Wildlife April 2011

[mark smyth]

very odd

[RichardW]

Swallows are back today & saw the first Orange Tip of the year this morning, doing the first round of checks on our Barn Owl boxes this weekend.

[ashley]

Swallows are back today

Here too, and fortunately more than one so I'm calling it summer

[RichardW]

having a bbq tomorrow eve, just in case this week is our summer 

[Tony Willis]

Just back from Spain and saw these Griffon Vultures in a field near Grazelema. There were about fifty and they are sat watching a flock of sheep which I think are about to lamb.

[Roma]

Have seen Small Tortoiseshell butterflies a few times and saw a Peacock butterfly yesterday.  Good to know they survived last winter.  It is not many years since the Peacocks started to hibernate here.

[mark smyth]

Nice photos Tony.

an orangetip flew by the garden today and a few small white butterflies. Non stopped but tortoiseshells are present most days

[mark smyth]

Here's a waxwing in a tree in Belfast city centre
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S-ocDjAtz9c/TZ9FG5XoRmI/AAAAAAAABgk/sjJx4tXiSa4/s1600/Waxwing+City+Hall+Nigel+Moore.jpg

[Anthony Darby]

Anthony were you feeding them seeds?

No. they must find something in the grass?

[Anthony Darby]

Are they native or imported?

Both species were imported to New Zealand in the 1860s.

[mark smyth]

Today I went to look for the rare great grey shrike, snow goose, ring-necked duck and ruddy duck. No show for the first two but excellent views of the other two.

Saw many displaying lapwings. Also saw and heard willow warblers, chiffchaffs, blackcaps, sedge warblers, swallows, house martins and sand martins, two different ravens and displaying great crested grebes. Also saw c. 600 golden plover

[mark smyth]

Stephen, two reports of waxwings in different places eating - cherry buds and blossom

[mark smyth]

and just remembered we saw three holly blues in a small city suburban garden

[scatigaz]

A little bit of twitching then Mark.

[mark smyth]

virgin twitcher no more