Heighbridge Basin

Hello all
On Sunday (Mother Day) I manged to posaide my family to go to heigh bridge basin. I think they are a bit fed up of spending almost every Saturday or Sunday taking me out birding but hopefully they will get hooked as well someday.


We saw a oystercatcher siting on a boat and surprisingly 2 Brent geese flew over ually they wouls have gone to their summer grounds in Scandinavia by now! On the main lagoon where the black headed gulls bread there were 2 oystercatchers and a pair of mating black headed gulls(bh gulls). Along with 12 tufted duck, mallard, coot and moorhen.


A grey heron flew over and there was a large flock of dunlin in the distance over the blackwater. 3 shelduck rounded up the visit and 2 bh gulls diving of the lock. A great day and I expect that you all have the same issue that I have.


Matthew Foakes


Oystercatcher



bh gull



bh gull

bh gulls mating

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bh gulls mating



Oyster catcher



Tufted Duck

A new arrival!!

Today I spotted the first juvenile that I have seen this year! Although it was only a woodpigeon. You could tell the difference by the head and the bill. Looking forward to some more fledglings

Matthew Foakes



"Mum can I have a hug" 





Juvenile





Juvenile









Adult



Marlow Scout camp

Hello all,


Yesterday we returned from a weekends camping at longridge, Marlow which is somewhere down the thames. Unfortunately we didn't take our cameras because while out conoeing we saw loads of birds. On Saturday morning we were woken up by a noisy pheasant early in the morning and to prove spring has arrived a lovely DAWN COURUS!! A red kite got us very excited as well as the 2 Egyptian geese investigating our camp site!


With more specular sittings of up to 3 red kites at one time things could not get even better. The eventually shone through the clouds and 2 ring necked parakeets made a pleasant end to the day. The next day we was very tierd so didn't here the dawn coarus but once again saw the 3 red kites 5 buzzards 2 Sparrowhawks and a Kestrel. AMAZING!


We had to do a 2k canoe to finish with which enabled us to see 3 lapwing flying over green and great spotted woodpecker as well as 2 albino Mallards which had were a bit bigger than the normal ones. Once again we saw the Egyptian geese and the same pheasant. A fantastic camp which I would love to do again but thing my camera!


young birders

A disappointing moon.

I had found that the moon was apparently going to be brighter and closer to earth than 20 years. So I went out to the front and saw the small moon of what it usually is. I went back inside thinking that the moon was going to be closer. I went out at 10.00pm and the moon was still the same size! I still managed to take some photos but it was a disappointing moon.

Matthew Foakes

Moon

belus woods

Hello all. Just returned from a local woods to me belus woods. I saw many blue and great tit as I entered and loads of Canada goose out on the first lake with a few graylag geese. On the second lake I saw tufted duck lots of pochard( sadly no Red-crested-Pochard) And 3 Cormorant.

Looking forward to seeing the moon a its brightest and the closest to earth in 20 years tonight!
Matthew

Blue tit

Blue tit

canada geese

canada goose

canada goose

Coot

great crested greebe

great tit

Greylag

tufted duck

Leigh on sea

Hello all,


I have just come back from a days birding at Leigh on sea. I saw many turnstone and a knot amongst them. Large amount off gulls too. With there being over 200 hundred odd Brent geese and 20 oystercatcher and 3 grey heron.

Matthew



turnstone

Lots of turnstone

Starling



turnstone bathing



pied wagtail

turnstone

turnstone

turnstone

Knot

Langtons Park

Hello all,

Just poped out to my nearest park , langtons. I arrived and through out some bread and found , Mallard, The large white albino mallard and Moorhen as well as Canada Geese. Later on I found Black Headed gull and 1 herring gull out on the water.

Matthew Foakes



Black Headed gull



Black Headed gull

Black Headed gull

Black Headed gull

Black Headed gull

Canada goose

Mallard