Mandarin Duck Cadmans Pool New Forest.
Mandarin
birds and birdwatch,
Lapwing.
One Lapwing was sitting in the grass, and two others were flying /displaying just over her head. My interpretation was that they were two males trying to impress. The mating season has started in the wetlands.
Eider.
Eider drake crab fishing. He would dive down get a crab, shake its legs off then eat it.
Another.
Another female Redstart. A beautiful bird, almost understated compared to the bright male bird.
Building.
I returned to the New Forest where Redstarts were abundant. I had posted pictures of them a few days ago.(mainly male birds) This visit it was female birds which were abundant and they were nest building.
Farmland.
Some wildlife of the farmland on the South Downs.
Brown Hare.
A “spooked” Partridge by a running Hare
Common Buzzard.
Strange spot.
I had an unexpected and strange meeting with some free-range Domestic guinea fowl in the New Forest this morning. They were happy roaming in the woodland.
Wheatear
Another summer visitor spotted,
Redstart.
The Redstart is a bird of deciduous woodland. Many are found in the New Forest, arriving in April and leaving in September or October. They migrate to their wintering location in trans-Saharan Africa. The name Redstart comes from the colour of its tail. ‘start’ is an old colloquial name for tail.
We spotted one in the Forest on Monday. So today, we returned to an area of Oak woodland where we had seen good numbers last year. I was pleased to see they had returned.
Breeding males are stunning, with slate grey upper parts, black faces and wings and an orange rump and chest. Females and young are browner, with some chestnut tail feathers and pale bellies
Nature spots on the South Downs.
Nature spots on the South Downs near Winchester on another dawn start.
The Barn Owl continues to entertain during its dawn hunting. It flies for an hour from dawn before settling down in a disused barn.
Resting next to a Wood Pigeon.
As with any Owl or Bird of prey; they are often mobbed by crows.
The fields have many Hares, mostly far off, and they do not stay around long if they spot humans.
Yellow Hammer.
Pheasant
Red Kite.
Continued Reflections from my World. 