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TonyQ's Year (A beginner's tale)


TonyQ

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Additional Photos

Coal Tit Periparus ater (already posted)

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Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire 23.04.2016

 

My previous photo of a Coal Tit was taken on a feeder in our garden, so I thought I would add this one taken in some woods.

 

I am also adding a couple of photos of the woods themselves. Spring time is a great time for Bluebells – and this visit was one of the most beautiful displays I have seen – the whole of the ground beneath the trees seemed to be carpeted in them. (Wootton Wawen is a small village in between Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon. The wood is just outside the village)

 

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@@TonyQ Nice clear image of the willow tit showing its all black bill -- also a distinguishing feature from the marsh tit according to the bird book I have on my iPhone from birdguides.com

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@@TonyQ, the Bluebells are just beautiful, a "wish-list" sight for me one day. Oh, better stay on topic, nice birds too :)

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Bluebells! I think there is a shown us your flora post, but it might only be African flora.

 

Those many waterbirds, whether dining on a frog, flapping around, posing or just floating are gorgeous.

Edited by Atravelynn
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@@JohnR

Thank you -and for the link to the App

@@elefromoz

Thank you - the bluebeslls are worth seeing, but the timing is not completely predictable

@@Atravelynn

I bent the rules a bit to put the bluebells in (but it was part of the environment of the Willow Tit!)

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52. Pheasant Phasianus colchicus

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Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire 23.04.2016

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Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire 23.04.2016

This was on the edge of the wood where we saw the Bluebells and the WIllow Tit.

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53. Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus

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Upton Warren, Worcestershire 20.04.2016

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Marsh Lane, nr Solihull 01.04.2016

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54. Shelduck Tadorna tadorna

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(f+m) Upton Warren, Worcestershire 20.04.2016

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(f) Upton Warren, Worcestershire 20.04.2016

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(m+f) Upton Warren, Worcestershire 20.04.2016

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55. Teal Anas crecca

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(f+m) Brandon Marsh, nr Coventry 10.04.2016

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(f+m) Brandon Marsh, nr Coventry 10.04.2016

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56. Snipe Gallinago gallinago

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Marsh Lane, nr Solihull 01.04.2016

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Marsh Lane, nr Solihull 01.04.2016

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57. Wigeon Anas penelope

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(m) Marsh Lane, nr Solihull 01.04.2016

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Marsh Lane, nr Solihull 01.04.2016

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Marsh Lane, nr Solihull 01.04.2016

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Towlersonsafari

Ha! Somewhere I've been! Good Snipe spot! We've twice heard Snipe "drumming" a very strange sound the first time it took about 20 minutes before we realised what it was

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You get a rich variety of birds on your feeders, and you've produced a great series of pictures of them!

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@@Towlersonsafari

We went to Marsh Lane again yesterday! We only spotted the Snipe because someone pointed it out to us :)

@@PeterHG

Thank you - we enjoy the visitors to our garden!

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58. White Goose Anser anser domesticus

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Upton Warren, Worcestershire 20.04.2016

This is a domestic species, descended from Graylag Geese, but many of them now live wild

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Upton Warren, Worcestershire 20.04.2016

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59. Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita

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Amongst the blossom, Upton Warren, Worcestershire 17.04.2016

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Upton Warren, Worcestershire 20.04.2016

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Brandon Marsh, nr Coventry 10.04.2016

 

This bird is very difficult to distinguish visually from the Willow Warbler (next post). If you hear them sing, it is straightforward. Some visual features include dark legs (not always), relatively short primary feathers, supercilium not as strong as Willow Warbler. (Also complicated by different aged birds and variability within species)

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60. Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus

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Shire Country Park, Birmingham 09.04.2016

Stronger supercilium, paler legs, more yellow coloured

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Brandon Marsh, nr Coventry 10.04.2016

We heard this one sing! Stronger supercilium

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61. Swallow Hirundo rustica

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Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire 23.04.2016

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Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire 23.04.2016

The first I have seen this spring.

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62. Song Thrush Turdus philomelos

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Shire Country Park, Birmingham 21.04.2016

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Upton Warren, Worcestershire 27.04.2016

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With lunch, Upton Warren, Worcestershire 27.04.2016

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Thanks for the tutorial @@TonyQ it is very apt. We noticed a new bird in the garden a few weeks ago, but only caught a glimpse. We have since seen it a couple of times and from the book had narrowed it down to chiff chaff and willow warbler, thinking probably it was a chiff chaff. Seeing your photos has confirmed it. Now I just have to catch it on camera.....

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elefromoz

@@TonyQ, "Chiff chaff", what a great name, so pretty in the blossoms.

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Kitsafari

Gorgeous bluebells - it's what I would have imagined England's meadows to be like in spring. We never were able to catch England in its glorious spring sunlit days!

 

And stunning pix of the birds.

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@@Tdgraves

Thank you - although the writing sounds a bit more confident than me in practice :) I have a number of photos where I am not sure if it is a ChiffChaff or a Willow Warbler.

@@elefromoz

Thank you - the name is linked to the song it makes - just two tones. I thought it looked pretty in the blossom as well.

@@Kitsafari

Thank you - I am glad you enjoyed the bluebells

Edited by TonyQ
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63. Redwing Turdus iliacus

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Earlswood,nr Birmingham 25.02.2016

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64. Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus

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Upton Warren, Worcestershire 27.04.2016

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Marsh Lane, nr Solihull 30.04.2016

I put the second one in to show @@xelas that it does sometimes rain in England :)

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