Mark Whittaker (Twit Twoo)'s photostream  

Taken at Spit Beach - Cornwall - England - 17/1/12

The Black Redstart is a small Robin-sized bird that has adapted to live at the heart of industrial and urban centres. Its name comes from the plumage of the male, which is grey-black in colour with a red tail. With fewer than 100 breeding pairs in the UK, the Black Redstart is on the amber list of Birds of Conservation Concern. Breeding birds occur mainly in urban areas of Greater London, Birmingham and the Black Country with a few pairs in Nottingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Ipswich, and the odd pair at cliff sites and power stations along the south coast between Suffolk and Dorset. There is a good spring passage of Black Redstarts through the UK and Ireland and they can turn up anywhere, but particularly at the coast. On return passage in autumn, they can be relatively numerous in places like the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall. In winter, a small number are found from Lancashire and Lincolnshire southwards, and along the south coast.Breeding birds and spring passage migrants arrive between March and May. Autumn passage lasts from September to November, peaking in October. Wintering birds are present between late autumn and early spring.
www.rspb.org.uk/

Nikon D300 - Sigma 150-500mm

Taken at Chapel Amble - Cornwall - England - 15/1/11

The Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae. This is the most widespread ibis species, breeding in scattered sites in warm regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Atlantic and Caribbean region of the Americas. It is thought to have originated in the Old World and spread naturally from Africa to northern South America in the 19th century. This species is migratory; most European birds winter in Africa, and in North America birds from north of the Carolinas winter farther south. Birds from other populations may disperse widely outside the breeding season. While generally declining in Europe it has recently established a breeding colony in Southern Spain, and there appears to be a growing trend for the Spanish birds to winter in Britiain and Ireland. The Glossy Ibis nests colonially in trees, often with herons. It is also gregarious when feeding in marshy wetlands; it preys on fish, frogs and other water creatures, as well as occasionally on insects.This species is 55–65 centimetres (22–26 in) long with an 88–105 centimetres (35–41 in) wingspan. Breeding adults have reddish-brown bodies and shiny bottle-green wings. Non-breeders and juveniles have duller bodies. This species has a brownish bill, dark facial skin bordered above and below in blue-gray (non-breeding) to cobalt blue (breeding), and red-brown legs. Unlike herons, ibises fly with necks outstretched, their flight being graceful and often in V-formation. Sounds made by this rather quiet ibis include a variety of croaks and grunts, including a hoarse grrrr made when breeding.The Glossy Ibis is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

Nikon D300 - Sigma 150-500mm

Taken at Par Beach Pool - Par - Cornwall - England - 10/1/12

The Ring-necked Duck is a smaller diving duck from North America. The adult male is similar in color pattern to the Eurasian Tufted Duck, its relative. It has a grey bill with a white band, a shiny purple head, a white breast, yellow eyes and a dark grey back. The adult female has a pale brown head and body with a dark brown back, a dark bill with a more subtle light band than the male and brown eyes. The cinnamon neck ring is usually difficult to observe, unlike the white ring on its bill, which is why the bird is sometimes referred to as a "ringbill". Their breeding habitat is wooded lakes or ponds in the northern United States and Canada. They overwinter in southern North America, usually in lakes, ponds, rivers or bays.These birds feed mainly by diving. They eat aquatic plants as well as some molluscs, aquatic insects and small fish.The nest is bowl-shaped, built with aquatic vegetation and lined with down, in a dry location near open water. The female lays 8 to 10 eggs and may remain with the young until they are able to fly. This strong migrant is a rare but regular vagrant to western Europe. In Britain, occasional small flocks occur, including five at Loch Leven, Scotland in September 2003.In Ireland one or two individuals can be seen at any time of year. Vagrant individuals also occur each year in Central America as far south as Costa Rica between October/November and May/June.

Nikon D300 - Sigma 150-500mm

Manoa Valley - St.Austell - Cornwall - England - 7/1/12

The Goldcrest is the UK's smallest songbird and is dull green above and buff white below with a distinctive orange or yellow crown stripe. It is a widespread species, closely associated with coniferous forest. In winter it will join with flocks of tits and other woodland species. In the UK it occurs widely save for in treeless areas such as on the Fens and in northern Scotland. It suffers in very cold winters and the recent successive mild winters are a cause for optimism.
Found almost wherever there are trees and bushes, especially conifers. They are also found in broadleaf woodland, but only where there are conifers nearby, and may also take up residence in suburban parks and large gardens. In autumn large numbers of migrants arrive and can be found in coastal bushes, particularly on the east and south coasts.
www.rspb.org.uk/

Nikon D300 - Sigma 150-500mm

Taken at Par Beach Pool - Par - Cornwall - England - 22/11/11

The mallard is a large and heavy looking duck. It has a long body and a long and broad bill. The male has a dark green head, a yellow bill, is mainly purple-brown on the breast and grey on the body. The female is mainly brown with an orange bill. It breeds in all parts of the UK in summer and winter, wherever there are suitable wetland habitats, although it is scarcer in upland areas. Mallards in the UK may be resident breeders or migrants - many of the birds that breed in Iceland and northern Europe spend the winter here.It is the commonest duck and most widespread so you have a chance of seeing it just about anywhere where there is suitable wetland habitat, even in urban areas. www.rspb.org.uk/

Nikon D300 - Sigma 150-500mm