I was birdwatching again this morning, and with slightly less rain in prospect, I took a proper camera rather than just my phone. That said, despite lightening up some of these images since getting them out of the camera, as is very obvious, it was a grey morning.
A parent and a young avocet (to the left) shared company with a couple of black-headed gulls. The parent is most definitely vocalising - and it's a great call to hear.
With ruff to the rear and black-headed gull to the right, there is a snipe skulking (as they always do) in the right foreground:
I think this young swallow was thinking that if it did not warm up soon it was going to Africa:
This is a black-headed gull against an ominous sky:
And a common tern, doing much the same thing:
A greylag goose was trying out the ripple effect, having a wash:
And to come off the water for a moment, the pied wagtails were very busy. The weather seemed ot have brought out bugs galore:
As usual, well worth going, and some of the reading I did will influence videos next week.
Thanks for reading this post.
You can share this post on social media of your choice by clicking these icons:
There are links to this blog's glossary in the above post that explain technical terms used in it. Follow them for more explanations.
You can subscribe to this blog's daily email here.
And if you would like to support this blog you can, here:
Buy me a coffee!
Did the Water Buffalo go on holiday to India to visit family?
They have been missing in UK action lately! LOL! LOL!
That site is too dry to visit right now
I don’t know how they are keeping them going
Friday was the first day of the Big Butterfly Count.
Not many to count yet. Even the Buddleia is refusing to open. I normally sit on the wall next to it, and have counted more than 30 small tortoiseshells at any one time.
Fortunately it lasts until 10th August.
I have a small greenhouse and a large white flew into it out of the rain. Then later I watched it trying to get out so I went outside when it had stopped raining and held out my hand. It landed on my palm, I went back outside and it flew off.
I have seen almost none this weekend….
No small birds on the usually busy sunflower kernel bird feeder since the hot, dry weather. Wood pigeons, jackdaws, blackbirds and a jay. Song birds disappeared. Almost no butterflies, a few bees but less than usual. Some hover flies and wasps. A swarm of lady birds throughout this part of North Somerset a few days ago.
Very sad. Are we seeing something worrying or is this normal with a drought and things will recover?
Thankfully, things usually recover.
And birds also disappear right now as they moult after breeding – and hide from view as they are often very vulnerable when doing so and until they replace their feathers.
On the topic of birds and people, a book worth looking at is ‘The Place of Tides by James Rebanks. Much to recommend it in my view, and a bit of an escape.
That sounds good.