A visit to Warsash this morning for a walk on a bright frosty morning. On the quay is a memorial to D-Day Combined operations.
In front of the memorial a pair of pigeons battled – or it may have mating but it looked more like war than love to me – feathers were shed.
I had only ever seen a Bittern once before many years ago and that was a fleeting glimpse but Friday at Titchfield Haven I saw another, this time was a good fly past and I was able to get a few distant photographs.
The Bittern is a member of the Heron family. They are said to be Britain’s loudest bird, Male bitterns begin to boom as early as late January to establish territories and attract mates.
The nuthatch is about the size of a Great Tit they are a distinctive bird with an orange breast, blue-grey wings and compact build. It has a long, powerful beak and a black streak running across its eye. To me they look like a small woodpecker.
In the summer much of their diet is made up of invertebrates, In winter, the species feeds on seeds and nuts.
The Chaffinch is a common, sparrow-sized finch of gardens, woodland, parks and farmland. they can regularly be spotted in woodland car parks where they home in on picnickers looking for an easy meal.
Leg lesions, commonly known as ‘scaly leg’ or ‘tassel foot’, are growths on the legs and feet seen in finches across Europe. Leg lesions in Chaffinches are one of the most frequently observed signs of ill health in British garden birds. It is said to be caused by both a mite and viral infection that cause leg lesions and is thought to be transmitted by contact. Most affected birds continue to live normally. Although birds with severe lesions can become lame so are increasingly vulnerable to predation.
The male Chaffinch is a colourful garden bird with a blue-grey crown, brown back and pink breast. Females are pale brown and have white shoulder patches and wing bars.
The above pictures show healthy Chaffinches below are some with scaly leg.
A recognisable garden visitor and a woodland bird. It is estimated that some 15 million birds winter in the UK. They often nest in garden bird boxes.
Length: 12cm
Wingspan: 18cm
Weight: 11g
Average lifespan: 3 years
My second blog is the birds I captured before they flew off.
A short bird watching session this morning. First of two blogs. This post is the ones I missed!
Catching birds can be difficult at times and for every good picture there are many failures.
#Wordless Wednesday- love.
It always amazes me how colourful our birds are, here is a selection of colourful ducks.
A Tufted duck.
A Wood Duck.
A Ruddy Duck.
A Shoveler
A Teal.
A pair of Grey Herons spotted at Titchfield Haven, these large gangly birds have quite a character and remind me of a prehistoric creature from the times of the dinosaurs.
Length:90-98cm Wingspan:175-195cm Weight:1.5-2kg
According to the RSPB, some 13000 birds nest in the UK each year, their numbers increase in the winter months to 63,000 birds (October to March).
Herons nest in colonies called ‘Heronries’. In the top of trees, they make large nests out of twigs. They lay 3-4 eggs. The young birds will fledge after about 8 weeks.
Continued Reflections from my World. 