WHAT'S BUZZING OR FLYING NEAR YOU 2018

It happens here too @Scrungee, sometimes even after an hour... nothing!

As we were going to Poole Leisure Centre swimming this morning we went afterwards to find the Mandarin duck and Goldeneye recently arrived on Pool park lake.
Nothing, we think they were spooked by the close by firework display last night.

 

I find just sitting in that bird hide on a dull day for an hour or so very relaxing, it always looks really bright outside, there's excellent mobile internet access and a birding friend sometimes goes there to 'work from home'. Only takes 10 mins to get there.

 

I posted a pic of 2 Cattle Egrets seen here the other week (formerly a rarity), yesterday there were 21 in a cattle field near the town and another 30 at Abbotsbury Swannery. There has been a major influx of these relatively new birds to Britain, there are approx 250/300 nationwide!! With the Great White Egret now breeding and increasing in numbers and the recovery of the Bittern, our wetland birds are doing well.
Unfortunately the complete opposite with farmland birds.

 

I saw that on a Dorset bird sightings website. I'm going that way again early next week - do you reckon it'll be worth me using a few quids worth of my Tesco Clubcard vouchers on a Swannery admission?

 

I posted this in the wrong thread
The one Cattle Egret in Wareham, where the other 19 have gone no one knows!
As I neared the field of cattle it saw me and flew off!


@Scrungee I wouldn't as they have spread out into the neighbouring fields and (I think) only return to the Swannery to roost and leave early in the morning.

 

I haven't been down to the river to feed my friends since Sunday, they were quite happy to hear me calling them. Chickadees, Woodpeckers, and the White Breasted Nuthatches.

The White Breasted Nuthatch this morning,

 

A smart looking bird @johnny canoe, I saw one in Colorado in September but not as close as your one.

Mandarin duck, recently taken up residence on Poole park lake.


A few pairs of Goldeneye have returned to the lake for the Winter but I could only see three males today.

 

I watched a couple of Red Kites soaring together over the garden today. They weren't hunting just enjoying each others company.

 

Gold finches for the first time ! My daughter ran to get the I d book!

 

They are lovely birds and along with all the birds of prey fascinating to watch. There's quite a few Buzzards in this area too. When the birds disappear from the bird table and all goes quiet I automatically look over the valley at the back to see what's looking for it's next meal.

 

Red Kites are still an uncommon bird in Dorset, I have only seen one this year!

We are hoping that some of the Osprey chicks that were brought down here to Arne, as a relocation project two years ago, will return here next Spring and set up home.
No one is sure whether they have survived the two years in West Africa.