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by MaggieC

Today in my garden

February 7, 2012 in Latest Patch Sightings by MaggieC

Having been off work for two days with a loose tooth and abscess and having spent most of yesterday in bed today I spent watching the birds in my garden.  What a treat it was.  A pair of Magpies spent the morning carrying nesting material to refurbish last year’s nest.  They must think Spring is on the way.

I have never seen so many birds in my garden (what am I missing by being at work all day)?  On top of the usual Goldfinches, Blue Tits, Coal Tit, Sparrows, Dunnocks, Wren, Robin, Great Tits, Collared Doves, Woodpigeons, Starlings and numerous Blackbirds I had two Long Tailed Tits arrive (a first for my garden).  I had put out apples and pears on Monday hoping some Thrushes may appear.  Low and behold  two Song Thrushes arrived and paid numerous visits throughout the day.  As if this wasn’t enough excitement some Redwings appeared at the front of my house.  I was struggling to get decent photographs of them.  I had opened my bedroom window, pulled the curtains to and knelt on the floor, but the light was poor and they nearly always had branches in the way .  However later in the afternoon they decided to visit the back garden and I did manage a number of shots.  Just as I was thinking what a super day it had been,  I looked up and there must have been at least 3 dozen Field Fare in the tree at the back of my garden.  Next thing about a dozen swooped down onto my lawn.  I had a really hard job trying to get single shots of them.  This has all aided my recovery and unfortunately I feel I will have to return to work tomorrow.  What will I be missing?  Here are just a few of the shots I took.  I should add they were taken through glass from the kitchen.

 

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by DaveJ

Cotmanhay To Woodside Sightings

February 5, 2012 in Latest Patch Sightings, Sightings by DaveJ

Cotmanhay. Buzzard, 25 Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 Redwing, Mistle Thrush. Chat Corner. 2 Teal, Cormorant, Buzzard, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Yellow Hammer [m] Shipley Gate. 5 Teal, Tufted Duck [f] Little Grebe, Snipe, Redwing. North Marsh. 5 Teal, Grey Heron, Kingfisher. Shipley Lake. 30 Wigeon, 3 Shoveler, 12 Pochard, 80 Tufted Duck, 3 Great Crested Grebe, 90 Coot. Woodside. 57 Canada Goose, Kestrel, 2 Tawny Owl, Jay.

kingfisher in the snow

February 5, 2012 in Latest Patch Sightings by colin penny

its pity i don’t carry a camera, would have had some nice shot’s of  a brown and white lurcher in the foreground and a kingfisher sat on it’s snowy perch peering into the river erewash.

plenty of bird’s around on a walk to shipley boat railway bridge and back, the following were seen.

feildfare(50+),rewing(30+),blackbird,starling(50),goldfinch,great tit,wood pigeon,magpie,black headed gull,chaffinch,crow,teal(12 on the erewash),mallard,kingfisher,moorhen,wren,blue tit,snipe(on the erewash),kestrel,green woodpecker,robin.

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by DaveJ

Bennerley Sighings

February 4, 2012 in Sightings by DaveJ

Cotmanhay. Goshawk [m] 5 Mute Swan, 30 Mallard, 4 Redwing, 5 Bullfinch. Bennerley Marsh. 70 Wigeon, Grey Heron, 12 Lapwing, 5 Golden Plover, 25 Stock Dove, 10 Fieldfare, 4 Redwing, 3 Greenfinch, 2 Goldfinch. Water Treatment Works. Goldcrest, 30 Pied Wagtail, 90 Black-headed Gull, 18 Lapwing. Chat Corner. 2 Cormorant, Lapwing, 3 Goosander [over] 2 Teal [R.Erewash] 90 Wood Pigeon, Bullfinch.

A Mapperley Stroll

February 3, 2012 in Latest Patch Sightings by ChrisLuv

With Freddie, our new baby, settling in well I decided to take a stroll around Mapperley with some of the paternity leave I have left – the wife was off shopping and I fitted it between jobs. Why Mapperley? Well frankly it had everything I wanted, good birds, potential of some good landscape photography, maybe some snowdrops and also a sit down in the hide. There’s been some great shots taken down there by Maggie and Mick recently and so I thought I’d have my turn. I hope these don’t repeat what those two have shown, as you know I like to push the processing on my shots in my own unique way.

Cold Front Cooper has been leaving everyone a bit chilly and I felt it today, I’m just glad we aren’t in central Europe. The ducks out on the lake were feeling it too.

I took a few photos across the ice, a family or two of Great Crested Grebes were out and about, and close, as well as Coots, Moorhen, Mallard, Canada Geese, Mute Swans and Black Headed Gulls. The fishermen were having to smash ice holes like eskimos, but no seals popped up to see them :-)

This Grebe is swimming uphill, how strange! Check your tripod’s level kids!

From there I headed on up Shipley Hill, where the wood was brimming with Redwing, creeping through leavefall is almost impossible, and they were moving on when I was well out of photographer range and so I decided to lie in wait for them to come back closer. Of course they didn’t. Its amazing how well that camouflage works in woodland, sometimes I could see the ground moving with leaves being overturned but no birds were in sight. Several times I checked to see if there were no birds in the area in front of me before moving on and then flushed twenty or so, they were almost invisible. I had to make do with a Song Thrush who was more obliging.

Up at Shipley Hill I knew it was still pushing it for Snowdrops, they were out but not quite flowering, perhaps when the sun reached them they might. I took a few shots regardless and lost a lens cap, keep an eye out for it if you’re up there – I scoured the ground for 20 mins and couldn’t find it when I realised it wasn’t in my pocket.

Next stop was at the hide, and I arrived to find two people in there, unusual. So, a bit further away than normal (despite the offers to steal their prime spot) I took some shots of the tits visiting the feeders. Jays, Long Tailed Tits, (male) Great Spotted Woodpecker all strayed within eyesight but not within camera range. Otherwise Coal Tit, Blue tit, Great Tit, Robin, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Mistle Thrush and Blackbird where the birds keeping us entertained.

After winning the cookie competition hands down, I retreated, only to return for my tripod like a wally ten minutes later.

A cracking stroll and please give me some critique on the photos, positive or negative I can take it :-)

Moorgreen woods 3/2/2012

February 3, 2012 in Latest Patch Sightings by Jim Steele

Despite the beautiful weather, only 3 Buzzards soaring today. Superb views of Kestrel in the low, winter sun. A pair of Ravens – I never thought I’d see Ravens locally but they are here!
Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Mistle Thrush. Lots of Fieldfares. Huge flock of Wood Pigeon – several hundred. Common Gulls over.
Brown Hare in the fields and a lone Fallow Deer was a pleasant addition.

Jim

feeling nesh today

February 3, 2012 in Latest Patch Sightings by colin penny

short walk today only as far as langley mill water treatment work’s and back, but plenty of bird’s about and fieldfare’s in numbers.

wood pigeon,collared dove,blackbird,song thrush,house sparrow,redwing(20),blue tit,fieldfare(50),goldfinch(6) with alesser redpoll,magpie,robin,starling,great tit,black headed gull,long tailed tit,dunnock,moorhen,green woodpecker(2),chaffinch,bullfinch.

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by DaveJ

Cotmanhay to Woodside sightings

February 3, 2012 in Latest Sightings by DaveJ

Cotmanhay. Jay, 6 Redwing, 25 House Sparrow, Bullfinch. Shipley Wood. Sparrow Hawk [m.] Great Spotted Woodpecker, 29 Long-tailed Tit. Shipley Lake. 5 Mute Swan, 19 Gadwall, 18 Wigeon, 25 Mallard, Shoveler, 10 Pochard, 55 Tufted Duck, 3 Great Crested, 90 Coot. 120 Black-headed Gull. Woodside. 16 Canada Goose, 15 Redwing, Tawny owl.

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by mick c

cold ,cold, cold, mapperley

February 2, 2012 in Latest Patch Sightings by mick c

-2 below, in mapperely hide at the break of day this morning thursday 2/2/2012

went after the l,t,tits but they werent playing bit to quick , but theres allways

next time but a few photos from the morning, plenty of hot coffee and warm clothing

hope you enjoy

mick ccoal titblue titwillow tit

the old faithfull robingreat tit

all busy feeding , the long tailed tits showed up but where very quick  missed them but enjoyed the morning

all the best every one

mick c

 

It’s cold out at Shipley 2/2/2012

February 2, 2012 in Latest Patch Sightings by Jim Steele

Another ‘first song’ bird today. Well, half, nae, quarter song.
Chaffinch at Shipley. I like the way they start with a stuttering version, then build up as the season progresses, to the full song in March. They also have different dialects – the song around here is noticeably different to the one I know in Scotland!
I’ve done several Dawn Chorus events in the past and someone I know picked up on my somewhat pathetic attempt to describe the flourish at the end of a Chaffinch’s song – she has ever since called this bird the ‘Chicheeweeoo Bird’!!
Jim