Congregation of egrets

Looking at the preacher ? East Hyde, 20th April 2010

Stock Dove

A second garden tick in two days, with this Stock Dove turning up on the lawn this afternoon and returning this evening. So three garden ticks this month and four this year in my eleventh year at this house! If things come in threes what will I get tomorrow ?

Whinchat

Whinchat, Broom GP, 29th April 2010.

Yellow Wag

Yellow Wagtail, Broom GP, 29th April 2010.

Black Redstart - Luton suburbs

Rather unexpected find just outside my back door !

Image taken on pocket digital camera through the kitchen window.

Orton Waterville, April 10

Two moths from recent nights;

1. Lunar Marbled Brown, NFG

2. Powdered Quaker

Llamas in the news!

Not just any old news story about llamas, but llamas and birds - fantastic!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/8645757.stm

Let's hope this splendid idea of using llamas to scare off predators on nature reserves catches on - wouldn't it be great to have llamas roaming around Rutland Water or Cossington Meadows rather than boring old cows, sheep or horses? Perhaps they could be trained to spit at stringers as well as predators...

Stewartby Lake waders - 26th April 2010

Whimbrel, Ringed Plover & Common Sandpiper seen over / around Stewartby Lake today. Photos by Martin Green.

Greenshank

Greenshank, Derek Whites Eggs pit, 26th April 2010.

White Wags

White Wagtails, Castle Mills, 25th April 2010.

Whimbrel Rookery

Bewick's Swan

Bewick's Swan, Broom GP, 25th April 2010.

Little Egret - Stewartby Lake

This Little Egret flew past the Stewartby Lake gullwatch about about 5.55pm this afternoon. Photo by Martin Green.

Gropper

Grasshopper Warbler, MVCP, 24th April 2010.

Wood Warbler

Wood Warbler, Linslade Woods, 24th April 2010, by Rory Morrisey.

Cetti's Warbler - MVCP

Cetti's Warbler at the MVCP. Photo by Martin Green.

Whimbrel

A record shot of todays bird

Green Woodpeckers displaying - MVCP

Two Green Woodpeckers displaying. Video by Martin Green

Robin and Grasshopper Warbler - MVCP

Grasshopper Warbler

The Nikon ED50 - so light even a Robin can use it... :-)

Photos by Martin Green

Bullfinch - MVCP

Bullfinch at the MVCP, photo by Martin Green.

Willington's Nightingale

I didn't notice at the time the ring. It would be nice to confirm if this is the returning bird from last year.

Little Owl

20 April Yellow Wagtails Willington

At least 39 Yellow Wagtails counted during this afternoons visit, with good numbers of Pied Wagtails also present. Ray Roche

Stewartby Lake

Yellow Wagtail, Common Gull & Meadow Pipit all on the Stewartby Lake sailing club bank this afternoon. Photos by Martin Green

Rouzels

Male and female Ring Ouzels, Sandy Heath, 20th April 2010.

Ruff

Ruff, Broom GP, 19th April 2010

Grey Wagtails Bedford 19 April

As well as the singing Robin the supporting cast for the 2 Grey Wagtails by the weir included Blackcap Song thrush Long Tailed Tit and Blackbird. The biggest surprise was a Common Sandpiper that shot past before looping round back towards the main river channel. A male Reed Bunting was on the edge of the Boating Lake. Ray Roche

Grey Heron from the Bedroom window

19 April. While fly-past Grey Herons are pretty regular they aren't usually quite this obliging.Perched up on next doors fence and then went past within 15 feet of the window. Ray Roche

MVCP

Jackdaw by the MVCP access track and Starlings near Stewartby Lake. Photo by Martin Green.

Wood Lark

Wood Lark, 18th April 2010

Ring Ouzel

1 of 2 Ring Ouzel at Pegsdon Hills today

Ring Ouzel, Blows Downs

This male Ring Ouzel has spent a few days in the paddocks at Blows.

Fact-finding

This morning I had to go on an important fact-finding mission to Albert Village Lake, which as its name suggests is a lake near Albert Village, an outpost in the badlands of the Leicestershire/Derbyshire border. The village itself is so-called because 95% of its male inhabitants have cock rings. You may have seen the site mentioned on your pager recently after the appearance there of a 'potential first for Britain'.

The reason I had to undertake this vital work was that I've been commissioned to put together some interpretatatatative boards for various sites in Leicestershire, starting with AVL. As I didn't need Common Gull for my county list, I had never visited the site, so I thought I ought to go and have a look at it (putting the mileage down as an allowable business expense of course: a round trip of 65 miles at HMRC's approved rate for private cars of 40p per mile, let's see, that'll be £26.00 off my 2010/11 tax liability thank you very much).

Anyway, the main fact I found was this: Albert Village Lake is a large lake with lots of gulls on it and not much else.

I think it could be a rather boring interpretatative board....

Wheatear

Wheatear, Pegsdon Hills, 15th April 2010

Arctic Tern

Arctic Tern, Broom GP, 15th April 2010