hello old friends. not been on for ages - some pretty rubbish personal stuff getting in the way of the good things in life. today should have been a grim one, but at my solicitors this lunchtime i had an unexpected slice of happiness. as i sat discussing the the grim realities of divorce with my new best fr...
Because company staff new of my interest in ornithology I was pointed in the direction of a "strange" dead bird on the pavement in the middle of Oldham town centre. On arrival I found a Woodcock, dead but in very good condition, no obvious signs of damage but its eyes were very opaque. It was n...
how far doe the GM recording area reach to the west of manchester? doe it for example reach as far as the junction of the M56 and M6 as i had a red kite sighting over there earlier on today and don't know whether to out it down as a GM or cheshire bird
On Sunday the 29th January 2012, Pennington Flash is hosting a 'Big Birdwatch' event, running from 9am. The event hopes to cater for all ages and experience and I would encourage everyone to try and support it. There are many exciting and interesting events lined up, not least; a guided walk to the new...
very cold much frozen so not much about harvestman Megabunus diadema in a stump This has a conspicuous and protruding structure 'ocularium' for the eyes with a row of spikes like eye lashes above each eye and on the legs, rather like a extra in the rocky horror picture show. It feeds on mosses and lichen...
As per title, In excellent unmarked condition. Come with raincaps,pouch and neck cord. Cost me £480 will accept £330. These are very good and are only for sale to fund an upgrade. Paypal accepted or cash on collection no problem at all
As per title, These are approx 4 weeks old and are the new HD version. Condition is as new. They come with neoprene neckstrap and a nice leather case plus the box etc They have not been registered with Opticron so are still guaranteed for 30 years. These are very good and are only up for sale to fund an upgra...
Or revolutions??! What are yours in a birdwatching context, or even your ambitions for 2012? 2011 was my debut year - I began birdwatching in April and despite not having that much money (until Christmas time!) I had a very intense birdwatching summer, including five weeks in Croatia (where I missed...
Hi, does anyone know a good spot for twite that's not Heysham? Its a bit far for just one bird, anywhere closer, either winter or summer? Many thanks, Joe
Having never seen a diver in my life, i am considering the possibility of trying to see to all 4 in one day next year. Obviously, this will depend on getting white billed, which is probablt a 'right place, right time' situation. I'm trying to work out if it's possible. Has anyone done it before?
I have a sigma 500mm f4.5 with Nikon mount in excellent condition. The lens comes with a custom made Sigma soft carry case. I've had the lens for less than two years and hardly used it as I bought a Nikon 500mm f4 VR. There's a nice photo of a European roller with open bill in my Saudi / Bahrain gallery on...
There will be an Open Day at Lancashire Wildlife Trust, Bury Road, Bolton on Wednesday 25th Jan from 2pm to 7pm. Bolton Camera Club are holding an exhibition there and there wil be quite a few wildlife photographs. (I've entered twelve bird and one animal picture) I'm scheduled to in attendance from 2...
Hi Looking through my livingroom window at 3am this morning I saw a red fox walking down Boarshaw Road. It stopped outside the gate looked at me for few moments and then suantered on. Always gives me a great feeling when I see a fox. Regards Dave -- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 8th of January 2012 01:5...
Hi All, I'm going to North Wales in the morning and I'm hoping to pop into RSPB Conwy to have a look for my first firecrest. I'll probably get there before the visitors centre is open as I won't have long there, so can anyone point me in the direction of where the firecrest has been spending its time, incase...
This site lies on the western edge of Wigan Borough, Dean Brook being the Wigan-West Lancashire boundary. Yesterday (20th) birds there included a roosting Tawny Owl (on the Wigan side of the wood ), 7 Nuthatch, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Grey Wagtail and a Grey Heron hunting in Dean Brook also a half-dece...
I found it interesting as a follow up to Simon Ladd's query about the plumage distinctions between Lesser and Mealy Redpolls to peruse the link recommended by Ian. This took me to a detailed account by L.G.R Evans supported by a good range of photographs of both forms for various photographers. I also...
Are these becoming more common just there seems to be a lot about they are on a lot of the sightings threads and not just one sometimes 3 or up to 8 or more. I often wonder about Buzzards 20 years ago if you saw one in the lakes or Wales they were noteworthy now I see them out of my back window daily I wonder why th...
Mine were- In GM- Finding a successful pair of Long-eared Owls. Outside GM- Slatey-backed Gull and Oriental Turtle Dove on the same day. I think hearing a rare bird singing makes the experience so much better, so the Western Bonelli's Warbler at Arnfield Res deserves a mention, as does the stunning R...
I have two pristine copies of this now really very rare book published in 1984 and covering the breeding birds in our county. If you're interested in county birds and birding then it's a genuine must have (and you'll finally appreciate the many references to BBGM in the annual county bird reports!), i...
13.09.09
nice walk along the ribble estuary with lots of redshank,dunlin,knot and lapwings making easy pickings for a female merlin and a peregrine.
13 little egrets in flight together and 12 brent geese headed up the river as the tide was coming in.
sad to see two jet skiers disturbing the roosti...
Does anyone know a person or place in the North West that will check out a camera and lens combination for you at a reasonable (cheap) cost? I'd either like my camera and lens to be confirmed as working as well as can be expected for the make and model or to have it calibrated so that it is. I know it can be done...
what is briding obseesion, with quoting some arcane grid ref, we have a perfectly usable system of coordinates, which tie a series of numbers to a definite position on the surface of the planet with absolute scientific accuracy, yet for some mysterious reason, birders rely on some system which ties...
Quite walk AM
3 Nuthatches, one angry bird getting rather excited with a squirrel
Willow Warbler Chiff Chaffs 1 black cap
GS Wood
Pied Wag
Jay
Coal Tit Bull finches
We have a rising star in our midst in the form of Joe Wynn, a bright young fellah you've probably met birding somewhere in the North West. One of his photos has just been been published on the front of Wingbeat, the RSPB's magazine for young (Phoenix) members. He even got his own photo with an editorial in...