Show us ya birds !

[David Cropper]

On the phone to a client, saw the Hoopoe landing, dropped the phone and managed these two shots. Very pleased!

[Mick Dempsey]

Those are good ones, beautiful bird, a bit silly, rarely sits and poses for photos.

[David Cropper]

1 minute ago, Mick Dempsey said:

Those are good ones, beautiful bird, a bit silly, rarely sits and poses for photos.

Last year Mick, my wife counted 7 in a group in the garden.

[Mick Dempsey]

Wasn’t concentrating today, Hen Harrier encounter.

 

Too late though!

[nepia]

Are the harrier numbers creeping upwards?  Mick, I know vous êtes en France but I seem to hear mention of hen harriers increasingly often.

I saw my first one last year in Caithness and there were a couple of sightings here, near Uckfield, some weeks ago.

Your post suggests they're not common there but how rare are they?

[Tippin Alaybye]

This one was distracted trying to mount a female

[Mick Dempsey]

21 minutes ago, nepia said:

Are the harrier numbers creeping upwards?  Mick, I know vous êtes en France but I seem to hear mention of hen harriers increasingly often.

I saw my first one last year in Caithness and there were a couple of sightings here, near Uckfield, some weeks ago.

Your post suggests they're not common there but how rare are they?

Reasonably common, I see them regularly cross crossing the fields at this time of year.

I will say that I’m fairly confident they’re hen and not marsh harriers.

The males are almost gull like in colour, barn owl like in the way they scan the fields.

[Mick Dempsey]

On 09/03/2019 at 16:00, Mick Dempsey said:

Another winter visitor here is the Hen Harrier, not uncommon to see them quartering the fields, very owl like.

 

Male in the terrible picture, they are not shy and will ignore you whilst you remain in the car, just not come nearer.

@nepia this from a couple of years back.

Edited April 14, 2021 by Mick Dempsey

[David Cropper]

This is getting silly now, I'm supposed to be doing three quotes this evening,  everytime I get going, I get distracted. I perched on the arm of the chair to get a better shot,  chair nearly went over, I fell onto the radiator. Male and female Yellowhammer?

[Tippin Alaybye]

siskin?