Saturday, January 7, 2017

Ringing In The New

The extra daylight of post-solstice is already noticeable by way of an 8 o’clock rendezvous with Andy at the set-aside. Maybe I should change that dashboard clock or perhaps just leave it until mid-March and the spring equinox when it will right itself? It was a cold but clear start which meant that the rising sun quickly appeared over the open field.

Early Start
 
We’d cut an extra ride in the vegetation and added rape seed to the nyger/millet mix, so hoped to add to recent catches. Improve we did with 15 new Linnets, and once again, no new recaptures from previous visits where a count of 200/300 birds was the norm and 160 Linnets the total catch. This morning the flock appeared larger whereby we both agreed that the number of Linnets today was close to 400 individuals; it was quite a sight when once or twice the whole flock took flight and then landed in the tops of nearby trees. 

We were on the lookout today for greyer headed individuals which might indicate birds of Scottish origin. This is a very personal and subjective assessment due to changing light and the angle of view, but the majority of those we caught seemed to be inseparable other than by sex. An exception is shown below with the uppermost male having a noticeably greyer hind neck and more streaked crown than the lower example. This difference is very marginal which may become more apparent if we can continue to catch and examine more “winter” rather than summer Linnets. 

Linnet

 
Linnet

Otherwise birding – many thousands of Pink-footed Geese, easily 10,000 +. Two Snipe, 1 Whooper Swan, 1 Buzzard. 

Buzzard

Linking this post to Anni's Birding. There's more soon from Another Bird Blog

20 comments:

David M. Gascoigne, said...

That's a pretty fancy timepiece, Mr Slade. My car is so old it has a sundial!
Congratulations on your ongoing success with the Linnets. And 10,000 Pink-footed Geese would be quite a spectacle. And to think everyone went gaga over a vagrant Pink-foot in the Ottawa area last year! It's only exotic when it's where it's not supposed to be.

Linda said...

What a wonderful timepiece, Phil! And I love the birds you are sharing today!

eileeninmd said...

Hello, wonderful shots of the Linnets. I also love the Buzzard, great capture. I am glad my car shows the outdoor temperature. The dashboards are getting fancier in the new vehicles. Have a great evening and weekend ahead!

Jenn Jilks said...

Hah! Hubby sat in the car, swearing to change that clock.
Love your birds!!!
(ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

HAPPY NEW YEAR. You seem to have got the new year off t a god start with the birds.

Lowcarb team member said...

Wow that clock really shows up well!

Lovely to see your bird photo's too!

I can't believe, as I type this, it's the 6th January, where has this first week of 2017 gone!!!

All the best Jan

baili said...

marvelous!
wishing you a very Happy new year my friend !

eileeninmd said...

Hello, Phil! Stopping back to say thank you for linking up your post. I did not mention before, I love your new header photo. Happy Birding and enjoy your weekend!

sandyland said...

we have a lot of buzzards of the vulture variety

Anni said...

Oh my goodness....first love the header image! Such great detail! And the dashboard lights up fantastically. If you didn't get enough coffee/tea before you left, the clock will surely wake you up for your rendezvous.

Phil, some great pictures today, of the Linnet and wonderful, crisp and clear underside of the buzzard....wow.


Thank you very much for taking time to share this post with us birders at I'd Rather B Birdin'. You're truly appreciated!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

That buzzard is truly magnificent. I don't think ours here in Florida are nearly so nice to look at! lol Enjoy your weekend!

Kay L. Davies said...

Sorry I'm so slow, Phil. I got an e-mail notice about your blog, but didn't comment, it seems.
Thousands of pink-footed geese (10,000? wow!) must have been quite a sight.
Your buzzard photo, as Lavender Dreamer said above, is fabulous.
Hi from me to you and Sue, wishing you both well in this new year.
Kay

carol l mckenna said...

Wonderful shot of the Buzzard in flight and sweet photos of the Linnets ~

Wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year ~ ^_^

Anu said...

Wonderful photos!

Black Jack's Carol said...

Wonderful photography! I especially enjoyed the Buzzard shot and appreciated the Linnet detail comparisons! Smiled at the unchanged clock. The sort of thing that could happen here. :) Happy birding in the new year!

Stuart Price said...

I thought those of Scottish origin would have red heads, not grey..........and freckles and an aggressive demeanour to boot.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

A good day of birding I would think... well I would be ecstatic, but we've been through that discussion before. The header photo of the lark enjoying lunch is great... I hope it hadn't been up there for months ... in any case I just noticed it ....made me smile!

Fun60 said...

I don't envy you those cold dark mornings but the rewards are worth it. Another excellent set of photos.

Kay L. Davies said...

I'd be tempted to leave the timepiece as is, Phil, but my husband often drives my car for one reason or another, and I just know he'd change it.
Did I wish you and Sue all the best for the new year? Well, if I didn't, I do now, and if I did, your 2017 will Be "extra better"! (Now I'm trying to remember who used to say that, but I'm drawing a blank.)
Hugs from here to both of you,
K
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Lotis said...

Love these bird pics..

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