Great Tits

[Gerontophile]

So these buggers arrived about 5 minutes ago. The other team didn't show.

[Kevin S]

Get a message out to the pheasant doubles team. They're always game birds.

[Third rate Leszno]

Had a Reed Bunting in the garden last weekend - not rare or anything, just a first for the garden at Trlb Towers. Buzzards circling overhead too, I need to stake out some carrion to get them to make landfall.

[Sits]

"Ticks" in Mauritius:

Red Whiskered Bul-Bul
Zebra Dove
Village Weaver
Striated Heron

There were photos, but horrendous even by my standards.

Edit: only four is a feeble tally, but it was a vegging out holiday, not a birdy holiday.

[Satchmo Distel]

We spent several weeks thinking we had a wood thrush family visiting our yard but we have now realized it's a brown thrasher. Gorgeous bird all the same.

We also have woodpeckers and blue jays, with juveniles.

[Sits]

Brown Thrasher is an excellent name for a bird, but even better for a band.

On this morning's walk I had this Australian Raven posing perfectly for me. Until the moment I clicked.

[Various Artist]

That's a brilliant shot though Sits. It might not demonstrate the specimen so well, so to speak, but artistically speaking it's a belter.

[Sits]

Thanks VA

[Third rate Leszno]

As mentioned elsewhere, the pink-footed geese migration has reached the Costa del Scouse - here's a few of the honking blighters passing over TrL Towers last week.

[Kevin S]

Awesome, in the true sense of the word.

[Sits]

Seconded. Something I miss of England, living down here.

[Kevin S]

We went over to Welney WWT on Sunday afternoon as we'd seen pictures of common cranes who have stopped over there for a bit. Went over the bridge to the main hide over the wetland area but it was all mute swans, mallards, coots and a few species of geese. Which was nice, but that area really comes alive once the whooper swans arrive from Iceland for the winter. Though there was a nice highlight as a bird of prey swooped over the area, scaring lots of the water birds into taking flight. From the looks of twitter it was probably the pallid harrier.

Walking back over the bridge we noticed lots of serious birders with their telescopes all trained back over the fields behind the centre. Sadly we didn't have any binoculars with us but could just make out some tall, pale birds in the distance, which people were counting.

Anyway, we trooped back into the shop area and looked longingly at the hundreds of pounds' worth of kit in the display cases. And there was one scope for sale, set up on a tripod, pointing straight out of the back window. And so we got to have a look at the cranes after all, while taking a brief interest in 'testing out' this nice bit of kit.

https://twitter.com/WWTWelney/status/1046796768669831168
https://twitter.com/WWTWelney/status...96768669831168

[Kevin S]

Also, I want someone to go and record the sound of the wetlands for a good few hours and put it up on YouTube.

I could listen to this all day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3OdSGnNWGw

[Furtho]

Tremendous photos, TrL.

[Eggchaser]

My wife looked out the kitchen window yesterday and saw a kite in the bushes, dismembering a pigeon. Its remains are now out there, awaiting the shovel.

[Third rate Leszno]

Cheers for the compliments chaps but it really is as simple as pointing the camera out the window when you hear a clamour heading your way. Must get along to Martin Mere and get some close ups before the autumn is out.

[longeared]

Half an hour or so ago a large bird flew past outside. It was clearly too big to be a gull, too dumpy for a Cormorant and too big in the neck to be a goose. Couldn't get a decent view of it in the fading light after that. Anyway I've just seen on social media that a Gannet was spotted at a nearby lake around half five. I've seen plenty of gannets diving into the sea before but it's not really the sort of thing you expect to randomly spot in South Yorkshire.

[Diable Rouge]

So, after a lengthy absence, five goldfinches descend on my bird feeders today - must be winter migrants, as can go months without seeing one.

[Sits]

The clean-up patrol after we ate al fresco this evening.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Sheeeeeesh, it's always the bit at the back that's sticking up that you don't notice when you look in the mirror, isn't it.

[Sits]

You should have seen him moments earlier.

[Amor de Cosmos]

[Amor de Cosmos]

The cold snap has brought hordes of Sanderlings to our beach at dawn. Don't know why, they don't appear to be foraging just clustered together in huge flocks. Pretty spectacular though.

[JVL]

Time to make a joke along the lines of 'they can't be from Germany, they've not reserved the best space on the beach with their towels' etc etc...

Heard a bluejay and a woodpecker while wandering down to school with VL jnr, and there was a big V of geese honking their way across the harbour too. According to Shubenacadie Sam, the Nova Scotia groundhog, winter is set to stay for a good few weeks but those geese seem to be heading home early...

[ursus arctos]

Jeez

Hordes is not an understatement.

One of the tonier resorts on the Outer Banks is called the Sanderling.