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Birds, Insects & Bats in flight (outdoors) Page 65

Image Taken on 27 Oct 2019 at 12:19    Image of day on 10 Dec 2019

Sparrowhawk sightings are usually Whizz-by events, but this one hung in the air for minute of so to allow this little sequence.


Ref: 20191210_df3_20191027_1219_008-020 sparrowhawk male in flight 01+06+10+13 of 13 (close spaced montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 25 Nov 2008 at 13:21    Image of day on 13 Dec 2008

A biting north wind limited the birds and us to short forays. The birds were all trying to keep near the ground - even the corvids. This sparrowhawk swooped by us skimming over the ground so close to it that it's shadow is only just offset.


Ref: 20081213_dc1_20081125_1321_157 sparrowhawk male in flight low over fields in cold north wind (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 14 Mar 2010 at 09:42    Image of day on 21 Apr 2010

This Sparrowhawk made an atypical loop round the house before vanishing as fast as it arrived.


Ref: 20100421_df1_20100314_0942_044 sparrowhawk overhead (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 17 Aug 2023 at 07:01    Image of day on 13 Oct 2023

This Sparrowhawk made a short visit to the Meadow Post an hour or so after sunrise. This looks like a female, but more probably a new juvenile, sussing out the area.


Ref: 20231013_d01_20230817_0701_001_fb6 sparrowhawk prob juvenile landing on meadow post 1 of 2 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 14 Sep 2009 at 09:19    Image of day on 27 Oct 2009

We don't see much of this bird except as Wham-Bang-Grab-Gone visits to take tits at the bird feeders, so its nice to get a few pics. The bird actually got so close it filled the frame for a moment but horribly blurred and human necks don't bend far enough backwards to follow it.


Ref: 20091027_db1_20090914_0919_072 sparrowhawk single flyby (selected) 1 of 8 (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 14 Sep 2009 at 09:19    Image of day on 27 Oct 2009




Ref: 20091027_db1_20090914_0919_073 sparrowhawk single flyby (selected) 2 of 8 (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 14 Sep 2009 at 09:19    Image of day on 27 Oct 2009




Ref: 20091027_db1_20090914_0919_087 sparrowhawk single flyby (selected) 8 of 8 (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 06 Aug 2023 at 07:18    Image of day on 26 Sep 2023

A single grass seed head bent over by this the tiny spider's web. The long strand from the tip of the grass back out of from on the right looks like some sort of structural entity - that minute speck of a creature know how to do structural engineering!


Ref: 20230926_df3_20230806_0718_003 spider web pulling grass stem into semi circle(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 01 Sep 2010 at 17:48    Image of day on 25 Oct 2010

And now a moment from their hunting technique - sit on a wire, post or branch until you see a tempting insect. Launch towards it (may be 0.5 to several metres away), grab it, then fly back to your previous perch or another one nearby. Here we were lucky to catch the exact moment of the insect inside the beak but not yet captive - it did get it judging by the following two frames.


Ref: 20101025_df1_20100901_1748_163 spotted flycatcher in flight with insect going into beak (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 27 May 2009 at 05:51    Image of day on 20 Jun 2009

The starlings that nested in the loft have fledged and are appearing round the house. We don't know what is going on here, but mostly they are being fed by parents or feeding themselves. The parent is on the left.


Ref: 20090620_d36_20090527_0551_106 fb3 starling adult male and fledgling face to face in flight(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 18 May 2011 at 17:49    Image of day on 14 Jun 2011

Young starlings are in abundance. This family has at least 3 youngsters being fed at feeders, in bushes & on the ground.


Ref: 20110614_d3b_20110518_1749_193_fb3 starling juvenile landing on perch(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 08 Mar 2021 at 14:08    Image of day on 02 Apr 2021

Following sighting of only a few starlings, we were really surprised to see this elegant moving cloud to the south, rising up and landing for a cause we couldn't see. We estimate 1500 birds in this section you can see.


Ref: 20210402_d73_20210308_1408_018 1500 starlings (approx) in flight 2 of 2 (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 06 Jun 2014 at 15:28    Image of day on 11 Aug 2014

The 100 juvenile starling (and a few adults) flying over the Oil-seed rape crop and then diving down into it en-mass to feed.


Ref: 20140811_df2_20140606_1528_134 100 starlings (mostly juveniles) in flight while feeding in oil-seed rape crop (crop 2)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 28 Nov 2023 at 12:39    Image of day on 03 Jan 2024

The Starlings were not a single group - this flock of about 80 seemed to appear out of nowhere, only slightly depleting the number on the wires.


Ref: 20240103_df3_20231128_1239_009 80 starlings in flight(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 28 Nov 2023 at 12:39    Image of day on 03 Jan 2024

From another frame of the flock of 80 Starlings, here is an extraction of 9 for more detail.


Ref: 20240103_df3_20231128_1239_008 9 starlings in flight part of flock of about 80(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 17 May 2022 at 18:52    Image of day on 24 Jun 2022

Next evening the Stock Dove visits again for this rather Quirky portrait.


Ref: 20220624_e60_20220517_1852_055_fb3 stock dove landing on kitchen perch(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 16 May 2022 at 19:56    Image of day on 24 Jun 2022

We haven't seen a Stock Dove for many months. This one has made several appearances since this moment of discovery.


Ref: 20220624_e60_20220516_1956_021_fb3 stock dove landing on kitchen perch - 1st of 2022(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 17 Aug 2008 at 11:51    Image of day on 03 Sep 2008

The swallows continue to delight, and this pair of consecutive images at the start of a session show you top and bottom of the bird.


Ref: 20080903_dc1_20080817_1151_001 swallow about to swoop down from wire(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image of day on 22 Aug 2006

This montage of two images taken late morning 14 Aug 2003 shows another image of swallows feeding in flight. The camera takes just over 3 frames/sec so these are about .3 second apart (left to right).


Ref: 20060822_d10_00699+00700 swallow feeding young in flight (processed montage about 300ms apart)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 04 Sep 2007 at 17:41    Image of day on 30 Sep 2007

Montage of about .75 seconds of a swallow passing food to it's chick.


Ref: 20070930_d01_20070904_1741_050_to_54 swallow feeding young in flight montage of 1 to 5 of 5(r+mb id@1024).jpg


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