Sunday, 20 January 2013
Fox
I have just looked out from my roof window looking out onto the Wyrley and Essington Canal and have seen an animal that is very common in urban areas at night, I am talking about the fox. In my opinion I am quite lucky because I have just had a brilliant view of not one, but two foxes. They were not fighting or competing for territory. They were probably about 200 metres apart and were unaware of each others presence. There are two paths on the section of the canal by me, one that is wide, leading from the bridge and away from the water (or in this case Ice) lets call it Path 1, and there is a second path which leads from the main path which is more narrow and closer to the water, Lets call this Path 2. I saw the first fox come along Path 2 on the canal and then cut through the undergrowth to get to Path 1, i also saw the second fox do exactly the same thing. Strange or what? I don't know if this is normal behaviour, please comment if you have a knowledge of a fox's behaviour. here is a photo, i know it isn't the best but it is all i could get because it is very dark.
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
Long awaited Update
Hi readers, sorry i haven't posted for a few months i have had other distractions. if you have any queries don't hesitate to comment and i shall be uploading any photos i have taken to the pictures page. I shall be going bird watching this weekend as well. i will be going to Gailey and to some fishing pools near Yarnfield because i want to look at new places.
Upton warren- 29/10/12
Ambleside 3/11/12
Robin x2, Jackdaw, Flock of male chaffinches x10, Wood pigeon, Great tit x1, Mallard, Mute swan x3, Buzzard x2, Magpie, Carrion crow
Northycote farm - 10/11/12
Carrion crow
Blackbirdx3
Goldfinch x3 heard 1
Jackdaw
Heard robin x1
Heard wren x2
Blue tit
Dunnock
Male and Female chaffinch
Greenfinch male and female
Great tit
Coal tit
Nuthatch
Buzzard
Herring gull
Upton warren- 29/10/12
The moors Car park
Long tailed tit, Wood pigeon, Black headed gull, Magpie, Mallard (fly over), Starlings (2 large flocks)
North moors pool
Mallard, black headed gull, Wood pigeon, Blackbird
The moors
Robin, Blackbird, Dunnock, Sparrow hawk, Goldcrest, Blue tit, Carrion crow, Black headed gull, Goldfinch, Ruddy duck female, Wigeon, Teal, Coot, Snipe, Shoveler, Curlew, Mute swan, Mallard, Gadwall, Grey heron, Great crested grebe, Cormorant, Canada goose, Wood pigeon, Kestrel, Lapwing, Moorhen, Kingfisher, Little grebe, Field fare? Couldn't distinguish colours, Greenfinch, Reed bunting male and female
Didn't go to flashes because it started raining heavily
Ambleside 3/11/12
Robin x2, Jackdaw, Flock of male chaffinches x10, Wood pigeon, Great tit x1, Mallard, Mute swan x3, Buzzard x2, Magpie, Carrion crow
Northycote farm - 10/11/12
Carrion crow
Blackbirdx3
Goldfinch x3 heard 1
Jackdaw
Heard robin x1
Heard wren x2
Blue tit
Dunnock
Male and Female chaffinch
Greenfinch male and female
Great tit
Coal tit
Nuthatch
Buzzard
Herring gull
Sunday, 14 October 2012
Northycote farm
Today i went back to Northycote farm for some more voluntary work and i didn't see many birds but we did go on a fungi walk.
Here is what i saw:
Jackdaw, Pied wagtail, Nuthatch, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Robin, Buzzard, Greenfinch, Sparrow hawk, Wood Pigeon.
On the fungi walk we saw a lot of mushrooms including:
Candle snuff
Earth Ball
Liberty cap (better known as magic mushrooms)
And a lot more
I shall post again about Northycote farm on the 8th of november and i shall probably do a post on the blog about my garden before then
Here is what i saw:
Jackdaw, Pied wagtail, Nuthatch, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Robin, Buzzard, Greenfinch, Sparrow hawk, Wood Pigeon.
On the fungi walk we saw a lot of mushrooms including:
Candle snuff
Earth Ball
Liberty cap (better known as magic mushrooms)
And a lot more
I shall post again about Northycote farm on the 8th of november and i shall probably do a post on the blog about my garden before then
Sunday, 30 September 2012
Thursday, 27 September 2012
Monday, 10 September 2012
The Summer Update
Hi readers this is what youve all been waiting for and here it is. This is what i have been doing all summer starting from the 16th of june to the 3rd of september. (Any important photos i shall post in the pictures page).
On the sixteenth of june me and my dad walked along the canal from wolverhampton to where i live and in total we saw:
Walk along the canal- 16/6/12
Coot x24 and x18 chick and 2 nest and 2 eggs, Swift or house martin x6, Mallard male x30, Mallard female x20 and 21 chicks, Woodpigeon 10+, Magpie 10+, Mute swan x2 and 2 signets, Moorhen x12 and chicks 21+, House sparrow 10+, greater black backed gull x1, Canada goose 5+ and chicks5+, Blackbird 5+, Pintail male x1, Starling 10+.
On the 25th of july i went birding with my grandad to saltwells wood, we didnt see much but here is what we did see:
Saltwells wood- 25/7/12
Woodpigeon, Grey squirrel, Magpie, Robin, Carrion crow, Jay, Common tern, Mallard, Mute swan, Coot, Black headed gull, Great crested grebe, Lbb gull, Blackbird, Canada goose, House sparrow.
On the same day we were passing leasowes park so we stopped in there briefly and we saw:
Leasowes park- 25/7/12
Magpie, Greenfinch, Blue tit (juvenile), Blackbird, Canada goose, Mute swan, Coot, Woodpigeon, Mallard, Moorhen.
On july the 28th i went on holiday with my family to france, we stayed near the city of limoges at a village called lussac les eglises and just outside the village there is a place called les bouiges and we discovered that there is a lake just down the road with a hide. It is called etang du murat (check it out on google maps) i did most of my birding there but we went cycling a lot so i did birding on the road aswell. we came back on the 3rd of August but during my time there this is what i saw (by the way i wrote it down for day and evening because i knew there would be different birds) I also wrote down wildlife:
France- 28/7/12
Coot, Beaver, Grey heron, Purple heron(new), Large birds of prey (they were silhouetted so i couldnt tell), Medium birds of prey(they were silhouetted so i couldnt tell), Great crested grebe, Mallard, Deer, Jay, Blue tit (juv), Blue tit, Swallow, House sparrow, Slug, Bat, Goldfinch.
29/7/12
Day-
Swallow, Blue tit (juv), Great tit, Black redstart, House sparrow, Goldfinch, Cormorant, Grey heron, Great crested grebe, Pied wagtail, Great crested grebe (juv), Buzzard, Blue tit, Kestrel, House Martin, Collared dove, Stonechat(new), Carrion crow.
Evening
Grey heron, Great crested grebe, Deer, Beaver, Buzzard, Pied wagtail, Fox.
30/7/12
Early morning
1 Grey heron, 2 Beaver, 5+ Great crested grebe, Cormorant, Coot, Buzzard, Some kind of warbler?, Purple heron(new), 4 foxes, 2 rabbits, Mallard.
Day
Swallow, Redstart (new), Stonechat, Buzzard.
Evening
Grey heron, Great crested grebe, Beaver, Rabbit, Carrion crow.
31/7/12
Day
Great tit, Heard woodpecker drumming, Buzzard, Swallow, Carrion crow, Possible rough legged buzzard.
Evening
Buzzard, Deer running about 2 metres in front of and along side me as I was cycling.
1/8/12
Day
Swallow, Buzzard, Carrion crow, House sparrow, House Martin, Collared dove, Stonechat, Coot, Great crested grebe, Grey heron, Lapwing.
Evening
Grey heron, Coot, Fox, Great crested grebe, Beaver, Carrion crow, Purple heron, Rabbit.
2/8/12
Day
Blue tit, Black redstart, Great tit, Buzzard.
Evening
Blackbird, Jay, Grey heron, Coot, Rabbit, Fox, Great crested grebe, Mallard, Beaver, Carrion crow, Cormorant.
3/8/12
Day
Blue tit, Blackbird, Carrion crow, Swallow, House sparrow.
Evening
Blackbird, Grasshopper, Grey heron, Coot, Great crested grebe, Mallard, Jay, Beaver, Deer.
On the 7th of august i went birding at sandwell valley nature reserve with my grandad, heres what we saw:
Sandwell valley - 7/8/12
Mallard, Woodpigeon, Coot, Swift, Goldfinch, Cormorant, Moorhen, Tufted duck, Canada goose, Magpie, Black headed gull, Lapwing, Pochard, Goldfinch (juv), Great tit, Stock dove, Starling, Female bullfinch, Reed warbler, Grey heron, House Martin, Blue tit, Wren, Carrion crow, Mute swan and signets, Lesser/greater black backed gull, Mallard, Green woodpecker heard only.
I went to Center Parcs with my family and friends.
Center Parcs Sherwood Forest- 10 august - 14 August
1 mute swan 4 signets, Moorhen, Robin, Mallard, Woodpigeon, Greylag goose, Canada goose, Magpie, Jay, Jackdaw, Great tit, Goldfinch, Chaffinch nest.
During my time at Center Parcs i had a go at falconry. The birds were- barn owl, american kestrel, buzzard, eagle owl and two i cant remember but they were an eagle and a hawk. i shall do a post on this as soon as i get the photos of me doing it. But i have made a montage video that you can watch on youtube at this address http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL1hDfty8wg&feature=plcp.
On august 31st I went to a museum with my grandad and on the way back we popped into upton warren and we saw an Osprey, i was very happy as it was a new bird and i had always wanted to see one. i could have stayed watching it for hours but we had to get back for dinner.
Heres a photo my grandad took:
Moors pool
Magpie, Blackbird, Wood pigeon, Canada goose, Black headed gull, Mallard, Coot, Osprey, Little owl (new), Grey heron, Mute swan, Moorhen, Greylag, Cormorant, Hobby (new), Buzzard, Kingfisher (new), Raven (new), Greenfinch, Coal tit, Great tit, Great crested grebe, Bullfinch.
On the sixteenth of june me and my dad walked along the canal from wolverhampton to where i live and in total we saw:
Walk along the canal- 16/6/12
Coot x24 and x18 chick and 2 nest and 2 eggs, Swift or house martin x6, Mallard male x30, Mallard female x20 and 21 chicks, Woodpigeon 10+, Magpie 10+, Mute swan x2 and 2 signets, Moorhen x12 and chicks 21+, House sparrow 10+, greater black backed gull x1, Canada goose 5+ and chicks5+, Blackbird 5+, Pintail male x1, Starling 10+.
On the 25th of july i went birding with my grandad to saltwells wood, we didnt see much but here is what we did see:
Saltwells wood- 25/7/12
Woodpigeon, Grey squirrel, Magpie, Robin, Carrion crow, Jay, Common tern, Mallard, Mute swan, Coot, Black headed gull, Great crested grebe, Lbb gull, Blackbird, Canada goose, House sparrow.
On the same day we were passing leasowes park so we stopped in there briefly and we saw:
Leasowes park- 25/7/12
Magpie, Greenfinch, Blue tit (juvenile), Blackbird, Canada goose, Mute swan, Coot, Woodpigeon, Mallard, Moorhen.
On july the 28th i went on holiday with my family to france, we stayed near the city of limoges at a village called lussac les eglises and just outside the village there is a place called les bouiges and we discovered that there is a lake just down the road with a hide. It is called etang du murat (check it out on google maps) i did most of my birding there but we went cycling a lot so i did birding on the road aswell. we came back on the 3rd of August but during my time there this is what i saw (by the way i wrote it down for day and evening because i knew there would be different birds) I also wrote down wildlife:
France- 28/7/12
Coot, Beaver, Grey heron, Purple heron(new), Large birds of prey (they were silhouetted so i couldnt tell), Medium birds of prey(they were silhouetted so i couldnt tell), Great crested grebe, Mallard, Deer, Jay, Blue tit (juv), Blue tit, Swallow, House sparrow, Slug, Bat, Goldfinch.
29/7/12
Day-
Swallow, Blue tit (juv), Great tit, Black redstart, House sparrow, Goldfinch, Cormorant, Grey heron, Great crested grebe, Pied wagtail, Great crested grebe (juv), Buzzard, Blue tit, Kestrel, House Martin, Collared dove, Stonechat(new), Carrion crow.
Evening
Grey heron, Great crested grebe, Deer, Beaver, Buzzard, Pied wagtail, Fox.
30/7/12
Early morning
1 Grey heron, 2 Beaver, 5+ Great crested grebe, Cormorant, Coot, Buzzard, Some kind of warbler?, Purple heron(new), 4 foxes, 2 rabbits, Mallard.
Day
Swallow, Redstart (new), Stonechat, Buzzard.
Evening
Grey heron, Great crested grebe, Beaver, Rabbit, Carrion crow.
31/7/12
Day
Great tit, Heard woodpecker drumming, Buzzard, Swallow, Carrion crow, Possible rough legged buzzard.
Evening
Buzzard, Deer running about 2 metres in front of and along side me as I was cycling.
1/8/12
Day
Swallow, Buzzard, Carrion crow, House sparrow, House Martin, Collared dove, Stonechat, Coot, Great crested grebe, Grey heron, Lapwing.
Evening
Grey heron, Coot, Fox, Great crested grebe, Beaver, Carrion crow, Purple heron, Rabbit.
2/8/12
Day
Blue tit, Black redstart, Great tit, Buzzard.
Evening
Blackbird, Jay, Grey heron, Coot, Rabbit, Fox, Great crested grebe, Mallard, Beaver, Carrion crow, Cormorant.
3/8/12
Day
Blue tit, Blackbird, Carrion crow, Swallow, House sparrow.
Evening
Blackbird, Grasshopper, Grey heron, Coot, Great crested grebe, Mallard, Jay, Beaver, Deer.
On the 7th of august i went birding at sandwell valley nature reserve with my grandad, heres what we saw:
Sandwell valley - 7/8/12
Mallard, Woodpigeon, Coot, Swift, Goldfinch, Cormorant, Moorhen, Tufted duck, Canada goose, Magpie, Black headed gull, Lapwing, Pochard, Goldfinch (juv), Great tit, Stock dove, Starling, Female bullfinch, Reed warbler, Grey heron, House Martin, Blue tit, Wren, Carrion crow, Mute swan and signets, Lesser/greater black backed gull, Mallard, Green woodpecker heard only.
I went to Center Parcs with my family and friends.
Center Parcs Sherwood Forest- 10 august - 14 August
1 mute swan 4 signets, Moorhen, Robin, Mallard, Woodpigeon, Greylag goose, Canada goose, Magpie, Jay, Jackdaw, Great tit, Goldfinch, Chaffinch nest.
During my time at Center Parcs i had a go at falconry. The birds were- barn owl, american kestrel, buzzard, eagle owl and two i cant remember but they were an eagle and a hawk. i shall do a post on this as soon as i get the photos of me doing it. But i have made a montage video that you can watch on youtube at this address http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL1hDfty8wg&feature=plcp.
On august 31st I went to a museum with my grandad and on the way back we popped into upton warren and we saw an Osprey, i was very happy as it was a new bird and i had always wanted to see one. i could have stayed watching it for hours but we had to get back for dinner.
Heres a photo my grandad took:
Me and my grandad went to upton Warren on Monday 3rd September. This is what we saw:
Upton warren- 3/9/12
Moors pool
Magpie, Blackbird, Wood pigeon, Canada goose, Black headed gull, Mallard, Coot, Osprey, Little owl (new), Grey heron, Mute swan, Moorhen, Greylag, Cormorant, Hobby (new), Buzzard, Kingfisher (new), Raven (new), Greenfinch, Coal tit, Great tit, Great crested grebe, Bullfinch.
North moors pool
Great tit, Blue tit, Blackbird.
Sailing pool
Great crested grebe, Black headed gull.
The flashesMoorhen, Wood pigeon, Carrion crow, Osprey, Green sandpiper x5 (new), Snipe, Lapwing, Curlew 20+, Teal, Starling, Pied wagtailx2, Mallard.
Thats all for the moment. there will be an update of my life list and photos of my birding outings on the pictures page
Monday, 3 September 2012
coming up
Hi readers just to let you know i haven't posted since june so i have a lot to catch up on. i shall be writing a blog post including photos and should be posting it tomorrow evening. It will include:
Keep Reading, James
PS.I am also changing the blog name to Taylor Birding In Europe because of my trip to france and my easter trip to ireland earlier on in the year
- days out birding with my grandad (eg. saltwells wood, upton warren, sandwell valley etc.)
- my trip to france
- my falconry experience (There won't be photos of me but as soon as i get hold of them i shall upload them in a seperate post)
- a walk along the canal with my dad.
- an update of my life list
Keep Reading, James
PS.I am also changing the blog name to Taylor Birding In Europe because of my trip to france and my easter trip to ireland earlier on in the year
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)