Ingoe

 Went to see a cracking Turtle Dove at Ingoe at the beginning of the month. Many thanks to the villages for being so helpful with the location of the bird, it was a pleasure to be there.

Turtle Dove.

Spotted Flycatcher.

Song Thrush.

Scotland part four

 Because the weather wasn’t great, we decided to pay a visit to Scone Castle. I was putting the camera into the car when a Song Thrush landed on a fence right next to the car so I fired off a few shots before it flew off. At Scone a couple of pairs of Oystercatchers were in the garden one pair with at least one chick.

Song Thrush.

Oystercatcher.

Oystercatcher chick.

Pine-cone Bug a first for me.

Downlooker Snipefly.

Cranefly.

Clara Vale & Burdon Moor

 It’s a week since I paid a visit to Clara Vale, the first time this year. No Kingfisher in the four hours I was there but still some canny stuff and it’s always nice to have some good crack in the hide. It was then onto Burdon Moor where I got my first Chiffchaff of the year.

Redwing.

There were plenty of Ivy berries to keep them going.

Female Yellowhammer.

Long-tailed Tit.

This Roe Deer casually walked past the hide.

My first Peacock Butterfly of the year.

And my first Chiffchaff of the year at Burdon Moor.

Song Thrush.

Long-tailed Tit.

Male Stonechat doing what comes naturally.

Female Stonechat.

Hovering Kestrel.

It dived but came up with nothing.

Then landed in this tree.

There were at least four Roe Deer in the field eating the grass in the late afternoon sun.

Local

24.03.24 A slow short stroll locally this morning produced some canny birds. 

Goldcrest. These little things do not stay still for very long. 

It’s not often you see a Goldcrests tongue. 

A distant Sparrowhawk enjoying the sun it must just have had breakfast as there were small birds flying around it and it just watched them.

It also had its eye on me.

That was until the Crows arrived and saw it off. How it managed to fly through the branches I will never know.

Goldfinch.

Song Thrush. I heard at least three this morning.

Chaffinch.

A distant pair of Roe Deer.