Bird of the day!

[Dan Salter]

Nice work Guy !

My bird of the day is a bit pathetic but still...I am trying to get my head around "Gulls" at the moment and today succesfully managed to pick out the common gulls from among the black headeds at my local town park/lake?...

So Common Gull for me.....how lame.

[John]

My bird of the day from yesterday was the Lesser Snow Goose I saw near Docking, Norfolk yesterday. This was a bird I have been trying to see for two years now. I also have a bird from today also. I couldn't get a photo of the Snow Goose at was too far away but I did manage some photos of Lapland & Snow Buntings at Salthouse in Norfolk yesterday.

Lapland Bunting first.





Next are a couple of Snow Bunting.





Todays bird of the day was a Richard's Pipit and is a bird I didn't think I would get this year, never mind today. Unfortunately where it was (Terrington Marshes, Norfolk) was under a blanket of fog. This caused extremely bad lighting conditioons and the bird was about 25 yards away. No chance of any decent photography but I did manage a couple of record shots of a bird that up until today wasn't represented in the gallery.




John

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

Happy New Year one and all...

Decided to travel to Rye Harbour and Dungeness today and had some splendid birds, a total of 79 with a few special birds. These included Hen and Marsh Harrier, Smew, Goosander, Shag, Tundra Bean Goose and I managed to see Mute, Bewick and Whooper. First stop was Rye Harbour and soon located the Shorelark, Grey Partridge were also a nice surprise here too.



Then travelled up the coast to Scotney GP and found the 2 Long-tailed Ducks. So carried on to the A.R.C. Pit opposite the Dungeness Reserve and saw Gadwall, Goldeneye, Ruddy duck etc.

Then we got onto the reserve and found the Shag, Smew (8 fem, 2 male), Goosander (1 male, 3 fem), and a bonus Kingfisher. We then decided to go to Long Pit for the Red-necked Grebe...



And finally we went across to Walland Marsh and on route saw these delightful Corn Buntings to finish off a great day.



Cheers Jacob

[sleipnerofasgard]

My bird of the day is without doubt the bird of the year for me so far,and incidentally of last year.i caught a fleeting glimpse and a very blurry pic of it and i was feeling ecstatic and very giddy when no less than ten minutes later he (or she) turned up again and decided to stick around till i got what i think is a pretty good shot.i give you a treecreeper



still giddy now

[Chris Hawes]

I just looked out the back window and there were three birds on the feeders: a coal tit, a goldfinch, and a blackcap. Not a bad little gathering for my small garden!

The blackcap is the first I've seen in the garden, so that is my bird of the day.

[cherrybee]

Sat at the computer and the garden is swarming with birds.Starlings, Doves,,Woodpigeons House sparrows Blue Tits,Crows.But the most exciting one for me is the Song Thrush.It landed just outside the window.A very first for me in my garden Unfortunately by the time I got the camera they all vanished

[Dan Salter]

Looked out the window into the garden to check the snow earlier and saw a female Great Spotted Woodpecker then a Treecreeper scuttering up a tree!....nice.

[rlchew]

Originally Posted by Scarlet Pimpernel

Happy New Year one and all...

Decided to travel to Rye Harbour and Dungeness today and had some splendid birds, a total of 79 with a few special birds. These included Hen and Marsh Harrier, Smew, Goosander, Shag, Tundra Bean Goose and I managed to see Mute, Bewick and Whooper. First stop was Rye Harbour and soon located the Shorelark, Grey Partridge were also a nice surprise here too.



Then travelled up the coast to Scotney GP and found the 2 Long-tailed Ducks. So carried on to the A.R.C. Pit opposite the Dungeness Reserve and saw Gadwall, Goldeneye, Ruddy duck etc.

Then we got onto the reserve and found the Shag, Smew (8 fem, 2 male), Goosander (1 male, 3 fem), and a bonus Kingfisher. We then decided to go to Long Pit for the Red-necked Grebe...



And finally we went across to Walland Marsh and on route saw these delightful Corn Buntings to finish off a great day.



Cheers Jacob

I saw most of those too at the same locations on the same day .... but didn't spot you or get any photos .

I started my trip at Bough Beech Reservoir .... c.30 Brambling at the feeding station near the visitor centre.

Richard

[glsammy]

My bird of the day today is a lovely male SparrowHawk which came down onto the roof of the feeding station at Whisby. I was the only one to see it!

[John]

I haven't even seen one yet this year.

I noticed it has been ringed.

John

Originally Posted by glsammy

My bird of the day today is a lovely male SparrowHawk which came down onto the roof of the feeding station at Whisby. I was the only one to see it!

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by John

I haven't even seen one yet this year.

I noticed it has been ringed.

John

It's the closest I've ever been to one in the wild anyway. This is a full frame shot, no cropping. I managed about six shots before it flew away. I wish I'd saved a few to get it flying away, but my camera buffer was full as I was shooting in RAW. It's proving to be a bit of a hindrance lately, I might have to consider a 40D to get more shots!

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by glsammy

My bird of the day today is a lovely male SparrowHawk which came down onto the roof of the feeding station at Whisby. I was the only one to see it!

Excellent shot! I was in Isabella Plantation today in Richmond Park standing watching a tit flock looking for a Treecreeper. As I looked down to my left was a pair of yellow legs about 3 metres away perched low down in a Rhododendron-the legs were all I could see! I stooped down a bit but the bird instantly disappeared deftly backwards through the cover. Even though I didn't really see the bird as such I realised it was a Sparrowhawk from the legs + the behaviour. Amazingly none of the tits saw it flying low through the bush as no alarms were uttered, so the ace predator managed to remain concealed getting away from me!

I did have a proper view of a male in my local country park on Jan 1st towards dusk as the winged assassin flew low in front of me putting up a small group of Wood Pigeons in the scrub, but nothing smaller for him to catch. Still one of my favourite birds!

[pressld2]

Buzzards and kestrels for me today. Drove my son back to university and saw three buzzards plus at least a dozen kestrels, including a pair hunting together. No photos as I was driving (and the buzzards were very high anyway) but it goes to show what a haven for wildlife our motorway verges are.

Dave P.

[Deer Stalker]

Did'nt get out today as I was helping my uncle bash some fence posts in.
While we were working though, a Song Thrush was singing from another garden.

[mrs fish]

Originally Posted by glsammy

My bird of the day today is a lovely male SparrowHawk which came down onto the roof of the feeding station at Whisby. I was the only one to see it!

He is a beauty

[therealbobbo]

I was watching a flock,of about 200 Blck-headed Gulls,from my car,at about 20 yards,and there was just 1,with his spring hat on,bobbo

[pressld2]

Got the highest up the old magpie nursery rhyme I've ever been yesterday...

One for sorrow, two for joy,
Three for a girl, four for a boy,
Five for silver, six for gold,
Seven for a secret never to be told.
Eight for Heaven, nine for Hell,
And ten for the devil's own sel'.

I reached Heaven!

Dave P.

[MagpieMick]

Well hope you've all had a good weekend i know i have....

Saturday i was at Dungeness NNR, Kent and saw Smew, Slavonian Grebe and Marsh Harrier, Tundra Bean Goose and Bewick's Swan and Shorelark at Rye but Bird of the Day was the RED NECKED GREBE..



Today Sunday i had 2 hours this morning at Rainham Marsh RSPB and the Bird of the Day was ICELAND GULL



All in all a good weekends Birding..............!!!!!!!!!!!

[John]

I have had an extraordinary day and to try and pick a bird of the day out of the following will be hard.

3 x Drake Smews at 3 different locations. 1 Lesser Scaup, I Slavonian Grebe, 1 Caspian Gull, 2 x Great Northern Divers and a Med Gull amongst the many birds I saw today.

I will add three photos of three of those species. Which out of that lot would you like to see the most?

Winter plumaged Slavonian Grebe.


2nd Winter Caspian Gull. (Digiscoped into the sun)


Drake Smew.


John

[Pete Collins]

Today, my Birds Of The Day were some Little Egrets by the river Chess near Latimer (Bucks/Herts border, near Chesham). I had seen reports of them being here, but hadn't seen them myself when I'd walked in this area two or three times before. I've seen them many times along the coast or on estuaries in Norfolk and Suffolk, but this was the first time I'd seen them inland.

I first spotted what I felt sure was an egret flying along the river. Then I saw two on the ground, some way off from me, again close to the river.

[The Black Rabbit]

Originally Posted by Pete Collins

Today, my Birds Of The Day were some Little Egrets by the river Chess near Latimer (Bucks/Herts border, near Chesham). I had seen reports of them being here, but hadn't seen them myself when I'd walked in this area two or three times before. I've seen them many times along the coast or on estuaries in Norfolk and Suffolk, but this was the first time I'd seen them inland.

I first spotted what I felt sure was an egret flying along the river. Then I saw two on the ground, some way off from me, again close to the river.

Blimey.
I used to fly- fish there Pete.
A long time ago mind.
Great to see Egrets there now then!
Doug

[The Black Rabbit]

My bird of the day is the beautiful Goldfinch.
A flock of which returned with gusto (at last) to our very humble feeding station in our tiny wee garden in Reading yesterday.
Lovely to see the numbers back we experienced last spring.
We've had a few since then, but yesterday wa