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
Thanks Bob. I've only ever seen a few owls, and then I go and see 2 in a couple of weeks ...
Couple of photo's from here and there
Robin
Magpie
And a yellowhammer, first decent picture I've managed to get of one!
Regards
Benji
He will get indigestion doing that ...
Just some photos from a meadow field wander earlier this month.
A juvenile moorhen among the small lake plants
Might be a white tailed bumblebee, among the meadow flowers by the small lake
and a short trip to Brandon Marsh
a male tufted duck
lapwing
moorhen on the nest
I'm tempted to think the water levels are either intentionally low or seasonal evaporation has revealed the motar blocks, which have made a solid nest base.
avocet with male tufted duck for size comparison. You don't realise how small some birds are until they appear close to others.
avocet
most likely a common blue, male
swallow, from a conversation with another regular, (not the same guy on my last visit) male according to his observations, and note there is a missing lefthand tail fork feather!
I did try a few inflight photos, but all blue sky or green tree leaves. Even zooming out didn't make much difference
regards
John
(Pardon the Scottish Accent)
A few from Moor Green Lakes nature reserve during my weekly stomp to check up on restoration progress.
Let's start with a cutie, possibly from this year's clutch.
Common terns weren't cooperating this morning, staying well out of range.
I saw Greylag geese swimming in large armadas last year. They are doing same this year. I spied this lot, way across Colebrook lake south.
Two Carrion crow having a chat. What they are standing on is a re-cycled bridge. The bridge was used by lorries to drive over a conveyor belt which ferried gravel from the Fleet hill farm extraction site, across the Manor farm extraction site, turning sharp right to go over the Blackwater river to the processing site on Chandlers farm.
Inert have reused this bridge to straddle the reinstated (sort of) Colebrook cut (i.e. stream) which used to carry water from east to west. I did wonder why they didn't remove it from the restoration when they decommissioned it.
90% luck, 5% field craft, 5% camera skills.