Faulty starter motor, but I'll get it fixed . Soukous BY 2020

[Soukous]

this one is a bit embarrassing but, as they say, ebc.

 

144 - Carrion Crow - Corvus corone

Levington, Suffolk. May 2020

 

 

[Soukous]

#145 - Yellowhammer - Emberiza citrinella - (FTP #55)

Levington, Suffolk. May 2020

 

Unfortunately he was not in a goo position for light. I waited for him to present better but he chose to fly off instead.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2020 by Soukous

[Galana]

30 minutes ago, Soukous said:

but he chose to fly off instead.

They do that a lot!

But they ALL count!

[TonyQ]

nice additions @Soukous

Why is the Carrion Crow embarrasing?

[shazdwn]

9 hours ago, TonyQ said:

Why is the Carrion Crow embarrasing?

 

Yes, I was wondering that too.

[Soukous]

17 hours ago, TonyQ said:

nice additions @Soukous

Why is the Carrion Crow embarrasing?

 

seriously? you have to ask? Crows are not the kind of birds I want to be photographing. 

More embarrassing though is that I mis-spelled embarrassing. 

[Soukous]

17 hours ago, Galana said:

They do that a lot!

But they ALL count!

 

It must be a bird thing, this flying off. 

[Galana]

1 hour ago, Soukous said:

More embarrassing though is that I mis-spelled embarrassing. 

Especially when you are embarrassed even though you got it right.

A case of ESC ?

 

I was not embarrassed when I counted  his cousin the Hoodie.

Indeed I am more embarrassed to find I have yet added Carrion Crow to my meagre list. Thanks for the reminder..Very embarrassing.

[TonyQ]

3 hours ago, Soukous said:

 

seriously? you have to ask? Crows are not the kind of birds I want to be photographing. 

It was a serious question- I feel that Crows are interesting, intelligent birds.

I am happy to photograph them, though they do need good light.  

We all go into the Big Year with different views, which adds to the interest.

 

[Soukous]

4 hours ago, Galana said:

Especially when you are embarrassed even though you got it right.

 

You are correct, I did spell it properly, it was Sir @TonyQ who mis-spelled.

 

[Soukous]

1 hour ago, TonyQ said:

I feel that Crows are interesting, intelligent birds.

I am happy to photograph them, though they do need good light.  

 

No doubt they are intelligent birds @TonyQ I guess it is just because they - and pigeons and rooks - are always around that they do not bring the same sense of satisfaction as other birds that have to be sought out.

[Peter Connan]

Personally, I hate them more than some people around here hate baboons. But, they are very successful and interesting, so I do take photos of them.

Edited May 16, 2020 by Peter Connan

[PeterHG]

3 hours ago, TonyQ said:

I feel that Crows are interesting, intelligent birds

They are extremely intelligent...https://youtu.be/ZerUbHmuY04

 

[Dave Williams]

Moving along nicely here Martin, some excellent additions too. I was trying to lure the Tawny Owls with bait but all I have managed is to lure a couple of Crows who are now here everyday even though I gave up on the owls ages ago. I now have to wait until it's almost dark to put out the Badger food. They are indeed a pain, nearly as bad as Herring Gulls!

[TonyQ]

@PeterHG an excellent video, thank you for posting 

[Soukous]

after a couple of fruitless days - in terms of new species at least - I decided to go somewhere new.

Hazelwood Marshes are only 15 minutes away and are another one of those places I have driven past many times but never ventured in.

As with all Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserves at the moment, the hides are closed, but the reserves are open.

 

There was not a lot to see, to be honest, though I did take some photos of a bird I couldn't identify on the spot as they were quite distant. I thought no more about it. The main species on show were Avocets, Shelducks and Black-headed Gulls. The Dunlins flew off as soon as I arrived. So after about an hour I gave up and went somewhere else, feeling a bit unimpressed.

 

Anyway, once I got my photos onto the computer and could study them better it turned out that my unidentified bird(s) were a first for me. Yippee!

I spent some time trying to decide between the Golden Plover and the Grey Plover. In the end the size & shape of the bill, combined with the distribution made me opt for the Grey Plover. Then I noticed the second bird in my photo - Doh! 

 

# 146 - Grey Plover - Pluvialis squatarola - (FTP #56)

Hazelwood Marshes, Suffolk. May 2020

 

 

 

 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Soukous

[Soukous]

From Hazelwood Marshes I drove the short distance to Iken, where there are extensive reed beds and a lovely big expanse of water. It is an area protected for ground nesting birds. But I didn't see any.

Once again I was beginning to think I'd find nothing at all when I heard the unmistakable sound of a Cuckoo.

I spent the next hour searching for the pesky bird, which seemed to be flying from one side of a small copse to the other.

 

I eventually spotted it some distance away in a dead tree. It may be called a Common Cuckoo, but they ar epretty scarce round here and this is the first time I've managed to get a photo of one.

 

#147 - Common Cuckoo - Cuculus canoris - (FTP #57)

Iken Marshes, Suffolk. May 2020

 

I tried to get a bit closer, but it wasn't having any of that and flew off

 

I kept searching for a while longer but without any success.

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology I was able to get some useable images with a bit of cropping.

 

 

 

Edited May 22, 2020 by Soukous

[Galana]

Very well done and a good outing.

I sense your excitement with Grey Plover so overwhelming that you forgot to actually number it 146.

[Soukous]

4 hours ago, Galana said:

Very well done and a good outing.

I sense your excitement with Grey Plover so overwhelming that you forgot to actually number it 146.

 

yes, it was a day that became better after it was over. While I was out I was disappointed with a very low species count, I think I only counted about 7 species in 3 hours, ( make that 10 species) but 2 of that 10 were newbies so all good at the end.

#146 now numbered, thank you.

Edited May 21, 2020 by Soukous

[Soukous]

It's getting harder to find new species, and then having found them they do not always cooperate.

The photo is disappointing but it is the first time I've caught one so I'm still happy.

 

#148 Hobby - Falco subbuteo - (FTP #58)

North Warren, Aldeburgh, Suffolk. May 2020

 

 

 

[Soukous]

I had to leave the ranch this afternoon to drop off some keys, so I thought I may as well drive a wee bit further and see what I could find.

We have a birding 'club' in Suffolk that posts the daily sightings of any birds that are out of the ordinary. Since becoming aware of this 'club' I have visited a few of the places where rarer migrants have been seen but, so far at least, I have had no luck at all at any of them. I've had much better luck going to places I know.

Anyhow, not far from one of my regular spots in Mistley is supposed to be an RSPB site, at a place called Cattawade. I thought I'd give it a try. I've been there twice now; the first and last time. Not impressed at all.

 

What I did encounter on the footpath though was quite a number of House Sparrows. Normally this would not be any great cause for excitement, but they have been pretty scarce this year so I was pleased to see them.

 

#149 - House Sparrow - Passer domesticus

Mistley, Essex. May 2020

 

a male

 

 

 

and a female

 

 

 

[Soukous]

Amazingly, the House Sparrows were one of only two species I photographed at Mistley (the other was a Pied Wagtail, so not a new one) so I decided to take a different route home, crossing over a large resevoir called Alton Water.

The resevoir is a popular spot for walkers, cyclists and for water activities; ecept that it is currently closed due to some virus or other.

 

Crossing the bridge I noticed some Terns swooping around so I stopped the car and got out for a look see.

 

Sure enough there were about 6-8 Common Terns looking for fish. One positive aspect of the lockdown was that there was very little traffic and so I could cross from one side of the bridge to the other without risking life & limb.

 

It took me a while to get my eye in as they don't fly in nice straight lines, but eventually I got the hang of it. (Once again I noticed how slow my lens is to achieve focus)

I had no idea what the photos would be like, but I was sure that they could not all be rubbish.

 

#150 - Common Tern - Sterna hirundo

Alton Water - Suffolk, May 2020

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 28, 2020 by Soukous

[Soukous]

and there was one other new species there for me as well; not great light and quite distant but no matter.

 

#151 - Great Crested Grebe - Podiceps cristatus

Alton Water, Suffolk. May 2020

 

 

 

 

[xelas]

Excellent photos of Tern ... and fish!

[Galana]

4 hours ago, Soukous said:

but I was sure that they could not all be rubbish.

And you were right. Excellent shots.