[tlr]

After last years Tobago trip we decided that we would go to Trinidad, mainly to visit the world renowned Asa Wright centre. We stayed there for 6 days, and it was fantastic. We ticked off another dozen hummingbirds, including the ridiculous Tufted Coquette.

Tufted Coquette - 6cm and 2 grams of plumage

IMGL0999 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

IMGL9682 by Tim Russon, on Flickr



White Chested Emerald

IMGL9401 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

IMGL9726 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

Green Hermit

IMGL1147 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

Little Hermit

IMGL0266 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

Black Throated Mango

IMGL0309 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

Purple Honeycreeper

IMGL9720 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

Green Honeycreeper

IMGL9830 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

Tarantula

IMGL0956 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

Long Tailed Machete, about 2 metres long....

IMGL9488 by Tim Russon, on Flickr


And a 12 inch wide moth, called the White Witch.

IMGL1069 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

[tlr]

A few more local recent ones:

Waxwings and Redwings have been very active around Ecclesall Rd and Greystones

IMGL2356 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

IMGL2304 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

Not a great shot, but pleased to finally get a shot of this Tawny in the garden. Bloody dark though - exposure was nearly 2 seconds!

IMGL2094 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

[fatneck]

Superb as ever Tim! Love the hummingbirds - incredible creatures.

I managed to catch up with some Waxwings in Warrington last week after a gap of about 20 years - my photos were rubbish though. Think Nai managed some decent photos of the Eccleshall ones...

Where do you live to get a Tawny in your garden!!?!

[andy_e]

Towny tawnies are surprisingly common lid. There's one that hoots in the trees at the end of my road, and one night it sat in my cherry tree and scared the shit out of me by screeching as loud as it could.

[fatneck]

Ha! Come to think of it, we usually have a couple in my local park but I can't imagine ever getting one in my yard...

[SA Chris]

Watched buzzard getting mobbed by a crow out the window while having lunch in canteen. Deer outside window, loads about today.

[nai]

Think Nai managed some decent photos of the Eccleshall ones...

Nothing like Tim's, just about ok for Insta on a phone.  Mine were against a house on a much duller day. I was so happy to catch them though, spent days driving all over Sheffield, Rotherham & Barnsley a couple of years back, a day late every time.

[tlr]

Where do you live to get a Tawny in your garden!!?!

Just on the west edge of Sheffield, but we do have a couple of big trees that it hangs out in. We put an owl box up in one of them, but no takers yet.

[ashtond6]

Tawnys in my trees too in Sheffield

Saw a pair of barn owls together, really close to me, over by bradfield, at exactly the same time, in exactly the same place on Wednesday and Sunday 

Awesome

[SamT]

Good times at the moment.

We have a Tawny that kicks about round us (top of bannerdale in sheffield).  Lots of trees around though. Saw it fly between our two blocks of flats last night.
Ticked a flock of waxwing in Greystones this morning.

Highlight recently though was last weekend, walking up though the woods to birchens on a very windy day and spotting a kes sat on a branch about 20 feet away, at the same height as us.  We (5 of us), watched it on its branch for a couple of minutes and it was completely unperturbed by us.  It seemed to be concentrating on the ground between us and it. Its head remaining still as its body swayed on the small branch.  Just as we were about to move on, it flew up and hovered, kes style, over the ground about 10 feet in front of us and at head level.   .

It didn't stoop, and flew off to another branch close by. Stunned us all. 

[nai]

Sounds brilliant Sam.

Went to Old Moor yesterday hoping to see a murmuration but whenever we visit we're always hoping to see Bitterns or Bearded Tits.  Got lucky with the Beardies, four of them were sat two meters from the path busily feeding and we're completely unbothered by the us standing watching them for 15 minutes.  Brilliant watching them walk along the stalks bending them over, being blown around but never stopping feeding.

P1140362 by Ian_Thomas, on Flickr

[tlr]

That’s a great shot.

[nai]

Cheers, got lucky, had taken almost 200 when I transferred them off the camera. Mostly obscured by stalks, a blur as they blew around or missing a bird altogether.

[tlr]

Hah. Nowt wrong with that. That’s pretty much the name of the game, and the beauty of digital! 

[fatneck]

Brilliant! Been a good year for Beardies in the North!

[Johnny Brown]

Was walking back from the beach in Abersoch on Friday when we saw a dragonfly. Now the normal dragonfly season in the UK is May-Oct so it was obvious it was going to be something unusual, thankfully it landed and we got a closer look and could confirm Vagrant Emperor, which has taken advantage of the recent winds to migrate north all the way from sub-Saharan Africa. Only the second record ever for North Wales and until this week only 3 had been seen in the UK in February ever, and all on the south coast.

Although improved knowledge and networking have undoubtedly increased reports, its a classic example of climate change with only 5 ever reported prior to 1980, then less than one a year up to 2008, then a couple of recent years (2011 & 2013) with 30 and 50 sightings. But still, at ~130 individuals ever seen in the UK to date it's by far the rarest thing I've ever found and identified by myself, well chuffed.

[GazM]

Good spot JB, and thanks for the context.
On a similar climate/weather wildlife theme, I picked 2 ticks out of our dog after a day in Torridon yesterday. February in the northwest highlands! Earliest ive ever seen that.

[Johnny Brown]

I've had them on both my last two winter climbing trips in mid-March. Grim.

[SA Chris]

And I thought I spotted new lambs on the weekend, can't help feeling concerned for them, not time to cast a cloot yet.

[fatneck]

Great discovery Adam! There have been several swallow sightings reported already this year and I saw both my first butterflies and bumblebees over the weekend too!!

[bigironhorse]

Great discovery Adam! There have been several swallow sightings reported already this year and I saw both my first butterflies and bumblebees over the weekend too!!

Likewise, I've spotted a few butterfllies in the last few weeks and a bumblebee over the weekend. Caught the sun on Saturday too, outrageous for the time of year.

[SamT]

Just been in the Swiss Alps and seen butterflies flutter by a couple of times.
+8 a few days and everything melting like crazy.

 

[SA Chris]

12 deg on top of Cairngorm last week. Temps in alps due to drop back, hope so or it will all be gone by easter.

[fatneck]

First Chiffchaffs of the year this week...

[andy popp]

I was in Colombia the weekend before last and even in the city there was lots of incredible bird life; lots I have no idea about, but also toucans and parrots just hanging out and best of all, on a boat trip, great masses of white herons and pelicans diving for fish.