A lovely Lunchtime Birding

Lunchtime today was the first meeting of our Bird Watching group at work. There were 5 of us and we made the most of the hour scouring the grounds at work and seeing a long list of birds as well as insects. I'll have to post the list another time as I forgot to bring it home with me!

I do remember some of what we saw and I have to say I think my favourite was the Nuthatches we saw. I love their colours and they are such sleek, pretty little things.

The mystery birds I saw the other day have been identified. The looked like this - 

They are Guinea Fowl. The field they were in is part of a farm so I assume they are part of the farm but it was the first time I'd seen them there and I've not seen them since!

Bees, Butterflies and Birds!

It was an exciting day today. Mad busy at work so I took half an hour at lunchtime to walk round the buildings with a colleague and saw the following - 

Male Common Toad

Red Admiral Butterfly

Greater Spotted Woodpecker

Treecreeper

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Wood Pigeon

Bumblebee

On the drive home I saw some birds that I haven't identified yet. It was only a glance that I saw but I think they were at least Wood Pigeon size but possibly as big as a Pheasant. They had white/grey feathers with black edges to make it look like they had scales and had red on their beaks/faces. I'll keep trying to work them out!

And to top it off, walking the dog tonight I saw my first House Martin of the year. There is a nest under the eaves of a nearby house and as I passed it popped out of the nest and flex overhead. Fantastic! It really feels like the year can only get better when you see those cheerful little chappies flitting around!

Any guesses on my mystery birds, please let me know!

First sightings

I thought I would bring you up to date with the "birding" I have done today. I only spent about an hour out and about and went to the locations below - 

The X shows where the field is flooded and at this location, between the flooded field and the river I saw - 

Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long Tailed Tits (2)
Shelduck
Lapwing
Grey Wagtails (2)
Mute Swans (2)
Mallards (2)
Garden Warbler

I then moved to the lake/pond near the Y and there saw - 

Lapwings (3)
Coots (2)
Mallards (2)
Tufted Ducks (5)
Unidentified Swan - It was asleep so I couldn't see it's head to work out which type of Swan it was.

When I came home a Grey Heron landed in the back garden trying to get to next door's pond! Spectacular sight close up but I did give hubby a heart attack when I squealed with excitement at seeing it land!

I'll keep you posted! 

In the beginning....

I remember finding a dead bat when I was about 5 and taking it in to school for the nature table. I'm not sure if that was my first time of being truly in awe of nature but it's one of those early memories that has stuck. Since then I had my passion for nature fueled by brilliant parents who thought a good long walk in the countryside was the best activity for a Sunday afternoon rather than going to the cinema, or sticking us in front of the TV while they did whatever they wanted to.

The fact that they were both thrilled to see new types of birds in the garden or that they loved to point out different types of plants or insects probably also helped. And now I have my own garden and have married a lovely man who is as keen on nature as I am it seems only right that I start trying to expand my knowledge of the natural world.

I call myself a Novice as I don't think the past 35 years of staring at things in wonder really count! From now on I will not just look and think things are amazing, cute, or wonderful then move on to the next thing! From now on I will make an attempt to record as many of these fascinating things as I can and will make a conscious effort to go looking for them.

My exploits will be recorded here for posterity (and to help my memory!) and if I manage to get any pictures those will be shared too.

I also owe a mention to the excellent Nick Baker (http://www.nickbaker.tv/) as I recently  saw him do a talk for Cheshire Wildlife Trust and his infectious enthusiasm made me realise there was no reason to continue admiring wildlife from afar. Whether it is noting the birds in my garden or looking for frog spawn in the local pond, just taking the time to look and really SEE, is worthwhile.

Please feel free to comment with your own sightings, experiences or thoughts as I would love to hear from others that are as fascinated by nature as I am!