WHAT'S BUZZING OR FLYING NEAR YOU TODAY - 2017

Not much bird wise around Lake Garda but here are a few that I did see.
Goosanders, drab in summer plumage but here as in Switzerland very tame.




Red Crested Pochard, again in drab summer plumage and uncommon here in the UK.


Crag Martins, similar to Sand Martins but usually live up in the mountains but here some nest on buildings like House Martins. Some are resident here all year round.




Alpine swift, bigger than our Common Swift and pale underneath and too fast for a decent shot!


Common Crossbills.


Young Crossbill.

 

Nothing out of the ordinary the humble house sparrow and wood pigeon

 

@"M" strange that in Malcesine where we stayed there were no House Sparrows at all, only the Italian Sparrow which with it's chestnut coloured 'cap' looks like our tree Sparrow.
They were very bold and helped themselves to anything not attended and 'Gelato', being Italian they loved Ice Cream!




House Martins everywhere.




An American whistling Duck, obviously an escapee but was always in the same place every time we walked passed.

 

Lovely shot of the pigeon @"M" . You should enter it into this months Photo Competition.

 

Thank you @Sheal !
Can't enter it because ... the image had to be resized to upload and it has been cropped

 

@strongylodon there has been a Yellow Warbler sited on the Isle of Portland if you haven't already seen it

Yes it would be good if the youngsters do make it back in a few years time although now the problem seems to be they have been a victim of their own success and youngsters are coming back to the nests of their births and causing problems with the resident birds (relations) and as there are not enough nests to go around and they haven't sussed out that they have to build their own nests or find their own mates there are fights and squabbles breaking out

 

I only found out about the Yellow Warbler today (presumably blown across by the recent hurricane) but I think there are hundreds of twitchers there now so I shall give it a miss.

As the Ospreys have never bred here before hopefully that won't be a problem. I saw two together this afternoon but they were not the released ones.

 

These always reminded me it was nearly back to school time

 

This hopped on me knee earlier

 

Ah, grasshopper ... were you practising Kung Fu at the time Zigster?

 

I was playing virtual Eccy thump with JWK and HarryS

 

Robin having a bath.

 

Buzzard and one of the early departing Wheatears at Portland Bill this afternoon.

 

Kingfisher and Greenshank (not very near and not very clear!)