What birds or bird have you seen today – communal thread, I hope!

I saw a Buzzard on a phone line the other day, or a very large Kestrel. Never seen that before and there were plenty of trees for it to perch in too.
 
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Again, spent some time at the marsh…

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Beautiful shots, very sharp and great to see. I like to see the more common species captured well, which these are.
 
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I was 20 minutes, at the end of the afternoon, at the marsh
for two takes of this common Pochard…

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…really not ideal weather conditions but one has to do with it!
 
mikew said:
Someone isnt enjoying the dull cold weather.
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Knowing that feathers are not an armour,
I always wondered how birds could move
so swiftly around those spines and never
hurt themselves… apparently!
 
gramps said:
Yikes ... Hope he didn't quickly turn to the left! :)
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The resident Sparrow hawks are back and the small birds spend a lot of time in those bushes.
 
Kodiak Qc said:
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Knowing that feathers are not an armour,
I always wondered how birds could move
so swiftly around those spines and never
hurt themselves… apparently!
Click to expand...

Even more so how do they survive Gorse bushes
 
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Since I finished earlier, I got a chance to go to the marsh again. :)
…about twelve minutes and my cellphone rang. :(
But I got this merganser…


B9951%20EDpp.jpg
 
gramps said:
Gotta get him closer!

View attachment 58209
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Roger there are always those special shots that we know are too far we know there is more but they still rock,that is one mate .Made me lol properly mate that hairdo is all. Maybe I'll never make a tog cause I wanna hold that joy when i see an image like you posted above I dunno just want to say cheers for this mate not worry about critique or anything just the joy of it bro wonderful for me that one

Stu
 
Poor weather(on the weekends) has kept me grounded for the last 3 weeks, but i had to give it a go this last Sunday!
The sun did come out to play, but not for long! still got a pretty good session in though, but "burnt" my Nikon V1 battery out, its dead.
Also, ive been trying to get a head count of Robins at my local Church...theres at least 3 birds there.

Female Reed Bunting, feeding in with the various Tits. (uncropped).
Female Reed Bunting (uncropped). 28th-Feb-2016. by Testudo Man, on Flickr

Blue Tit (uncropped).
Blue Tit (uncropped). 28th-Feb-2016. by Testudo Man, on Flickr

A couple of the Church Robins...Please excuse the meal worms/bait, but its the only way i can get them to come in!
Robins at the Church. 24th-Feb-2016. by Testudo Man, on Flickr

Robins at the Church. 24th-Feb-2016. by Testudo Man, on Flickr

Robins at the Church. 24th-Feb-2016. by Testudo Man, on Flickr
 
Stuart Philpott said:
Roger there are always those special shots that we know are too far we know there is more but they still rock,that is one mate .Made me lol properly mate that hairdo is all. Maybe I'll never make a tog cause I wanna hold that joy when i see an image like you posted above I dunno just want to say cheers for this mate not worry about critique or anything just the joy of it bro wonderful for me that one

Stu
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Cheers Stu :D

Jannyfox said:
I assume that's the one at Slimbridge? It looks a bit windswept. There was one showing itself really well a few summers ago. I got close, and I'm not sure I even had my 70-300mm then!
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It is Jan, stopped off on the Levels yesterday I gather and then made its way up ... it's right outside of the Hogarth Hide but it's been closed off for a month to replace the roof ... work yet to start! :banghead:
 
Testudo Man said:
Nice female, but this bird could be a Goosander, rather than a Meganser??
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Common merganser (North American) or
goosander (Eurasian) (Mergus merganser).
Being Canadian, my reflex was merganser
but we are both right! ;-)
 
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The coot had a chunk of something that the crow though
he should have with no plan to share.

After quite some insistence, the crow flew away with it!

B9971%20EDpp.jpg
 
Kodiak Qc said:
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The coot had a chunk of something that the crow though
he should have with no plan to share.

After quite some insistence, the crow flew away with it!

B9971%20EDpp.jpg
Click to expand...

Like the eye interaction between the two :)
 
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ID please.

I caught this little lady today…
but I was not introduced. : (

Can anyone tell me her name?
(she's the loudest in the marsh!)

C0113%20EDpp.jpg


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Kodiak Qc said:
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Common merganser (North American) or
goosander (Eurasian) (Mergus merganser).
Being Canadian, my reflex was merganser
but we are both right! ;-)
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Sort of i guess...your bird (to me) appears to be a Female Goosander(Mergus meganser)...Not a female Red-breasted Meganser(Mergus serrator).
I could still be wrong though...have you got any side on/front on images of the bird?
 
Testudo Man said:
I could still be wrong though..
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I looked up the book and it confirmed we are both right:
Common merganser (North American) or
goosander (Eurasian) both Mergus merganser. ;-)
 
Kodiak Qc said:
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I looked up the book and it confirmed we are both right:
Common merganser (North American) or
goosander (Eurasian) both Mergus merganser. ;-)
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Google images of a female Goosander, then google images of a female Red-Breasted Meganser.................they appear/are different, in many ways...2 different birds ;)

My last post on the subject.
 
Kodiak Qc said:
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ID please.

I caught this little lady today…
but I was not introduced. : (

Can anyone tell me her name?
(she's the loudest in the marsh!)

C0113%20EDpp.jpg


​
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Nice Duck, Im not sure on the species, but several years ago, i observed(over time) a group of Mallard Ducklings, which hatched out on my local pond.
All of the ducklings were of the same appearance, except one of the ducklings was bright yellow. I thought this yellow duckling was doomed, it stood out from the others and i was sure it would be predated. Several of the ducklings didnt make it, but the yellow one did survive into adulthood.

"My" Yellow duckling grew into what your duck looks like colour wise, so it could just be a genetic occurrence, or possible hybridization?? who knows.
 
Testudo Man said:
…possible hybridization??
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The locals told me that they do not believe so!
Nevertheless, like you, I don't deny the eventuality.
 
Kodiak Qc said:
•

ID please.

I caught this little lady today…
but I was not introduced. : (

Can anyone tell me her name?
(she's the loudest in the marsh!)

C0113%20EDpp.jpg


​
Click to expand...

Her name is Matilda :exit:;)
 
Kodiak Qc said:
•

ID please.

I caught this little lady today…
but I was not introduced. : (

Can anyone tell me her name?
(she's the loudest in the marsh!)

C0113%20EDpp.jpg


​
Click to expand...
Daniel she is a silver call duck. Call ducks were bred around the turn of the last century,not the one just turned. They were bred to be carried out onto the marshes and tethered to act as a decoy for wildfowlers to draw in wild duck,two factors were principal in what the guys wanted to breed back then :eek:ne that they would be small...easy to carry(imagine carrying 4 Aylesbury's on to a marsh lol) and two, that bloody noisy quack to call in the wild ducks from distance.....always makes me feel like they are laughing

Daniel I keep them, have shown them, was brit waterfowl breeder of the year or something at one time. Orininally they were just mallard coloured or white,but now they come in a huge variety of standardised colours. Mate you ought to see then as ducklings they are just about the cutest thing on the planet. They are actually a genetic dwarf see how short the beak is legs are small too. The beak is a real give away isolating this from a minature silver appleyard or similar.

Ahh mate it's a shame some folks get ducks domestic and wild,keep them a while and then dump them,we have the same here but it's not just the domestic ducks getting dumped things like mandarins are too,which shouldn't really be part of our ecosystem,even though they are a joy to see. Sure sometimes they simply escape as with the north american ruddy duck which can cause real problems for native species.......read about euopean white headed duck and NARD's.

There ya go buddy for once a little give back for all the times you have tried to help me with this game of photography

She's a cutie, so a photography question ,I'd bet she carries a black saddle across that dark blue bill,is there any possible way that more detail could have been captured with a back lit image such as this on a predominantly white bird with a very dark bill?. Mate I think you did well and maybe I'm asking for something that is simply not possible,but hey nothing to lose

take care

stu
 
Stuart Philpott said:
she is a silver call duck. I'd bet she carries a black saddle across that dark blue bill,is there any possible way that more detail could have been captured with a back lit image such as this on a predominantly white bird with a very dark bill?
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Stu, you are a priceless source of information! The kind my
ex-wife hates but I think is good entertaining company!

No, I do not have, as of yet, a better picture of this little lady.
I found her in the BG of a common pochard so she is not too
sharp. Is this helping you?

C0248%20EDpp.jpg
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Thanks buddy! … her name is Mathilda, I was told… :)
 
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Kodiak Qc said:
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Stu, you are a priceless source of information! The kind my
ex-wife hates but I think is good entertaining company!

No, I do not have, as of yet, a better picture of this little lady.
I found her in the BG of a common pochard so she not too
sharp. Is this helping you?

C0248%20EDpp.jpg
​

Thanks buddy! … her name is Mathilda, I was told… :)
Click to expand...
She's a lovely looking duck, very nice indeed.
 
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