Bird thing

There are a number of trees dotted about King's garden, though a particular pair of isolated Silver Birch were receiving special attention from a large flock of small birds who darted too and fro about it. I don't know what their dance was all about, must be a bird thing. Cool to watch. 

Fledgling

I think this fair sized fledgling we came upon in Church Moor is a Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus) fledgling; the largest species of Thrush in Britain. A plucky individual who appeared more concerned as to whether or not we had any food, than as to whether we were going to prey on it or not. We went for not.

Sixth sense

The forest had been quiet throughout our roam, as if holding it's breath in anticipation; until, not far from the car the distant rumble of approaching thunder caused the canopy to erupt with urgent bird calls and in the blink of an eye the forests' atmosphere had changed completely. They say wildlife are sensitive to such things don't they.

Natural engineering

On the floor amongst the stands on the edge of Red Rise, a beautiful small nest probably dislodged by the recent strong winds. A simple combination of horse hair and moss fettled so masterfully as to produce a structure light and strong, insulated and protective, Just perfect for its purpose. Mother nature at her best.

Little Egret

Approaching behind cover Geoff and I managed to creep up on a Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) chilling on the banks of Red Rise Brook, or at least I believe it to be a Little Egret not an Egret Egret. We would've got closer but Geoff  broke cover like a chump, though luckily I had my camera ready at hand and grabbed my best shot yet (still piss poor I know) of this flighty bird. Over the last few years Egrets and Herons have become a familiar sight along this stretch of stream, a testament to the health of the waterway.

Red Kite?

 

Three birds of prey circled each other as they glid smoothly around the contours of the hillside; I think they were Red Kites (Milvus milvus). Red Kites were once a persecuted species seen as vermin, by the end of the 18th century their numbers  were reduced to a few pairs in Wales. Thankfully years of successful reintroduction programs have seen their numbers soar to 1800 breeding pairs, still mostly in Wales, through present in increasing numbers in parts of England and Scotland too. Beautiful birds, and wonderful spectacle to observe.

Chase

The quiet of the woods was broken by a carrion bird and a bird of prey engaged in aerial combat above Stonedown Wood this morning, noisily the pair circled and swooped. The carrion was the aggressor, or was at least dominating the interaction, with the bird of prey unable to shake off its pursuer. The carrions dogged persistence made me think the bird of prey had encroached into the formers territory, and was being shown short shrift. In the end I lost sight of them, though I could still hear their cries disappearing into the distance.

Song Thrush Egg

I think this is a Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) Egg.  Turdus, ha ha ha.

King Fisher

Yeah, all right I know, it's not the greatest picture of one of our most colourful birds, but hey, think of it as a 'Where's Wally?' type thing.  For a few days now I've spotted a beautiful Kingfisher darting along this section of Red Rise Brook. It's been notable to me as I can't remember seeing them along this section stream in the past. On the other occasions I'd seen it, it was little more than a fast moving blue flash, though today it paused, perched on a stream side shrub, affording me an extended viewing. Nice.

Egret

A fairly poor shot (apologies) of one of the Egrets, Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) I think, which I mentioned yesterday. They used to be rare, although are becoming more common (600 to 700 breeding pairs in the country, apparently, first breeding in Dorset in 1996). There's invariably one on the stream between Markway Bridge and Mill lawn, sometimes two, which indicates the health of the streams fish stocks.  A lovely sight.

Song Thrush egg

A Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) egg. Still a common, and beautifully vocal, visitor to these parts, although I recently read that though still common across most of Europe (a population numbering around 60 million or so) their numbers have decreased here in the UK by 50% since the middle of last century. How typical for Britain.

Dusk chorus

As we walked this evening at sunset the last rays of the sun imbued the commons birch trees with a golden hue, beautifully framed against the blue sky. I stopped to soak up the spectacle, and was transported by the bird song. You hear the term 'dawn chorus' a lot, but not so the dusk chorus, I don't know if that's even a thing.  But as I stood there listening, and my ears became more attuned to the birds, the depth of sound and song was amazing. So many birds singing, so many different songs, if you allow it to it will fill your senses. Yeah, you register birds singing as you walk, though it's not until you stop and focus that you really begin to hear how many different birds are singing and how many different songs are being sung, a magnificent natural orchestra playing the greatest of compositions every evening, and just like the sunset, it's free, another one of natures gifts.   

Who'd hatch from an egg like this?

Who'd hatch from an egg like this? I don't know! Although a search on the interweb leads me to believe it could be a Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus) or a Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) or a Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis) or maybe a Short Eared Owl (Asio flammeus) or, or...... Ah the interweb, useful up to a point. Anyway, I found this egg on the woodland floor in Chettle Head Copse, it hadn't hatched, nor was it damaged. I couldn't see any nest above, in fact the above it the canopy was thin. It was cold, although didn't look like it had been lying there for too long. Well, it's a mystery to me. Birds and their eggs are something I need to educate myself on, it's certainly gap in my natural world knowledge.