BY 2022 - Soukous (even if there are no birds, you can still enjoy the music)

[Soukous]

My name is on the board but unlikely to be anywhere near the leader-board.

It's already 3rd January and I haven't even picked up my camera -  

[Soukous]

Nothing to add of my own yet, so I'll share this

 

Australian Birds in Pictures, compiled by the late wildlife photographer Matthew Jones and the bird photographer Duade Paton, showcases a range of wildlife in their natural habitats

 

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2022/jan/04/swooping-nesting-preening-australian-birds-in-the-wild-in-pictures

 

[Soukous]

Law change allows wild birds to be killed to protect game birds in England

 

This is bizarre. Now pheasants, grouse and other 'raised' birds are considered livestock, and some wild birds can be killed to protect them, so they can be shot later.

and I always thought it was illegal to shoot 'livestock'

 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/03/law-change-allows-wild-birds-killed-protect-game-birds-england

[Towlersonsafari]

well they are livestock  when it is a case of killing predators, but as legally you are not allowed to shoot livestock for sport so they then magically become  wildlife when it is time to shoot them. Meanwhile who knows what damage thousands of unshot pheasants do to insects, reptiles etc

[Soukous]

[Galana]

An easy way through the maze is a simple question.

"I am in my orchard and see a pheasant (raised next door by the local Gamekeeper)  eating windfall apples.Who will object if I catch it for my aviary? "

[Dave Williams]

Another interesting rule of law that I believe still exists is that if you hit a pheasant whilst driving your car it's illegal to pick it up and take it home. However, if you are following a car that hits a pheasant you are perfectly OK to take it home.

If you are in to eating roadkill always go out in pairs!! 

[Galana]

1 hour ago, Dave Williams said:

If you are in to eating roadkill always go out in pairs!! 

Or let my dear Father drive. He was an expert at hitting Hares and and other 'game' without spoiling the meat and kept us supplied throughout meat rationing when we were kids.

[Galana]

On 1/4/2022 at 1:05 PM, Soukous said:

This is bizarre. Now pheasants, grouse and other 'raised' birds are considered livestock,

Continuing with that theme I was reading up on Avian Flu and on your DEFRA's learned pages on precautions they had this to say.

"Once game birds have been released, they are classified as wild birds. The person who released the game birds is no longer classed as the ‘keeper’ of the birds."

And thus has no responsibility to clear up dead birds. This is neatly passed to the Local Authority (i.e. Tax payer).

 

Talk about having your bird and eating it.

[shazdwn]

That pheasant situation sounds totally nuts!!  

[Soukous]

My first 2 outings were a complete bust. I didn't find any of the species I was looking for - didn't take a single photo

 

Time for music

 

 

[Soukous]

I fared a little better on today's outing. Such a glorious day that it didn't matter I had to walk almost an hour before seeing anything at all.

 

#1 - Red-breasted Merganser - Mergus serrator

Trimley, Suffolk. Jan 2022

 

 

#2 - (Northern) Lapwing - Vanellus vanellus

Trimley, Suffolk. Jan 2022

 

 

#3 - (Northern) Shoveler - Spatula clypeata

Trimley, Suffolk. Jan 2022

 

 

#4 Wigeon - Mareca penelope

Trimley, Suffolk. Jan 2022

 

 

#5 Little Egret - Egretta garzetta

Trimley, Suffolk. Jan 2022

 

 

I had almost made a promise to myself that I would get through this BY without resorting to ebc's. As New Year's resolutions go, it didn't last long.

I'm working on the assumption that if I post this, I will see more of these and have a chance to improve on this shot.

I could probably have stayed there half an hour longer and waited for them to return but they were very skittish and the sun was falling so that only the top of the bushes had good light.

for now though, here is

 

#6 - Redwing - Turdus iliacus

Trimley, Suffolk. Jan 2022

 

 

[TonyQ]

Beautiful light on those photos, and a good start to your year

[shazdwn]

Beautiful shots

[Dave Williams]

You are enjoying the same weather we have had the last three days...and some of the frustrations too!

I can't get close to a Redwing , lucky you!

[Soukous]

1 hour ago, Dave Williams said:

You are enjoying the same weather we have had the last three days...and some of the frustrations too!

I can't get close to a Redwing , lucky you!

 

Ha! I'll happily swap it for any of your Brambling, Crossbill, Willow Tit, Siskin or Redpoll sightings

[Galana]

13 minutes ago, Soukous said:

I'll happily swap it for any of your Brambling, Crossbill, Willow Tit, Siskin or Redpoll sightings

Form an orderly queue behind me. I only got two of those five in 2021.

[Soukous]

1 hour ago, Galana said:

Form an orderly queue behind me. I only got two of those five in 2021.

 

well, I think the fact that I got none of them in 2021 puts me ahead of you 

[PeterHG]

Beautiful photos! I love your Merganser on land.

[Soukous]

2 days of dull weather and then another corker today so an outing was mandatory.

 

There have been sightings of Short-eared Owls at a nearby nature reserve, so that seemed like a good bet.

By the time I go tthere at about 10:15 I was told that I'd already missed them. They'd been active at about 9:30. Oh poo!

 

As I knew they were in the area I was sure they would show up again later on, in the meantime I may as well see what else was about. It turned out to be a surprisingly good day.

 

# 7 Cormorant - Phalacrocorax carbo

Walberswick, Suffolk. Jan 2022

 

After reading @GalanaBig Year I'm pleased to see I'm not the only one that sometimes struggles to tel a Cormorant from a Shag.

 

#8 - Reed Bunting - Emberiza schoeniclus

Walberswick, Suffolk. Jan 2022

 

First the female, as I saw her first

 

 

 

then the male, . The males - ad other females were part of a largish flock of assorted finches and buntings

 

 

 

In amongst the same flock were a lot of Linnets

 

#9 - Linnet - Linaria cannabina

Walberswick, Suffolk. Jan 2022

 

 

 

a couple of Greenfinch

#10 - Greenfinch - Chloris chloris

Walberswick, Suffolk. Jan 2022

 

 

and a couple of Snow Bunting

 

#11 - Snow Bunting - Plectrophenax nivalis

Walberswick, Suffolk. Jan 2022

 

 

 

On my way back to try again for the Owls there was a pair of Swans, so why not?

 

#12 - Mute Swan - Cygnus olor

Walberswick, Suffolk. Jan 2022

 

 

now, this next one I had chucked in the recyling bin, but then I thought I may as well post it.

 

#13 - Marsh Harrier - Circus aeruginosus

Walberswick, Suffolk. Jan 2022

 

#14 - Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos

Walberswick, Suffolk. Jan 2022

 

I was sitting waiting (hoping) to see some Owls when these flew overhead.

 

 

so what about the Short-eared Owls?

The word was that they would start hunting again at around 2:30, so I sat down to wait. I'd been there just about an hour, passing the time chatting to other birders when a chap walked along the path behind us, stopped, looked through his binoculars and said, " there's one over there"

It must have been there all along and we had not spotted it.

 

 

It was a further 15 minutes before it took off, and flew away from us.

 

But it did come back, and then it's mate also took to the air and we had 2 Short-eared Owls hunting, although they were keeping their distance. I suppose 8 people pointing cameras at them was a bit of a deterrent.

 

With some heavy cropping I did get some useable shots though.

#15 - Short-eared Owl - Asio flammeus

Walberswick, Suffolk. Jan 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Galana]

A worthwhile outing indeed. Nothing wrong with those later Owl shots.

[shazdwn]

Wow, I would love to see owls hunting like that. Beautiful little birdies (that’s the technical term 🤣) too

[Kitsafari]

woah brilliant owl shots - my favourite is the last one when it looks downwards (the other birds were great as well)

[Dave Williams]

Nice one with the Owls Martin! My attempt yesterday failed with a total no show although in fairness I was a bit early in the day and didn't hang around very long as I had Claire with me .

 

[Soukous]

12 hours ago, shazdwn said:

Wow, I would love to see owls hunting like that.

 

Me too! 

The problem with trying to get decent shots of birds in flight is that I don't really have time to appreciate fully the beauty of what I am witnessing, I'm too wrapped up in trying to keep the bird in focus.