Corvids Galore

Nothing more guaranteed than a load of muck spreading to bring in the corvids, in this particular field a mixed bag including Rooks, Carrion Crow,and Jackdaws

They say there is a pecking order, but does this apply in a mixed flock, or just when there is a single species feeding.?

Waiting on the sidelines.

When is it going to be my turn.

A touch of rural England

Linking to Stewarts Wild bird Wednesday http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.co.uk/

Inundated with Gulls

At the moment the patch is inundated with Lesser-Black-backed Gulls, Herring Gulls, and their respective young. we are also doing very well with mallard, many having bred early and escaped being Gull fodder.

Young Gull that thinks its a Gannet, mind most eat like Gannets

They have had a good breeding season again on the rooftops of the local industrial estate.

Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull cumming in to land.

Lesser Black-backed Gull

And splash down.

Juvenile Lesser Black-backed, incoming. Its like Heathrow airport, they are coming and going all the time. commuting from the industrial estate.

 Mallard, they maybe our most common duck, but still very smart plumage when examined closely.

I just couldn't resist.

And other birds around the same area where-----------

Woodpigeon

Swallows on power lines

Swallow.

And hawking insects over the water.

Linking To Anni I'd Rather be Birding athttp://id-rather-b-birdin.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/cest-magnifique-up-to-85-215cm-wingspan.html

MULL, Birds and other things

A fly-over Raven,   

A few days on Mull, my Daughter's idea, the reason being she is now based in Perth and we hadn't seen each other for a while, so she suggested meeting up on Mull. This would be her first visit, whereas my wife and I went last year.

Rock Pipit

It wasn't strictly speaking a birding trip, just a chance to meet up and chill out, and show my daughter the sights, and if any birds happen to be about when ever we parked up then I would point and click.

Rock Pipit

Rock pipit.

My Daughter is very interested in castles and historical building,so I had to take her to Iona to see the Abbey.

Iona Abbey

Swallows in an archway.

Beautiful show of flowers next to the Abbey.

Distant Hooded Crow.

One of many Wheatears seen while driving round.

An old fishing boat that has seen better days, this by the Sound of  Mull.

Ben Moor in the distance from across Loch  na Keal, tele photo shot.

And that's it really, we arrived on Mull on the afternoon of the 18th  of July and left on the 21st, and the weather was scorching. We did see Golden and white-tailed Eagles while there but always too distant for decent photos.

New comers to the patch

Black-tailed Godwits

Half way through the afternoon I got a phone call from Roy saying that a few Godwits had appeared on the Thacka beck reserve, as far as I know this is the first time we have had any on the "new reserve". We did get a flock of 13 on the old Flash before it was drained, but no more till now.

It has to be said, that with all the disturbance--- dogs off leads, kids on holiday, mothers with pushchairs, I can't see them staying long , but at least for today we could enjoy them

One out of the seven as can be seen has been ringed, in the US the term is banding, anyway we are hoping to get some information as to where they where ringed, I'll try and keep you posted on that.

A few Oystercatchers put in an appearance from time to time, but nowhere near the numbers we use to get on the Flash, when highs of 30 have been recorded.
Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday  http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.co.uk/

Maybe a Mull post next, but didn't take many pics, and the ones I did take are not up to the mark.

From the archives, with a sad message.

All the pictures that you are about to view where taken over our local patch, they are from my archives. Beautiful birds looking good in their natural environment, as nature intended.

Common Buzzard, Buteo buteo.

 

 

Sadly we don't see this any more

Please read my previous post to find out why.        Thank you for looking in. And please follow the link to Wild Bird Wednesday http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.co.uk/

Totally Sickened

Please follow the link in the left pane "Talking Naturally" and read about the Game Keeper killing buzzards and  be totally sickened as I was, and I am ashamed to say this is going on around the area Where I live, unfortunately its going on in nearly every shooting estate in Cumbria, and in some cases right in the middle of the Lake District National Park. How can the powers that be allow a shoot in a National Park. There is one near  Keswick, and there too  some one got away with murdering wildlife. And also a public footpath goes right through this shoot, and is well used by tourists heading for Cat Bells from Keswick. there is also a B road (which is a heavily used tourist road) and this too  runs through the shoot. I ask again how can this be allowed in  National Park.
           To the North of Penrith is our local birding patch, which has declined in the last year or so for various reasons, but this was an area where buzzard where seen all the time, I've been on the patch and photographed as many as 7 at a time in the sky's above the patch. Not any more, if you see one now its nothing short of a miracle. Could this coincide with the fact that we have a college next to the patch, where they teach upland and lowland  GAME KEEPING management  and everything that goes with it. I can sometimes hear the guns going off even sat in the house when the wind is coming from the right direction, of course I could be miss judging them , they could be shooting clays, but then what would they do with all the Partridge they have reared. So is this a college training young people to shoot birds both wild and artificially reared, judge for yourselves.
      I don't think the general public has a clue as to what really goes on to preserve a few artificially reared birds, just so that a small minority  of people can spend a few hours killing them. AND THEY HAVE THE NERVE TO CALL IT SPORT.
      So spread the word to Jo Public, what has to be killed on or near a shoot just to preserve these precious hand reared Pheasants and Partridge. The following is a list, if I miss anything out do let me know.
        Firstly the birds that must be killed.   White-tailed Eagle, Golden Eagle, Red Kite, Hen Harrier, Buzzard, any species will do, Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel, Merlin, Eagle Owl, Raven, Rook, Carrion Crow, Hooded Crow, Magpie, Jay, Jackdaw,
        And secondly Fox, Badger, Pine Martin, Squirrels, Stoat, Weasel, Mink, Hedgehogs, Otter, Polecat,  and anything that is seen if you happen to have a  gun with you at the time , or a box of poison.
           So next time you visit a country House or a castle or stately home, and I could name lots just in my area, but will refrain, just remember what is going on behind the scenes.
           Anything that is going on in Cumbria is being repeated all over the UK  that is why there are spesies in the list that maybe you would not find in Cumbria.
          Thank you for looking in.
For further reading on the subject follow the link.http://andrew-jake.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/persecution.html

Kyfer & Misty day.

Misty enjoying the cooling waters of Lake Derwent Water.

Went over to see my mate Les, and spend some time with him while he worked, but first we let the Westies have some fun wandering around the Isthmus and swimming in the lake. Well when I say swimming, its Misty that does most of the swimming Kyfer not being quite as enthusiastic once out of his depth, whereas Misty is quite the water baby. So a few pics of the pair enjoying a day near the water and in it.

The day was so hot (reminiscent of Florida but without the wildlife) I thought they where going to drink the lake dry.

 

Misty is the nosey one, always frightened of missing something (female say no more)

She is probably the more intelligent of the two, (female wouldn't expect anything less)

Here he is, the reluctant swimmer, the plodder, but also the one more ready for a game.

This is how they are most often seen, together.

As regards bird life on our little outing, well I'm afraid there wasn't  a great deal about, and the following pics pretty much says it all.

Large congregations of  Greylag Geese in front of Crow park, sheep grazing on the park in the background.

Juvenile male Mallard sailing by.

The lake is very low at the moment through lack of rain, so the Cormorant is taking advantage of the rocks that are now showing.

A fly by Black-headed Gull, that makes the most of the tourists.

As do these Swans from time to time, no young this year as the nest got swamped by the floods earlier in the year, and they haven't bother to give it another go.

And lastly, even the Goslings are learning to cash in on the tourists, as they just wander about by the boat landings, inbetween rests of course.