Keith speaking. One of the species I was hoping to see is the Spanish sparrow, what happens? they turn up in England. Little B’s must have known I was looking for them. Who said I am a twitcher?
Back to the lesser spotted woodpecker, today the male. He was clearly visible on a telephone pole on the site. Got him in the scope, the colour? amazing. The best bit, he was drumming on a metal plate, the vibration through his skull was clearly visible. I have read about this behavior but, never [...]
Decided to go for a walk in the last of the afternoon sun, good decision. I have added a lesser spotted woodpecker, a female, to my list, very special. Our smallest woodpecker renowned for being difficult to see. Never thought I would get to see one.
We have read about the behaviour which is the subject of this blog. We have witnessed it in the UK and on the continent, mainly in motorway and major road service areas. The species involved are generally pied wagtails or house sparrows. They have learnt that insects are killed and get stuck to moving vehicles. They operate [...]
Langdon cliffs is Keith’s local patch in terms of wildlife. On the evening of the 22nd, a quiet still evening, he paid a visit at dusk in the hope of seeing the barn owls. Several birds who roost in the surrounding scrub were alarm calling, very unusual. On a visit early the following morning he came across [...]
Ah ah got you. Just as you thought it was safe to put your anorak away. I will not bore you with details, only because I do not want to hear the groans. The nice thing about birding on the Shetlands is the ability to get close to the birds. I have watched birds with the [...]
We have been feeding the birds, amongst the regular visitors are nuthatch’s. They have been attracted by the sun flower seeds which they take away and deposit in the bark of surrounding trees. They are very adept at landing on a tree head down. We nicked name them N.N. because they have a loud and strident [...]
I was tempted to use the word iconic but, I feel that it is overused. Two species that people come to see in the Algarve and Andalucia are the azure winged magpie and the hoopoe. The azure winged magpie is colourful and are real character’s. Smaller than the black and white variety that we are [...]
These large birds are common along the Med coast in both Spain and Portugal, enjoying a great degree of tolerance in both countries. This extends to their chosen nest sites, the nest being a metre plus in size. We have observed nest on platforms specially erected on the tops of pylons and poles, part demolished factory chimneys, palm [...]
I would like to tell all of you the in the UK that summer is on the way, or, at least the swallows and house martins. Keith is seeing them in increasing numbers. We are based at Alcantarilha on the Algarve, a short distance away is an area by the name of Quinta Da Saudade. Its [...]
Recent Comments