This blog post will be a little shorter than my previous one, and only feature observations of birds in our garden.
Saturday, 25th November Garden
A cold dull start to the morning brought us the exciting experience of three wagtails visiting together. The most remarkable aspect of this was that one of them was a Grey Wagtail. Sadly, the pair of Pied Wagtails saw off the Grey Wagtail before I had a chance to get a decent shot of it. This was taken looking down to the ground through my study window.
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| Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) (1st winter) - our garden |
Here are the two Pied Wagtails.
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| Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrellii) (female) - our garden |
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| Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrellii) (male) - our garden |
Robin also entered into the mix.
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| Robin (Erithacus rubecula) - our garden |
Later in the morning, the sun came out. The Pied Wagtails were still with us.
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| Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrellii) (male) - our garden |
Blue Tit is, thankfully, a regular colourful visitor.
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| Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) - our garden |
We are sure the Wren is present much more frequently than the occasions that we see one on.
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| Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) - our garden |
Sunday, 26th November Garden
The Pied Wagtails were back again and I'll ask you to excuse more images of them, please, as their visits are far less frequent as I write this, and I'll make the most of them while I can.
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| Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrellii) (male) - our garden |
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| Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrellii) (female) - our garden |
A male Bullfinch has been visiting us for a while now, but has been far more difficult to photograph as it usually makes straight for the feeder trays.
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| Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) (male) - our garden |
The Sparrowhawk is still visiting, but its visits are a little less frequent than they were. In the second image, taken from my study window, it is on the neighbours' garage roof.
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| Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) |
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| Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) - our garden |
Our over-the-back neighbour has a feeding box attached to the back of our back fence which he fills with monkey-nuts. This is a great favourite with the squirrels, but seems to be totally ignored by anything else. Here's a squirrel enjoying a free meal.
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| Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) - our garden |
Wednesday, 29th November Hicks Lodge
The report of a Short-eared Owl being seen roosting at Hicks Lodge in the morning had me visiting in the late afternoon. I spent a while there, in the company of a very experienced birder, but no owl was seen, and we left as darkness fell. No photographs were taken, other than of a military transport aircraft which I will not bother you with here.
Thursday, 30th November Garden
This was a relatively good day for sightings in the garden, but only a couple of common items were photographed.
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| Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) - our garden |
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| Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) - our garden |
This brings me to the end of November. My next post will probably be, as usual, in about a week's time. In the meantime, please take good care of yourselves and Nature. Thank you for dropping by - - - Richard
Wagtails are enigmatic birds, Richard, and I always look forward to seeing them whenever I am in an area where they occur, and a little envy that we do not have them in North America is part of the experience. To have them in your backyard, especially Grey Wagtail, is a cause for celebration, a bottle of bubbly perhaps, a dance around the garden, a blog post! You can post all the pictures you want as far as I am concerned. Perhaps one day I'll even try to differentiate White Wagtail from Pied Wagtail - on second thoughts I'll leave that up to you! Best wishes to you and Lindsay, who I hope is continuing to experience greater mobility - David.
ReplyDeleteI too find myself unable to tell White Wagtail from 1st winter Pied Wagtail, David, and have just sent off an image to an expert in the hope that he says 'White', as it would be a garden 1st, and mean we had White, Pied and Grey on Thursday.
DeleteLindsay's not doing too badly, thank you, but has been a bit restricted in her outdoor activities by a combination of adverse weather and preparations for Christmas.
I hope that all is OK with you there. Best wishes - - - Richard
Gracias a ti por tan precioso reportaje, es un placer para mà verlo. Varios de esos pájaros también se pasean por mà jardÃn. Esperando ver el siguiente. Un abrazo.
ReplyDeleteA veces me sorprende, Teresa, que algunas especies de aves sean capaces de prosperar en diferentes zonas del mundo con condiciones climáticas muy variadas. Pero sospecho que la migración estacional es un factor importante.
DeleteGracias por su visita y amables palabras. Mis mejores deseos - - - Richard
Very nice. Love the sense of motion with the top shot of the Grey Wagtail
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing all your lovely shots throughout the year even if I don't always comment. Hope you & your family have a great Xmas & a Happy New Year.
Your advice and encouragement throughout the year has been very much appreciated, and I will try and contain my slight frustration at not being able to direct my thanks to a named person, as calling you Conehead54 seems a bit impersonal.
DeleteI too wish you, and yours, a very happy Christmas and a healthy and wildlife-filled New Year.
Stay safe - - - Richard
Richard- it's Neil.
DeleteThank you, Neil - that feels much better!
DeleteHello Richard :=)
ReplyDeleteA shorter post than usual but filled with enviable visits and captures of birds I rarely see.Beautiful captures of the Pied Wagtail Richard, and your whole post could have been dedicated to this striking little bird and like David, I would have been pleased to see them. For some reason I only encounter them when I go to the beach. Shame about the Grey Wagtail, but all your other sightings and photos are splendid. I agree whole heartedly about the pleasures of having a garden, ...we are very fortunate.
All the best
Sonjia.
Most of the time that I see Pied Wagtails in UK, Sonjia, they seem to be in supermarket car parks! They don't come to the garden very often, so it is always a great treat when they do arrive. We had another visit by Grey Wagtail this week, and I managed to get some more shots this time, although it was a dull wet day.
DeleteThank you for your visit - take good care - - - Richard
Enjoyed viewing your latest mix, and my jealous streak as always turned bright green at the sight of your garden Bullfinches Richard.
ReplyDeleteRegards....Pete.
For the first time ever, Pete, we had three male Bullfinches in the garden together this week. Just about managed a record shot of the event.
DeleteThank you for your continuing support. Best wishes to you and KT - - - Richard
Hi Richard, I hope all is well.
ReplyDeleteWe rarely see a wagtail of any kind around us, though I have seen the odd Pied Wagtail in the garden. The Goldcrest is adorable such a dear little bird. I have yet to see a Bullfinch though it seems they are in most areas of France. I am glad to hear the Sparrow hawk is not visiting as frequently but I still love the birds of prey.
Take it easy and I hope that you both manage to have a good Christmas. All the very best, Diane
I was surprised to learn that you do not often see wagtails locally, Diane. Bullfinch is a bird that I do not see often when I am out, so this is why I get so excited when they visit our garden.
DeleteThe Sparrowhawk is currently making a bit of a comeback, visiting several times a day once more.
We're looking forward to Christmas, with time with the family planned. Hopefully, 2024 will serve us better than 2023. Fingers are crossed - as they are for you and Nigel and your Lesotho visit.
I hope that Nigel is recovered enough to enjoy Christmas - will be thinking of you both. Take good care - - - Richard
Hello Richard,
ReplyDeleteI often see wagtails here too, but I haven't been able to take any pictures yet, the robin is very nice with the background and the squirrel should be careful when the sparrowhawk is still nearby..
Greetings Frank
Hi Frank. It is very unusual for a Sparrowhawk to take a squirrel, and I suspect that it could be dangerous for the sparrowhawk too, as squirrels are very strong creatures, with strong teeth too!
DeleteBest wishes - - - Richard
Hi Richard
ReplyDeleteI love your garden birds, Wagtails, Sparrowhawk, and Bullfinch, all of them worth mentioning.
Thank you, Bob. I don't know what I'd do, without my garden. Best wishes - stay safe - - - Richard
DeleteHello Richard, you certainly know how to get close to your subjects. An advantage when photographing wildlife. Mike.
ReplyDeleteI don't actually get very close to any of my subjects, Mike. With my lens at 400mm and a 32.5 megapixel sensor, I can heavily crop images and still get good detail.
DeleteMy best wishes to you for Christmas and the New Year - stay safe - - - - Richard
Unas fotos espectaculares, enhorabuena Richard. Te deseo una Feliz Navidad y un inmejorable Año Nuevo. Un fuerte abrazo desde el norte de España.
ReplyDeleteGracias Germán. Mis mejores deseos para usted para una muy feliz Navidad y un Año Nuevo saludable y lleno de vida silvestre - - - Richard
DeleteHi Richard!!! Very nice birds and shots... Merry Christmas and all the best for the coming year...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ana. I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas, and I look forward to visiting your blog in 2024 as I feel confident that you will be showing us fabulous images of birds, and maybe other wildlife?
DeleteTake good care - - - Richard
What an outstanding collection of "garden" birds! I know many who would consider this collection a very successful birding outing. (Looking into the mirror.)
ReplyDeleteI confess that my favorite is still the Sparrowhawk. I am an incurable raptor lover. Gini saw the Robin and oohed about our first sighting of a European Robin in northern Bavaria. It perched on our balcony after a snow fall. Quite a contrast.
We have so much for which to be thankful as this year comes to a close. One of the nicest things is having been able to enjoy the nature of the United Kingdom as seen through the eyes of Richard Pegler. Thank you for sharing so much.
As we say in the Deep South of America, Merry Christmas Y'all!!
I too am a raptor fan, Wally, particularly if the owls are included too. There's not much better than the sight of a Robin in snow to warm the cockles of one's heart, so I'm with Gini on that one.
DeleteThis year has been one of the most difficult that Lindsay and I have experienced, and my on-line friends have played a major part in keeping my spirits alive, so I am greatly indebted to you. It is currently looking as if my activities in 2024 are going to be somewhat restricted, so I'm not sure what I might be able to offer in my blog posts. I fear it will be more of the same old thing.
Have a wonderful Christmas, you two, and a Wildlife-filled New Year - take good care - - - Richard