Colin Holter

Happy Birthday Owen, fab pic!

Little Owl near the downs this morning - not an easy bird to see locally these days...
#ukbirding

Out & about in W.Sussex yesterday; 7 sp. of raptors incl. Peregrines, a Merlin, & the now well established pair of White-tailed Eagles. Disturbed from their usual tree by farmers on quad-bikes, one gave me a splendidly close flypast...
the eagle with the sunlit eye...mightily impressive!
#UKBirding

Thanks very much for the info Ian.

Thank you, presumably the ducks are there for most of the winter?

I might be coming to the Lothian coast, either late Oct or mid Nov - not been before - I'm wondering if there are likely to be any numbers of seaducks (?LTDs) close inshore or in the harbours? Or anything else likely along the coast?
Any info/tips appreciated.
Many thanks.
#birdinglothian

Chiffchaff

Whinchat

Whinchat

Whinchat

Several hours at Cissbury Ring this morning; dozens of Chiffchaffs & a fairly late Whinchat. Many more House Martins than Swallows passing through now, also a Dartford Warbler in the gorse.
Nearby, 150+ Corn Buntings in conservation strips - they really do make such a difference!
#UKBirding

Thanks Owen, I saw Martin had refound it - good work! Is that practically the same spot where there was one several years ago?

A trip over to farthest East Sussex on Monday to see an American Golden Plover near Jury's Gap; a striking bird amongst roosting Golden Plovers, then found a Buff-breasted Sandpiper in the same field!
2 vagrant American waders in a small ploughed field in East Sussex!
#ukbirding

A Bonxie (Gt.Skua) stood for 4.5h on one of the offshore rocks at Pendeen Watch today, trailing what looked to be a calamitously damaged left wing, I was getting a little fearful for it's future when it suddenly upped & flew away seemingly not hampered by it at all.
#seabirds
#cornwallbirding

Start of our week in West Cornwall; yesterday, my 1st Black Kite in the UK over Bartinney Downs, West Penwith - nice!
Later at Nanjulian, my 1st Choughs this year, always a joy to see (& hear), such joyously garrulous birds, not a cowpat left unexplored for miles!
#ukbirding
#cornwallbirding

On our way from Sussex to Cornwall yesterday, stopped at Hayling Oysterbeds early on & enjoyed terrific views of this rather splendid juv. Grey Phalarope + later on Salisbury Plain 7 rather distant male Gt.Bustards but just too far away to make any attempt at photographing them.
#ukbirding

Migrating Spotted Flycatchers, Redstarts & Whinchats passing through the Sussex downs in numbers this week on their way south - possibly the best time of year to be up on top of the downs.
#ukbirding

I think this is a f/imm. Southern Hawker, we've had several around our small wildlife pond in the garden recently - impressive beasts!
I sometimes wonder how the world must appear to a dragonfly? Very different to how we perceive it for sure!
#dragonflies

Wheatears & Whinchats on downs above Steyning this morning. The Whinchats often allowing a closer approach with the strong glary sunlight behind them - I quite like the resulting slightly washed out contre-jour effect + a Snipe flying N over the parched top of the downs was a surprise.
#ukbirding

Early this morning up on downs between Steyning & Cissbury; 40+ Yellow Wagtails around fences & cattle + 4 lovely Whinchats, always a pleasure to see as they head south as summer slowly turns to autumn.
#ukbirding

I'd never really noticed how effective these 2 red "eyespots" are on Painted Lady butterflies, perhaps enough to make any would be predators pause & think twice?
#butterflies

....but quite quiet on the bird front; Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Whitethroats & Blackcaps passing along hedges where orange hawthorn berries are turning red, blackberries ripening on brambles with reddening leaves, Swallows over harvested stubble fields....signs of oncoming autumn.

Lots of butterflies up on local downland this morning; Gatekeepers, Common Blues, Chalkhill Blue, Dingy Skipper - some looking a bit worn as summer feels like it's starting to fade....

Enjoyed spending some time watching the Common Terns at Rye Harbour on a grey day last week.
#ukbirding
#seabirds

Some Arctic Terns from our Orkney trip last month.
#scotlandbirding
#seabirds

A privilege to get such exceptionally close views of this rather beautiful Wood Sandpiper in East Sussex earlier this week.
#UKBirding

Dark phase Arctic Skua.

Common Tern.

Increasingly I find myself drawn to & humbled by the majesty & utter wildness of the sea (& all the birds that live out their lives in it's vastness).
Heard a quote from Claude Debussy today on Radio 3, "The sea. The thing in nature that best puts you in your place"....spot on!
#seabirds

Pleased to see decent numbers of Bonxies (Great Skuas) over moor & coast on Orkney. Plumage variations from heavily mottled to pure dark (?age related?).
Perhaps not quite as graceful & agile as Arctic Skuas but immensely powerful & untroubled into an Atlantic gale....
#orkneybirding
#seabirds

Most of the Arctic Skuas we saw on Orkney were dark phase with just a few pale phase birds. I always enjoy watching Skuas, exciting birds to see, such effortless mastery of their elements. Scootie Allan is the rather marvellous vernacular name for them in Orkney & Shetland.
#Orkneybirding
#seabirds

Wild, squally & mightily impressive afternoon of rough weather at Yesnaby cliffs, Mainland, Orkney.

Broch of Gurness, Mainland, Orkney.

Red-throated Divers, Orkney.

Red-throated Diver, Orkney.

Red-throated Diver, Orkney.

Don't see many breeding plumage Divers at home in Sussex, so enjoyed these close views of Red-throated Divers just off the Broch of Gurness on our Orkney trip last month; even a short bout of their evocative wailing song. Comfortably the most numerous diver species we saw.
#orkneybirding
#ukbirding

#SuperSeabirdSunday

I'd only seen imm. Glaucous Gulls previously, so was very pleased to find my 1st adult on an evening visit to the Ring of Brodgar, Orkney on our recent trip - we watched it cruising around, it even perched on top of one of the stones briefly! Memorable & pretty iconic!
#seabirds #scotlandbirding

Beautiful creatures in my home-made moth trap this morning. 2 very colourful Elephant Hawk Moths & an incredible Buff-tip - every time I see one I marvel how on earth anything evolves to resemble so perfectly a broken piece of birch twig?...incredible...all going on unseen in the garden at night....