• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Search results

thxpress_search_the_forum Search Opus
  1. mikfoz

    Gull ID needed: Cornwall, Lizard Point, UK

    I'm not sure of this gull at all due to all-white tailfeathers and being on holiday with no reference material. Should hopefully be a clear enough view for our gull afficionadoes.
  2. mikfoz

    Sparrowhawk Surprise!

    Well I don't reckon you can get a much closer encounter than this. I was out in the garden actually not really birding at all as such. I was actually trying to get some decent insect shots with mixed success when I saw a few Bluetits hopping about in the tree about 8 feet away. I was just lazily...
  3. mikfoz

    Just heard the first Cuckoo of the year!

    I couldn't sleep this morning so was up about dawn-ish. I thought I was imagining it at first but it was definitely a Cuckoo (at a fair distance) making itself heard in the still morning air. And now the sun's even coming out as I type. |:d| Sand Martins last weekend, Grey Heron chicks on...
  4. mikfoz

    Stanley Park, Blackpool

    Thought it was time, seeing as we've been firmly directed towards a whole forum for Lancashire birding, to try kicking off a more specific thread about a particular location for people to chuck in their musings, wanderings and ticks. I've wandered up there the last couple of evenings armed with...
  5. mikfoz

    Strange Dunnock Behaviour

    Do Dunnocks have some sort of mating dance ritual? I'll explain why I ask. I was sitting out in my garden waiting for the birds to grow used to me so I could take some snaps. I noticed a Dunnock on my garden bench at the bottom of the garden. It appeared to be lying down and looked almost as if...
  6. mikfoz

    Cormorant UK

    I know it's a Cormorant but what's going on with the head plumage of the one on the right? Sorry for dodgy pic quality, but it was at a fair distance.
  7. mikfoz

    After such a dull start - what a great day!

    The sun finally came out over the Fylde Coast after what seemed like forever under grey clouds - you could see the colours! I did my usual jaunt to Marton Mere but spring seems to be getting things on the move. The Teal seem to have started migrating away from the lowland waters as there were...
  8. mikfoz

    Greenfield Road Nature Reserve

    In order to avoid the terminal boredom that is a trip round Boundary Mill, Colne, Lancs I nipped tound here to see what's what after checking the area out. Link After a nice comedy moment where a genial middle-aged woman tried to recruit my son for her litter-picking-up squad we sallied forth...
  9. mikfoz

    Fox vs Vulture - Fight!

    http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=236434 This is one of the most dramatic wildlife pictures I have ever seen! You MUST view it and shower it with compliments.
  10. mikfoz

    Great day out at Mere Sands Wood

    I've been told by many a Lancashire birder to get myself over to Mere Sands Wood. So I finally did... Apart from the minor hiccup of my Sat Nav having never heard of it and the road it's on being very long and the signposts to it being non-existent we eventually found it. Thus, encumbered with...
  11. mikfoz

    Walking the dog... or a tale of 9 owls

    Took the dog for a walk round Marton Mere due to the increasingly late sunsets and it being a really nice evening. Checked out the LEO roost and whaddya know! 9 Long-eared Owls showing fairly well. I've only ever spotted seven before but heard there's nine. I was always a bit dubious that people...
  12. mikfoz

    Bittern heartbreak!

    Went up to Marton Mere for a chilly but bright morning walk... Had a reasonable day out. Had a good view of seven Long-eared Owls again and got to play Good Samaritan to two twitchers in search of them. Went round to the Container Hide after getting some murky snaps of the owls and had barely...
  13. mikfoz

    So I got a Pentax K10D...

    Decided to upgrade to a Pentax K10D. I got a refurbished one for a good price (it's brand new but been touched). What a brilliant camera it is! I'm sure the K20 is even more wonderful (and twice the price), but compared to my *istDS it's brilliant. It's like it's actually been designed by...
  14. mikfoz

    Asahi Camera Repairs problem - Weird...

    Anyone had any experience with these guys? I sent my camera with a broken screen in for repair with them and I'm hoping they sort out what looks like a major cockup on their behalf OK and I can praise them up in this thread. Let's see what they do... Basically the screen was bust; my fault for...
  15. mikfoz

    Jackdaws going nuts

    We have a pretty large Jackdaw roost near the school where I work. I generally get to watch their antics and hear them chuckling and jack-jacking as I wander about or come and go and it's quite a cheery sight. Tonight they were going mad on top of a house. Several fights were breaking out with...
  16. mikfoz

    Mikfoz list 2009

    Blackbird Starling Songthrush Mistle Thrush Redwing Fieldfare House Sparrow Blackcap Blue Tit Coal Tit Great Tit Wood Pigeon Collared Dove Long-tailed Tit Carrion Crow Jackdaw Magpie Snipe Barnacle Goose Canada Goose Greylag Whooper Swan Pink-footed Goose Mute Swam Lesser Black Backed Gull Black...
  17. mikfoz

    which birds have you seen that are starting to change to "spring" plumage?

    Which birds have you seen that are starting to change to "spring" plumage? I've spotted a Reed Bunting and a Great Crested Grebe today that are clearly showing signs of moulting to breeding/spring plumage. I'm assured this is normal and January is the normal time for this to happen. Has...
  18. mikfoz

    Finally saw the Bittern at Marton Mere!

    That's Marton Mere nr Blackpool. Was having a fairly routine day. There were 5 Long-eared Owls showing in the usual place: 3 fairly easy to spot and 2 in deep cover. Not much thrush activity about as I didn't go up there until about 1pm. No sign of the Kingfisher today. I went to have a look...
  19. mikfoz

    Evening dog walk yields 3 flying owls and other delights.

    Oscar was raring to go for a long walk after all the rain yesterday pretty much grounded us. So off we went for our regular stroll by Marton Mere... I saw a good sized flock of Redwings heading for roosts. I've not seen any for a week or so so that was pleasant. The mere itself was fairly...
  20. mikfoz

    The new Opticron Trailfinder II full size binoculars

    I'd more or less settled on putting some Discovery binoculars on my birthday list and was just dithering over 8x or 10x when along comes this model. It's in more or less the same price range (if not slightly cheaper) and seems to outdo the Discovery in some respects such as field and min focus...
  21. mikfoz

    Does anyone own and have an opinion on Steiner Skyhawk binoculars?

    I've seen some available but not really heard of them. Any advertising blurb out there is bigging them up and their specs look impressive, but then again...
  22. mikfoz

    Worth getting up at dawn today. Seven owls and a Peregrine

    Went up to my local patch (Marton Mere nr Blackpool) and saw about 25 Barnacle Geese obviously overnighting. They took off at about 8:10 after an altercation with a grumpy Cormorant over the little patch of unfrozen surface. Also a few Whoopers but not as many as there has been recently. They...
  23. mikfoz

    Went to take the dog for a walk and ended up with a nice lifer

    Oscar was pestering and I was in the mood so out we went... Took the camera and binoculars - because you never know - and had a look at the owls. Then we saw a Little Grebe. So a lifer already. Then the Sparrowhawk went hyperactive; buzzing the reeds, the lake, the scrub, anywhere it felt like...
  24. mikfoz

    UK Mallard Hybrid?

    I'd probably not have given this one a second look a few months back but there's something distinctly odd about this Mallard.
  25. mikfoz

    Opticron Dioptron 10x42

    I acquired some of these second-hand and I've so far found them to be very good, bright binoculars with an incredibly wide field of view for 10x magnification (6.6 degrees). Has anyone else an opinion on these, any idea of their history or any experience with them as to whether they are/were...
Back
Top