A couple of days ago I decided to see if I could find the
Corn Buntings that had been reported as showing well about ten miles from my house. I arrived at
the location, a small car park, around
mid morning. The weather was quite windy and overcast with just a few brief glimpses of
the sun (so what's new!!).
I positioned the car so that I had a good view over the car
park and almost immediately I saw that a few birds, Yellowhammer, Chaffinch,
Meadow Pipit and Linnet were coming down
to bathe in the puddles left by the recent rain. Unfortunately they were frequently spooked
by walkers crossing the car park and also by other cars arriving and leaving making photography rather difficult!
Linnet |
Yellowhammer |
It wasn't long before I heard the "little bit of bread
and no cheeeese" song of a Yellowhammer coming from the overhead power
lines, closely followed by a singing Corn Bunting (another tick for the list!)
and after a few minutes a Dunnock started to serenade me from the bushes close by.
Corn Bunting |
Dunnock |
I also had a fascinating few minutes watching two Magpies
(juveniles, I think!) as they explored, constantly chattering to each other, all around the car park with one spending some time interacting with a
discarded yogurt pot.
So, without leaving the car, I'd had a couple of hours of
good birding and had noted sixteen different species, apart from the above I'd also
seen Jackdaw and Carrion Crows in the adjacent fields, Starling, Goldfinch and Great
Tit in the bushes, a hovering Kestrel, two soaring Buzzards, as well as overflying Woodpigeons and Swifts.
The Videos...
This weekend and next week promises to be warm and sunny
here (Summer at last!!) and I'm looking forwards to getting out and about in
some descend weather for a change. Wherever you are I wish you all a great
weekend and upcoming week.
21 comments:
Great videos Trevor; those Magpies were brilliant.
Quite a list too, and it just goes to show what can be seen if we take the time to look.
Corn Buntings, now that's a bird that still eludes me.
Cheers Keith.
Those Magpies entertained me for some time, they were like two inquisitive kids..lol!
Yeh, the Corn Buntings were a new tick for me!...[;o)
great photos,just shows how the birds have got use to the motor car
peter
Thanks Peter.
You can't beat a portable hide..lol...[;o)
ejoyed each of your birding photographs and the videos too. I'm really intruiged with the blue hues on your magpies wings; quite different to the magpies I see here on the east coast, Australia (one is in this blog post, you will spot it)
Hi Carole, Thanks for visiting my blog and for the kind comments.
I checked out your blog and videos, great photos by the way, and your Magpies appear to have only black and white colouring (more white than ours) whereas ours have an iridescence that ranges from purple through green, blue and bronze depending on how the sunlight catches them. A truly beautiful bird, in the right light!
The ones I've shown here are juveniles which have much duller plumage than the adults...[;o)
Hi Trevor, Well!! I think that's what they call jammy ;-) all that without getting out of the car! Most of us walk miles for just a couple of them!!
Great stuff! Lovely photos as always and the video was very entertaining. Like other commenters I've never seen a Corn Bunting.
I'd have to say that sitting in your parked car turned out to be very productive, good photos.
Hi Jan. Thank you. Yeh, birding with no effort...couldn't get any better...lol.
The Corn Bunting is not a spectacular bird, by a long way, but they were showing well close to home so I had to have a look!
That Magpie was the star of the day though...[;o)
Mike, thank you.
The perfect way to go birding!...[;o)
Hi Trevor..That Magpie sure was persistent on find a morsel to eat from those containers..what a funny and great video!!
Your photos are just awesome..the yellowhammer in the puddle of water is great!! : }
To think all you had to do was sit on your laurels($%#%)and point out the window!! ; }
I I thought I had commented on your last post ..I do remember seeing it, but if I didn't they are fabulous..The Marbled White is a show stopper...welll hmmm now are black and white colors lol ; }
Grace
Hi Grace, thank you.
That Magpie certainly made the day and all I had to do was kick back, take it easy and watch the greatest show there is...nature at its best!
Now, now, Grace! let's not raise that old chestnut again my brain still hurts from last time!...lol...[;o)
Beautiful images Trevor and a lovely new header.
The car makes a great hide.
Thanks Roy.
Yeh, it saves on all that unnecessary exercise as well!..lol...[;o)
They are beautiful, especially the Corn Bunting, superb.
A wonderful post Trevor... the Corn Bunting images are fantastic to see..
Thanks Bob...[;o)
Andrew, thank you...[;o)
Beautiful videos Trevor. Lovely post. xoxo Ruby
Thanks Ruby...[;o)
Another wonderful post full of delightful birds! I'm glad the sun came out for you.
Thanks Liz...[;o)
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