Wildlife April 2010

[TC]

Mark

It is called Bird news extra. See the attached copy of the page.  As far as I can remember, this page is free to view but there is a charge for the other services such as the exact location of the sighting.  If I send in a local sighting to Ayrshire birding group, it is automatically put on this site.  It can be registered within 15 mins. of a sighting report being submitted.  Rarities are not verified.  Surprisingly I have never seen a sighting report from Ulster.  There are several from Eire - mainly Gulls from Nimmo's pier

[TC]

Mark
A couple of more sightings if you have not yet looked at the Birdguides site.  I am pretty sure you have to join to get on the site as I have to Logon with my email address and password

[Anthony Darby]

A friend was watching an egret on Islay over the Easter hols.

[alpines]

Having seen the photo of the American Robin, I thought you might enjoy these photos I took this evening. The robin's nest is nestled in a Viburnum which grows off our back porch (which made for a very easy shot without disturbing anything).
1. The nest
2. Close up of the eggs.
Don't know if it's the same robin but she lays her eggs here every year.

3. Not seen it yet this year (or last) but we had a pair of Grosbeaks visit us two summers ago. Apparently one is rare in this neck of the woods.
4. Red headed woodpecker

[alpines]

.....and speaking of Egrets.
This was taken in South Carolina.

[alpines]

...and something you definitely don't want to see in your garden

[Lesley Cox]

Not in yours, I hope Alan.
What beautiful, glossy eggs the robin lays.

[alpines]

No Lesley, thank goodness.......and having seen them in the wild, that was enough for me. Believe me, they look a lot bigger in real life than they do in photographs...and I was about 15 feet away from this, thankfully on a boat.

[Lori S.]

Having seen the photo of the American Robin, I thought you might enjoy these photos I took this evening. The robin's nest is nestled in a Viburnum which grows off our back porch (which made for a very easy shot without disturbing anything).
1. The nest
2. Close up of the eggs.
Don't know if it's the same robin but she lays her eggs here every year.

3. Not seen it yet this year (or last) but we had a pair of Grosbeaks visit us two summers ago. Apparently one is rare in this neck of the woods.
4. Red headed woodpecker

How on earth do you get such good shots of birds?  Even with semi-tame chickadees, I still can't manage!
I think you meant Red-bellied Woodpecker, yes?

That reminds me of seeing alligators in Texas (Laguna Atascosa) and Louisiana the odd time! 
It was interesting, while doing some field work in Madagascar a few years ago, to see crocodiles dive in the river... the same river that we were about to be dropped off on the banks of by the helicopter.  It gives one pause!  We saw two sets of tracks on a sandbar later on as well.   That, and being told by a local helper that a girl had been taken by a croc a couple of months ago in a nearby village, caused us to walk pretty carefully through the tall grass on the river banks...

[Stephenb]

First Swift observation in Scandinavia, near Stockholm - this is early, I dont normally see my first for a month yet!

http://www.artportalen.se/fennoscandia_birds.asp?speciesid=481&year=2010&month=4

....and Swallows have now arrived in the south and a few have been sighted near where I live:

http://www.artportalen.se/fennoscandia_birds.asp?speciesid=522&year=2010&month=4

Here, the usual early migrants have all now arrived: Dunnock, White Wagtail, Redwings, Fieldfares, Chiffchaff, Robins, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Chaffinch.

[Ragged Robin]

Having seen the photo of the American Robin, I thought you might enjoy these photos I took this evening. The robin's nest is nestled in a Viburnum which grows off our back porch (which made for a very easy shot without disturbing anything).
1. The nest
2. Close up of the eggs.
Don't know if it's the same robin but she lays her eggs here every year.

Really interesting wildlife shots, Alan and Sherba, how close were you to the crocodile?

Wonderful shots of the Robin's nest with beautiful, glossy, turquoise blue eggs - I do hope you show us more photos ass the eggs hatch 

[alpines]

Really interesting wildlife shots, Alan and Sherba, how close were you to the crocodile?

Wonderful shots of the Robin's nest with beautiful, glossy, turquoise blue eggs - I do hope you show us more photos ass the eggs hatch 

We went on a boat trip in South Carolina.....not sure what type of boat but something akin to a skiff. We were somewhere in the region of 15 feet away. If the alligator had decided to, it could easily have got on the boat. It was a wonderful experience but something we wouldn't do twice.

We'll try to get some more shots of the development of the eggs, just so long as it isn't distressful for the mother.

[alpines]

How on earth do you get such good shots of birds?  Even with semi-tame chickadees, I still can't manage!
I think you meant Red-bellied Woodpecker, yes?

Firstly, Lori is quite correct. It is a red-BELLIED woodpecker....not  a red HEADED. Thanks for pointing that out Lori.
We have lots of birds come to our yard and I use a 200mm macro lens. The woodpecker is far from timid. I can get to within 3 feet of it before it flies off.

[Maggi Young]

It is a red-BELLIED woodpecker....not  a red HEADED.

How silly is that? It has a red head not a red belly...... flippin' taxonomists again......

[Lori S.]

Actually, it does have a red belly - just not very visible in the pic.  Red-headed woodpecker has a REALLY red head (completely) with a neat black line separating it from the white belly.  I agree, though - why is it so often the least noticeable characteristic picked for the common name?  (E.g. Ring-necked duck... why not ring-billed duck?!)