SMALL and compact bird with a relatively short. dark tail. This male was seen at Sandwich Bay Kent and was the only bird of note seen today, and a bit distant, hope you enjoy it!

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Trust you are staying safe and well, thanks for your visit, please leave a comment, it is always appreciated, and find it encouraging . God bless.........................Tomx

STONECHATS are easy to find if you visit a suitable habitat, birds often perch conspicuously and announce their presence with harsh, agitated calls. Seen at the ancient highway at Sandwich Kent.

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THANKING YOU, for your visit and friendship, its so good seeing your images, being transported around the world from the comfort of my home.

Stay safe and well, God bless...............................................Tomx.

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"JESUS loves you, YES YOU !"

Let him into your life !!!!

ACTIVE BIRDS, and not common as the name suggests, are found in dense forests and mangroves, I found them very hard to photograph as to their jerky fast movements, love seeing them.

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THANK YOU for your visit and kind comments, will soon be looking at your latest posting, which I very much enjoy, being transported around the world from the comfort of my armchair. Keep warm, safe, and well, God bless you ............Tomx

QUICK MARCH !!!

TALL robust plovers with long yellow legs, usually in pairs or small parties of up to ten birds. Favors a variety of fresh and saline aquatic habitats. Difficult to get close to, and very entertaining in their behavior. Seen at Kotu, Banjul, Gambia.

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THANK YOU for your visit, friendship, and comments.

Another very wet day in Kent, hope you remembered to put the clocks forward an hour, stay safe and well........ God bless............................. Tomx

REDSHANKS favor areas of undisturbed damp grassland, moors, and the margins of marshes. Utters a yelping tiu-uu alarm call, the song is musical and yodeling. Always a pure delight to capture these.

Double click for more detail.

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THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND, do so hope you are all well, enjoy the weekend, even if it's gone back a bit wintery again in Kent UK, God bless...............................................Tomx

REMARKABLY bold and inquisitive, and walks with a acteristic swagger, a opportunistic feeder, and comes in mob handed at Briar Cottage, A real villian seeing off the smaller birds!!! This one is saying "Do I look like a villan ?"

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THANK YOU for your friendship and visit and comments will do my best to return the visit, if not now then in a few days, my life is a bit hectic still. Keep safe and well, God bless you all..........................Tomx

A GREETING CARD star, one of the nations favourites. Often bold and inquisitive in garden settings, strongly and conspicuously territorial, so how can you not take its picture, I love them, seen at Stodmarsh, Kent, UK.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP in these difficult times, please leave a comment, and I will look forward to doing the same on your latest posting.

Enjoy the rest of the week, stay safe, God bless..............Tomx

DAZZLINGLY ATTRACTIVE bird, not often seen in our corner of Kent UK, and was not expecting to see it in the Grove Ferry Feast Hide, but what a joy when it landed, he caught a couple of tiddlers and was off, leaving me with the biggest grin ever.

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THANK YOU for your visit and friendship, please leave a comment, it is always appreciated, and find it very encouraging

.The weekend is coming on strong, stay safe, may God bless you.............................Tomx

EXTREMELY vocal, a squeaky conversational kittle-te-ker chatter delivered whilst perched or in flight and a rapid chicker-kerker uttered in a frequent threat or foraging disputes. Seen eagerly searching the estuary for fish.

Zoom in for more detail.

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THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND, love reading your comments, will look forward to seeing your latest posting.

HANG in in there my dear friends, very difficult times, keep your chins up, and keep the prayers going, even if churches are closed, God bless, stay safe and well....................

............................................Tomx

A adorable, rather dumpy short tailed woodland bird , which has the habit of descending tree trunks head-downwards in a jerky manner, its chisel-like bill is used to prise insects from tree bark and to hammer open acorns wedged into bark crevices. Love working with these birds.

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THANK YOU, for your visit and kind comments, enjoy the new week dear friends, Stay safe and well, God bless.......................... ......................................Tomx.

We've done it, we moved into our new home on Sat 24th, still lots to do but we've settled in, so I will try and get back to commenting more now, still rather busy to get out with the camera, so it will have to archive stuff for a bit longer. I don't want to move house ever again, ha ha

LARGEST SEABIRD in the region. Very distinctive, easily recognized in flight by its cigar-shaped body and long narrow wings it was a real l delight to see so many at Bemton cliffs.

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THANK YOU, for your visit friendship and comments, love seeing your images and being transported around the world from the comfort of y armchair. Keep safe and well...........

God bless you,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Tomx

FAMILIAR black, grey and white bird. The Pied Wagtail has a bounding flight and distinctive habit of pumping its tail up and down. They love locations such as playing fields and supermarket car parks, where this one was captured, but I was willing it to go into a little grass area to get a better image.

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THANK YOU for being a friend, please leave a comment and I will look forward to returning the visit.

We have the road map out of lockdown, just hope the nature reserves and hides will soon open.

Stay safe and well, God bless..........................Tomx.

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JESUS LOVES YOU and died for you, let him into your life today as your savior!

afternoon sighting in Shaba Nature Reserve, Kenya, in 2010.

Gerenuk are also called Giraffe Gazelle or Giraffe-necked Gazelle.

A medium-sized antelope with a long thin neck and a small head; it often feeds while standing on the hind legs and

lives in arid areas, mainly in Northern Kenya

Litocranius walleri

gerenoek of girafgazelle

gazelle de Waller ou antilope-girafe

Giraffengazellen oder Gerenuk

IUCN RED LIST STATUS: Near Threathened

Many thanks for your views, favorites and supportive comments.

All rights reserved. ButsFons©2021

My photos may not be used on websites, blogs or in any other media without my written and explicit permission.

URBAN and RURAL bird, extremely vocal, and a proficient mimic , it forms sizable flocks out-side breeding season, The starling walks with a characteristic swagger, and a joy to see .

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THANK YOU, for your visit and kind comment, will return to see and comment on your latest images. please stay safe, God bless. ........................................Tomx.

A BULKY, broad -winged raptor , medium sized bird of prey, and still not that many in the south-east area of Kent. A pure joy to see coming of the fields at Elmley Nature Reserve, the brown and black blobs on the ground are cows!!

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THANK YOU for your visit, please leave a comment, and I will look forward to doing the same on your lastest posting.

Please stay safe , God bless....Tomx

One of our most loved birds

The brimstone is a fairly large, pale yellow butterfly, with distinctive, leaf-shaped wings. Adults hibernate through cold weather, so may be seen flying on warm days throughout the year, although they are most common in the spring. Usually seen in ones or twos, they are never very common, but are widespread. They can be found in damp woodlands, along sunny, woodland rides and mature hedgerows, and in large gardens. The foodplants of the larvae are buckthorn and alder buckthorn. Both shrubs are found in wet woodland, while buckthorn also occurs on dry chalk and limestone soils.

SMALLEST GOOSE in the region and the largest numbers in the Winter months in Kent, which is a joy to see, but very hard to approach without sending them into an extremely vocal flight. Found almost exclusively at coastal distribution.

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THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND, please leave a comment and I will enjoy doing the same on your latest posting.

Hope your all keeping well, Covid is running out of control in Kent, and they have identified it as a new strain, lets hope the vaccine works on this one as well.

God bless.........................Tomx.

FORAGING in low scrub, rather warbler like, picking and hovering from the underside of leaves, Was told of this uncommon bird to the Kotu area, and have to admit to spending more time looking or waiting for an appearance, than any other bird on the trip, but it did put an appearance just for a few seconds, would have loved to have got a side image, to show its full beauty.

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THANK YOU, for your visit to my Gambian images, hope you are still enjoying them, I love reading your kind comments and doing the same to your latest posting. Enjoy the Lord's day, God bless and keep you safe and well..............Tomx.

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UNITE IN PRAYER FOR UKRAINE

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Gambia tour 2020.

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JOY OF JOYS, my brother spotted and called HOOPOE, no way I thought !!! But yes it was, our first sighting in the Gambia. Bless its heart, it let us very near, and I have over 100 keeper images, it was completely relaxed, and never stopped grooming itself, a experience I will never forget . Seen in the Kotu area.

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THANK YOU for being a friend and leaving a comment. Will look forward to visiting your photo stream and and doing the same on your latest posting. The weekend is coming on fast, enjoy, say safe, and may God bless you in all you do.

...................................................Tomx

THEY may be widespread and rather nondescript, streaked brown bird, but I have a real affection for them, as a ground-dwelling species, it is quite approachable with care. Feeds on invertebrates as seen, a bit harder in the capture in the winter when they often form loose flocks.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP, please leave a comment, they are always very appreciated and find encouraging, and will look forward to seeing your latest images......In the UK we are in lockdown again from Thurs, not sure if this means not visiting nature reserves?

Please take great care folks, put your trust in our Lord, and we will get through this................God bless you...............Tomx

MY WALK WITH BIRDING PHOTOGRAPHY STARTED AS ABOVE

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IN 2003, from our Spanish villa, it overlooked a large area of scrub land and orchards, was amazing. I found a area where BEE-EATERS where nesting in earthly holes in a bank near to water, just a short walk away, and set up a hide. The hide was in dense bushes , put in a chair, and other home comforts, was so well concealed that sometimes one would land on a branch only inches away from my face. I had the birds, but no experience and only a Canon 40D and a stigma 300m lens. Looking back on the images now, they are real rubbish. We had six amazing years in Spain, but Chris never settled, and the arrival of grandchildren, the pull was to great for her, so we returned.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP, am going through my Archives starting at the beginning. Please stay safe, some restrictions lifted, but the virus is still there!

God bless..............................Tomx

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"GODs BEAUTY is SIMPLY AMAZING !"

ENJOYING the wet weather, as it brings up the worms, not so good for photographers, it was the best image to a bad day.

Seen Ancient highway Sandwich bay Kent.

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THANKING YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP, hope your all well and making the most out of life, in these crazy days....God bless you.................................Tomx

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"GODs BEAUTY is SIMPLY AMAZING !"

THE FIG AND PLUM TREE, in our garden , only feed the birds, rarely do we get to eat of the fruits.. This was taken in the darkest possible spot, and therefore of poor quality, but a bit different. My wife Chris and I have been feeding two families of Blackbirds, and they have become very tame, and even enter the cottage, and has given us so much joy and entertainment during these difficult times of near isolation.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP, please leave a comment, I love doing the same to your lastest postings.

Enjoy the Lords day, stay well and safe, God bless..... ......................................Tomx.

A FAMILIAR MIGRANT VISITOR, that can be recognized in flight by its pointed wings and in the adult long tail streamers. But to photograph one is the problem as the adults rarely perch, and then it's on roadside wires, so this had to be taken on something natural !!!

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISIT AND FRIENDSHIP, hope you all have a great weekend, God bless............... Tomx

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"Jesus loves you, yes you !!"

Ask him into your life today.

A freshly emerged female Marbled white opens her wings for the first time.

GAMBIA TOUR feb. 2020

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U.K WADERS SEEN IN THE GAMBIA

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4th In the series, a real beauty, you can approach these birds much more than in the U.K, but you may not want to with this one, because that sludge is sewage, found at the local treatment plant, as do many other birds.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP, it means such a lot. Am hoping the Government will allow nature reserves and parks to open soon, as I think this would still be safe, maybe keep the hides and information buildings locked up.

Stay strong and safe my friends, you are in my prayers.............

God bless...................................Tomx

Swallow taken from the out the window of our guesthouse room

"HALLELUJAH !" FIRST TRIP OUT !!! AND THIS IS AS GOOD AS IT GOT !!! but so good to see some feathered friends again !!!

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THE TEAL is the smallest duck in Britain and one of the most widespread. Flocks of teals are a familiar sight in winter on estuaries, mudflats and inland wetlands. They are still very attractive, this one seen at the scrape, Sandwich Bay, Kent UK

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THANK YOU for your visit and very kind comments, and standing and supporting me through the most difficult part of my life, God bless you all...................................Tomx

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"I thank God my life has been saved !"

I love these guys folks but do not photograph nearly enough, but that will change here of late, staying local

to to personal and medical issues.

Thanks to all for everything.

DELIGHTFUL PLUMP-BODIED WADER, not often seen, and taken in very dark conditions, the best of a bad bunch, but just enjoy catching up with this pair every-year at the sea side defense wall, from Jan to about April. Seen a Hampton near Herne Bay, Kent, U.K.

AN ELEGANT and unmistakable pure white, heron-like bird with a black, dagger-like bill and a long neck. Was very well hidden, when this bird dropped in, it then started working its way towards me, until I could not fit it in the frame, then past me, but who wants a back side view ! What a experience. Classed as a rarity in Britain a while back, but now fairly easy to find.

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THANK YOU for your visit and kind comments, it is always appreciated. Enjoy the weekend dear friends, Stay safe, God bless...................Tomx.

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HELP PLEASE !

Have always cropped my images by 6x4inches, and have tried to get them published, but cannot find anybody that will do this size, for a pictorial type book, any help or advice would be very appreciated. Thank you.

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SORRY once again my posting of this image lost the first couple of comments, very strange !!!

Taken at Bempton Cliffs last summer.

As always, thank you so much for stopping by and for leaving any comments or faves, they are very much appreciated.

MISSION ALMOST IMPOSIBBLE, please image this situation, about 300 hundred of these Geese feeding on the wide-open sea shore mud flats, but too far to achieve a decent photograph , as I approach them in the wide-open, they walk away at the same speed, If I move to quick, they will all take flight. Walking along the water edge, I could see one on its own, and it was walking towards me, and was completely fearless, so I filled up a complete camera card, and went away smiling like a Cheshire |Cat., and thanking God I believe this must be a Juvenile,

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THANKING YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP, please leave a comment, as I will enjoy doing the same to your lastest image.

Keep a smile on your face and love in your hearts for everyone, keep safe and well, God bless............................Tomx.

I'm on holiday in Scarborough until Sunday, so my uploads will be hit and miss

South Africa

sometimes called Cape Shelduck

the male is the one with the grey head but the female is prettier in my opinion

tadorna cana

Kaapse casarca ( bergeend )

tadorne à tête grise

Graukopfkasarka

Many thanks for your views, favorites and supportive comments.

All rights reserved. ButsFons©2020

My photos may not be used on websites, blogs or in any other media without my written and explicit permission.

SMALL dumpy wader that is associated with coastal habitats. Feeds by running along sand, gravel or estuarine mud as if powered by clockwork and then standing still for a second, to pick up food from the ground. Seen from the sea wall Reculvers, where their was a flock of about 20.

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THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND, and leaving a comment, will look forward to doing the same on your latest posting!

Keep a smile on your face and love in your heart for everyone

May God bless and keep you...........................................Tomx.

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COUNT your blessings, name them one by one, and you will be surprised what the good LORDs done.!

The meadow pipit is a common nesting bird of moorland, heathland and rough grassland. In the autumn and winter, it moves out of upland areas to lowlands where it gathers in small flocks and can be found on farmland and saltmarshes. In the spring, it performs a fluttering, 'parachute' display flight. There are 2 million breeding territories in the UK.

On moorlands, meadow pipits are the most common 'foster parents' of young cuckoos. The adult cuckoo will lay a single egg in a meadow pipit's nest. After hatching, the cuckoo chick will push the other eggs or young birds out of the nest, giving its foster parents more time to concentrate on feeding their new, oversized chick.

Well folks soon after he posed and danced and we said out good-bye's he left, literally left and missed the shot only to have the wings clipped and for that I apologize, but I tried.

Thanks to all for everything.

I don't know how many I took of this guy folks, and mostly half body and feet, and that's at 30-f.p.s. timing all wrong and camera work needs some touching up, sad but unfortunate.

Thanks to all for everything.

The closer I got folks, the louder he got.

Thanz to all for everything.

A RATHER SECRETIVE SUMMER BIRD, The male Cuckoos familiar, onomatopoeic call is heard far more than the bird itself is seen. (34cm in length) Captured at Thursley Common. Surrey, U.K.

Have been waiting for the chance to get my first half decent capture of this bird, which has held me up for ten months, so can now proceed with the book. This would not have been possible without the very kind location details from Dave Carlsson, "THANKS MATE!" hope I can return the favour one day!

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THANK YOU for your visit, any comment is very appreciated indeed,, will return the visit, if already not done so

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So good to meet you today Sara, hope all goes well.

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Stay safe, God bless you my friends

Tomx.

These lovely flowers are blooming in my neighbor's garden. Mine will be popping out soon!