Black crows

Got up this morning and looked out of the back window into the garden. Gathered around the two bird feeders (which contain sunflower hearts) were Rooks, up to no good.

Five adult Rooks were on the ground underneath the feeders, with a juvenile Rook (a rookie Rook? or a Rooklet?) squawking from the fence. A seventh, adult, Rook was clinging onto the pole that the feeders are suspended from, jabbing its bill into the feeder, filling its crop with seeds, and scattered more onto the ground.

I like Rooks, but I think the feeders will be empty by the time I get home from work.

Bad photo, but nice idea

The setting sun on an oak tree yesterday evening proved a bit too dark for the poor old camera.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Squirrel trouble

We've done quite well to be squirrel-free until now... there are plenty living across the road from us but they hadn't ventured across until recently.

Now, this is the scene of devastation on the feeders most mornings.

At least Rooks don't chew feeders.

Gratuitous cuteness

Cyder 1, Nightjars 0

We spent this weekend in Suffolk, based on a notion that we'd go looking for Nightjars so it would be nice to stay overnight somewhere.

It was our first camping trip of 2007 (something we do occasionally) and we stayed in a field in Eastbridge, a stone's throw away from Minsmere. The Eel's Foot in Eastbridge serves Aspall's, the best cider in the world, and after we realised that going Nightjarring would compromise our cider-drinking, we decided the 'jars could wait til later...

Swallow

The Black-headed Gull colony provided [noisy] entertainment

Green Hairstreak

Assorted damselflies which I haven't really thought about yet

drake Shoveler

Four-spotted Chaser

Male Stonechat

Female Stonechat

Possibly the highlight was adding Bittern to my Tent List (birds seen or heard while I'm in the tent). This was accomplished at 6am on Sunday morning when we heard at least two 'booming' from the Minsmere reedbeds.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM, some with Extender EF 1.4x II

Weeds

Back from a week's holiday, we got home to find the lawn was longer than when we left, of course. It also has a scattering of buttercups, dandelions and daisies.

My next-door neighbour is not a fan of dandelions and will spend time picking them from the grass before they go to seed. But I... quite like them. They're yellow and pretty, and birds like them.

In the past few days, I've seen up to seven Greenfinches roaming around on the ground, munching on daisy and dandelion seeds. Sometimes they're joining by a pair of Goldfinches, too. If that's not a reason to keep 'weeds' in your lawn, I don't know what is.

Weeds

Back from a week's holiday, we got home to find the lawn was longer than when we left, of course. It also has a scattering of buttercups, dandelions and daisies.

My next-door neighbour is not a fan of dandelions and will spend time picking them from the grass before they go to seed. But I... quite like them. They're yellow and pretty, and birds like them.

In the past few days, I've seen up to seven Greenfinches roaming around on the ground, munching on daisy and dandelion seeds. Sometimes they're joining by a pair of Goldfinches, too. If that's not a reason to keep 'weeds' in your lawn, I don't know what is.

World Migratory Bird Day

Did you know it's World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) today (and indeed all weekend)? I didn't.

Cretzschmar's Bunting

Another relatively common bird, easy to see by the roadside in upland areas.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Rufous Bush-thing

This was our third Rufous Bush Robin (or Rufous Bush Chat) of the week. It was singing from close to the Sigri-Eressos track, not far from the Meladia river where we saw Little Bittern and a crake sp...

The others were singing at Faneromeni and Dead Goat Pit (upper East River). Thanks to Steve Dudley for the gen on the latter.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Western Rock Nuthatch

We parked by the Meladia river (between Sigri and Eressos) to listen to a mystery Acrocephalus warbler. While our backs were turned for 10 minutes or so, this Rock Nuthatch was checking out our car!

With all the windows wound down, it had flown right through and when I turned around to get back in the car (the warbler still unidentified), the bird was sitting on the passenger window sill! I think we were all quite startled, because it then tried to fly out through the rear windscreen (closed) and then went to sit on the driver's side before eventually making its escape.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Killer bees

We saw quite a lot of Bee-eaters during the week, but the best views were had at Kalloni saltpans, where birds were spending a lot of time perching on fences (and branches shoved in fences) and on the ground.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Tortoise rescue

Darren helping a tortoise cross the road.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Black-headed Bunting

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Yellow Wagtails

Female Yellow Wagtail, Vrisa

flava (central Europe), near Faneromeni

thunbergi (destined for northern Fenno-Scandia), near Faneromeni

You can have hours of fun sifting through groups of Yellow Wagtails on Lesvos. Many different races pass through on their way north, and there's always the possibility (perhaps, likelihood) that what you're looking at is a mixture of two.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Flying things

Short-toed Eagle, Sigri-Eressos track

Red-rumped Swallow, near Skalochori

Black Stork over Kalloni saltpans

Buzzard, Vatoussa

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Terns

Common Tern, Agia Pavlos

We did well for terns: Common, Little, Gull-billed, Whiskered and White-winged Black. These were mostly on the Kalloni saltpans, but the Common Tern above was sitting on a little rock with its mate in the Gulf of Kalloni near the hamlet of Agia Pavlos. It just happened to take off while I was taking a photo! Pure luck.


However, the less said about this Whiskered Tern record shot, the better.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Whinchat

We had a good day for Whinchats near the Skala Polichnitou saltpans.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Crested Lark

Crested Lark, Kalloni saltpans

Crested Lark, Skala Polichnitou

Crested Lark was another species that seemed to be everywhere: in fields, on telegraph wires, running along the middle of the road...

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Sparrows

Rock Sparrow, Ipsilou monastery

Female House Sparrow, Skala Polichnitou

We saw two species of sparrow on Lesvos: House and Rock. The former is extremely common, even in unpopulated areas (in sharp contrast to the UK); the latter we only saw around the buildings at Ipsilou monastery, where they were clearly breeding.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM