Some birds of prey

Excellent shots Mike, well done. Particularly like the Avocet. Where did you capture him/her?

All except the seagull on the sand were taken on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, a National Trust property, of which nearly half is a nature reserve under Dorset Wildlife trust.

The waders and seabirds were taken from a hide alongside the lagoon at the eastern end of the Island, one time I was trying out a new lens from one of the hides when Bill Oddie came in with some mean looking binoculars.

From now through the winter there is usually a large flock of Avocets based on the lagoon, IIRC up to 2,500. Terns breed there in the summer. Other birds I have seen there include Godwits, Spoonbill, Egrets, red shank, green shank, dunlin, cormorant, shag, various gulls, ducks and geese, snipe, curlew, nuthatch, various finches and tits; plenty of dragon and damsel flies in summer, about 200 red squirrels.

Brownsea Island | Dorset Wildlife Trust

Webcam at the above link

Home - Birds of Poole Harbour

Same webcam plus photos and sightings

Thanks Mike. Must try and get up there sometime.

Smashing photo,s Mike.
Talking of wildlife my old cat meow had a run in with a fox a couple of weeks ago.Cost me 100 euro to get her repaired.The old fool has very few teeth left so only the claws saved her.Told her to stick to mice in future.
The joys of the country life.
Derek.

I don't often take pictures of birds. but this guy came visiting this evening. He is standing on my garage roof.

Fantastic,

Beautiful markings.

Nice image Peter. Wish we had birds like that as native in this country. We do get peacocks but only in stately homes and on some farms.

Well they are hardly native here either.  There is a house with a large garden (not a stately home) a couple of properties behind mine that has four of these. They tend to go on twilight wanders across the roof tops. 


Here are two more inspecting the gutter outside my backdoor.

Beautiful. Wonder what they taste like?.

A bit like a cross between turkey and pheasant 

Well just a guess. I don't think the neighbours would approve of me eating their pets.

The Cormorant Tree. There was six altogether in the tree. Every time I go to the River Dart at Buckfastleigh there is always at least two roosting in it.



Bye for now.