WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY

These are 2 videos sent to me from Northern Ireland by one of my birders.  She son has installed this feeder on a window with a web cam and has given me permission to show you them.

I am linking to WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY

I appreciate your visit and comments.

Thank you Alison for sharing these videos with us.

 I hope you enjoyed this post today.

 

WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY - Jay

Once again this is a photograph taken by Danny, a member of my bird class.

It is a Jay.  Although my finger is improving, I am tryiing still to restrict my computer time so i thankful that Danny has given permission to show this great photograph that he took. I am linking with WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY.

Many thanks for you visit and also your comments.

SATURDAY CRITTERS - Jay EXTRA

Thanks again to Danny, a member of my bird class who give me permission to share this series of photographs of a Jay trying to open a shell. 

 I am linking this post with SATURDAY CRITTERS.

Although I will be publishing scheduled posts, I will NOT be commenting on blogs until after 31 July as my family are home from Malawi.

Hopefully you will find time to read some of the posts during this time and I hope to read as many of your as time premits.

Many thanks for your visit and also to all who comment.

WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY - Crawfordsburn Country Park (Part 2)

In May when my bird class and I visited Crawfordsbirn Country Park, the foliage was very dense and also the birds were very busy either still looking for a mate or feeding young.  However this Goldcrest below entertained us for about 15 minutes although it was never still for a second!  There were also Long Tailed Tits as well as Chaffinch and Hooded Crow in the same area.

I am sorry I could not get many photographs although we saw Jay on two different occasions as well as Wood Pigeon, Bullfinch, Robin, Blackbird and all the other Tits and there is a video at the end of a Great Tit just after it had a bath.  

My bird class posed for a photo for me.

These next few shots were taken when I arrived home. The Greenfinch is at one of my feeders and the Hooked Crow is on top of an ariel.

I have a short video of the Great Tit after he has had his bath, CLICK HERE if it does not appear below.

Many thanks for your visit and tomorrow we will be visiting Victoria Park, near Belfast.

I am linking this post with WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY.  

Thanks for all those people who leave me comments.  I apprecaite every one of them.

Birding with a South African couple

Just over a week ago I had the pleasure of taking a South African couple out birding. These are just a few photos from that day when we were able to see 57 different species of birds and also managed to fit in visiting a few interesting places.   One of the places we called into was Crawfordsburn Country Park.

Hooded Crow

Martin and Mareza having coffee at a picnic table.

Goldcrest

We found this dead Rook.

We saw these 2 Jays

After we visited the park we called into the oldest Inn in Ireland 

which I will tell you about another day.

We went to Bangor, my home town and this building now is used as a 

Tourist Information Centre.

We then went over the road to one of the piers to see the Black Guillemots.  I will leave you with one photograph today however on Saturday I will show you a great video of them.  We know them locally as the “Bangor Penguins" and you will see why on Saturday.

I hope you enjoyed this post and I thank you for visiting.

Many thanks for leaving comments on this post. 

Birding in Creightons Wood & RSPB Reserve in Belfast

I had never been to Creightons Wood, at Craigantlet Hills and although it is not large, it had many of the small birds such as the Tits, Finches, Blackcap and Willow Warbler singing today.

Chaffinch - male

Willow Warbler

There was Blackbird, Hooded Crow and Jay also in the wood.

Hooded Crow

I made my way to the furthest away outside hide of the RSPB  Reserve in Belfast and I met one of the

volunteers who told me that a Yellow Wagtail had been seen  a few hours ago.  I saw Shelduck, Godwit,

 Common, Black headed and Lesser Black backed Gulls, Teal, Shoveler, Wigeon, and Mallard ducks, Coot, Moorhen, Lapwing and Redshank.  Unfortunately I had to cut my stay short as I had a call that my brother had fallen so I never had anymore time to look for the Yellow Wagtail.

Godwit

Shelduck

RSPB Bangor Group Outing

It had been decided that we would meet in Portadown so I took the train from Bangor and on the way saw Blackbird, Collared Dove, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Starling, Magpie, Wood Pigeon, Jackdaw, Rook, Hooded Crow, Herring, Black headed and Lesser Black backed Gull, Redshank, Mute Swan, Moorhen, Teal, Mallard, Tufted duck, and Buzzard.

I was met at the station and all 8 of us set out to visit Oxford Island at Lough Neagh, County Antrim, to see if we could see the Black necked Grebe at the Waterside hide.  Of course, I had seen it last Monday along with a couple of others but the rest were not in luck today, as it never showed.  Perhaps it has moved on.  However we had good views of Pochard, Gadwell, Goldeneye, Great crested Grebes displaying and a Little Grebe.  A Heron and Cormorant flew over head and 2 Sandwich tern were sitting on a floating blue barrel.  We were very pleased that so many Swallows and House Martins had now arrived to breed.  As we walked back to the cars, we were delighted to hear all the birds singing.  Certainly a lot more than last Monday, in particular the Willow Warblers and Chiffchaff.  At coffee time, one the members had a birthday and her husband as a surprise had brought a lovely chocolate cake for her however we could not get the candles lite as it was a bit windy, but the cake was delicious.

Willow Warbler

Of course there were other small birds like Blue, Coal, Great, Long tailed Tit, Wren, Robin, Pied Wagtail, and Jay.

Jay

I was the only one who was fortunate to see a beautiful male Wheatear.  This photo is not very good however it was the best I could get at the distance the bird was from me.

Wheatear - male

We looked in at the Balancing Lakes where we saw an Arctic Tern.  We stopped for lunch at Clare Glen where the Cusher River flows though.  During lunch a Buzzard sat on a post for about 10 minutes although just to far away for any of us to get a decent photo so here is one of the group.

Members of the RSPB Bangor Group

We quickly walked along the tow path  at Lough Stark where we saw Tree Sparrows, Kestrel and once again hear and saw many of the migrants that have returned to breed here.

Then it was time for the train journey home and I saw Shelduck, Blackcap, Greylag Goose and our much loved House Sparrow.  Today I saw 50 bird species and overall it was a great day enjoyed by every one of us.

Quarr Abbey revisited

Charlie and I went for a one and a half hour walk today in the pouring rain to Quarr Abbey again.  Yesterday the lanes were  muddy and very wet, today, due to it having rained all night and was continuing to rain, the paths were like rivers!!!  Nevertheless, we just waded through them.  I took a few different paths today and saw 5 Little Egrets in one field, 2 Pheasants in another and a horse with 6 Pied Wagtails feeding around its hooves in a third field.  On the way home, we disturbed a Jay on a tree as we  passed by.

One of the five Little Egrets

In the afternoon, I went with the family to the Shanklin Theatre to see my granddaughter perform in the I.O.W. Musical Dance Festival.  She had already performed a Modern dance on the Saturday which I missed when she came second.  This afternoon her dancing school were performing a group ballet.  The vivid red costumes complimented the very professional execution of this piece and they gained first place.  Later on she danced a solo ballet in which she gained second place.  This photo is of her taken in her Tutu by her Dad.   He is a professional photography at www.atlasimages.co.uk