Zim Girl's 6th Big Year 2023

[TonyQ]

Excellent additions. Have a great time in Kenya 

[michael-ibk]

Have a great trip Angie and Adrian! 

[BRACQUENE]

Great pictures ! I am waiting to see your Kenya birds 

[PeterHG]

Have a great trip together!

[Galana]

Enjoy your trip and travel safe.

[Zim Girl]

Thanks everyone, 3 and a half days and counting!

[Peter Connan]

Beautiful.

Hope you are having a wonderful trip!

[Dave Williams]

You must be there in Kenya now. Enjoy the inexpensive park fees   before they go up steeply next year!!

[Zim Girl]

Just back a couple of days ago.

Had a great time. Trip report will follow eventually, as will birds.  Actually quite enjoyed the birding this time, the guides were really into it. You know you have gone over to the dark side when everyone else is looking at elephants and me and the guide are discussing which type of Longclaw we have spotted in the grass! 

[BRACQUENE]

2 hours ago, Zim Girl said:

You know you have gone over to the dark side when everyone else is looking at elephants and me and the guide are discussing which type of Longclaw we have spotted in the grass! 

 

Familiar to me I can tell you ! 

[Galana]

Welcome home. I know the feeling well. Some of my trips with Naturetrek way back were much the opposite,  I was quite happy with a giraffe whilst the rest of the group were rabbitting on as to which coloured bill  the Oxpecker had. Or worse. I have a bad memory of being driven at speed towards where Sandgrouse were known to come to drink and not stopping for a magnificent Nilgai (Blue Bull) on the road in perfect light.

Two of them almost came to blows debating if it was a Willow Warbler or Chiffchaff that a passing Tiger had flushed.

[michael-ibk]

Welcome back Angie, good to hear you had a great time. Looking forward to the BY additions and the report.🙂

[Zim Girl]

We had a very confiding Sparrowhawk in the garden yesterday.  I had sat down on a bench and just noticed it sitting on the fence close by.  I sat very still thinking it would fly but it just sat there looking at me.  I managed to get back into the house to grab the camera and when I got back it was still there.  I took some photos then it hopped into the bush.  It allowed me to get to about 6 feet away.  Perhaps it is still quite young?  I was wondering if it was injured but after a few more minutes it flew and appeared to be fine.

 

UK 111.  Eurasian Sparrowhawk

 

 

Back garden  -  04/10/23

 

 

Edited October 5, 2023 by Zim Girl

[TonyQ]

What a brilliant garden sighting (unless you are a small bird!)

[Peter Connan]

Wow, that's nice!

[michael-ibk]

That Sparrowhawk really, really liked you - great sighting.

[BRACQUENE]

Fantastic sighting ! 

[Galana]

Great and  enviable sighting.

A frustrating species. One minute they are so shy you barely get a glimpse and another they, especially males, just sit and stare you down.

Looking at 'him' his crop is full. I think he was digesting one of your garden residents.

[Zim Girl]

Thanks everyone!

1 hour ago, Galana said:

Great and  enviable sighting.

A frustrating species. One minute they are so shy you barely get a glimpse and another they, especially males, just sit and stare you down.

Looking at 'him' his crop is full. I think he was digesting one of your garden residents.

Mmm, wonder if he was just letting his dinner go down.  We see them often in the garden terrorizing the birds.  Not uncommon to find piles of feathers lying around when you come home, in fact, I think one must have got a pigeon a few weeks ago looking at the size of the feathers, just hope it was one of the feral ones!

[Kitsafari]

amazing! what a friendly sparrowhawk (at least to you).

 

when I see a pile of feathers  in my garden i know it had been the neighbour's cat, and not a raptor, unfortunately. 

Edited October 10, 2023 by Kitsafari

[Zim Girl]

Beardie season is in full swing at RSPB Leighton Moss.  It is the time of year when the Reserve puts out the grit trays and the Bearded Tits finally come out of hiding from the reed bed.

We saw them 2 weeks ago but the light was really poor so we went back last weekend and this time my photos were a bit better.  Probably the best I have managed of them since doing BY.  So I am afraid that means you get a few .

 

UK 112.  Bearded Tit

 

 

 

 

 

 

RSPB Leighton Moss  -  14/10/23

[Tdgraves]

lovely!

[xelas]

Superb!

[TonyQ]

Well worth a few beardies, beautiful 

[Zim Girl]

Thank you very much @Tdgraves, @xelas and @TonyQ.