Zim Girl's 7th Big Year 2024

[Zim Girl]

Thank you @Peter Connan

[PeterHG]

Beautiful photos, @Zim Girl! And a Long-tailed Duck is always a very special sighting.

[Zim Girl]

Thank you @PeterHG

[Zim Girl]

Bit of a mixed bunch here, slowly catching up from earlier in the year.

 

UK 25.  Dunnock

Back garden  -  13/01/24

 

 

 

[Zim Girl]

Each year, there are a pair of Tawny owls that roost in the same tree just outside the local nature reserve.  They are only there for the first couple of months of the year and then they seem to disappear.  This year they were very well hidden every time I went to look, so this sneaky peak is the best I could get.

 

UK 26.  Tawny Owl

Near Marton Mere Nature Reserve  -  12/02/24

 

[Zim Girl]

Every year we get flocks of Twite wintering on the coast not too far from us.  It took me 3 separate visits to finally find them this year, but it was a nice big flock.  The first picture shows 23 of them lined up, but there were probably at least another 8 or so flying around.  They have been subject to a ringing campaign recently so look a bit daft with their blingy legs.

 

UK 27.  Twite

 

 

Knott End-on-Sea  -  19/02/24

 

[Zim Girl]

The cormorants seem to do really well in the local park.  We counted 16 of them on this visit.

 

UK 28.  Great Cormorant

 

Stanley Park  -  21/02/24

 

[Zim Girl]

UK 29.  Long-tailed Tit

Back garden  -  23/02/24

 

[Zim Girl]

UK 30.  Eurasian Teal

 

RSPB Leighton Moss  -  24/02/24

 

[Zim Girl]

UK 31.  Northern Shoveler

RSPB Leighton Moss  -  24/02/24

 

[Zim Girl]

UK 32.  Eurasian Wigeon

 

Newton Marsh  -  25/02/24

 

[Zim Girl]

On one of my visits to find the twite, I walked to the town library, where sometimes you can find pink-footed geese in the fields behind.  Luckily, they were there in their hundreds.

 

UK 33.  Pink-footed Goose

 

Knott End-on-Sea  -  26/02/24

[Zim Girl]

UK 34.  Common Redshank

Knott End-on-Sea  -  26/02/24

[Zim Girl]

UK 35.  Lesser Black-backed Gull

Knott End-on-Sea  -  26/02/24

 

[Zim Girl]

Just found one I missed from the last batch.  I always seem to struggle to get a good picture of this duck, so this one might as well go in now.

 

UK 36.  Common Pochard

RSPB Leighton Moss  -  24/02/24

 

 

[TonyQ]

Great additions @Zim Girl

[Peter Connan]

Long-tailed Tit is such a pretty little bird!

Nice photos on the various waterfowl.

[Zim Girl]

At the beginning of last week, we actually had a break in the rain, so we headed to another section of the coast to try get some shore birds.

We went to the little wetland area first to try and find the regular breeding great crested grebes.  They were there, and already well into nest building.

 

UK 37.  Great Crested Grebe

Same bird in a different area and light.

Fleetwood Nature Reserve  -  04/03/24

 

[Zim Girl]

Then we checked out the little island in the middle of the marine lake.  Every year we look for the purple sandpiper that is sometimes seen hanging out with the turnstones and up til now we have never found it, but after some careful scanning I found a head in amongst the other birds.  We then had to wait ages for it to show itself but finally it did.  Only the second time I have got this bird in BY.

 

UK 38.  Purple Sandpiper

Fleetwood Marine Lake  -  04/03/24

 

[Zim Girl]

Now down onto the beach.  This is always very hit and miss depending on the tide and number of dog walkers.  However, luck was definitely on our side today.  First I found a couple of linnets busy looking for food along the shore detritus.  I can't believe how close they let me get.

 

UK 39.  Common Linnet

 

Fleetwood beach  -  04/03/24

 

[Zim Girl]

Then, after some careful zig-zagging down the beach to the sea I was able to get my two target birds.

 

UK 40.  Common Ringed Plover

Fleetwood beach  -  04/03/24

 

[Zim Girl]

UK 41.  Sanderling

 

Fleetwood beach  -  04/03/24

 

[Zim Girl]

The next afternoon we went for a walk along the most local part of the Wyre estuary to us which is only a five minute drive away.  There were plenty of distant oystercatchers but then we passed a group of golden plovers only just the other side of the river.  First time we have seen plovers this close in this area, they are normally much more distant.  The second picture is later on when we passed them again on the walk back, in warmer light.

 

UK 42.  European Golden Plover

 

River Wyre  -  05/03/24

 

Edited March 14 by Zim Girl

[offshorebirder]

You are making me jealous with the good shorebird photos @Zim Girl and I would love to see a Common Pochard some day.   They are very similar to Redhead ducks in North America, which is one of my favorites.

[xelas]

Excellent photos of GCG, and of all others.