13 July 2014, absence of bird song noticeable, even the swifts are quiet, went to the Osprey site for a couple of hours today and heard a reed bunting a robin tic tic ing and a great spotted woodpecker chip chip ing (calling, not chipping a branch), later a buzzard mewing at me and that was it. Oh and the female Osprey call begging for food, and from the frustration nest in/on a navigation pole, this man cage by the light is barely a metre by a metre in square dimensions, yet by careful entry two of them manage to…
Jun 28th by Ian under Bird Watching
I kinda knew where the Ospreys were, due to hearing begging calls and seeing the male bring in a fish to that area. The problem was I never looked behind me, when I was near the old, rebuilt by human hands, eyrie I looked behind me and there on a bifurcated pine was a large pile of sticks, too big for a buzzard or crow, but it was as described, a pile of sticks, and at an angle. I had walked under this tree several times and never heard a disturbed osprey annoyed at my presence. I have not yet…
Well it appears that my osprey diary could indeed come to an end, as I searched for them and failed to find them. The point is I searched where I could watch and failed, I certainly don't want to observe from a public place or the corner of a farmer's yard, kinda removes the "wildness" feeling.
However good news on the marsh harrier front, I just by mere fluke put my scope on a tree where a crow was scolding a male marsh harrier, and in his own time he departed to hunt, I watched him for about 30 mins…
Apr 21st by Ian under Bird Watching
Easter weekend and 4 days off, had two visits to the Osprey site where the usual viewing area showed no rebuilt eyrie, I did see an Osprey bathing in the estuary but it did not visit the eyrie site. On my second visit whilst "glassing" a female marsh harrier an Osprey with a fish came into the same view, ahh, which bird to follow? the osprey won and I watched it do, for me, unusual flight patterns, it circled like a buzzard over the far side of the estuary from the eyrie then after 4 or 5 circles it flew…
In the open plan office in Sth Devon I am fortunate to be on the second floor and have a window that looks out on the  remainder of the field not occupied by our office and car park. This about three acre patch is a useful distraction from email dross and open plan verbiage, it is suprising the regular bird visitors it has, carrion crows, magpies, meadow pipits, buzzard and kestrel, I have just watched a male kestrel succeed in the capture of a small item, shrew or mouse I guess, our convenient setting out posts was chosen as a perch to …
I saw our site friendly buzzard again eating human food, this time it was on top of the security cabin the food probably placed there by the guards.
I know the contact call of long tailed tits and whilst standing quietly under a tree with about a dozen of them feeding and calling, their calls all changed to a shrill Chree, Chree,Chree, then a buzzard flew over. so I had learned a new call, an alarm one. Within five minutes I heard it again and looked up, a female sparrow hawk cruised over the tree. I would not have seen…
Dec 8th by davidleask under Bird Watching, Travels, my Friends travels
A few weeks ago I had the good fortune of spending a day on the Black Isle photographing pine forest wildlife. Â My thanks go to James Moore (www.jamesamoore.co.uk) for the grandstand seat in his hide. Â If you fancy a seat there give James a shout on his website. Â My main 'targets' for the day were Red Squirrels and Crested Tits and I saw these in abundance along with a few of the more common birds. Â I got settled in the hide around 9am and finally left at 3pm with a card load of what I hoped were great shots. Â I…
Sep 24th by Ian under Bird Watching
Aug 4th by Ian under Bird Watching
4/8/13, am, as I predicted (to myself) both juveniles on the wing and as it was low tide, down on the estuary sand banks. One was up to its tail washing the other standing doing the odd preen. It is obvious the independence of the pair to each other given the distance between them and just doing their own thing, in fact one flew off and the other remained. Both juvs had been ringed. I saw no adults so female could be gone with the male remaining or both adults may have gone leaving the juvs to migrate separately to…
I was at home on 15th and 16th of June, but garden work, real garden work, not the one armed stuff I am more familiar with, that is wandering around with a glass of whisky in my hand occasionally plucking out a weed with the other. Consequently on Sunday the 16th I had a few hours watching the Ospreys and Harriers. These spot checks either have luck or not for getting useful  observations, this was a non luck spot check, the ospreys do have two chicks though, the male was not around in the time I was there, and I guess…