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
It certainly is well camouflaged! Well spotted ...
It can't be easy being this glossy black - I was very careful to not disturb them and I think they felt it was too warm to be too active - although one did shout at me a bit but they were both panting - I'm. waiting to hear who they are as I should be able to key their leg rings out and all the ringed Choughs are named
Cin J
Lovely pics Caroline, see Choughs mentioned on another thread, I posted last year about them being reintroduced to the White Cliffs of Dover! Very good to see success rates!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
WendyBartter said:Lovely pics Caroline, see Choughs mentioned on another thread, I posted last year about them being reintroduced to the White Cliffs of Dover! Very good to see success rates!
Zo posted yesterday - I nearly fell over these 2 - I'm very fond of them and always look up when I hear that twanging call. They seem to have fun with their flying skills
Usual Tuesday stomp along Manor farm restoration and Moor Green Lakes, handed a mixed bag of opportunities.
Kicking off proceedings, mating dragonflies. I had a lot of difficulty focusing on them, my R7 was hunting like crazy. I only found out reason after uploading to laptop - there was a blade of grass or reed or summat between us. You can see a slightly blurred patch across middle of photograph.
Similarly, from another angle, a slightly blurred path at bottom of photo. Still, my R7 coped well enough.
Walking along path to Colebrook hide (north) viewing screens, I saw this honeycomb.
Looking to left of path, I spied a deep hole dug into the ground, around which were more fragments of what appeared to be honeycomb.
At first I thought the wasps were feeding on the honey and any pupae. On reflection, I'm not sure.
There doesn't appear to be honeycomb in this next photo, and the wasps appear to be working on the outside and edges for what appears to be a wasps nest.
A Green Sandpiper was wandering up and down in front of Colebrook Hide (north) viewing screens/hide. It seemed oblivious of my presence. Sun was reasonable, though this is still a lousy place for photography. The light always seems wrong.
I like the falling drop of water in this one.
I dropped summat.
A Lapwing was also in attendance.
A tip for anyone hoping for a sight of comet Nishimura. Look low to horizon, east northeast, in morning - an hour or so before sunrise. Or look west northwest in evening, about an hour or so after sunset, again, low to horizon. These tips are for people in south Britain.
I followed advice to look under moon. Errr, no. Didn't work. I was facing south. Only when I looked at planetarium star map, did it show the above instructions. I will still probably not see the comet as I have Aurora Wokingham/Bracknell and oak trees to ENE, and big oak trees WNW. Sigh.
90% luck, 5% field craft, 5% camera skills.
European Garden Spider I think. Back lit unfortunately as I could not get a good angle on the beastie.
A thought this was a garden spider....lol..I get one in the house daily..giant blooming things
(Pardon the Scottish Accent)