Monday 9 July 2012

Balckbird
As I walked into work this morning I was pleased to see both the Peregrines on the Hadlow Tower ( On the scaffolding to more precise!), lets hope they make a few more forays onto my patch that they overlook from there.

This afternoon was dull, overcast and dreary, being cooler than of late it felt like a mild November day, but with the drawback of it being July, there was more of the day to endure  :-(   Oh! that's not very positive of me is it! 

I made just a short trip out to the Greenhouse Grounds and Migrant Alley, not very inspired, but hopeful of maybe finding a Mistlethrush or flyover Buzzard for the months list, two species that should eventually be found, just not today! I did however find my third target species, a fantastic little HOBBY (56) which  was chasing SWALLOWS around the tall hedge by my sky watching seat, it was hard to tell who was chasing who, with a dozen Swallows mobbing the falcon as it went after the young Swallows, the adult birds doing just enough to deter the Hobby from getting lunch   :-)  The Hobby eventually rested on a fence post some 30m from me, but there was a low bush between it and me, and as soon as I moved to get a camera angle on it, off it went.........so nearly my first 'Hobby at rest' shot!

That was about it for the afternoon visit really, the KESTREL family are doing well, but the young evade all my attempts to get a photo of them. A LINNET was seen nest building in the Greenhouse Grounds, and both the BLACKCAP and WHITHROATS continue to sing.

I'm in desperate need of some inspiration now to get me out on my patch after working all morning, a nice early passage migrant ''chat'' would do the trick  :-)

The BLACKBIRD photo's at the top and bottom of the post were taken last week, thus emptying the Blog photo folder again, need some sun for some Butterfly action, talking of which, anyone seen any 'Gatekeeper'Butterflies yet ?
Blackbird



8 comments:

ShySongbird said...

A shame you didn't quite get the Hobby shot Warren. I bet your heart beat a little faster when you raised that camera. Well done on the month's tick though.

No Gatekeepers here this time so far but I did see, on someone's blog, that they had seen one in mid June in Warwickshire.

Lovely Blackbird photos but with the berries it has a bit of a look of the A word about it!!

ShySongbird said...

I meant to say the Gatekeeper I mentioned seemed very early, not usually around until July but there was a photo and it was definitely a Gatekeeper!

Lancashire and Lakeland Outback Adventure Wildlife Safaris said...

No Gatekeepers here yet - should be out by now. Perhapss they are going to be in short supply after a few good years and the parasitoids have 'caught up' with them

Blackbirds eating unripe cherries here also looked a tad to A as per ShySongbird above

Cheers

Davo

Marc Heath said...

Like you Warren, I'm struggling to even get out at the moment and build up the enthusiasm. It's days like these that the mega passes through when we are at work!

Warren Baker said...

Songbird,
The Hobby today was only the 2nd one ive seen alight on my patch, so yes a photo of a perched one would make the heart skip a little - but then I could do with that! :-)

Warren Baker said...

Davo,
Saw a Blackcap eating berries of a shrub at the College Grounds this morning, more like the 'w' word!

Warren Baker said...

Marc,
at least if a mega passes through here while i'm working i'm not likely know about it! :-)

Rohrerbot said...

At first I thought....ooh...what happened to that beak:) And then I realized it was full:) Love this shot. Sending a ray of scorching desert sun your way:)