Zim Girl's 2nd Big Year 2019

[Zim Girl]

And finally, a bit of Harrier action.

 

68.  Western Marsh Harrier

 

Sky dancing between the male and female.

 

Female spots her chance to take a break.

 

Local duck life not at all impressed.

 

Just scratching around minding her own business.

 

When ......................., suddenly he is back!

 

Leighton Moss  -  30/03/19

 

 

[Soukous]

lovely avocets

[Zim Girl]

Thank you very much, @Soukous, they are a lovely bird to watch - so elegant.

[Galana]

Great Harrier action.

[TonyQ]

Great to see Avocets- beautiful elegant looking bird - and lovely photos. 

(We have just been looking at some today at our favourite reserve, Upton Warren)

[Treepol]

@Zim Girl beautiful bird photos here. The Barn Owl really performed for you and I especially liked the Ring-necked parakeet, the Goldcrest and the variety of swan and geese. 

[Zim Girl]

16 hours ago, TonyQ said:

Great to see Avocets- beautiful elegant looking bird - and lovely photos. 

(We have just been looking at some today at our favourite reserve, Upton Warren)

 

Lovely, do they breed there as well? Over 30 active nests have been counted at LM so far.

 

12 hours ago, Treepol said:

@Zim Girl beautiful bird photos here. The Barn Owl really performed for you and I especially liked the Ring-necked parakeet, the Goldcrest and the variety of swan and geese. 

 

Thank you very much @Treepol.  We are lucky to have quite a wide variety of birds in our local area.

[TonyQ]

@Zim Girl yes the avocets do breed at Upton Warren. The chicks are lovely (not yet this year) a ball of fluff with enormous legs!

[Zim Girl]

So now for a couple of owls, so chuffed I got these .

 

However, the first is definitely a contender for EBC of the year!  Reports of this near to some farmer's barns just outside Marton Mere, had been intermittent all year. A spent quite a while a couple of weeks a go scanning the area and I came across a smudge in the trees.  Hopefully you can make out enough of the markings to see what it is.

 

69.  Little Owl

First, the un-cropped picture. This is as close as you can get to these trees. The owl is right in the middle.

 

And heavily cropped.

Near Marton Mere  -  23/04/19

 

[Zim Girl]

I had two visits to get the next one.  Just before last weekend an adult Tawny and 2 chicks had been seen in an area of woodland outside the boundary of Marton Mere near to Stanley Park.  I went on Monday to try and find them. I did eventually see them but they were almost completely concealed amongst the leaves in a very high tree.  I went back again on Tuesday to see if I could get anything better and this time they were in the next tree along and a bit more out in the open.

 

70.  Tawny Owl

I found the chicks first, see the one on the right looking upside down.

 

Then I found the adult a short distance away.

 

I changed position to get a slightly better view of the chicks.

 

Salisbury Woodland  -  30/04/19

 

[TonyQ]

Those owls are lovely!

[Galana]

Brilliant. Those Tawny Owlets are superb.

[pedro maia]

Incredible those owls!!

[Zim Girl]

17 hours ago, TonyQ said:

Those owls are lovely!

 

12 hours ago, pedro maia said:

Incredible those owls!!

 

15 hours ago, Galana said:

Brilliant. Those Tawny Owlets are superb.

Thank you!  So glad I went back the second day as the view was so much better and the young ones were quite animated, moving their heads around.

 

 

[Dave Williams]

Owl magic there, lucky you!

[PeterHG]

Love your Owl shots (even the distant one...)!

[michael-ibk]

How cool you got two Owl species in a matter of days. Also love Avocets, such a great bird. 

[Zim Girl]

Another early morning trip into the Forest of Bowland on Bank holiday Monday, this time on the lookout for Red-legged partridge and Lapwing chicks, oh and yet more pipits.

Got the partridge early on as two of them whizzed across the road and into a field.  One ran off and this one made a poor attempt at hiding.

 

71.  Red-legged Partridge

Forest Of Bowland  -  06/05/19

[Zim Girl]

Next up, lapwings.  The fields were full of adults and chicks.

 

72.  Northern Lapwing

 

Forest of Bowland  -  06/05/19

 

[Zim Girl]

And isn't it typical that when you have just posted a bird a better opportunity comes along.  On a walk into one of the valleys we came across a Pied Wagtail on a post that just didn't want to move.  We got so close that in the end I felt obliged to take it's picture.

 

Duplicate.  Pied Wagtail

Forest of Bowland  -  06/05/19

 

[Zim Girl]

So, I have gathered together a few Pipit pictures and having studied them, I think they are probably all Meadow but if anyone can spot a Tree pipit in amongst them please let me know.  I have posted them here

 

[Zim Girl]

The other week we found a new little birding spot locally called Newton Marsh, only 15 minutes drive from home.  It is an area of fresh water marshy grassland with a few pools dotted around, one of them being close enough for pictures.  We found this bird sleeping.  I waited ages for it to move but it just had a quick look and then went back to sleep.

 

73.  Black-tailed Godwit

 

Newton Marsh  -  28/04/19

[Zim Girl]

So, onwards and very slowly upwards!!

 

From my many Meadow Pipit photos I have picked my favourites.  

 

74.  Meadow Pipit

Forest of Bowland  -  20/04/19

Forest of Bowland  -  06/05/19

 

[Zim Girl]

One from the garden braving the rain last week.

 

75.  Collared Dove

Back garden  -  08/05/19

 

[Zim Girl]

Only one to add to the list from a quick look in at Leighton Moss.

 

76.  Common Shelduck

Female

 

Male

 

Leighton Moss  -  13/05/19