Ibis

I managed to find the Glossy Ibis today on Wareham Common, near where we live. It was very wary and not easily approachable. It is known to have been ringed as a Juvenile in Spain in 2004. It is one of about 50 countrywide (there is a flock of over 20 in Pembroke in Wales) which seem to have taken to overwintering here instead of Africa for a couple of years now strange, considering how cold it's been! Distant shots in the wind so not very sharp and Winter plumage is a bit dull.

 

Thanks Woo, I didn't know it was in the next field when I went for my walk on Monday.

 

Whoa

He's a sturdy old thing, what a beak Didn't know we could host such a thing Strongy

 

Like the Great White Egret, Cattle Egret (Shapwick/Ham) and Spoonbills (Poole Harbour), some are overwintering here and not put off by the cold weather. There's a lot of soft muddy ground between the drains flowing into the River Piddle, ideal for long probing beaks, Snipe like it too.

 

Please tell me a Cattle Egret will sit on the back of a Moo Moo & peck the bugs off it.

 

Lovely photo Strongy.We heard many years ago about the Glossy Ibis but have nver managed yet to go and try and find It,so many thanks for sharing you lovely photos

By the way we had a visit from an overwintering female Blacckcap in our garden a couple of weeks agoso managed to get a couple of photos and a few years ago we had the male version but it was too late in the day with the light conditions to get a photo:(

 

Thanks Kandy, it's nice to see another rare bird making more appearances as we are losing others. I don't think they will breed here but you never know.
Had a female Blackcap in our garden in Weymouth last Winter but I've not seen one since, don't know why but more females overwinter here than males.

 

I follow this list http://northantsbirds.com/latest-reports/ and sent the photo of the overwintering Blackcap but it wasn't included in the list as it doesn't seem rare enough:DWe have been to see the Shorties though although when we went there were only twelve

As Mr Kandy was on a days holiday on Monday we popped over to our local water for a walk and to check on the levels and on the way back to the car we saw a large bird over the water which Mr Kandy said was a crow but it was only as it was flying away from us did he look at it through his binos and then let me have a look and we both reckon it was an Osprey on it's way back from migration possibly heading for either Scotland or Rutland

 

I am not sure whether that is early for the Ospreys but something triggers them to move North from their overwintering in Central Africa. I'll have to start following their tracking again. I have never seen an Osprey here, only in the States where they are fairly common.

 

Hi Strongy,I was having a Google the other night and evidently an Osprey has already been seen over Norfolk way so they are on their way.:D

I like to follow the Loch Garten pair and also Lady at Loch of Lowes and I do hope and pray that she makes it back safely after the fact that I think it was her that lost all four eggs to the cold weather last year plus the year before she had that problem on the nest when it looked like she was going to expire,but managed to come back against all odds but then I think the fact that a great deal of people were rooting for her had something to do with it.:DShe certainly lives up to her name of Lady of The Loch