Nigel
Member
Our local inner city patch seems rich in species. On a stroll back from toddler group on a dreary morning we spotted a male black cap darting from perch to perch before diving into a thick patch of cover. We heard him before spotting him and knew it was something different from the usual birds we hear. Brighter than a robin but less melodic than a wren.
Later in the day (when Mum came home from work) we went for our first exploration walk in a nearby nature reserve wedged in between a railway line and river. We soon saw a group of bullfinches who stuck around long enough for us to have a good look. We heard several willow warblers and chiff chaff. Hearing another strong singer we had our first view of the local white throats. We also spotted a long tailed tit wrestling with something that looked like a large insect in its beak before flying off. Where the path came close the the river we were lucky to get two sightings of a kingfisher within a couple of minutes (a stones throw from a Morrisons supermarket). We also had a brief view of a sparrowhawk. We also saw plenty of wood pidgeon and magpie and a group of swifts feeding in a thermal.
We went back today and another new observation for me was seeing a 'comorant' taking advantage of a mid-day thermal. He was still having to flap part the way round but had a majestic silouhette when not flapping. He looked like a vulture!
Later in the day (when Mum came home from work) we went for our first exploration walk in a nearby nature reserve wedged in between a railway line and river. We soon saw a group of bullfinches who stuck around long enough for us to have a good look. We heard several willow warblers and chiff chaff. Hearing another strong singer we had our first view of the local white throats. We also spotted a long tailed tit wrestling with something that looked like a large insect in its beak before flying off. Where the path came close the the river we were lucky to get two sightings of a kingfisher within a couple of minutes (a stones throw from a Morrisons supermarket). We also had a brief view of a sparrowhawk. We also saw plenty of wood pidgeon and magpie and a group of swifts feeding in a thermal.
We went back today and another new observation for me was seeing a 'comorant' taking advantage of a mid-day thermal. He was still having to flap part the way round but had a majestic silouhette when not flapping. He looked like a vulture!
