[Duma]

went over to Skomer yesterday, bit early for the fun stuff, but got a good look at a few Choughs, and managed a brief glimpse of one of the first puffins from the ferry on the way back. Typically, they report there's hundreds rafting today, and the first one came ashore too...

[fatboySlimfast]

Pretty certain i saw a kite over jnc 45 of the m1 on way home last night

[fatneck]

The first Swallow sightings have been reported by Bardsey Bird Obbs and also one spotted at Hilbre Island yesterday. Also, an osprey was seen fishing from Hilbre along with a Merlin and a Sand Martin. Summer is a comin'...

[Muenchener]

Pretty certain i saw a kite over jnc 45 of the m1 on way home last night

I was astonished when I saw red kites over the M40 in the Chilterns on my way from Llanberis to Dover last summer. From my childhood I remembered them being an extremely endangered species in the UK with only a couple of breeding pairs in mid Wales. Little did I know they had been successfuly reintroduced to England.

Likewise, the fact that I work halfway up a tall building and the peregrines that live on the roof occasionally fly past my window never ceases to amaze and delight me.

[JackAus]

Been a good couple days of wildlife this week. Saw a flock (pack? mob? herd?) of about 20 emus the other day. Not a common sight...
Saw a white bellied sea eagle with a fish in its talons and a big wedge tail eagle. Both fairly common around here though...

Driving home from work last night and a car in front managed to hit a big roo. Had to have been over 2m... I drove past and it was still alive and tried to bounce away with a severly broken left leg. Never like seeing that.
I've managed to hit 2 kangaroos in the past year and I've lost count of the number of brake slamming near misses...

Not my photos. Would love a decent enough camera/lens to be able to get shots of them...

White bellied:


Wedge:

[Johnny Brown]

I was astonished when I saw red kites over the M40 in the Chilterns

I saw my first Kite over the M40 in 1991 or 1992. Nearly 25 years on they're common as rooks down there. Great to see them regularly over the Yorkshire crags now too.

[GazM]

On the red kite theme, some cretin has poisoned 12 (+4 buzzards) just north of Inverness. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-26844671

Small minded medieval behaviour.   

[SA Chris]

managed a brief glimpse of one of the first puffins from the ferry on the way back. Typically, they report there's hundreds rafting today, and the first one came ashore too...

Good to know, only be about a month before they arrive on the East Coast! Keen to get to Fowlsheugh this spring.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/f/fowlsheugh/

[Nutty]

Spotted a kestrel, jay and a couple of goldcrests at Beacon Hill on Saturday. On the 31st I saw a peregrine, goldfinch, greenfinch and few wrens in/around/above the Cuttings Boulderfield  on Portland.

[SA Chris]

Oh yeah, snow bunting at Cairngorm Mountain car park. Pursued by two guys with very large lenses getting far too excited.

[mini]

Spotted this fella up on The Old Man of Coniston yesterday. Never seen one before, and first feelers back in suggested a Lady Amherst pheasant (cheers AndiT), but a bit of google searching later now suggest a Silver Pheasant? Anyone know much about them? By all accounts mainly found in Asia rather the north of England 

Silver pheasant by The Trad., on Flickr

[fatneck]

That's amazing! Nothing useful to add though unfortunately...

[neilslim]

We used to keep silver pheasants in a huge aviary at home when I was a kid, 1 male and 3 hens. The hens are just brown,  but the male was like the picture above. Our male was cool, he used to eat from your hand  and do a wierd dance display thing. We had a golden pheasant to,  but that died and found its way into my fathers fly tying kit!

[Yoof]

Had a good bird day today, with a dipper, goosander, cormorant, merlins and a heron. 

[fatneck]

Had a brilliant family trip to Brockholes nature reserve near Preston on Sunday... Saw loads of swallows and Sand Martins as well as a few House Martins along with various waders and a nice black swan. Very accessible off the M6 and a great floating cafe meaning you can enjoy a cuppa whilst bird watching



They did a great scavenger hunt for the kids, fantastic adventure playground and have had Ospreys and Otters visit in recent times. A Grasshopper Warbler was spotted the day before we were there as well!

Highly recommended...

[SamT]

Merlin or Hobby,  not sure.

Was walking along the shallow limestone dry dale (towards giants hole above castleton)  Small falcon. Def not a peregrine or a sparrowhawk.

Flitted along the wall/fenceposts, moving another 10m along each time we got closer, wonderful view.  Bit scruffy looking, grey back, whiteish front.  My initial thought was hobby (never having seen one though), but I thought I saw a pinkish throat. 
On looking at web images, seems the Hobby has pinking legs, which I dont recall, and a Merlin has the pinkish throat which leaves me confused.

Another clue  could lie in our next sighting a minute laters.  On descending into the large cave entrance my mate flinched as something buzzed in his face, which looked at first like a large bat, it flitted past us again and to my surprise, it was my first Swallow of the summer, but in the dim dark of a cave entrance.  Bizarre.  However, RSPB site says Hobbys hunt for swallows, which may suggest why it was hiding in the cave entrance!!

So - Hobby or Merlin?? - any thoughts.

[fatneck]

Going by the description of the behaviour I'd go with Hobby? In my (limited) experience Hobby's like to hunt between hedgerows/in gorges ambushing small birds/insect etc and when I've seen them they've always exhibited that flitting and resting behaviour. I've only ever seen Merlin in more exposed/moorland settings. I'm not an expert though...

[Johnny Brown]

A Hobby's russet 'trousers' are usually the most obvious thing. I've only seen them overhead though so can't comment on behaviour. I wouldn't rule out a Merlin in that habitat, and they are more likely to look a little scruffy. With such a close view size might be useful? Hobby's are Kestrel sized, Merlins surprisingly small more like a thrush.

[Sloper]

Pretty certain i saw a kite over jnc 45 of the m1 on way home last night

There are loads of red kite around there, almost as many as the M40.

[Sloper]

Spotted this fella up on The Old Man of Coniston yesterday. Never seen one before, and first feelers back in suggested a Lady Amherst pheasant (cheers AndiT), but a bit of google searching later now suggest a Silver Pheasant? Anyone know much about them? By all accounts mainly found in Asia rather the north of England 

Silver pheasant by The Trad., on Flickr

Albino Pheasants are fairly well known and you always get a bonus bagging one on a shoot.  Not sure if this is a silver asian pheasant or just an albino one.

[slackline]

Albino Pheasants are fairly well known and you always get a bonus bagging one on a shoot.  Not sure if this is a silver asian pheasant or just an albino one.

Its got black on its front/chest so I doubt its albino (unless its mosaicism, but then I'd expect the non-albino patches to be the normal pheasant colour).  My searching suggests its a Silver Pheasant which are as mentioned naturally found in South Asia.

Could be its an escapee from a wildlife park or such like

[r-man]

Had a brilliant family trip to Brockholes nature reserve near Preston on Sunday...

I was there recently, also impressed. Talked to one guy who was waiting for the Osprey which fly through every year. Been doing a tour of wildlife reserves in Lancs recently, trying to film wildlife with my brother. Leighton Moss was our favourite - regularly saw Marsh Harriers, once saw a Bittern and got a fantastic view of some red deer at the water's edge. My brother made a little film from all the footage. Marsh Harriers and the Bittern were too shaky so didn't make the cut.

[Plattsy]

Saw my first curlew t'other day in the field opposite the Parsons Lodge and 3 deer crossed the track ahead of us on the horizon during a club run last night on our way up Blackamoor. Brilliant!

[Muenchener]

Just saw a small reddish falcon outside the office. No forked tail so not a kestrel. Juvenile peregrine?

[Sloper]

Albino Pheasants are fairly well known and you always get a bonus bagging one on a shoot.  Not sure if this is a silver asian pheasant or just an albino one.

Its got black on its front/chest so I doubt its albino (unless its mosaicism, but then I'd expect the non-albino patches to be the normal pheasant colour).  My searching suggests its a Silver Pheasant which are as mentioned naturally found in South Asia.

Could be its an escapee from a wildlife park or such like

I'd never bag one with my f--king eyesight (Mr McGoo)