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This small owl was introduced to the UK in the 19th century. It can be seen in the daylight, usually perching on a tree branch, telegraph pole or rock. It will bob its head up and down when alarmed. In flight it has long, rounded wings, rapid wingbeats and flies with a slight undulation.
Breeding Bird Survey data suggest that little owl numbers are declining, with the UK population estimated to be down by 24 per cent between 1995 and 2008.What they eat: Small mammals and birds, beetles and worms. (Courtesy RSPB).
Little Owl landing on a gate post.
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Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) set against Bluebells in an early morning low light environment.
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Red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) live in coniferous forests and deciduous woods in Europe and northern Asia. Their range extends from the UK, Ireland and western Europe to Russia, Mongolia, and northwest China.
Numbers in the UK have fallen dramatically since grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) were introduced as an ornamental species in the 1870s.
Since then, the UK population of reds has dropped from around 3.5 million to between 120,000 to 160,000 individuals (according to different estimates). The population in England is thought to be as low as 15,000.
Population strongholds are Scotland, Northumberland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Lake District as well as on islands such as Brownsea.
If you want to see them in the wild, prime spotting times are morning and late afternoon because that’s when they’re most active.
About blackbird-sized and striking black-and-white. It has a very distinctive bouncing flight and spends most of its time clinging to tree trunks and branches, often trying to hide on the side away from the observer. Its presence is often announced by its loud call or by its distinctive spring 'drumming' display. The male has a distinctive red patch on the back of the head and young birds have a red crown. What they eat: Insects, seeds and nuts (Courtesy RSPB).
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Little Owl (Athane noctau)
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Red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) live in coniferous forests and deciduous woods in Europe and northern Asia. Their range extends from the UK, Ireland and western Europe to Russia, Mongolia, and northwest China.
Numbers in the UK have fallen dramatically since grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) were introduced as an ornamental species in the 1870s.
Since then, the UK population of reds has dropped from around 3.5 million to between 120,000 to 160,000 individuals (according to different estimates). The population in England is thought to be as low as 15,000.
Population strongholds are Scotland, Northumberland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Lake District as well as on islands such as Brownsea.
If you want to see them in the wild, prime spotting times are morning and late afternoon because that’s when they’re most active.
I came across these Shelduck Chicks on the busy promenade at Rossall, there was no sign of the parent birds, although they were probably around in the sand dunes keeping a low profile from all the people. They toddled off along a path and was there that I saw the opportunity to get them lined up with a nice backdrop.
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About blackbird-sized and striking black-and-white. It has a very distinctive bouncing flight and spends most of its time clinging to tree trunks and branches, often trying to hide on the side away from the observer. Its presence is often announced by its loud call or by its distinctive spring 'drumming' display. The male has a distinctive red patch on the back of the head and young birds have a red crown.
What they eat: Insects, seeds and nuts (Courtesy RSPB).
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Pheasants are large, long-tailed gamebirds. The males have rich chestnut, golden-brown and black markings on their bodies and tails, with a dark green head and red face wattling. Females are mottled with paler brown and black.
They were introduced to the UK long ago and more recent introductions have brought in a variety of races and breeds for sport shooting. What they eat: Seeds, grain, shoots and insects (Courtesy RSPB).
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The great crested grebe is a delightfully elegant waterbird with ornate head plumes which led to its being hunted for its feathers, almost leading to its extermination from the UK. They dive to feed and also to escape, preferring this to flying. On land they are clumsy because their feet are placed so far back on their bodies. They have an elaborate courtship display in which they rise out of the water and shake their heads. Very young grebes often ride on their parents' backs. What they eat: Mainly fish (Courtesy RSPB).
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The tiny harvest mouse lives in long tussocky grassland, reedbeds, hedgerows, farmland and around woodland edges. It is mainly vegetarian, eating seeds and fruits, but will also eat invertebrates. Harvest mice build a spherical nest of tightly woven grass, high-up in the tall grasses, in which the female will give birth to around six young.
The harvest mouse has pale, ginger or yellow fur, and a white belly. Its tail is almost hairless and nearly as long as its body.
Found in England, south of Yorkshire (Courtesy Wildlife Trusts).
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This small owl was introduced to the UK in the 19th century. It can be seen in the daylight, usually perching on a tree branch, telegraph pole or rock. It will bob its head up and down when alarmed. In flight it has long, rounded wings, rapid wingbeats and flies with a slight undulation.
Breeding Bird Survey data suggest that little owl numbers are declining, with the UK population estimated to be down by 24 per cent between 1995 and 2008.What they eat: Small mammals and birds, beetles and worms. (Courtesy RSPB).
Smaller than blackbirds, with a short tail, pointed head, triangular wings, starlings look black at a distance but when seen closer they are very glossy with a sheen of purples and greens.
Their flight is fast and direct and they walk and run confidently on the ground. Noisy and gregarious, starlings spend a lot of the year in flocks.
Still one of the commonest of garden birds, its decline elsewhere makes it a Red List species. What they eat: Invertebrates and fruit. Starlings are conspicuous and widespread in the UK, occurring everywhere except for the highest parts of the Scottish Highlands. They are most abundant in southern England and are more thinly distributed in upland areas with moorland. Still one of the UK's commonest garden birds. In winter, huge roosts can be found in plantations, reedbeds and city centres (Courtesy RSPB).
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Shot in better light than previous ones.
About blackbird-sized and striking black-and-white. It has a very distinctive bouncing flight and spends most of its time clinging to tree trunks and branches, often trying to hide on the side away from the observer. Its presence is often announced by its loud call or by its distinctive spring 'drumming' display. The male has a distinctive red patch on the back of the head and young birds have a red crown. What they eat: Insects, seeds and nuts (Courtesy RSPB).
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Little Owl taking flight from a dry stone wall.
The Little Owl is not a native species, having been introduced to Britain in the 1870s, but it appears to have occupied a vacant niche without having any detrimental impact on other species. Numbers and breeding distribution increased gradually, reaching an estimated breeding population of between 4,000 and 8,500 pairs at the time of Project Barn Owl. The current distribution extends across England, north to the Scottish borders and west into Wales, where it is largely confined to Anglesey and to eastern parts of the country. There have been very few records from Ireland.
Pairs remain on their breeding territories throughout the year, with territorial calling evident during autumn – when young birds are searching for breeding territories – and again during spring. Small cavities are favoured for breeding, these often located within hedgerow trees or the walls of old agricultural buildings. Favoured nesting chambers tend to be located some distance from the cavity entrance and with little daylight reaching them. The male will often perch close to the nest cavity while his mate is incubating her clutch of eggs.
Little Owls often hunt from a perch, taking small mammals and large invertebrates, including earthworms, cockchafers and other beetles. There is evidence to suggest that breeding success is linked to the availability of small mammals, though some pairs evidently do well on other prey; a pair breeding on the island of Skomer, for example, took a large number of Storm Petrels (Courtesy BTO).
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Tawny Owl set again Bluebells in an early morning low light environment.
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The Little Owl is not a native species, having been introduced to Britain in the 1870s, but it appears to have occupied a vacant niche without having any detrimental impact on other species. Numbers and breeding distribution increased gradually, reaching an estimated breeding population of between 4,000 and 8,500 pairs at the time of Project Barn Owl. The current distribution extends across England, north to the Scottish borders and west into Wales, where it is largely confined to Anglesey and to eastern parts of the country. There have been very few records from Ireland.
Pairs remain on their breeding territories throughout the year, with territorial calling evident during autumn – when young birds are searching for breeding territories – and again during spring. Small cavities are favoured for breeding, these often located within hedgerow trees or the walls of old agricultural buildings. Favoured nesting chambers tend to be located some distance from the cavity entrance and with little daylight reaching them. The male will often perch close to the nest cavity while his mate is incubating her clutch of eggs.
Little Owls often hunt from a perch, taking small mammals and large invertebrates, including earthworms, cockchafers and other beetles. There is evidence to suggest that breeding success is linked to the availability of small mammals, though some pairs evidently do well on other prey; a pair breeding on the island of Skomer, for example, took a large number of Storm Petrels (Courtesy BTO).
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The Sparrowhawk is a raptor well-adapted for hunting small birds in wooded areas. As such, it has rather short rounded wings and a long square-ended tail, both of which help it to manoeuvre through woodland in pursuit of its favoured prey. The plumage is grey or brown above and the underside has horizontal barring. Unlike the Kestrel, the Sparrowhawk does not hover but prefers instead to use the available cover as it comes dashing through the garden after small birds.
Sparrowhawks feed on other birds. This brought them into conflict with people rearing gamebirds, particularly where large numbers of pheasants were released into a wood, and Sparrowhawks were controlled. They were also hit by the effects of organochlorine pesticides. Since these were banned (and since legal protection has been better enforced in the countryside), the population has begun to recover (Courtesy BTO).
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The gadwall is a very grey-coloured dabbling duck, a little smaller than the mallard, and with an obvious black rear end. It shows a white wing patch in flight. When seen close up the grey colour is made up of exquisitely fine barring and speckling. It nests in low numbers in the UK and is an Amber List species. What they eat: Stems, leaves and seeds (Courtesy RSPB).
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The Little Owl is not a native species, having been introduced to Britain in the 1870s, but it appears to have occupied a vacant niche without having any detrimental impact on other species. Numbers and breeding distribution increased gradually, reaching an estimated breeding population of between 4,000 and 8,500 pairs at the time of Project Barn Owl. The current distribution extends across England, north to the Scottish borders and west into Wales, where it is largely confined to Anglesey and to eastern parts of the country. There have been very few records from Ireland.
Pairs remain on their breeding territories throughout the year, with territorial calling evident during autumn – when young birds are searching for breeding territories – and again during spring. Small cavities are favoured for breeding, these often located within hedgerow trees or the walls of old agricultural buildings. Favoured nesting chambers tend to be located some distance from the cavity entrance and with little daylight reaching them. The male will often perch close to the nest cavity while his mate is incubating her clutch of eggs.
Little Owls often hunt from a perch, taking small mammals and large invertebrates, including earthworms, cockchafers and other beetles. There is evidence to suggest that breeding success is linked to the availability of small mammals, though some pairs evidently do well on other prey; a pair breeding on the island of Skomer, for example, took a large number of Storm Petrels (Courtesy BTO).
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The Sparrowhawk is a raptor well-adapted for hunting small birds in wooded areas. As such, it has rather short rounded wings and a long square-ended tail, both of which help it to manoeuvre through woodland in pursuit of its favoured prey. The plumage is grey or brown above and the underside has horizontal barring. Unlike the Kestrel, the Sparrowhawk does not hover but prefers instead to use the available cover as it comes dashing through the garden after small birds.
Sparrowhawks feed on other birds. This brought them into conflict with people rearing gamebirds, particularly where large numbers of pheasants were released into a wood, and Sparrowhawks were controlled. They were also hit by the effects of organochlorine pesticides. Since these were banned (and since legal protection has been better enforced in the countryside), the population has begun to recover (Courtesy BTO).
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The Sparrowhawk is a raptor well-adapted for hunting small birds in wooded areas. As such, it has rather short rounded wings and a long square-ended tail, both of which help it to manoeuvre through woodland in pursuit of its favoured prey. The plumage is grey or brown above and the underside has horizontal barring. Unlike the Kestrel, the Sparrowhawk does not hover but prefers instead to use the available cover as it comes dashing through the garden after small birds.
Sparrowhawks feed on other birds. This brought them into conflict with people rearing gamebirds, particularly where large numbers of pheasants were released into a wood, and Sparrowhawks were controlled. They were also hit by the effects of organochlorine pesticides. Since these were banned (and since legal protection has been better enforced in the countryside), the population has begun to recover (Courtesy BTO).
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Common Terns having a falling out, taken at Preston Marina. Oops, Faster shutter speed required next time.
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This Male Sparrowhawk came a little closer than I expected after it was spooked by a passing Red Kite overhead. It hopped about on a few perches which allowed me to get a really detailed closeup of his eyes, feather colours and the bit of blood from a recent meal on his beak, I also like the Bokeh on this one.
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Brown in colouration, with a rounded head and dark forward-facing eyes, the Tawny Owl is typically owl-like in its appearance. Three different colour forms occur across the European breeding range, with the chestnut brown form most commonly encountered within the UK. The facial disk is rather plain in colour and pattern and within this sit the dark eyes and horn-coloured bill.
The upperparts are rich chestnut brown, with areas of both lighter and darker tones that help to camouflage the bird when perched within its favoured woodland habitat. Males and females are similar in appearance but differ in size, though with a degree of overlap; females are the larger of the two sexes (Courtesy BTO).
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An inhabitant of woodland, forest, parkland, and gardens with larger trees, especially oaks. Note stout black bill, thick black mustache, and black-and-white wing pattern with a patch of blue on the shoulder. White rump usually obvious in flight. Varies significantly across wide geographic range. Typically rather shy and difficult to see well, but sometimes feeds out on open ground; often seen flying across roads. Wide vocal repertoire: typical call a dry “scaaaaak,” as well as varied warbling and hooted notes (Courtesy ebirds).
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