30 December 2013

(Northern) Gannet

During the Christmas holidays we had a couple of free afternoons so we headed to Europa Point to observe the Gannets that enter the bay to feed. Wow, what a show they put on for us! The way they fly into the wind, whilst still observing the sea below, and  then performing vertical dives from considerable heights to catch fish.


This bird species breeds colonially along steep rocky coasts and on inaccessible rocky islands in N. Atlantic, with the largest concetration in W. Scotland (St Kilda). Pelargic and mobile outside breeding season; some reach W. Africa , others W. Mediterranean, and many remain in their breeding areas.Numerous are located along the west European coast in autumn.


The adult bird is white with black wing tips and a yellowish-buff head. 


Juvenile birds: Plumage wholly grey-brown except for whitish uppertail-coverts.


Young birds aquire adult plumage by stages over 4 - 5 years.


As you can see we took a good number of photos, as it was hard not to when they kept coming round, searching and diving for fish.

On several occasions we saw them appear straight after the dive complete with their catch, swallowing the fish quickly, as there are always greedy gulls nearby just waiting to steal their prize. As you can see from the photo below, this Yellow-legged Gull (JUV) was successful!


Here are some of the photos we took on our local outing however, please check the Picasa gallery titled 'Birds 2' for a few more shots that were taken on the day.


On behalf of the Bird Nerds crew - John, Gareth, Craig & Paul - we would also like to wish our followers, subscribers, and all of our supporters (you know who you are!) a happy New Year, and all the best for 2014.


Thank you so much for checking our blog, and for recommending us to friends. We hope to continue to bring you details from our birdwatching outings during 2014.





24 December 2013

Chiffchaff

We spent a few relaxing hours in the Alameda Botanical Gardens (Gibraltar) watching the Chiffchaffs feeding on the Aloes, a tiny bird that will not sit still for long.

Here are a few photos we took on our little outing:































We would also like to wish our followers and subscribers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thank you all for taking the time to visit and read up on our blog. We really hope you enjoy our posts, as we certainly enjoy our birding trips, and spending quality time together as a family.

10 December 2013

The Crested Coot

The Crested Coot is a rare bird that is not seen too often however, we were in luck today as we spotted this marvellous bird relatively near to us, and it was great to be able to admire it at such a close range.

We have been searching for the Crested Coot for some time now and we finally have some decent photographs to show you. So without any further ado, here they are:















We have also added some photographs of other birds spotted in the area.

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

Moorhen

Little Grebe

Moorhen

A great day out see you next time,enjoy the photos.

11 November 2013

The Red Kite

Whilst we were still in England on holiday we decided to go to Wales, to the Red Kite feeding station at Gigrin Farm where these beautiful birds are fed once a day.
 
It was a fantastic day out, watching these beautiful birds so if you are ever in the area make sure you go to this feeding station as it is well worth the trip. You certainly won't regret it if you are a keen bird watcher!

Red Kite


Red Kite

Red Kite


Despite being large birds, Red Kites are neither particulary strong, nor aggresive. When hunting live prey, a low gliding flight is employed so that the Kite can search for small movements on the ground, and then it quickly grasps the creature in its talons.


Red Kite
Red Kite


Red Kite

It is however, a predator in that it takes a wide variety of live prey ranging from earthworms to small mammals, amphibians and birds.

Red Kites

Red Kite

Red KIte

Common Buzzard

Red Kite ,Common Buzzard and Ravens
A Kite has excellent eye sight and they use this when over flying the countryside in search of food.

An especially good hunting ground for the Red Kite, and a host of other predators, is the land between the valley bottom and lower slopes, and open hill tops. Here there is often bracken, gorse and heather sheltering great numbers of rabbits, voles, moles, and field mice.

Red Kite

Common Buzzard

Red Kite

Red Kite


Red Kite
Spectacular day overall, very memorable.

We hope you enjoyed these photos, so until our next outing... Goodbye for now!