Tag Archives: kestrel

Jack Twite: The Year’s End

Posted on January 3, 2017 by hootbot

I was planning to update before the festive season, but knowing that I was going to put some effort into the final few weeks of the year it made more sense to finish off the year’s birding first and put … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Amwell, ashdown forest, Barn Owl, beachy head, birling gap, blue tit, buzzard, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, corn bunting, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, eastbourne, Essex, Fairlop Waters, Goldcrest, Golden Plover, great tit, Greater Scaup, Grey Wagtail, Hen Harrier, jack snipe, kensington gardens, kestrel, Kingfisher, Lapwing, Little Egret, Little Owl, london, London Wetland Centre, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, nuthatch, old lodge, peregrine, Rainham Marshes, Red-legged Partridge, Redshank, Reed Bunting, rock pipit, RSPB, rye harbour, Scaup, short-eared owl, Snipe, south downs, Sparrowhawk, staines moor, Stonechat, Sussex, tottenham marshes, Treecreeper, twite, Wallasea Island, Walthamstow, Walthamstow Reservoirs, Water Pipit, Wheatear, woodlark | Leave a comment

Spanish Pyrenees

Posted on June 14, 2016 by hootbot

So, after a very successful spring back home, it was off to the Spanish Pyrenees with Naturetrek for our big holiday of the year. Day One (Sunday) was basically the travel day. We had the convenience of flying to Zaragoza … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged alpine, alpine chough, aragon, berdun, Black Kite, Black Redstart, black wheatear, black woodpecker, black-eared wheatear, blue rock thrush, booted eagle, butterflies, buzzard, calandra lark, chough, Cirl Bunting, citril finch, crag martin, crested lark, Crested Tit, crowned mantis, cuckoo, eagle, eagle owl, egyptian vulture, gentian, golden eagle, golden oriole, great reed warbler, Grey Wagtail, Griffon Vulture, helleborine, hirundines, Hobby, honey buzzard, hoopoe, huesca, isard, kestrel, lammergeier, marmot, mountains, naturetrek, nightingale, nightjar, northern wheatear, orchid, peregrine, portalet, praying mantis, purple heron, pyrenean chamois, pyrenees, raven, red kite, red-backed shrike, red-billed chough, rock bunting, rock sparrow, rock thrush, sardinian warbler, saxifrage, scops owl, short-toed lark, Spain, thekla lark, vulture, wallcreeper, western bonelli's warbler, western cattle egret, western orphean warbler, western subalpine warbler, Wheatear, Wryneck, yellowhammer, zaragoza | Leave a comment

Ceredigion Birding

Posted on April 9, 2016 by hootbot

It was time for our first birding break of the year, having not been away at all since July, and knowing that we won’t be going on our main holiday until late May. There were a few ideas bouncing around: … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged aberystwyth, Birding, birds, birds of prey, Black Redstart, blue tit, buzzard, ceredigion, chough, Coal Tit, dipper, fulmar, great tit, green sandpiper, Grey Plover, Grey Wagtail, Guillemot, kestrel, Kingfisher, mid-wales birdwatching, murmuration, new quay, nuthatch, ornithology, photography, ponterwyd, purple sandpiper, raven, red kite, red-throated diver, rock pipit, RSPB, seal, Shag, siskin, Sparrowhawk, starling, stoat, Stonechat, teal, Wheatear, ynys-hir | Leave a comment

A Whole New Year…

Posted on April 3, 2016 by hootbot

Only a few months late with this, but I’ve been busy… So, how has 2016 begun? Not too bad so far, despite the slightly odd weather. As the year has progressed it’s actually become colder, but we still seem to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Amwell, avocet, Barn Owl, Birding, birds, bittern, Black-tailed Godwit, buzzard, Dartford Warbler, firecrest, frensham common, Goldcrest, goldeneye, great grey shrike, Green Woodpecker, kensington gardens, kestrel, Kingfisher, Little Owl, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, Muntjac, nuthatch, ornithology, owls, Oystercatcher, photography, Rainham Marshes, Red-legged Partridge, Redshank, Reed Bunting, RSPB, Rye Meads, Scaup, short-eared owl, siskin, Snipe, Sparrowhawk, strumpshaw fen, thursley common, tower hamlets cemetery, vange marsh, Walthamstow Reservoirs, wat tyler country park, woking | Leave a comment

Owls. Owls Everywhere…

Posted on November 15, 2015 by hootbot

We’ve had a very mild autumn so far, and after the passing-through of the Redstarts, Whinchats, Wrynecks, etc, the next step has been the influx of species that might want to hang around for the winter. The first day out … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Birding, birds, Black-necked Grebe, Curlew, Golden Plover, goosander, kestrel, owls, Pintail, Rainham Marshes, Redshank, RSPB, short-eared owl, Snipe, Stonechat, Walthamstow Reservoirs | Leave a comment

Summer Birding (post-Norfolk)

Posted on October 4, 2015 by hootbot

I recently bought myself a new Macro lens: a Sigma 150mm f/2.8, and a monopod to help stabilise it. So far I’ve tested it on the Banded Demoiselles around the close, and also on invertebrates at Fairlop Waters (Gatekeeper, Ruddy … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Banded Demoiselle, barred warbler, Birding, birds, brown argus, butterflies, buzzard, common redstart, Common Scoter, Common Seal, David Lindo, docklands, fairlop, Golden Plover, Goldfinch, Grey Heron, harbour seal, heron wharf, holly blue, insects, kestrel, Kingfisher, Lapwing, Lea Valley, Lee Valley, Little Owl, lockwood reservoir, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, nuthatch, Rainham Marshes, Redshank, redstart, river lea, river lee, Ruddy Darter, Scoter, Snipe, Sparrowhawk, staines moor, starling, Stonechat, Walthamstow Reservoirs, Wanstead Flats, Wheatear, whinchat, woodcock, Wormwood Scrubs | Leave a comment

Norfolk in July

Posted on August 30, 2015 by hootbot

Jem and I have now been to Norfolk several times over the last two or three years, but it’s always been in the autumn or winter. This time we decided to give it a go in summer, so we booked … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged avocet, Bar-tailed Godwit, Barn Owl, bittern, Black-tailed Godwit, Cley, curlew sandpiper, Dartford Warbler, Dunlin, grayling, holt, honey buzzard, kelling heath, kestrel, Kingfisher, lakenheath, Linnet, Marsh Harrier, mediterranean gull, nightjar, Norfolk, painted lady, red kite, Reed Warbler, RSPB, ruff, sandwich tern, Sedge Warbler, Stone-curlew, Stonechat, Titchwell, Tree Pipit, Turnstone, weeting heath, wells-next-the-sea, whitethroat, wildlife trusts, yellowhammer | Leave a comment

Spring and Summer Catchup

Posted on August 30, 2015 by hootbot

In between holidays we’ve done a reasonable amount of local birding, but I’m only going to go through the not-necessarily-chronological highlights, rather than spend loads of time trying to remember everything… It started with a day out at Bramfield before … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bearded tit, Birding, Bramfield, Common Tern, Goldfinch, Hertfordshire, kensington gardens, kestrel, Kingfisher, Lapwing, lesser black-backed gull, Little Owl, London Wetland Centre, long-tailed tit, Meadow Pipit, Rainham Marshes, Redshank, Reed Warbler, RSPB, Rye Meads, Sedge Warbler, staines moor, Walthamstow Reservoirs, whitethroat, WWT | Leave a comment

Pre-Lesbos Catch-up

Posted on May 9, 2015 by hootbot

After the fun we had in the Cairngorms back in early February, we’ve managed a number of days out-and-about since to see what’s around and to add to our UK yearlist. It began with a damp Saturday morning in Kensington … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Barn Owl, Birding, Birdwatching, Black-necked Grebe, Black-tailed Godwit, Blackcap, chaffinch, common lizard, cuckoo, Dungeness, Essex, firecrest, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Northern Diver, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great White Egret, Greater Scaup, Green Woodpecker, Greenshank, Hertfordshire, kensington gardens, kestrel, Lapwing, Lea Valley, lesser spotted woodpecker, Linnet, Little Ringed Plover, London Wetland Centre, marsh frog, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Rainham Marshes, red fox, Redshank, rickmansworth, RSPB, Sparrowhawk, staines reservoirs, stocker's lake, tawny owl, tower hamlets cemetery, Walthamstow Marshes, Walthamstow Reservoirs, Water Vole, Wheatear, WWT | Leave a comment

January – A Good Start to the Year

Posted on February 15, 2015 by hootbot

New Year’s Day saw Jem’s parents very kindly take us to Wallasea Island in Essex for our first ever visit. Despite grey skies ans strong winds off the Crouch, we were met as soon as we arrived in the car … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged A77II, Amwell, Barn Owl, Birding, birds, blue tit, Bramfield, buzzard, Essex, Fairlop Waters, goldeneye, Great Spotted Woodpecker, great tit, Greater Scaup, Green Woodpecker, gulls, hawfinch, Hen Harrier, Hertford, Hertfordshire, kestrel, Kingfisher, Little Egret, Marsh Harrier, ornithology, owls, peregrine, photo, photography, red kite, Reed Bunting, rough-legged buzzard, RSPB, Scaup, short-eared owl, Smew, Sony, Sony Alpha, Sparrowhawk, Wallasea Island, Walthamstow Reservoirs, water rail | Leave a comment