More garden birds

After a weekend of gripping and dipping (Shag and Purple Sandpiper...), I resigned myself to hiding in the shed and digiscoping birds at the feeders on Sunday (27,11.05). Here is some of what I came up with. Click on some for a big version:



Robin

Female Blackbird. I think those are growth bands making the striped effect on the greater coverts etc. On another pic you can see this also on the tail (click for a bigger version).

Goldfinches have found my new Niger feeder

Greenfinch


Reed Bunting. These birds are regular in my town garden in winter, if I a put food out.


Collared Dove. Compare these shots with previous ones of the species on the same branch (use the search window on the right to find other Collared Dove photos). I think my current digscoping set-up has leapt forwards in terms of quality. The first pic is clickable for a biggy.

Magpie
Canon Powershot A95 through Kowa TSN 823 +32xWLER

On my feeders

My Peterborough garden faces south, so looking out from the house on feeders you face right into the sun during the day. So it can be very tricky to digiscope, with backlighting the order of the day. Here are some shots from Sunday, 20.11.05, when I was looking for something to do...

House Sparrow (female)

House Sparrow (male)

Greenfinch (male, plus female House Sparrow)
Canon Powershot A95 through Kowa TSN 823 + 32xWLER

Eldernell evening

It was a perfect, still evening on Sunday (20.11.05), so I thought a visit to Eldernell was in order to look for raptors and Bitterns. A Barn Owl slipped by and perched briefly (teasing the compulsive digiscoper in me), a couple of Marsh Harriers circled the roost-site and at least four Water Rails squealed through the breathless air as the western sky burned red.
Canon Powershot A95 (for Barn Owl through Kowa TSN 823 + 32xWLER)

Frosty morning at Orton Brick Pit

I didn't have the time or motivation for the usual Saturday morning slog to Prior's Fen (BTNStone had covered it on Friday), so I went down to Orton Brick Pit, instead, to look for divers (there have been hordes of them at the mighty Grafham Water recently) on 19.11.05. The best I got was a couple of flushed Jack Snipe on the mound, but it was a truly beautifiul, still, frosty morning and a joy to be out in the frozen sunlight. Here are some snaps of frost and a Cormorant. [For those interested, I think the gular patch angle approximates to carbo rather than sinensis (ie it is closer to 60° than 85°)]
Canon Powershot A95 (for Cormorant through Kowa TSN 823 + 32xWLER)

Sparrowhawk Gallery

Sparrowhawk and prey, our garden, Peterborough, 21.11.05
Canon Powershot A95 through Kowa TSN 823 + 32xWLER

Grey-cheeked Thrush

Brian The Natural Stone took me twitching down south today. We ventured as far Northaw Great Wood, Hertfordhsire, to check out a Grey-cheeked Thrush (or should that be Gray-cheeked Thrush?), a rare American vagrant. We did our best to refind the little critter for the stampeding crowd and I got a single grainy shot. Forgive me it was dark in the wood! I'm sure Kevin Dogsthorpe Digest Durose will come up with better later (we saw him on the way out).
Canon Powershot A95 through Kowa TSN 823 +32xWLER

Lynch Lake Gallery

I think it was Katie Bogbumper Fuller who first started posting photos of ducks on Lynch Lake, Ferry Meadows. This is a great place to practise digscoping, especially in crisp early-winter sunshine. So, after Brian The Natural Stone and I had checked the larger lakes for scoters (which were absent), Lynch beckoned for some compensatory digscoping (thanks very much for the lift, Brian). Here are my best results. All 16.11.05. Try clicking on the images for big versions...


Gadwall (drake)


Coot

Gadwall (duck)

Shoveler (duck)

Mallard (drake)

Gadwall (drake again)
Canon Powershot A95 through Kowa TSN 823 +32xWLER

Magpie Gallery

I had a couple of Magpies coming to grub in my Peterborough garden on Sunday 13.11.05, so grabbed the opportunity for a bit of digiscoping. Here is a rather extensive 'gallery' of images, some of which you can click for bigger versions.
Canon Powershot A95 through Kowa TSN 823 +32xWLER