Return to moorhen home page
Return to section index
Image-of-the-Day by Subject
Birds, Insects & Bats in flight (outdoors) Page 1
Image Taken on 20 Oct 2010
at 16:54 Image of day on 15 Dec 2010
A flock of about 30 goldfinches is often about the plot enjoying
the catkins. They are very skittish and you have to be slow and
patient for them to ignore humans. Here the flock is arriving at
a silver birch.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20101215_df1_20101020_1654_099 flock of about 30 goldfinches landing in top of silver birch 2 of 8 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 20 Oct 2010
at 16:55 Image of day on 15 Dec 2010
Now they have all landed in this one tree there seem to be more goldfinches
than tree! (genuine single frame).
The endless twittering of these flocks is a delight.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20101215_df1_20101020_1655_126 flock of about 30 goldfinches landing in top of silver birch 8 of 8 (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 04 Mar 2010
at 17:39 Image of day on 09 Apr 2010
We have been regularly going out at sunset to hope to see our
local Barn owl setting out on his evening hunt. Twice now, at
different places, we have seen the owl being harassed by a
Corvid, in one case never identified, and in this case definitely
a jackdaw. As the darkness forces us back home the owl gets left
in peace by the corvids as well.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20100409_df1_20100304_1739_024+029_032+034 barn owl & jackdaw sparring in flight at dusk 5+10+13+15 of 16 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 27 Jan 2010
at 02:46 Image of day on 05 Mar 2010
A CCTV recording of the same event shows that this Barn owl was
making chance flyby behind the kitchen window feeder in the early
hours. Its a bit behind the pre-focus on the perch but a rather
unusual view. The wing on our left falls into the shadow of the
feeder and disappears but you can see the tip at the extreme left
at the top of the frame (edge of the original).
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20100305_d36_20100127_0246_055_fb3 barn owl in flight (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 10 Feb 2009
at 16:08 Image of day on 03 Mar 2009
It didn't seem too bothered by our presence, and flew by
close enough for a 'portrait'.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20090303_db1_20090210_1608_255 barn owl in flight (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Mar 2010
at 16:40 Image of day on 02 Apr 2010
A chance glimpse through a gap in the hedge and a trudge over the
fields brought us our first close encounter with a barn owl which
disdainfully ignored both photographer and camera noise to hunt
over some rough grass. These two images were 3 frames apart (so
accurate positioning would completely spoil the effect!)
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20100402_df1_20100301_1640_793+796 barn owl in flight 2+5 of 6 (contracted montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Mar 2010
at 17:51 Image of day on 19 Apr 2010
In that few minutes between dark enough for the barn owl to emerge
and there not being enough light to photograph it, this barn owl
floated silently by lit by the orange sky.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20100419_df1_20100314_1751_239 barn owl in flight lit by setting sun (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 10 Feb 2009
at 16:08 Image of day on 03 Mar 2009
We startled this barn owl from one of our fence posts, which then
proceeded hawk the area for 10 minutes or so. Of hundreds of
images we managed to get, here is our initial view.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20090303_db1_20090210_1608_247 barn owl in flight lit by setting sun from rear (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 10 Feb 2009
at 16:10 Image of day on 03 Mar 2009
The owl spent some time 'hopping' along the fence posts 70m or
so to our North. Not ideal for good images, but we rather like
this sequence probably lasting about 1 second in real time.
Ref: 20090303_db1_20090210_1610_301-306 barn owl landing on fence post.gif
Image Taken on 22 Aug 2006
at 20:08 Image of day on 28 Aug 2006
A first sighting for us of what we think is a Female Black
Redstart. We have a more conventional view, but this shows the
glowing orange tail to good advantage.
 in flight(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20060828_d3e_20060822_2008_166 fb1 black redstart female (q) in flight(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image of day on 07 Feb 2005
Hen Blackbird just taken off from the log feeding area.
.jpg)
Ref: 20050207_d3e_09270 fb1 blackbird female in flight 2005feb04_07-53-40(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image of day on 08 Jan 2006
By chance the next batch of photos caught the (probably the same)
Female Blackbird landing at the same site (4 days and 142 frames
later in real time - hurray for digital cameras rather than a
roll of film a day).
.jpg)
Ref: 20060108_d3e_28750 fb1 blackbird female landing 2006jan06_07-51-34(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 10 Dec 2007
at 13:46 Image of day on 07 Jan 2008
While trying to photograph Fieldfares flying out of a hedge top
this Blackbird carrying a Sloe in its beak came out instead.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20080107_d01_20071210_1346_043 blackbird in flight with blackthorn berry in beak (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Oct 2011
at 17:10 Image of day on 04 Dec 2011
A nice show of feathers from this Bluetit fluttering through the hedge bottom.
.jpg)
Ref: 20111204_d45_20111014_1710_023_fb1 bluetit fluttering through hedge bottom(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 24 Jul 2010
at 10:32 Image of day on 28 Aug 2010
Apparently Great tits and Bluetits occasionally produce a second
brood.. Maybe all the peanut feeders & other food offerings we
provide speed up raising the first brood, because we are seeing
multiple batches of new young tits at the kitchen window feeders,
and here 50m away at the tree stump they photograph themselves.
This is a montage of a young Bluetit and young Great Tit
photographed about an hour apart but in their actual positions.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20100828_d35_20100724_1032_042+1139_047_fb4 young bluetit landing + young great tit standing on tree stump (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 28 Jul 2010
at 10:02 Image of day on 04 Sep 2010
Genuine single frame (the bluetit at the left selectively
sharpened) of a couple of the new inhabitants of our patch. Tits
sometimes produce second or late broods - this year both Bluetits
and Great tit have done just that.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20100904_d35_20100728_1002_040_fb4 young bluetit landing on tree stump with young great tit already standing on it (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 21 Dec 2009
at 09:07 Image of day on 23 Jan 2010
The tree trunk top camera got a lot of snow related portraits of
which this Bluetit is a sample.
.jpg)
Ref: 20100123_d35_20091221_0907_002_fb4 bluetit landing on trunk top(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 28 May 2009
at 14:23 Image of day on 27 Jun 2009
Brimstone butterflies have been a delight this week, the male
fluttering around the perched female and spiralling together into
the sky
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20090627_db1_20090528_1423_073 brimstone butterfly male fluttering round female on red campion (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 28 Jul 2011
at 18:06 Image of day on 09 Sep 2011
This Brown Hawker Dragonfly female was having great time feeding on midges -
you can see one here hanging out of the bottom of her mouth.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20110909_df1_20110728_1806_086 brown hawker dragonfly female in flight with midge in mouth (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 18 Sep 2009
at 19:58 Image of day on 26 Oct 2009
We saw about a dozen bats leaving the loft and got pictures of
what we think are Brown long-eared bats. They exit through a
long existing hole under the eaves several metres from this
point, but this is where they all seem to fly and by the time you
have spotted one exiting its too late unless you photograph where
they (mostly) go.
 bat in flight(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20091026_d01_20090918_1958_027 brown long-eared (q) bat in flight(r+mb id@576).jpg
Comments and requests for image use
To make a comment, ask for information or to request a full
resolution image, send us an email including the reference or
the date for the image you are interested in.
All initial contacts should be made using the icon below:-
