Saturday 21 May 2022

20220521 Golden Oriole Muckleburgh Hill

 


20220521 Golden Oriole
imm male as no streaking on breast and yellow underwing coverts...?
Shots all of one bird circling the Hill.
1st flyby shots of this species migrating along coast.

20220521 Golden Oriole
 Photo record of coastal passage from the last few days.
Bird sang from 3 sides of Hill and a further 2 birds arrived at the site.

20220521 Golden Oriole
Black lores of male developing.

20220521 Golden Oriole
Height maintained on closed wings, not undulating.

20220521 Linnet
On the hill top bench.

19930613 Golden Oriole
2 marauding males in mid June, Pigs Nose Valley, Devon.
From the days of pen and wash field sketches...

20220521 The whole world and its birding dog walkers
turn up these days, following early sunny day bird news...
3 in the one shot.


Thursday 19 May 2022

20220519 Great Reed Warbler x2 Snettisham Coastal Park & Ken Hill

 


20220519 Great Reed Warbler
GRWarb South. Dark lores breaks eye-ring. Bill and gape dull and lacking contrast.


20220519 Great Reed Warbler
1st, GRWarb South, Ikm N of Beach Rd, S of kissing gate.
Note dull lower mandible.

20220519 Great Reed Warbler
1st bird, GRWarb South.


20220519 Great Reed Warbler
2nd bird 2km N of road and just N of kissing gate.
GRWarb North.

20220519 Great Reed Warbler
1st bird, GRWarb South, Lores and eye striped break eye-ring both sides of eye.

19920603 Great Reed Warbler
First encounter with Great Reed in Flevoland.
Several males singing against each other at max volume.
A loud cacophoney.

20220519 Great Reed Warbler
2nd bird, GRWarb North. Eye ring complete in front of eye.
More clean orange flesh tone to lower mandible and cutting edges, also brighter gape fold.

20220519 Ticker's Reed Warbler
wondering 'what on earth is going on?!'
Bland facial expression compared to Greats bullish features.


20220601 Reed Warbler
A bold singer attempting to match GRWarb.

20220601 Great Reed Warbler
GRWarb North.


20220601 Great Reed Warbler
In full song throughout early morning.
Showing extensive vent and undertail coverts.
GRWarb North.

20220601 Marsh Harrier
Leucistic female, mainly in remiges.
Holme next the Sea

20220519 Temminck's Stint
Northpoint Pools Wells.

20220519 Great Reed Warbler
Drawing derived from many shots of the 2 birds faces.
Top and 1st bird lacked the eye-ring in front of the eye on both sides.


20220519 Great Reed Warbler
Puffed up in full gutteral song.


Monday 16 May 2022

202203 The Herons & Spoonbill of North Foreland Wood

 

20220418 Cattle Egret
2 ads came to roost for one night only in NFW.
During the day they were at Stiffkey.


20220314 Grey Heron
13 of 22 birds gathered beside NFW.
Was this the result of tree felling in the wood this spring...??
Almost all adults in breeding condition.



20220313 Grey Heron
 5 of 14 birds standing this evening.

20220326 Little Egret
15 of 28 spooked from roost NFW.
6 Grey Heron flew up also.

20220512 Spoonbill
Collecting nesting material from Pat's Pool.

20220416 Spoonbill
Returning to NFWood.

20220427 Spoonbill
Juvenile taking test flight over NFWood.

20220427 Common Buzzard
Also nest in NFWood

20220703 Spoonbill
2 juveniles fledged at Cley Marshes for the first time.


Friday 6 May 2022

20220506 Savi's Warbler, Potter Heigham Marshes

 

20220506 Savi's Warbler
Under-tail coverts with wide pale tips.

20220506 Savi's Warbler
Fast and dry buzzing song.

20220506 Savi's Warbler

20220506 Common Crane

20220506 Common Crane


20220506 Savi's Warbler
Curved primaries of Locustella show here.


19890509 Savi's Warbler
Brandon Marsh, Warwickshire.
Probaly the first contact but may have seen breeders in Norfolk prior to this May bird.
Curved wing feathers sketched in on left pose, thrown away on right pose.
Not noted in field guides back in the day...
Impression of a relatively small head to body is captured here cf Acros.