After yet another successful year on the Odds & Sods thread, initially started I think by Hazy, it might be wise to kickstart the 2023 thread off.
Thank you to those who have contributed to last years thread, and there has been very interesting odds and sods in "Odds & Sods 2022" that aren't enough to place into a dedicated thread, which you can look back on the following link:
https://community.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/f/all-creatures/278729/odds-sods-2022/1417300?pifragment-4285=76#pifragment-4285=1
What better for me, and as yet, I've not ventured far, ewe know what I mean, with this lassie on Baddesley Clinton estate yesterday....
Mike
Flickr: Peak Rambler
After being largely absent last year, Common Terns are back this year on Moor Green Lakes nature reserve and the nascent Longwater Road nature reserve. They normally cruise along the edges of Colebrook lake, looking down into calm, flat water, diving dramatically to pickup a tasty morsel. Only they tend to do this between one and three hundred yards from me.
Not so Tuesday! A tern was flying up and down the west side of Colebrook lake north, hovering for a bit, swooping down then up and repeating. It would fly north for about 50 yards (hovering and swooping) before turning round, flying 50 yards south, and starting again. Better still, it was about 40 yards from a footpath leading from MGLG car park to Blackwater river.
All photos hand held, and cropped to a consistent size.
The tern had just swooped down then up, and was now beginning its hover.
My finger was clicking away on the shutter button - having completely forgotten that I have continuous photographing set up.
In once sense, it was a shame the bird wasn't facing me. In another sense, it was fortunate it was pointing away as we get to see the extraordinary feather and 'muscle' pattern.
It would hover between 2 and about 5 seconds before swooping off.
90% luck, 5% field craft, 5% camera skills.
(Pardon the Scottish Accent)
A year to the day and this little lovely shows up in the garden again. With a beak full of insects there hopefully is a nest nearby.
Ed
It is a beauty! Well captured Ed ...
A few taken over the last few days with the R7. It's taking time, but I am slowly getting the hang of it ... Well some of it ...