We have been on holiday for a week in Funchal where we did see some birds, Swifts, Blackcaps, Blackbirds, Grey Wagtails and inumerable pigeons. We didn’t really go there to bitd watch however but I did need a good solid book to read to I took “Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds” …
I have just finished reading “Falcon” by Helen Macdonald. It is full of all things falcon but with a distinctly anthropological bent. There is an introductory chapter on the natural history of the falcon but thereafter the concern is with the symbolically created meanings arising from human interaction with the falcons – primarily the Peregrine…
Description of the book
This week the birding group’s visit was to Hilbre Island on the Wirral. There were around 12 of us and we were fortunate to pick a really fine day for it – even if it was a little cold. We saw a very large flock of Oystercatchers which amounted to at least 200 birds (but…
A fine morning for a birding walk at Neumann’s Flash which is a part of the Northwich Woodland Area. There was a clear blue sky and it was mild for February. Birds spotted included a Buzzard flying low across our path and later two roosting in a tree near the biggest lake. Also there two…
Today has seen heavy rain all day but this just seems to have encouraged the garden birds to stay put so we have been seeing a lot of our daily visitors who are usually : Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock, Starling, Blackcap, Collared Dove and Wood Pidgeon. Oddly enough…
Last week we spent a couple of days in Conwy. Our highlight was seeing a small number of Redwing in a stand of trees by the estuary. We visited Conwy RSPB but there were also a great number of waders present on the estuary including lots of Redshank, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwits, Curlew and Shelduck. Here…
This weeks visit of the birding group was to Moore Nature Reserve. According to their web site “Moore Nature Reserve is a 200-acre site in Warrington, north Cheshire. The reserve consists of five large lakes surrounded by extensive woodland, meadows and wetlands, made accessible by a network of paths and bird hides. Its many habitats…
According to Wikipedia “Pennington Flash Country Park is a 200 hectares (494 acres) country park located between Lowton and Pennington, Leigh in Greater Manchester, England. The flash is a 70 hectares (173 acres) lake created at the turn of the 20th century by coal mining subsidence and flooding, mainly from Bickershaw Colliery. Now an extensive…
This Sparrowhawk spent about 20 minutes in a tree overlooking our garden displaying far too much interest in our bird feeders. I think it must have eaten recently because it spent more time preening than trying to catch the various birds that flew by unaware of its presence.
