feathers – Stephen's Wildlife

A gaggle of greylag geese

A gaggle of greylag geese gathered on the surface of the lake,
The honking, calling and squawking increased in intensity,
A crescendo of sound filled the air.
First one, then three, then seven and thirty birds took flight,
The air now filled with feathers, as well as sound.
They flew low over the water, getting louder and larger, straight toward me,
“Duck!” I thought.
“Don’t be silly!” I chided, as I enjoyed the intensity of sight and sound.
They flew so close, I could almost reach out and touch them.

Winter lockdown

This last weekend the RSPB ran its annual survey of garden birds. By all accounts the number of people submitting data increased significantly over last year and their were reports of people being unable to access the survey web page to record their count. Quite probably this was the ‘lockdown effect’.

My own count included 8 goldfinches. They are small birds, quite striking in appearance with their red face and yellow finch stripes on the wings. They normally form groups in the winter which may contain other finches, e.g. greenfinch, siskin, chaffinch. These groups are referred to as ‘charms’.

The UK winter lockdown continues. Yesterday we lost Captain Sir Tom Moore, a covid hero who raised over £38m last year on his 100th birthday for the NHS. The vaccine rollout continues offering light at the end of the tunnel, even as the virus continues to take its toll. This latest winter lockdown does appear to be accompanied by fatigue and weariness.

Cormorant

There is a significant population of cormorants at Longham Lakes. When in water they float with more of their body submerged than other waterfowl. Just their heads and backs are visible. They don’t stay above water for long before they dive on their next fishing expedition. When not feeding they take to the air to find a spot to dry out. This could be a tree or a floating platform. Often they can be seen perched on the electricity lines and pylons running alongside the lake.

The cormorant pictured above was slightly unusual. Whilst not far from the lakes, it found a resting spot in an adjacent field normally occupied by horses and was just resting. I was pleased to capture this shot with the low winter sun reflected in the bird’s green eye.

Parus Major

The woodland area near home is accessed by passing through an open area of grassland known as By-the-way field. There is a metal gate to enter the woodland. At this point the gravel footpath crosses a bridge over what might generously be called a stream, but probably more accurately, a ditch. This is a great spot to linger a little, to look and listen. The bright sunshine so evident just a few steps back is now shaded by the canopy and branches of tall trees. It takes a second or two for the eyes to adjust.

One of the first birds to be seen and heard here will be the Great tit, Parus Major to give it its latin name. It has a bright yellow breast with a black line running down the centre. The black continues up to its head. There is a black cap and collar, with white cheeks. The back is olive green and the wings are grey / blue with a thin white line.

Camera shy

Our English Mallards can be a little camera shy. From our local reservoir early on cold but sunny New Year’s Day.

A Squabble

Collective nouns come up for discussion in our household now and then. They can be so descriptive. A ‘murder of crows’, a ‘parliament of owls’ and a ‘charm of goldfinch’ all offer some insight into the perceived nature of the birds.

A group of seagulls is known as a squabble. I think this recent image suggests why this particular collective noun may have been selected. This group of black-headed gulls were gathered on a short jetty on the larger of the two lakes at Longham Lakes on New Year’s Eve. As well as this half dozen on the railing there were another group on the deck of the jetty. There were probably about twenty birds or more gathered. at this location. Occasionally they would be disturbed, take to the air, and circle round the lake before returning to this favoured spot. As they jostled for landing positions there would be quarrelsome interactions between the birds.

Buzzard taking to flight

Winter had denuded the deciduous tree of its foliage. Long, spindly branches reached toward the grey, cloud covered sky. On one of the uppermost branches sat a buzzard, still and silent, surveying the surrounding scene. The only movement was the head rotating, presenting a profile first one way then the other of its dangerous hooked beak. Suddenly with one powerful beat of its outstretched wings it was airborne. It circled overhead a couple of times and then was gone disappearing eastward over a hedgerow heading east toward a mix of woodland and open farmland.