Wild Little Owl Junior and Wheatear

[Songbird Admirer]

Taken during this summer. Nikon P950. More or less a couple of minutes from my home in County Durham. What a luxury to have these birds on your doorstep! Wheatear passing through on the way to the uplands, a good flock of them stayed for about 6 weeks or so on farmland.

Little Owl Youngster by Paul Young, on Flickr

Wheatear (male) by Paul Young, on Flickr

 

[cruso]

A beauty we Rarely see any nowadays industry took their habitat for wind farms

 

[Songbird Admirer]

A beauty we Rarely see any nowadays industry took their habitat for wind farms

Happening all over with so many birds and animals, Kevin. I was looking at a map of breeding Spotted Flycatchers from as late as 1990 the other day. They were breeding all over County Durham. These days, you have to go to the other side of Durham to the uplands to see them. When I was growing up, mid-late '80s, we'd see a good few birds regularly that you'll never see once these days.

We're still fortunate compared to other parts of the country in that there is a lot of uncultivated land 'round here that all of the animals depend on, but it is slowly and surely being eradicated.

Little Owls: we do very well for them, but their numbers are declining.

 

[Tringa]

Taken during this summer. Nikon P950. More or less a couple of minutes from my home in County Durham. What a luxury to have these birds on your doorstep! Wheatear passing through on the way to the uplands, a good flock of them stayed for about 6 weeks or so on farmland.

Little Owl Youngster by Paul Young, on Flickr

Wheatear (male) by Paul Young, on Flickr

Excellent shots Paul, of two great birds.

Local to me in east London we had little owls a few years ago but I haven't seen them for a couple of years.

I am always delighted to see Wheatears passing through in Spring or Autumn(or seeing them at anytime)

Dave

 

[Songbird Admirer]

Excellent shots Paul, of two great birds.

Local to me in east London we had little owls a few years ago but I haven't seen them for a couple of years.

I am always delighted to see Wheatears passing through in Spring or Autumn(or seeing them at anytime)

Dave

Wheatear one of my favourite birds, Dave. In fact, all of the chats and thrushes are the best birds: bold, beautiful, always on show and some of them with a beautiful song. Which reminds me, there is no way on this earth that the Wheatear is more of a flycatcher than a thrush.

Do you still get a few breeding Black Redstarts that way, Dave?