Little Egret

"Little egret" by Karthik Easvur - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons

So here is the 365th post for 2015. I have scratched my head about which species to make the last. All the species I have photos of have been included already and I didn't get out today to find a new one. 
The choice of Little Egret, Egretta garzetta, was made because birds were the first 'wildlife' I began to take notice of and their establishment as a breeding bird in the UK is a relatively recent phenomenon which many consider evidence of climate change. Their big cousin, the Great Egret, is soon to follow in its footsteps.
And it is its feet that are worth noticing. Usually you can't see them as they are wading about in shallow water, but they are bizarrely yellow. Perhaps because on light muddy or sandy shores it disguises them better? Not a strategy shared by other birds with similar feeding habits.

Will I post again tomorrow?

I have decided to stop posting 'daily' but to continue to post when I encounter a new species. It has been a great thing to do over the last twelve months and the aim, to enhance my appreciation of other living things, has been amply met. I have learnt a lot and developed an appetite to learn more. It feels like a proper beginning of something; it's not quite clear what.

Great Cormorant

Crossley ID Guide

Plenty of these in the Ouse Valley. They nest colonially on a tiny island in a small lake made by the owner of a local farm. The vegetation has been ruined through shear numbers. The Great Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo, is not to be confused (but often is) with the Shag, most notably by Christopher Isherwood in his poem The Common Cormorant.

Rook

"Corvus frugilegus -Dartmoor" by Brian Snelson Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons

I've noticed that some Rooks, Corvus frugilegus, are already nest building and possibly even sitting on eggs. It's such a mild winter that this can happen, although a cold snap can be catastrophic for the young if it is prolonged after hatching.

Black-Headed Gull

"Black-headed Gull from the Crossley ID Guide Britain and Ireland" by Richard Crossley - The Crossley ID Guide Britain and Ireland. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons

There were plenty of these around today down at Newhaven and roosting on the Lewes Brooks RSPB reserve earlier in the week. The 'black' heads of the Black-Headed Gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus, is in fact chocolate brown and only seen in the breeding season. They have black wing tips which distinguishes them from the similar Mediterranean Gull. The latter also has a heavier bill without the black tip and a truly black hood which extends further down the nape.

Purple Sandpiper

"Calidris maritima" by Andreas Trepte - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Commons

Saw about eight of these little chaps milling about on the lowest parts of the east arm of Newhaven harbour. They are funny to look at with their short legs and dumpy bodies. The slightly down turned beak and beady eye gives them a somewhat shifty appearance. There's something incongruous about their habit of pootling about where the mighty ocean crashes into the land right next to them. The Purple Sandpiper, Calidris maritima, isn't particularly purple even in its breeding plumage. It breeds on Arctic islands and most don't come as far south as Sussex. Their loss from this county is possible with continued global warming, although some regularly overwinter in Portugal.

Black-Tailed Godwit

By Richard Crossley (Richard Crossley) CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

I was doing the WeBS survey down on Lewes Brooks RSPB reserve this morning. There was no wind and it was cold but not crisp. Still few wildfowl, just mallards and a handful of wigeon and teal. But the lapwing were there in numbers, around 200 or so, and when the flock was in the air I noticed another bird flying with them. It looked like an oversized snipe but the trailing feet, clear black terminal band on the tail and white trailing edge of the wings showed it to be a Black-Tailed Godwit, Limosa limosa. It is unusual to see a solitary bird and I think this was the first time I'd seen one on the Brooks. The birds in the UK are of the Icelandic race, L. l. islandica. It calls repetitively in flight.
The similar Bar-Tailed Godwit has a barred tail (no, really) and an equally long beak which has a slight curve upwards. The Black-Tailed Godwit has been Red-Listed since 1996 but the numbers overwintering in Sussex have been increasing over the last 20 years with Pagham and Chichester harbours holding around 3% of the national total. 
 

Red Kite

"Red Kite - Gigrin Farm" by Tim Felce (Airwolfhound) - Red Kite - Gigrin Farm. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons

I had to finish off my trio of birds from my recent trip to the Wessex Downs with the Red Kite, Milvus milvus. This magnificent bird is recolonising the country after near extinction save for a small area of central Wales centred around Gigrin Farm where this bird was photographed (and no doubt fed).
They remind me a little of Marsh Harriers with their striking wing markings and gliding habit of tail-twisting. In medieval times they kept the streets clean of carrion, helping to reduce the risk of water pollution and other sequelae of putrefaction.

Yellowhammer

"Emberiza citrinella -New Zealand" by Alan Vernon - originally posted to Flickr as Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) in New Zealand, North Island. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons

A rather grey and occasionally drizzly walk today. The wildlife highlights were the prodigious numbers of spindle trees in the hedgerows (almost as many as the hawthorns) and the flock of yellowhammers, Umberiza citronella.
There were around twenty birds with half as many Chaffinch and a pair of Bullfinch. Certainly the largest flock I've seen to date. The intensity of the yellow male plumage is shocking when you first see it, making you think that this must be an escaped exotic such as a Canary.
They have a distinctive song which is usually rendered in the books as "a little bit of bread and chee-eese."
 

posted from Bloggeroid

Fieldfare

"Turdus pilaris" by Arnstein Rønning - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons

I saw my first fieldfare, Turdus pilaris, of the season today whilst walking along the Ridgeway above the white horse at Uffington. In fact I saw about 300, more than I've ever seen before in a flock. They made an impressive sight, outnumbering the starlings nearby.

Osprey

"2010-kabini-osprey" by Yathin S Krishnappa - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons

Osprey may seem like an odd choice from here on the Moroccan coast, but we saw one atop its lookout by the side of the lagoon this afternoon from the boat. Its Latin binomial is Pandion haliaetus. I chose it because it is possible that this bird spent its summer in the UK, migrating as it does to breed in northern Europe.
Ospreys are unusual in that they can reverse their outer toes, like owls, to allow it to grasp prey with two talons in front and two behind. They are also unusual in being a single species found across the globe, although subspecies are recognised in most taxonomies.

Barn Swallow

"Rauchschwalbe Hirundo rustica" by Andreas Trepte - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Commons

I chose the Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica, today because there were large numbers over the house here in Morocco. Their chattering calls reminded me of spring back home, as did the weather: 20 degrees centigrade and blue skies.

White Stork

"Ciconia ciconia - 01" by Carlos Delgado. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons

This is a common bird too: White Stork, Ciconia ciconia. It has a predilection for building its enormous nest atop minarets and mobile phone masks. The nests are so huge that other birds nest within the superstructure; a nice example of commensalism. The species is migratory, flying to southern Africa for the winter. They can form impressive flocks crossing narrow points during the passage, forced as they are to travel over land as much as possible due to their reliance on thermals.

Common Bulbul

http://peterbeesley.blogspot.com/2012/02/common-burlbul-morocco.html

I am struggling to find a non-copyright photo of a Common Bulbul, Picnonotus barbatus, but there are some lovely images on this blog.
I too am in Morocco and this bird is a common visitor to the garden where we're staying. Its calls and song are loud and easily recognisable. The following recording was made in Oualidia where we are the guests of my old chum James (see Firecrest) at his remarkable villa overlooking the lagoon.

Kestrel

"Common kestrel falco tinnunculus" by Andreas Trepte, www.photo-natur.de. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Commons

So here is our second commonest bird of prey - the Common Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus. It is the one seen hovering over motorway verges and other suitable habitats. It descends in steps before finally dropping onto its prey, usually a field vole or mouse.
There is a nest box used annually on the side of the Nuffield Hospital in Woodingdean and I often see one of the adults hunting in the fields around the racecourse on my way to work.

Buzzard

Buteo buteo by Arend from Oosterhout, Netherlands Licensed under CC BY 2.0

https://pdrmg.wordpress.com/gallery/buzzard-in-flight/

 by Mike Price

Yet another missed day on the blog! Sign of blog fatigue perhaps. Or it could have been the distraction of preparing for my elder daughter's 18th birthday party which was chez nous. Certainly the lateness of the finish and the current time are conspiring to make these two posts short and sweet.
So this is the Common Buzzard, Buteo buteo, the UK's commonest bird of prey, overtaking the Kestrel in the last 10 years. When I first moved to Lewes there were no buzzards nearby but now several pairs have territories in the surrounding area.
They have distinctively swept forward wings when soaring but it is often the even more distinctive mewing cry that draws one's attention.

Coal Tit

"Coal tit" by Aviceda - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coal_tit_UK09.JPG#/media/File:Coal_tit_UK09.JPG

I have enjoyed seeing the coal tits, Periparus ater, return to the feeders in the garden over the last few weeks. They are rarer than the other two common garden tits and generally prefer areas with conifers. They are about the size of blue tits but have a distinctive white cheek and white patch on the back of the head extending to the nape of the neck. They have a distinctive song which sounds like a slurred great tit call and it is this that usually alerts you to their presence, especially in mixed conifer/broadleaved woodland.

Ring-necked Parakeets

http://animalia-life.com/birds/rose-ringed-parakeet.html

Another bird from Gran Canaria: the Ring-necked parakeet, Psittacula krameri. Look familiar? If you live in the south east of England it may do. As with Gran Canaria, they are an introduced species. The ones in Britain were released or escaped in the 1970s and became established in Richmond Park. Since then they have colonised most of London and are spreading out beyond the M25. They are noisy creatures and were forever racing about in small groups amongst the palm trees.

Atlantic gull or Yellow-legged gull

http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/y/yellowleggedgull/

There were plenty of these out in the Canaries: Yellow-legged gulls, Larus michahellis ssp atlantis. They are interesting because only recently were they recognised as a species in their own right. Prior to the 1990s people lumped them with the Herring gull or sometimes with the Caspian gull. British Birds magazine was the first to consider it a full species back in 1993 but the British Ornithologists Union waited until 2007 to do so. DNA evidence shows that it is more closely related to the Great Black-backed gull than the Herring gull. 
The Macaronesian subspecies is often referred to as the Atlantic gull and it may, in due course, be recognised as a full species. It seems that DNA analysis favours the splitters more than the lumpers.

Hoopoe

"Hoopoe (Upupa epops)" by Arturo Nikolai Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons

Another thematic species from our Gran Canaria trip. I'd only seen one once before in Europe when staying with friends in Parthenay, France. It's a Hoopoe, Upupa epops, and a year round resident in the Canaries. In France it's a migrant breeder. In fact it is found throughout France in the summer but rarely makes it across the channel.
They are actually quite small, about the size of a starling, and the bill is extremely fine and delicate-looking. The name, both common and binomial, is onomatopoeic after its call.

Firecrest

Photo: J von Leyden

Photo: J von Leyden

It's not often you get this close to the UK's smallest bird. The trick is to have it fly into a window and stun itself. My neighbours kindly arranged just such an event and called me to come and see. I corrected their impression that it was a juvenile goldfinch but misleadingly as it happened as I told them it was a Goldfinch! It is in fact a Firecrest, Regulus ignicapilla, the similar but much rarer first cousin of the Goldcrest. The distinguishing features are the white cheeks and black eyestripe. The Firecrest is slightly larger than the Goldcrest but imperceptibly so. It inhabits the same habitats: mainly conifers. 
Firecrests first bred in the UK in the early 1960s (Goldcrests have always been around) and in Sussex in the 1970s. Their numbers here are increasing. 
Usually you hear them before you see them. Firecrest song is a single accelerating note whereas Goldcrest ends with a slight flourish, not unlike the flourish of the Chaffinch.


Having enjoyed close-up views of the bird I proceeded to sample the delicious blackberry, elderflower and lime drizzle cake on offer. I fancy it was finer than the raspberry friands on offer last week, but it's not easy to be sure.