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Zim Girl's (very tiny) Big Year 2018


Zim Girl

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Congrats on the Bearded Tits, they are favourites of mine as well. Didn´t know they can be attracted with feeders, what is in there that they like so much?

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Well done on the bearded reedlings, I caught a glimpse earlier in the year, but no chance for a photo!

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Belated congrats on #100. Lots of speclai birds in Madagascar! It is good to see that, on rare occasions you did see some non-endemics....;)

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Well done with the Egrets and Beardies. I liked the lighting of  Little E in the pose.

Beardies are part of what makes Leighton Moss what it is.

 

12 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Didn´t know they can be attracted with feeders, what is in there that they like so much? 

It's not food in the trays but grit to help digest the hard seeds that form most of their diet.

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Thanks @Ratdcoops, @michael-ibk, @xelas, @Tdgraves, @PeterHG, @Galana

 

19 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Congrats on the Bearded Tits, they are favourites of mine as well. Didn´t know they can be attracted with feeders, what is in there that they like so much?

 

Yes, what @Galana said. In Autumn and Winter they switch from eating insects to eating reed seeds and swallowing the grit helps digest them.

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@Zim Girl Love the photos, especially the Pygmy Kingfisher and the Blue Vanga. So many endemics there and mostly prefixed with 'Madagascar'. I remember when I was listing my birds there around 20 years ago my notes said Mad this and Mad that :D

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1 minute ago, Galago said:

@Zim Girl Love the photos, especially the Pygmy Kingfisher and the Blue Vanga. So many endemics there and mostly prefixed with 'Madagascar'. I remember when I was listing my birds there around 20 years ago my notes said Mad this and Mad that :D

 

Thank you  

Yes, I did tease the guides a bit by saying they were only creating 'new' birds by calling them Madagascar this, that and the other.

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Dave Williams

Great stuff, 100 up too. Madagascar certainly has an interesting bird list.

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  • 2 weeks later...

On the hunt to increase my duck count.  It was a very cold morning and I struggled to find many with their heads up.

 

122.  (UK 93)  Pintail    I waited and waited .............

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and finally:)

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Leighton Moss  -  27/10/18

 

 

 

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123.  (UK 94)  Teal

P1090505c.jpg.b1b5b42c21f883d07586b0be50288005.jpg

 

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Leighton Moss  -  27/10/18

Edited by Zim Girl
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Dave Williams

Excellent images!

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Great photos and patience rewarded.

I take it you already had Shoveller?

 

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20 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

Excellent images!

Thanks Dave

14 hours ago, Galana said:

Great photos and patience rewarded.

I take it you already had Shoveller?

 

Thanks @Galana, and yes I did.

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that Mad pygmy K'fisher is a beaut. I think I'm in love. 

that blue vanga is stunning as well, and I can why the bearded tit is a hot favourite too. 

 

Congrats on the 100th! 

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On 11/4/2018 at 2:16 AM, Kitsafari said:

that Mad pygmy K'fisher is a beaut. I think I'm in love. 

that blue vanga is stunning as well, and I can why the bearded tit is a hot favourite too. 

 

Congrats on the 100th! 

 

Thank you very much @Kitsafari

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  • 2 weeks later...

Been on the look-out for Pink-footed geese lately.  There have been thousands of them reported locally (13500 in one location two days ago), but so far each time we get to a reported field they have disappeared.  I passed hundreds in a field on the way to the estuary this morning, couldn't stop, and by the time I came back they had all gone :angry:

 

So, as usual. most things were too far away, but I did get this.  One of three of them pottering around in the seaweed.

 

124.  (UK 95)  Turnstone

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P1090752c.jpg.e90885229a129d0fe8ab79364ffaefa4.jpg

Knott-End  -  13/11/18

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  • 4 weeks later...

Finally, I can add something to my BY.  There have been reports lately of large flocks of Twite down at the Wyre estuary.  The weather has been pretty wet and windy recently but as soon as a dry, calm day came along I drove down to see if I could find them. I was so pre-occupied by the weather that I completely forgot to check the tide times but luckily the tide was way out when I arrived.  Also luckily, the birds were exactly where they should be, feeding by the ferry slipway. I counted about 50 birds.

 

125.  (UK 96)  Twite

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P1100031c.jpg.0c24e7eb578ce4eecebdb5d6d955bd92.jpg

 Knott-End  -  10/12/18

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Back to the on-going saga of finding Pink-footed geese.  After several more fruitless trips to fields in the area the geese obviously took pity and came to find us instead.  Early last week at 8am I heard and then saw hundreds of them flying over the house.  They landed at the back of the field behind our garden.  Once it had got light enough I took a picture but they were a long way off.  I hoped they would move closer later in the day.  However, the farmer had other ideas. He walked through the field with an air rife trying to scare them away.:angry:

This went on all week. They would turn up at 8am every morning, then I would hear shooting a bit later. By the weekend they stopped coming.

This is my first far away picture.

 

126.  (UK 97)  Pink-footed Goose

P1090925c.jpg.e4a94530a9e94bbc31321787e6108ae2.jpg

 

Anyway, not to cut a long story short:D

 

On the same day I saw the Twite, I carried on walking the coastal path.  A couple of miles further along it opens out to fields on the opposite side to the sea.  I saw a large flock of geese flying over me and thought wouldn't it be cool if they landed in these fields.  Well, that's exactly what they did!

I walked up as quiet as I could as they were quite close to the path and finally I got my close up pictures of Pink-footed geese.:)

 

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Lancashire Coastal Way  -  10/12/18

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A duck from earlier on in the year.  I haven't seen one since so don't think I will get anything better.

 

127. (UK 98)  Pochard

P1030092c.jpg.02642071d92f523032139cb359ea78f1.jpg

Leighton Moss  -  28/04/18

Edited by Zim Girl
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Walking around my local reserve a couple of weeks ago, I bumped into the warden and he kindly gave me the key code for the Bird Club hide which is members only.  I went in and after only 10 minutes was thrilled to see one of these.  First time I have ever seen one.

 

128.  (UK 99)  Water Rail

P1090894c.jpg.1fde893197608ac736012ed9f50040da.jpg

Marton Mere  -  26/11/18

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Now finally my hundredth UK bird.  A common one but fun to watch at the time.  I had been holding out for a big murmuration, they often happen off the Blackpool coast when the birds are coming into roost under the piers. No recent reports though and I am running out of time so you will have to make do with a mini-murm seen along the marsh near the Lancaster estuary.

 

129.  (UK 100)  Starling

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Lancashire Coastal Way  -  13/11/18

Edited by Zim Girl
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Congratulations on your 100th local bird, a great achievement. And an excellent sighting of a water Rail. Was spoilt with them this year but found none at all during my first two big years. And starlings are underrated. They have been bird of the year here in 2018 which was somewhat controversial - obviously wine farmers hate them. 

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Well done on reaching 100 birds for the UK - a real achievement.

Seeing a Water Rail is something special, and the Starlings for 100 are spectacular.

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Dave Williams

You get some fantastic Starling murmurations around your way, around Blackpool Piers perhaps? Worth a visit at sunset ?

I am up there tomorrow evening for the night, might take a peep!

Edited by Dave Williams
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