Odds & Sods 2022

The Hardy Bunch.... of finches ...Sleet, wind and freezing cold.....

For just a balcony we get a lot of small birds (12 species so far). and there are days when we can count 9 blue tits on their new rspb feeder tray

    One latecomer to the tea party ,........

A pair of common buzzards were mewing overhead but too distant for the 300mm reach;     I'm hoping to catch the famous male buzzard  "roller coaster" display at some stage;  only seen it once at our last house and it was spectacular viewing.    Also the courtship display when the pair interlock feet and spiral down together :)

oops,  forgot the moorhen who is below the balcony on the pond -   he likes the swan/duck floating food which he shares with the mallards    Not a great angle to photograph when you are three storeys up. !!

Ilove the Buzzard shot Hazel we have been lucky enough to see the display a few times but there again we spend many hours watching them at the nest. We have a pair 300 yards down the road and the way things are looking we should be able to see the nest from the kitchen window, an advantage of looking in a top flat. Not that high though it is only2 floors up

Not the greatest photo but this is my resident Buzzard.  I think she is still scoping out decent trees after her favourite came down in the October storm 

I've just realised I've not heard them calling yet 

Linda those birds must be so grateful for your feeding center, pat on the back for you keeping it all going for them.:-)

Amazing isn't it how a good food supply can attract so many birds in to an area, lovely to see so many blue tits feeding on the tray, I don't get that many in the garden so you are doing well Hazy. Lovely pic of the Buzzard it's beautiful markings showing up perfectly.

Caroline your Buzzard looks almost friendly, peering in as if looking for a friend rather than prey:-)

A camouflaged skylark:

I came across it suddenly on a walk and it seemed to melt into the background.

A couple of photos from the Wirral (Parkgate) today;    I'm not taking many photos these days as its a bit of a struggle and I missed a close up shot of a Kestrel today as I took too long to locate the bird in the viewfinder to lock on focus in time ..... as it flew off  !      Instead you get a robin from Burton Mere and a Stonechat and Redwing from Parkgate !

it was singing a lot once it had coughed up a pellet.   !!    

male Stonechat;    he was paired up but the female was too distant for photo ops.

my favourite little thrush,  the Redwing