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Early morning owl watching is not confined to ageing photographers.
This lovely grouse was also taking note of the nearby action.
Red Grouse - Lagopus Lagopus Scotica
Yorkshire Dales
Many thanks as always to all those kind enough to comment and fave my pics, or even stop by for a look. Although I am unable to always respond, your feedback is very much appreciated.
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The song thrush is a bird which has declinred in numbers in the UK and has become red listed.
The RSPB attributes this to - The decline in song thrush numbers has probably been caused by the loss and degradation of preferred feeding and nesting habitats.
Loss of hedgerows and wet ditches removed feeding and nesting sites, while increased land drainage and tillage are likely to have reduced the number of earthworms and other crucial invertebrate prey available to song thrushes on farmland.
Grazed permanent pasture (especially cow pastures) and woodland are important habitats with plenty of food for song thrushes. Both of these have been lost or degraded in many lowland areas.
Fortunately in Argyll the song thrush still thrives in good numbers.
This little beauty was happily foraging in the the hedgerow.
Song Thrush - Turdus Philomelos
Ganavan - Scotland
Many thanks to all those who take the time to comment on my photos. It is truly appreciated.
Nice to see 'Ratty' the Water vole on 'SpringWatch Live' and iPlayer today, in Hannah Stitfalls interview with Steve Backshall... See comments.
After many years of taking photo's of the Lesser Fuzzy Warbler' as I have come to fondly call these characters, seem to have managed to do away with the 'fuzzy'
There'll be a few more to come.
Please see Suffolk April 2017 album. www.flickr.com/photos/wendycoops224/albums/72157682818547896
Featured on BBC Springwatch Facebook and Social Media Pages 08/01/2020
Long-tailed Tit - Aegithalos Caudatus
Cairngorms.
Long-tailed Tit - Aegithalos Caudatus
The long-tailed tit is globally widespread throughout temperate northern Europe and Asia, into boreal Scandinavia and south into the Mediterranean zone. It inhabits deciduous and mixed woodland with a well-developed shrub layer, favouring edge habitats. It can also be found in scrub, heathland with scattered trees, bushes and hedges, in farmland and riverine woodland, parks and gardens. The bird's year-round diet of insects and social foraging bias habitat choice in winter towards deciduous woodland, typically of oak, ash and locally sycamore species. For nesting, strong preference is shown towards scrub areas. The nest is often built in thorny bushes less than 3 metres above the ground.
The nest of the long-tailed tit is constructed from four materials - lichen, feathers, spider egg cocoons and moss, with over 6,000 pieces used for a typical nest. The nest is a flexible sac with a small, round entrance on top, suspended either low in a gorse or bramble bush or high up in the forks of tree branches. The structural stability of the nest is provided by a mesh of moss and spider silk. The tiny leaves of the moss act as hooks and the spider silk of egg cocoons provides the loops; thus forming a natural form of velcro. The tit lines the outside with hundreds of flakes of pale lichens - this provides camouflage. Inside, it lines the nest with more than 2,000 downy feathers to insulate the nest. Nests suffer a high rate of predation with only 17% success.
Social behaviour
Outside the breeding season they form compact flocks of 6 to 17 birds, composed of family parties (parents and offspring) from the previous breeding season, together with any extra adults that helped to raise a brood. These flocks will occupy and defend territories against neighbouring flocks. The driving force behind the flocking behaviour is thought to be that of winter roosting, being susceptible to cold; huddling increases survival through cold nights.
From July to February, the non-breeding season, long-tailed tits form flocks of relatives and non-relatives, roosting communally. When the breeding season begins, the flocks break up, and the birds attempt to breed in monogamous pairs. Males remain within the winter territory, while females have a tendency to wander to neighbouring territories.
Pairs whose nests fail have three choices: try again, abandon nesting for the season or help at a neighbouring nest. It has been shown that failed pairs split and help at the nests of male relatives, recognition being established vocally.] The helped nests have greater success due to higher provisioning rates and better nest defence. At the end of the breeding season, in June–July, the birds reform the winter flocks in their winter territory.
Population:
UK breeding:
340,000 territories
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