TonyQ Big Year 2018 (The Third)

[TonyQ]

It is spring/summer in the UK - a good time to see BABIES.......

Canada Goose

Greylag Goose

Greylag Goose

Black-headed Gull

Avocet

Oystercatcher

Oystercatchers are interesting waders as they feed their chicks. Here one of the adults brought over a very big worm, and chopped it up before giving it to the chick.

[TonyQ]

We have also had a lot of pleasure from watching babies in our garden. When we were in Zambia, we learned to always take our cameras to dinner. We have continued that tradition from home!

Bullfinch feeding baby - snatched shot through window from dining table in the evening

 

Blue Tit feeding suet to baby at the feeders

It has been a real pleasure seeing youngsters visiting the garden being fed and learning how to use the feeders. For this photo we were sitting out in the garden at a table, drinking cofee. They were about 3 to 4m away.

[lmSA84]

Two beautiful shots. Really well timed and framed

[TonyQ]

@lmSA84

Thank you!

[TonyQ]

281.UK.114. Swift  Apus apus

Upton Warren, Worcestershire           11.05.2018

Leamington Spa,Warwickshire           10.06.2018

[TonyQ]

            UK.115. Little Egret  Egretta garzetta

First posted in The Gambia    

Titchwell Marsh, Norfolk          25.04.2018

[TonyQ]

282.UK.116. Wigeon  Anas penelope

Upton Warren, Worcestershire           07.06.2018

[TonyQ]

283.UK.117. Little Gull  Hydrocoloeus minutus

A new bird for us        

Upton Warren, Worcestershire           07.06.2018

Upton Warren, Worcestershire           07.06.2018

Distant heavy crop, but recognisable. I put the second one in just to show the size comparison with the Black-headed Gull. In real life it is not really confusable (if that is a word) with the Black Headed or Mediterranean Gill, even though they may look similar in books.

[TonyQ]

284.UK.118. Cuckoo  Cuculus canorus         

Brandon Marsh, nr Coventry   23.05.2018

Brandon Marsh, nr Coventry   23.05.2018

The second one was very badly affected by heat haze which is why I decided to submit an Impressionist painting rather than the more conventional photo!

[TonyQ]

285.UK.119. Hobby  Falco subbuteo 

Brandon Marsh, nr Coventry   23.05.2018

Brandon Marsh, nr Coventry   23.05.2018

Brandon Marsh, nr Coventry   23.05.2018

Hunting Dragonfly, Brandon Marsh, nr Coventry   23.05.2018

It is a real delight watching Hobby showing off their flying skills as they hunt dragonfly. A real pleasure.

[TonyQ]

UK.120. Grey Heron  Ardea cinerea  

First posted in The Gambia

Brandon Marsh, nr Coventry   23.05.2018

I am also posting a sequence at the same site a few minutes later

The heron returns from a brief flight - very ambitious we think

It kills the fish

Surely not.....

Head first

Wow....

Almost gone

Gulp

We didn't believe it could possible swallow a fish that big, but we were clearly wrong!

[Peter Connan]

Magnificent Hobby series and great catch for and on the Heron Tony!

[Dave Williams]

I love the Little Gull vs Black headed Gull site comparison. A really big difference,

[lmSA84]

Lovely Hobby series - they always seem to be miles above me 

[TonyQ]

@Peter Connan @lmSA84 Thank you

@Dave Williams Thank you - I am very poor at looking at the size of birds in the bird book, and then very poor at judging the size when the bird is a reasonable distance away. So the bird book tells me that the Little Gull is much smaller than the Black-headed Gull, but I need to see them together to absorb it!

[TonyQ]

A duplicate

Tree Creeper, Moseley Bog, Birmingham

Tree Creeper, Moseley Bog, Birmingham

[TonyQ]

286.UK.121. Green Sandpiper  Tringa ochropus     

  

Upton Warren, Worcestershire           15.06.2018

Upton Warren, Worcestershire           15.06.2018

[TonyQ]

287.UK.122. Buzzard  Buteo buteo   

Wyre Forest, Worcestershire  19.05.2018

[TonyQ]

288.UK.123. Greenfinch  Carduelis chloris    

Sandwell Valley           07.01.2018

[TonyQ]

289.UK.124. Cetti's Warbler  Cettia cetti        

Upton Warren, Worcestershire           07.06.2018

Usually heard and not seen. We heard this one a few times, glimpsed it and this was the best of 4 poor photos before it disappeared.

Edited June 18, 2018 by TonyQ

[TonyQ]

290.UK.125. Wood Warbler  Phylloscopus sibilatrix

New Bird

Wyre Forest, Worcestershire  19.05.2018

Wyre Forest, Worcestershire  19.05.2018

A dark wood, a distant small bird jumping about, lots of little twigs and branches - what could possibly go wrong?

However it was good fun trying to get any sort of picture of this bird. We really enjoyed watching it and working out its behaviour. It sings very loudly!

It is very distinctive looking compared to other warblers with a very white front.

 

[Towlersonsafari]

love the hobby and heron sequences @TonyQ and the greenfinch 

[PeterHG]

Haven't seen a Wood Warbler for ages. A real nice one to show us!

[elefromoz]

@TonyQ, the first shot of the Grey Heron is beautiful, but gulping down that Fish is something else, surely that would keep it going for a while.

[TonyQ]

@Towlersonsafari @PeterHG @elefromoz Thank you