Will

@hashygeek

1424 Following

445 Followers

Will pfp

Spoonbills are tall white waterbirds with long broad black bills and black legs. They fly with necks and legs extended. In the water, they feed with elegant sideward sweeps of their bill. In the breeding season, adults show some yellow on their chest and bill tip. The species is of European conservation concern and a very rare breeding bird in the UK. They're listed are listed on Schedule 1 of The Wildlife and Countryside Act, making it illegal to disturb these birds. Most birds migrate south in the winter, but many individuals remain and spend winter in Western Europe.

0 reply

0 recast

1 reaction

Will pfp

Stock Doves are similar in plumage and size to Rock Doves/Feral Pigeons. They are largely blue-grey with an attractive iridescent bottle green band on the back of the neck and a pink chest. In flight, they show black edges to the wing and two partial black bands near their back. Unlike Rock Doves/Feral Pigeons they do not have pale rumps. They are widely distributed in the UK, except for parts of northern Scotland and Ireland, with particularly high densities in the English Midlands and South West. Over half their European population is found in the UK.

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

Will pfp

The smallest of the UK's divers, look for its grey-brown plumage and up-tilted bill to distinguish it from the other species. In summer, it has a distinctive red throat. They usually jump up to dive and can stay underwater for a minute and a half. They are very ungainly on land, only coming ashore to breed. They are listed as a Schedule 1 species under The Wildlife and Countryside Act.

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

Will pfp

The Parrot Crossbill is a large, powerful finch. It has a deep parrot-like bill and a sharply forked tail. The male is orange to red with dusky wings and tail, the female is olive-green or grey. It is very similar to the Crossbill and Scottish Crossbill – the bill structure and the distinctive, deeper call is the most reliable way to separate them. Groups of Parrot Crossbills come to Britain from Europe in years when the cone crop has failed there. It has started to breed away from its stronghold in Abernethy Forest. They are listed on Schedule 1 of The Wildlife and Countryside Act.

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

Will pfp

The Little Ringed Plover is a small plover with a distinctive black and white head pattern, similar to the Ringed Plover. It has a black beak and pale (not orange) legs. Close views reveal a distinctive yellow eye-ring. In flight, it shows a plain brown wing without the white wing stripe that Ringed Plover has. It first bred in the UK in 1938 and is now a year-round resident of a large part of England and Wales – thanks to man-made habitats such as gravel pits. It's listed as a Schedule 1 species under The Wildlife and Countryside Act.

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

Will pfp

The Oystercatcher is a large, stocky, black and white wading bird. It has an orange-red bill and reddish-pink legs. In flight it shows a wide, white wing-stripe, a black tail and a white rump that extends as a 'V' between the wings. Because it eats cockles, the population is vulnerable if cockle beds are overfished. They breed on almost all UK coasts. During the last 50 years, more birds have started breeding inland. Most UK birds spend the winter on the coast where they are joined on the east coast by birds from Norway.

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

Will pfp

Teals are small dabbling ducks. Males have chestnut coloured heads with broad green eye-patches, a spotted chest, grey lower sides and a black edged yellow tail. Females are mottled brown. Both show bright green wing patches (speculum) in flight. They are thinly distributed as a breeding species with a preference for northern moors and mires. In winter, birds gather in low-lying wetland in the south and west of the UK. Of these, many are continental birds from around the Baltic and Siberia. At this time, the UK is home to a significant percentage of the north-west European wintering population making it an Amber List species.

0 reply

0 recast

1 reaction

Will pfp

The Long-tailed Tit is easily recognisable with its distinctive blush, black and white colouring. It also has a tail which is bigger than its body, and a bouncing flight. Sociable and noisy residents, Long-tailed Tits are most usually noticed in small, excitable flocks of about 20 birds. Like most tits, they rove the woods and hedgerows, but are also seen on heaths and commons with suitable bushes.

0 reply

0 recast

1 reaction

Will pfp

A strange, rare summer visitor to southern England and East Anglia, the Stone-curlew is a crow-sized bird with a large head, yellow legs and relatively long wings and tail. Active at night, its large yellow eyes enable it to locate food when it is dark. It is not related to Curlews and gets its name from its Curlew-like call. It is listed under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, meaning it is an offence to deliberately or recklessly disturb this species.

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

Will pfp

The Bearded Tit is a Schedule 1 species. They are brown, long-tailed birds, usually seen flying rapidly across the top of a reedbed. Males have black 'moustaches' rather than 'beards'. They are sociable and noisy, their 'ping' calls often being the first clue to their presence.

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

Will pfp

A small and slim finch that's widespread and was once very popular as a caged bird because of its tuneful song. Males are marked with crimson foreheads and chests, females are much browner. It has a bouncing flight, usually twittering as it flies and may be seen in large flocks during the winter. Linnet numbers have dropped significantly over the past few decades, with the UK population estimated to have fallen by 57% between 1970 and 2014. The latest Breeding Bird Survey results show a decrease in all countries.

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

Will pfp

The White-tailed Eagle is the largest UK bird of prey. It has brown body plumage with a conspicuously pale head and neck, which can be almost white in older birds, and the tail feathers of adults are white. In flight it has massive broad wings with 'fingered' ends. Its head protrudes and it has a wedge-shaped tail. This Schedule 1 species went extinct in the UK during the early 20th century, due to illegal killing, and the present population is descended from reintroduced birds. Schedule 1 protection means it is illegal to disturb this species.

0 reply

1 recast

1 reaction

Will pfp

This pale brown and grey goose is related to the Shelduck. Look for its distinctive dark brown eyepatches and contrasting white wing patches in flight. It was introduced to ornamental ponds, but escaped into the wild where it's now successfully breeding.

0 reply

1 recast

1 reaction

Will pfp

When seen in flight from below, the Osprey has white or slightly mottled underparts. The wings are angled, bending at the 'wrist' (middle) which has a black patch contrasting with the white wing linings and, at a distance, it could be mistaken for a large gull. This spectacular fish-eating bird of prey is an Amber List species because of its historical decline (due to illegal killing) and low breeding numbers. They are listed as a Schedule 1 species on The Wildlife and Countryside Act.

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

Will pfp

Shovelers are surface feeding ducks with huge spatula-shaped bills. Males have dark green heads, with white breasts and chestnut flanks. Females are mottled brown. In flight, birds show patches of light blue and green on their wings. In the UK, they breed in southern and eastern England, especially around the Ouse Washes, the Humber and the North Kent Marshes and in much smaller numbers in Scotland and western parts of England. In winter, breeding birds move south, and are replaced by an influx of continental birds from further north. The UK is home to more than 20 percent of the north-west European population, making it an Amber List species.

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

Will pfp

Smaller than Blackbirds, Starlings have a short tail, pointed head and triangular wings. In their breeding plumage, they look black at a distance. When seen closer, they are very glossy with a sheen of purples and greens. Their feathers are also flecked with white and this is especially noticeable in their winter plumage, which is more brown with many bright white spots. Starling flight is fast and direct and they walk and run confidently on the ground. Noisy and social, Starlings spend a lot of the year in flocks. Starlings are fantastic mimics and can make a huge variety of tweets, cheeps, clicks and burrs. Still one of the most common garden birds, its decline elsewhere makes it a Red List species.

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

Will pfp

The Spotted Crake is similar in size to a Starling. Breeding adults have a brown back with dark streaks, a blue-grey face and an olive-brown breast - all covered with white flecks and spots. The under tail is a warm buff colour. Spotted Crakes tend to skulk in thick cover and walk with their body close to the ground, tail flicking. They swim with a jerky action like that of the Moorhen. If surprised in the open, they run for cover or jump up and flutter away with legs dangling.

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

Will pfp

A distinctive lark with yellow and black face markings and black 'horns' (feather tufts) in breeding plumage. They are usually only found on the coast. Numbers can vary greatly from one winter to the next. In a good year, a few hundred may be present but, in others, they can be very rare. Watch for them shuffling their way across shingle and sandy beaches.

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

Will pfp

The Long-tailed Duck is a small, neat sea duck. They have small round heads and steep foreheads. In winter, the male is mainly white with some brownish-black markings. It also has greatly elongated tail feathers which give it its name. Females are browner. When in flight, they show their all dark wings and white bellies. They don't breed in the UK, but protection of their wintering sites is important, because they're vulnerable to oil pollution at sea. They're a winter visitor and passage migrant to the UK, most commonly from Northumberland to northern Scotland. Long-tailed Ducks are listed as a Schedule 1 species under The Wildlife and Countryside Act.

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

Will pfp

The Little Egret is a small white heron with attractive white plumes on crest, back and chest, black legs and bill and yellow feet. It first appeared in the UK in significant numbers in 1989 and first bred in Dorset in 1996. Its arrival followed naturally from a range expansion into western and northern France in previous decades. It is now at home on numerous south coast sites, both as a breeding species and as a winter visitor.

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction