Diamonds And Natural Stone: 2006

Euro White-fronts

Another great find from Josh. Although initially located at Baston & Langtoft GP, these are consorting with the huge flock of Greylags at Langtoft West End.

European White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons albifrons

Digiscoped Nikon Coolpix P4 and Leica APO77 x20

Silken waves

Some invertebrates are busy in the middle of winter. The low sun illuminates a million threads made by tiny spiders at Prior's Fen.

Nikon Coolpix P4

Sparrowhawk kill

Another Collared Dove bites the dust.

Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

Digibinned Nikon Coolpix P4 and Leica 8x42BA

Snetts again

Two trips to Snettisham in ten days after not visiting for about a decade! This time in the company of Will Bowell we were aiming to catch up with the Black-eared Kite and were able to get good views of this British first. A lot of the time it was mobbed by a Common Buzzard and although it ranged from Dersingham Bog to the beach road over the farmland east of the pits it didn't come close enough for photos.

Other raptors were good with Peregrine and Merlin putting in appearances and a rather odd-looking pale Peregrine-like bird.

This Scaup (and the Redshank that walked close to us at the time) was more cooperative than last time, but what age/sex is it? The first two shots show how dodgy it is trying to judge things like head shape from a single photo.

Scaup Aythya marila

Redshank Tringa totanus

Digiscoped Nikon Coolpix P4 and Leica APO77 x20

Woodwalton Fun

A beautiful sunny day at Woodwalton Fen NNR. The low sun and reeds infused the whole place with the golden glow apparent in these photos.

Chinese Water Deer Hydropotes inermis

Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus

Teal Anas crecca

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

Digiscoped Nikon Coolpix P4 and Leica APO77 x20

Goosander

A sunny day and a relatively cooperative bird at Ferry Meadows. The Chaffinch was at the feeding station in Bluebell Wood.

Goosander Mergus merganser

Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs

Digiscoped Nikon Coolpix P4 and Leica APO77 x20

Snettisham

An uncharacteristic jaunt off-piste. Some well-behaved birds and a bit of luck led to a few half-decent photos. The Woodcock was particularly good as it just sat on the verge of the road and was snapped at close range without the use of a scope. Only the Scaup was a bit uncooperative, deciding it was time to head off in the other direction as soon as the camera came out.

Woodcock Scolopax rusticola

Shore Lark Eremophila alpestris

Little Auk Alle alle

Scaup Aythya marila

Digiscoped Nikon Coolpix P4 and Leica APO77 x20

Golden Plover

I've estimated the flock of Golden Plover roosting at the edge ofthe new housing development at Hampton as about 3000 birds but that might be way off.

Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria

Digiscoped Nikon Coolpix P4 and Leica APO77 x20

Late season insects

Common Darter still on the wing at Stibbington GP today and Red Admirals here and in the garden.

Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum

Nikon Coolpix P4

Moths in November

Just a handful of moths, as expected for this time of year. The Dark Arches is a particularly late record (trapped on 8 Nov). Emmelina monodactyla is about the only other moth I've seen recently with a few coming to the kitchen window occasionally.

The Sprawler Brachionycha sphinx

Silver Y Autographa gamma

Dark Arches Apamea monoglypha

Nikon Coolpix P4

Shag at The Dog

Today I paid homage to the latest Shag to appear at the Dog in a Doublet sluice. I include one of my shots here. Throughout it stayed on rocks on the far bank with the sun behind it so the photos weren't great. Much better are here on the PBC Gallery.

Jonathon Taylor found this bird on 6th December. The green colour ring on it's left leg with the white letters CPL identified it as a bird ringed in the nest on the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth on 11th July 2006. Is it the same bird seen heading upstream at Ring's End on 5th November? Somehow it doesn't quite look the same to me but the chances are it is.

European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis

Nikon Coolpix P4 and 32x Leica APO77

North Bank Birds

Some pics from a bike ride in the sunshine along the north bank of the Nene today. Unphotographed birds included a few Sparrowhawks and a couple of Stonechats.

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea

Tawny Owl Strix aluco

Moorhen Gallinula chloropus

Nikon Coolpix P4 and 20x Leica APO77

Sennen

Some photos from a week in Sennen, West Cornwall. This was mainly a family holiday with a great deal of walking and surfing but wildlife got a good look in.

The moths are from just two overnight sessions with a 15W actinic trap. Other migrants trapped included Rush Veneer and Rusty Dot Pearl. Hummingbird Hawk-moths visited the garden on a couple of days and there were a couple lingering at Penberth.

A Surf Scoter was present the whole week in the bay, showing occasionally but usually remaining distant. We could watch up to 4 Mediterranean Gulls from our rented house and other birds seen from there were Manx Shearwater, Arctic Skua, Black Redstart, Whinchat, Raven, Whimbrel, Purple Sandpipers and masses of Gannets and Kittiwakes.

Click for bigger pictures.

Whinchat Saxicola rubetra