Showing posts with label Robin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robin. Show all posts

5 Aug 2025

5 Aug 25 - I Love This Time Of Year

I do love this time of year, as it's a time to make some new friends. Many of the local breeding Passerines, seem to feed the youngsters for a few days before abandoning them. The local Robin pair are typical. This year there are two young Robins around and after a bit of territorial squabbling, one seems to have taken control of my back garden. It was initially shy, but by late July would come closer as I was doing a bit of gardening.
IPhone Robin photo
It's grown in confidence with me and now flies into the area close to my conservatory when it sees me, as it knows I will be putting some food out for it. It will quite happily sit a couple of feet above me as I put some food out for it on a chosen rock.
A closer crop
Normally, come the Autumn the youngsters will be driven out of the territory by the dominate pair. However, as the adult Robins haven't been coming in much to my garden this year, it would be great if this uber-friendly Robin was to be allowed to stick around. It will be easy to tell given it's behaviour.

15 Jul 2022

15 Jul 22 - Some Clearer Air On The Jurassic Coast

Three nights ago there was a superb sunset along the Jurassic coast from St Aldhelms.
Jurassic Sunset from St Aldhelms (12 Jul 22)
I popped out again for the evening sunset after another long session earlier in the day of trying to return the garden to looking like a garden, rather than the neglected grassland that the flower beds had become. The garden Birds seem to be enjoying being able to get into the more open garden.
Robin: An IPhone photo of one of my adult Robins which was looking for food & distracting me from gardening. There were also two independent juvenile Robins enjoying the bonus food
After several hot hours in the garden, it was good to get a decent walk in at dusk. There has been some fresher air since the first photo was taken & a lot of the dust in the atmosphere must have been blown away. The view was a lot clearer & the sunset lacked most of the red skies from earlier in the week.
Jurassic Sunset from St Aldhelms coastpath
Jurassic Sunset from the St Aldhelms coastpath
One of the best decisions I ever made was twenty-six years ago when I decided that I was going to stop renting in Southampton & start buying my own house in the stunning Isle of Purbeck. All those years of having to commute back to Hampshire for work were worth it.

10 Jul 2022

10 Jul 22 - Meeting The New Neighbours

I'm keeping with the themes of the last two Blog Posts of low-angle photography & the garden. It's always good to meet the new neighbours as I catch up with the long overdue removal of weeds from my gardens. This is one of five Robins that have been checking out the area I've been gardening for some bonus food in the last few days. The others are a couple of adults, one of which is tailless, a second similar-aged juvenile Robin and a juvenile Robin from an earlier brood, that is going through a body moult & is developing a red breast. While this juvenile Robin tolerated the adults, it was quick to drive off the other juveniles.
Robin: Juvenile. It became more confident with me today & approached to within about six inches of the IPhone
Robin: Juvenile
Robin: Juvenile

1 Aug 2018

1 Aug 18 - The Start Of The Autumn Migration

I doubt that you will get a clear date for the start of the Autumn migration from any group of South Coast UK Birders, as it will depend on their Birding preferences. Many will say the end of June or start of July when the first returning Waders appear. But that's subjective as the first heading South are likely to be failed breeding Birds. By the second half of June I was seeing good numbers of Curlews back in Poole Harbour. Around that date, I found a local Great White Egret which could have been a non-breeding individual or a post breeding individual wandering across from the continent or down from the Somerset Levels. Perhaps the date be based on returning Waders from further afield? Maybe, it should it be around the start of July when the Swifts start to depart & the first Sand Martins start gathering to head South. Alternatively, should it be when the Passerines start moving towards the end of July. Personally, I like to work on the start of Aug as that is when the Passerines start moving, although I do enjoy the arrivals of the early Waders. On the first of Aug I was Birding around Littlesea as I was still trying to find the Purple Heron. I had no joy with the Purple Heron, but I was happy to find both a Pied Flycatcher & a Spotted Flycatcher at Littlesea. Both were skulky & not easy to get views of them which is typical when they are on their breeding grounds. So, they were still behaving as if they were on their breeding grounds. Both species are migrants through the Studland area. Spotted Flycatchers are relatively regular and Pied Flycatchers are always scarce with just a small handful of records mainly in the Autumn. So, it was good to see that the Autumn Passerine migration had started.
Pied Flycatcher
Spotted Flycatcher
Robin: Juvenile. A locally breed individual close to where the two Flycatchers were feeding
Robin: Juvenile
Red-eyed Damselfly: Pair. Preparing for next year's generation (3 Aug 18)
Water Strider: The large size & upturned spurs at the end of the abdomen confirms the identification (3 Aug 18)

12 Oct 2014

12 Oct 14 - Launch Of The New IQ30 Bird Club

Following the recent voting success in Clacton for UKIQP, the political wing of the IQ40 club, the IQ40 Club is pleased to announce today the launch of the new IQ30 Club. This will be a Bird Club for  supporters of UKIQP. So if you are fed up of all those Foreign Birds coming over here & getting all the attention, then this is the Bird Club for you. The rules are simple. You will be only be allowed to tick British Birds. Some are obvious such as Blackbirds & Robins. 
Blackbird: Juvenile. Clearly no problem ticking this resident Blackbird. This Studland Blackbird is 100% pukka as it was clearly born here (31 May 14)
Robin: Nearly all Robins are fine, but beware the greyish backed European Robins on the East coast in the Autumn, as they won't be tickable. Old Harry (4 Sep 14)
But other British Birds you can Tick are those which have long winters abroad like the Swallows & House Martins before coming home again to breed.
House Martin: These bred here, but like to have long holidays abroad in the winter & they are still tickable. Studland (6 Sep 14)
Also the British breeding Warblers such as Chiffchaffs & Whitethroats are obviously tickable. After all who doesn't enjoy their Winter holidays in the sun. 
Chiffchaff: IQ30 Birders will obviously have to ensure they aren't wrongly ticking a Siberian Chiffchaff as these will not be tickable. Studland (7 Oct 14)
Whitethroat: Clearly tickable, especially as this was born here. Old Harry (4 Sep 14)
But you will not be able to tick those European Birds that come here without permission and should be sent back to Europe. So out go the Redwings, Fieldfares & Waxwings which come over here in the Winter & eat our British Bird's berries.
Waxwing: Waxwings wouldn't be tickable as they are a European species that only come here to exploit our berries and not contribute anything. Poole (12 Dec 10)
But don't worry about not being able to Tick these common Winter visitors the spokesman for the IQ30 Club said. You can sign up now for one of our exclusive IQ30 Summer Tours, where in addition to the Scottish Specialities, we will take you to our special & secret sites, where you will be able to Tick breeding Snow Buntings, Redwings and Fieldfares. These trips will be timed to see the British chicks, as well as their British parents. You will all be expected to buy & wear our special IQ30 blindfolds so you cannot reveal our secret sites. He finished by saying they double up as exclusive bandanas, in a desperate attempt to woo back former members of the IQ40 club.
Fieldfare: Winter Fieldfares won't be tickable, but our special Tours go to our secret & exclusive sites where they breed & all Tour participants will get a certificate to prove they have a tickable Fieldfare on their IQ30 Club lists. This Fieldfare photographed at Dungeness wouldn't be tickable (8 March 14)
The IQ30 spokesman also said you won't be allowed to Tick the gaudy European Birds that arrive here every year without permission. He said we will made clear statements of what can & can't be ticked. For example, Bee-eaters are clear European & can't be ticked. But the Isle of Wight 8, referring to the 8 babies that were born in the UK are fully tickable. He confirmed their parents are not countable. The beaming smile on his face indicated he clearly has this major IQ30 Club Blocker on his list.
Bee-eater: Gaudy adults like this would not be tickable, although the spokesman said the Isle of Wight 8 would be fully tickable. Beit She'an, Israel (12 April 14)
For years UKIQP have argued that these European Birds should be caught by Ringers. Once caught they should be quickly bagged and put on the next Eurostar before being released. Their leader, Mr Farfetched, says they will hold the balance of power after next year's Bird Elections and the old parties such as BUFO (British Union For Ornithology) and BOT (British Ornithology Trust) have had their day. After all he argued, how can you trust organisations that are named after the Common Toad or rude parts of the body, to represented today's Birders. We are the organisation of the future and we will send these Foreign Birds back, suitably marked with a special ring to show they have been deported. That way if they return, it will be obvious they won't be tickable.
Subalpine Warbler: This is a classic species that would be deported if caught by a ringer according to the UKIQP manifesto. Velji Do, Croatia (5 May 14)
The IQ30 spokesman announced they were pleased to hear the news that following the successful campaign to keep Scotland part of the UK, by the Bigger Together team, that Scottish Birders realised the threats to their lists and voted to keep those English & Welsh Birds on their lists.
Corn Crake: Scottish Corn Crakes are still fully tickable now Scottish Birders voted for the Bigger Together campaign in the recent Scottish Birders referendum organised by SNIP, the Scottish Nationalist Independence Party. They wanted to drastically snip the Lists of Scottish Birders & stop them ticking English & Welsh Birds. Balranald (4 June 12)
Critics have been quick to respond how will we know what we can Tick. This has already been full thought out by the President of the IQ40 Club, and new IQ30 Club, said their spokesman. He went on to say short term visas will be introduced to allow the American Birds to be ticked. The President will also judge which of these birds will get visas allowing them to be ticked & which will be extended to give them automatic rights to be ticked on future Year Lists.
Mourning Dove: This American visitor would be is likely to get a visa allowing it to be ticked. But it's possible that being on a distant island, a visa might be ruled out: depending on whether members of the IQ30 Club committee travelled to add it to their IQ30 Year List. Rum (30 Oct 13)
He said some of the British Wildfowl will become fully tickable: Black Swans and Bar-headed Geese which were clearly born here will be eligible for ticking. He said BUFO need to allow these species. But he said with a smile, clearly enjoying his own joke, the organisation was old & warty and he is looking forward to the day it croaks for the last time.
Bar-headed Goose: British born Bar-headed Geese would be added to the IQ30 List. Bharatpur, India (27 Jan 14)
So join the IQ30 Club now as we have a special offer at the moment, with a 50% discount on the membership fees for members of UKIQP or for subscribers to the Daily Birding Mail.

4 Sept 2014

4 Sep 14 - Catching Up - The Best Of The Rest From Old Harry

I've made a number of visits to Old Harry, whixh is part of the Studland patch this month. Some of the photos from these trips have made it into Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher & Redstart posts already, but other photos haven't. So I'll take this opportunity to catch up on some of the other birds seen in early Sep around Old Harry. Nothing particularly rare, but all of which keep the interest up whilst hoping for that good Bird. Three of these are new species for the blog. That's the point I ran out of time for blog preparation today. Will aim to get some more out tomorrow.
Sparrowhawk: Old Harry (4 Sep 14)
Peregrine: A fleeting flying over bird which is often encountered around Old Harry (3 Sep 14)
Wren: Old Harry (3 Sep 14)
Dunnock: A generally overlooked species, but a favourite of mine as they are great characters. Old Harry (3 Sep 14)
Whitethroat: These have been a few around on most visits to Old Harry, so far this month (4 Sep 14)
Robin: Adult. Surprisingly, the first photo of Robin for the blog. Old Harry (4 Sep 14)
Robin: Juvenile. Old Harry (4 Sep 14)