Hothfield Osprey, Oct 2023

An Osprey was reported by a keen-eyed birder on his local patch, at the Hothfield fishing lake on Waterfall Lane. 40 minutes later, we there and the bird still showing, if a bit distant from the available viewing area.

It was an unringed bird, presumably a juvenile. As the Osprey that was seen this time last year at Appledore was also thought to be a juvenile, it is unlikely to be the same bird. Juveniles typically take a year out, feeding in hotter climates.

A good looking bird, as are all Osprey.  A second visit produced more shots, including catching the bird in flight.









 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Zealand, Oct 2024

Image
This was a family holiday, not a birding expedition, so photography was on an 'ad hoc' basis. I shouldn’t have been, but I was stunned by the birding situation in NZ. The introduction of rats, stoats, cats and possums has devastated the native bird life, which evolved without exposure to many natural predators. On top of these challenges, the European settlers introduced an array of familiar birds to out compete the local fauna e.g. Blackbirds, Swallows, Starlings, Song Thrush, Yellowhammers and Mallards.  Really sad to see. Seabirds We had good views of seabirds from the whale watching boat from Kaikoura, although I'm not sure of the species level ID.       Albatross          Shearwater        Petrel Banded Dotterel The Banded Dotterel (also known as the Double-banded Plover) is a small, native shorebird found throughout New Zealand.  These birds inhabit coastal areas, estuaries, riverbeds, and sandy beache...
Read more

North Norfolk, late April 2024

Image
We had a lovely short break in a hotel near Holt at the end of April. The weather was not kind, wet and with a bitter wind from the North but we enjoyed ourselves nevertheless. Weeting Heath We stopped at Weeting Heath NNR on the way up and the way back to watch the Stone Curlews (a first for us). We had good views on both visits, spotting 5 birds on the way and 6 on the way back.  They had a well sighted webcam on one nest and the birds swapped incubation duties regularly. The Stone-curlew ( Burhinus oedicnemus ), also known as the Eurasian Thick-knee, is a distinctive, nocturnal wader found in the UK, particularly on dry, open grasslands and heathlands. With its large, yellow eyes, upright stance, and cryptic plumage, it blends well into its arid habitat, feeding primarily on insects and small invertebrates. In the UK, its breeding range is mainly confined to the southern and eastern regions of England, with conservation efforts helping to stabilize its population. Currently, th...
Read more

Record Shots of NZ/Tassie/WA birds R to Y, Oct 2024

Image
  Rainbow Bee eaters Rainbow Lorikeet Red Capped Plover Red Capped Robin Red Necked Stint Red Wattlebird Sacred Kingfisher Scaup Shy Albatross Silvereye Spotted Dove Straw-necked Ibis Striated Pardalote Superb Fairywren Swamp Harrier Tasmanian nativehen Tui Welcome Swallow White Bellied Sea Eagle White Cheeked Honeyeater White faced Heron White Heron White Ibis Willie Wagtail Yellow Rumped Thornbill Yellow Thornbill Yellow Wattlebird
Read more