Tag Archives: birds

Apr 20 2024
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

In the Pink (Walvis Bay lagoon)

Friday 19th April 2024, 8.35am (day 4,621)

Walvis Bay flamigos, 19/4/24

The dominant theme of the last few days has been sand, so it’s about time we had some local fauna on here. This is not only the first time I have ever seen flamingos in the wild, but, I am fairly sure, anywhere. Apparently over 200,000 of them live on Walvis Bay’s lagoon. This place is where I came in with Namibia, on the flight out to St Helena some 16 months ago (see this shot): compared to that, today’s picture is certainly fuller of life and rather pinker. Flamingos are pink — it’s the way they are — and they definitely seem to like each others’ company.

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Apr 09 2024
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Goose couple

Monday 8th April 2024, 6.45pm (day 4,610)

Goose couple, 8/4/24

Goose couples like these are pairing up around the valley’s watercourses. Doubtless within a couple of months these two will be shepherding around little balls of golden fluff that, within a reasonably short space of time, will turn into hissing, crapping brutes just like their parents. But I guess that’s what human parents do too, right?

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Dec 29 2023
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Feeding time

Thursday 28th December 2023, 9.05am (day 4,508)

Feeding birds, 28/12/23

Yesterday’s drive home went only as far as Morecambe, with the rest being done today. Staying at the in-laws’ always gives the chance to watch the local birdlife feed on the ample supplies Dave (Clare’s Dad) leaves out for them. Not that capturing them, in this case, on another dull day, through both a window and a network of branches proved very easy. Out of the many shots I tried none of them were all that sharp. But I quite like the somewhat disdainful look of the one on the right as it watches its buddy trough the bounty.

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Nov 13 2023
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

They’re outta here

Sunday 12th November 2023, 1.30pm (day 4,463)

Many geese, 12/11/23

This is certainly one of the bigger flocks of geese I have seen. I reckon there are upwards of 250 visible on this photo and I didn’t even get the head. How do they co-ordinate this? Who makes the decision to go at a particular time and place? What if one of them heads off and no one follows, does it get annoyed or feel like a bit of an idiot? So many things we do not know about the animal mind.

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Sep 21 2023
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Poser

Wednesday 20th September 2023, 6.35pm (day 4,409)

Duck poser, 20/9/23

I am irresistibly reminded of a drag queen at Pride, or one of those amazing Brazilian samba women at the Notting Hill Carnival, posing for the camera in front of a line of stern grey coppers…. Happy Wednesday, little feller.

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May 17 2023
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Duck-pigeon War: new developments (with optional postscript)

Wednesday 17th May 2023, 2.55pm (day 4,283)

Duck-pigeon war developments, 17/5/23

“Ssshhh. They’re asleep, I think. We can sneak in….”

“I feel scared. The water….”

POSTSCRIPT (feel free to ignore): You should have had a picture from London today. Specifically, I was going to go inside the Houses of Parliament for the first time in my life. However, thanks to an exquisitely timed cancelled train today — eradicated 10 minutes too late for me to get an earlier one — I couldn’t make it to King’s Cross in time for the event. So there was no point going. So Northern fuck up my day, and I get to just suck it up.

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Feb 13 2023
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Daily Post, Landscape

The Thames at Brentford

Sunday 12th February 2023, 9.35am (day 4,189)

Thames at Brentford, 12/2/23

Despite having come to London regularly over the years there are still parts of this massive city that I have not yet explored. The western suburbs were amongst them, but this time I am staying in Brentford, giving me the chance to take a Sunday morning walk down the banks of the Thames to Chiswick and Barnes, all desirable spots. The river looks narrow here but that’s because over there is an eyot, or river island, which splits the flow in two at this point. What the old concrete post was, no idea — but the birds like to perch on it.

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Jan 29 2023
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Waxbills

Saturday 28th January 2023, 12.55pm (day 4,174)

Waxbills, 28/1/23

I’m fairly certain these are juvenile common waxbills (Estrilda astrild), a member of the finch family. They don’t yet have the bright red bill that gives the species its name (as it looks like it has been dipped in sealing wax) but everything else about them matches the description, particularly the red stripe through the eye. The one on the lower branch flew off the instant I pressed the shutter, and is fluffing himself up ready to make the jump. Taken on my walk to the summit of the island, Diana’s Peak — more photos from the day can be seen on my other blog.

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Dec 19 2022
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Beneath the drop zone

Sunday 18th December 2022, 4.05pm (day 4,133)

Drop zone, 18/12/22

It is known that birds are relatively intelligent creatures for their size, so as I crawl through this null time before Christmas, trying not to think about work, questions come to mind, such as — do they deliberately crap on people’s heads, or is it all an accident? This old metalwork crosses over a street in Hebden as it links two buildings, and whatever it once was, it is now prime pigeon perch; and always worth a look upwards, before any attempt to pass beneath it.

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Oct 28 2022
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Busted by the jackdaws

Thursday 27th October 2022, 9.45am (day 4,081)

Two jackdaws, 27/10/22

“That human is taking surreptitious bird shots again.”

“Hah! All that stuff about ‘not repeating himself’… Such rubbish. We’ve been on here before, I’m sure.”

“Yes, I remember that one. Glad you’re talking to me again now.”

“Hmmm, well, I’m still a bit miffed with you but I’m getting over it.”

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