Took my son for a walk along the river this morning. Bird watching with a toddler is not normally recommended, but I took the camera anyway.

Sightings included: 1x Kingfisher, 1x Green Woodpecker, 6+ Jays, 1 Bullfinch (M), Flock of Long Tailed Tits, 2x Heron, 3x Buzzard, Large flock of crows, 3x Grey Wagtail plus the usual tits, blackbirds, robins, etc.

This is my best Kingfisher picture so far!



This Jay was taken at distance, but I've not had much success with this bird so far so thought I'd post it anyway.



[ add comment ] ( 40 views )   |  permalink  |   ( 3 / 136 )

---

"A 30 acre lake is formed in the park by the damming of the Nant Fawr stream. It is a popular facility for fishing and rowing. Other elements of the park include superb floral displays, the famous conservatory and high quality recreational areas."

A very pleasant stroll around the lake today produced the following in no particular order:

Heron, Little Grebe, Cormorant (x6), Rosybill, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Mute Swans (lots!), Black Swans, Mallards, Greylag Goose, Barnacle Goose, Domestic Goose, Canada Goose, Wagtail (only heard), Coot, Moorhen, etc.



A quick stop at our local river on the way showed no sign of the resident Kingfisher, but there was a single Goosander showing well along with a few interesting Mallard Hybrids.



-Mark-

[ add comment ] ( 123 views )   |  permalink  |   ( 3 / 147 )

---

I gave up my lie in this morning to go and explore the Goldcliff region to see if there was anything interesting around. The area certainly didn't disappoint with easily 40+ species to be seen including a group of ~15 Acocets - a new sighting for me! :)



I couldn't identify all of the birds present as I didn't take a spotting scope, but here's some of what I was able to identify...

Herons Little Egrets Curlews Lapwings Redshank Meadow Pipits Rock Pipits Pied Wagtails Kestrel Pheasant Black Tailed Godwits Oystercatchers Stonechats

Wigeon Teal Shovelers Shelducks Rosybill Coot Moorhen Cetti's Warblers Chiffchaffs Goldfinch Long Tailed Tits Wren Starlings

[ add comment ] ( 88 views )   |  permalink  |   ( 2.4 / 210 )

---

A relaxing few hours spent along the river produced the following (in no particular order):

A pair of Goosander 1 Kingfisher 1 Heron 1 Green Woodpecker A few Dipper A few Grey Wagtail Group of Mallards 3 Buzzard 2 Comorant 1 Treecreeper Flock of Long Tailed Tits Flock of Goldfinch Plus the usual tits, Magpies, Crows, Blackbirds, etc.

Although none of the pictures taken on this walk will win any awards, I'm particularly pleased with the Kingfisher as it's the first time I've ever managed to get a shot of this bird (even if it is a really poor one)! Still, something to improve upon now... :)






[ add comment ] ( 44 views )   |  permalink  |   ( 2.5 / 306 )

---

Beautiful Beach + ideal setting for Waders = A Perfect world



Sunday was the 2nd day in a glorious weekend, so we naturally gravitated to the outdoors for the day. As we had the 2 yr old with us, we thought we'd take him to the beach. And as we also would enjoy a bit of wader spotting, Newton Beach in Porthcawl was the perfect setting. It has both wide expanses of sandy beach, ideal for the toddler, and huge areas of rock pools where the waders tend to congregate. Perfect for everyone!

There were a wide variety of waders present, including but not limited to the following:

Curlews
Oystercatchers
Redshanks
Turnstones

Although there were a wide variety of birds present, we only improved upon the Curlew photos. With Mark practicing his panning on the Curlew, we may be up to chasing birds of prey someday soon :)

Curlew	Curlew in Flight

~Jen



[ add comment ] ( 36 views )   |  permalink  |   ( 3 / 145 )

---

<<First <Back | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Next> Last>>

All About Wildlife - Page Generated in 0.3926 seconds | Site Views: 17138