the Jay capture.
    Keep well
    Best Regards.

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  14. Great collection of images. I'm always impressed when someone gets a sharp pic of a bird in flight.
    ~

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  15. We are glad you are back in the saddle again. Once again you have a great selection of birds for us.

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  16. Lovely shots, Frank. I loved that longtailed tit. What a cutie pie.

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  17. Hi Frank, love all your birds - how great to capture the Kestrel too. Nice to see you back - cheers :D)

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  18. Really nice photos,Frank, and I LOVE you Header! I'm sort of always behind, as I'm only blogging/commenting one or two days a week.

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  19. Nice shots, Frank. The Northern Shoveler is really beautiful with its varied colors and I love the pattern of the Jay's flight feathers.

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I hope you enjoyed your visit and I always appreciate your comments and feedback.

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