2021......a Tortoise in lockdown hibernation?

[shazdwn]

Sounds like a great place to visit.  Congratulations on you 100, although I like no. 98, what a handsome fellow.  

[Zim Girl]

Lovely bird for the century, congratulations!

[Dave Williams]

Thanks all, onwards and upwards but the pace will have to slow. I wonder if I can make 150? Time will tell. There was a Nightjar showing at our local reserve on Saturday but I only found out as I was leaving for another planned appointment with Claire. It would have been a first shot of the species although I did once see one in Bulgaria, however, a catch up with friends in a local beer garden was very pleasant and I wasn't driving ( thanks Claire ) it did mean there was no chance of me visiting the site before dusk after which it would fly. Never mind, the fact it was sat on top of a plastic heron didn't make for the best photos!!

 

My next bird for the BY is a 101) Common Snipe, it's about the same size as a Blackbird. They live and feed in wetlands using their long bill to probe and seek out their food. Getting as close as I did in the first shot isn't that easy, I got lucky partly because their is a boardwalk through the middle of the boggy terrain at the top of Derwentwater!

Common Snipe by Dave Williams, on Flickr

However, getting a shot of them flying is the real challenge and one unfortunately relished by those who have a gun instead of a camera too. The reason is they are very fast and have an irregular flight pattern when in "standard mode".

During the breeding season they perform amazing aerial displays in the process of trying to attract a mate. I first witnessed this in Iceland when even at the airport the air was full of the sound of their "drumming" the amazing sound given off by their wing beats at high speed. To witness this here in the UK is a bit special and to date Borrowdale is the only place I have seen and heard them perform. They fly so high you can have a problem spotting them but you can certainly hear the sound. They can perform several circuits before plunging back down to earth at high speed. Something virtually impossible to convey with still photography.

Common Snipe by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[michael-ibk]

Great Snipe Dave, and congratulations on #100! 

[Peter Connan]

Those are insanely difficult to get, well done!

[TonyQ]

Well done on reaching 100 Dave!

I remember Snipe drumming in Iceland - as you say a wonderful sound.

[Galana]

As above. I think I may have been tempted to go for Night Jar instead of Ale Jar though.

 

On a technical note the Snipe's drumming is made by the tail feathers vibrating in the 'slipstream'. You can actually see the two feathers that cause it in your excellent shot..such a good shot I can almost hear it.

Remember making a similar sound when kids by blowing on a blade of grass trapped in your fist?

[Dave Williams]

8 hours ago, Galana said:

As above. I think I may have been tempted to go for Night Jar instead of Ale Jar though.

 

On a technical note the Snipe's drumming is made by the tail feathers vibrating in the 'slipstream'. You can actually see the two feathers that cause it in your excellent shot..such a good shot I can almost hear it.

Remember making a similar sound when kids by blowing on a blade of grass trapped in your fist?

 

I don't think pushing my luck with Claire as we were heading towards a plant sale before the beer garden would have been my best idea of late after so many liberties taken in Borrowdale!!

At the end of the day one bird is neither here nor there!

You are quite correct about the tail feathers of course, I actually knew that hence the photo but what made me say otherwise I can't explain!!

[Dave Williams]

I have seen them several times this year, usually well away from the sea too.

102)Lesser Black-backed Gull.

 

Lesser Black-backed Gull    Larus fuscus by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Galana]

6 minutes ago, Dave Williams said:

what made me say otherwise I can't explain!!

The wrong sort of jar perhaps?

[Dave Williams]

5 minutes ago, Galana said:

The wrong sort of jar perhaps?

Possibly, was several later!!

[Dave Williams]

A little progress day by day, yesterday was 103)Garden Warbler

Garden Warbler by Dave Williams, on Flickr

Today was 104)Whinchat

Whinchat by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[xelas]

19 minutes ago, Dave Williams said:

A little progress day by day

 

2 per day is not a little progress. With about 180 days till the end of the year ...

[pedro maia]

Congrats on the century Dave, with great photos as usual.

[Dave Williams]

A really dull flat light today did little to enhance a trip to the Little Tern colony not far from home and further along the North Wales coast eastwards. Ironically it was sunny at home!

105) Little Tern 

Little Tern  Sternula albifrons by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Galana]

Nice one. Even the Ring readable.

[PeterHG]

A really beautiful shot of the Little Tern!

 

[elefromoz]

Congrats on a beautiful 100, actually when I think about it , there may have been a few dodgy ones at the beginning of the year, but you've really lifted your game 

On 6/5/2021 at 3:52 AM, PeterHG said:

A really beautiful shot of the Little Tern!

 

+1

[Galana]

Not my thread but I am sure Dai the tortoise won't mind me bringing news of the Little Tern.

Ringed as a chick at RSPB Gronant in 2018 and this is his first sighting since. They normally don't breed until three years old so this may be his first return to where he was hatched.

[Peter Connan]

Beautiful shots!

[Dave Williams]

After a month away in the caravan on the Great Scottish Adventure I have much to catch up with including all the BY's. I shall start to progress mine and add a few as I get around to processing them.

Our stop overs where as indicated but we covered about 2600 miles, much of it with the caravan in tow which does swallow the juice but no more than some of the cars we saw on tour of the NC(North Coast) 500. For those that don't know anything about it, its a circular route that goes from Inverness( near Fortrose on the map) 0ver to Kinlochewe and then all around the coast back to Inverness. The west coast has some magnificent scenery but from Tongue across to John O'Groats I thought it was mainly fairly flat and uninteresting. Basically it's a clever tourist board promotion that takes you to places you wouldn't otherwise go and to be honest, when you get there you might wonder why you bothered! That said friends from London have just completed it and thought it was magnificent but they don't live where I do!

 

Our first stop over was Falkirk staying in a friends garden! I say garden, it's a minor wildlife reserve in it's own right and I was delighted to hear a Yellowhammer calling.

On the way to search for it I was more than delighted to spot a Brown Hare in the garden which gave me my best ever shots. ( That Hare gets everywhere I go, never see them at home but every time I go away I seem to find one watching me!)

Brown Hare by Dave Williams, on Flickr

I was pleased to see my host hadn't cut the grass for a week or so too, made for a more natural environment.

Brown Hare by Dave Williams, on Flickr

What a start and the 106)Yellowhammer too!

Yellowhammer   Emberiza citrinella by Dave Williams, on Flickr

But there was more to come. I got up at 5.45am the next day as I was told a Roe deer was visiting the garden, sure enough it was there and luckily the wind was with me so I was able to get fairly close without being detected.

Roe Deer by Dave Williams, on Flickr

However when it di, it was off, just like the Hare, in leaps and bounds soon to vanish.

[TonyQ]

A great start - looking forward to hearing about your trip!

[PeterHG]

And here's another one looking forward to hearing more about your trip. Some great shots to start of with!

[xelas]

What a lovely looking Hare!

[shazdwn]

The start to the trip, I’m looking forward to more