Your Wildlife Sightings!

I saw a Grey Wagtail on Monday . I had to look up a guide to identify it . My first ever sighting .

 

Not seen a blue jay in yonks. They are very rare now.

Poisoned or old age maybe ?

 

They're a lot bigger than I realised, blue jays, I remember a clip from spring watch with blue jays eating fledging birds

 

Saw a buzzard tangling with a raven yesterday for control of a tree.

 

Saw my first Swallow of the year this morning. Summer's not far away

 

Today near Rhyl a good number of lovely Orange Tip Butterflies showing well along with several Speckled Woods and several Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies.On the birding front 2 Lesser Whitethroats were busy singing.Also this morning a Grasshopper Warbler was singing.

 

I remember the first time I heard a Grasshopper Warbler. It was at Baron's Haugh RSPB reserve. My daughter and I were walking down to the hides, when we heard this noise. As we'd never heard one before, we didn'nt know what it was. A man passed and said it sounded like electricity coming from the overhead wires, it was a damp day. We knew it wasn't that as it was coming from the field next to us. A RSPB warden passed us and told us we were hearing our first ever Grasshopper Warbler. Moments later, it flew on to a reed, and my daughter got some great photos. I love the sound it makes. And if anyone is the Motherwell area, Baron's Haugh is a great reserve to see Waterfowl and numerous dabblers. Nice hides as well

 

Left the house at 6.20am this morning,back at 9am and made a much deserved large Egg And Bacon Sandwich.
Anyway i had a calling Cuckoo on my patch,a calling male Green Woodpecker showed very well,2 Redpoll flew overhead as did a Tree Pipit,one Wheatear passed through and yesterday's Grasshopper Warbler was still busy reeling.
A lovely fresh Spring morning,the sun is really coming out now,i am off to my sister's house in 45 minutes to watch us stuff the Huns,should see a few species of Butterflies on the way,going via the Graveyard where my dad is buried to put down some fresh flowers.

 

This morning on my local patch the resident male Green Woodpecker was busy calling,but a cool singing Wood Warbler stole the show,only my 2nd record here.3 species of Butterfly were noted,Orange Tip,Comma and Speckled Wood.

 

Saw my first Housemartins of the year this morning

 

Left the car windows down and had a huntsman spider making itself at home in the motor.

Massive *, the last thing you want scurrying around while you're trying to drive.

Luckily I spotted it on the door before driving off.

 

On a visit to a Nature Reserve near Llanfairfechan North Wales today i saw 3 Whimbrel,1 Whitethroat,2 Garden Warblers,19 Brent Geese,2 Common Sandpipers and a Bar Tailed Godwit.I got somewhat wet as it rained a fair bit.
Tomorrow early morning i am going to the River Clwyd near Rhyl,hopefully i will get 1 or 2 Gems,back in plenty of time for a certain big match!

 

Saw my first swift and a small black and white bird that kept bobbing its tail up and down

 

Sounds like a Pied Wagtail you saw bobbing its tail,cool!

 

Went up to Jervaulx Abbey this afternoon.

After the madness of yesterday was nice to just have a walk about without a care in the world

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jervaulx_Abbey

 

I like it @StPauli1916. I used to love wandering around this place near Llangollen.

http://cadw.gov.wales/daysout/vallecrucisabbey/?lang=en

 

Amazing people seeing swallows, house martins, sand martins and swifts already in only April, must be global warming
We don't get them in Glasgow until about Mid May.

Saw a grasshopper warbler myself yesterday, it has an utterly amazing sound, like a sewing machine in full pitch.
Once you hear a grasshopper warbler you never forget the sound, its unmistakable, amazing the amount of birds you can distinguish just by hearing the call without actually sighting them, corncrake, redshank, curlew, cuckoo, skylark, snipe and lapwing are other unforgettable calls.

 

Tell you what perhaps the most amazing sound of our Native birds is the Nightjar,totally unreal to hear and indeed see.
Yesterday on my morning River walk near Rhyl before seeing the bhoys kick the Hun's * i saw 20 or so Whimbrel,another bird with a cool you know what it is call,also i recorded 3 Lesser Whitethroat,one Grasshopper Warbler,i summer plumaged Dunlin and 3 summer plumaged Black Tailed Godwit.

 

Never seen or heard a nightjar yet, they are very secretive birds, think you get them down Southern England way, maybe Wales too, just like the grasshopper warbler and corncrake are secrtetive. Best place to hear Corncrakes is in the Outer Hebrides one of the last refuges of the corncrake, you never see them, just hear them in the tall hay fields. You also get short eared owls, stonechats, wheatear, gannets, shags, cormorants,storm petrels, little plovers, red throated divers, snipe, eagles, merlin and buzzards up there, and all kinds of migrating birds turn up there.

 

I have only ever heard one Corncrake in my entire life,and i actually saw it!!! The other 3 who were with me that day did not.We were on a Spring Bird race and got this ultra cool bird on Anglesey on migration.Yes you are spot on about the Outer Hebrides,i have also wanted to go there,one of my best mates went there last August and got an amazing list just as you said.