Latest wildlife photo's from the past week

So this week I've managed to get out and about a couple of times. Tuesday was a gloriously sunny day and Thursday not so sunny but still managed to spot some lovely birds, some of which I have never seen before. So this week's sighting list is quite long, deep breath, here goes...

Curlews

Oyster Catchers

Common Pochard

Lapwings

Buzzards

Kestrels

Reed Bunting

Cormorants

Goosanders

Grebes

Ducks

Geese

I was honoured to see this lovely little bird for the first time. This is a Reed Bunting..

Reed Bunting. Olympus E-M1 Mark ii & 100-400 lens, f7.1 1/1000th

This bird is about the same size as a sparrow and I can see how people can mistake them for a sparrow with their brown and black backs. I love its white collar and its little white moustache! normally seen in the colder parts of Europe such as Norway and Sweden. It comes here to Winter in the milder weather although this one looked absolutely frozen!

A very cold looking Reed Bunting. Olympus E-M1 Mark ii & 100-400 lens, f7.1 1/1000th

Another bird I've not seen before is the Oyster catcher. It is a distinctive bird with its black and white plumage and their long orange/yellow beaks.

Oyster Catchers. Olympus E-M1 Mark ii & 100-400 lens, f6.3 1/1000th

You would normally associate this bird with costal areas but looking into sightings they are quite commonly seen all over Staffordshire at lake sites, the RSPB reports that they have been moving more inland over the last 50 years. They make a lot of noise with a kinda peeping/honking sound.

On Thursday I noticed some mating antics going on, so we could soon be seeing some babies in the Staffordshire Moorlands!

Oyster Catchers mating. Lapwings in the foreground. Olympus E-M1 Mark ii & 100-400 lens, f6.3 1/1000th

There wasn't much privacy with the lapwings trying not to watch!!

Oyster Catchers in flight. Olympus E-M1 Mark ii & 100-400 lens, f6.3 1/1000th

Another noisy bird I spotted this week is the curlew. It's instantly recognisable by its curled beak and its scream of "cur-llleww". It's a resident bird in the area.

A distant view of a curlew in flight. Olympus E-M1 Mark ii & 100-400 lens, f6.3 1/1000th

I spotted a few of them, although they were quite a distance away, its nice to see them in good numbers.

A number of curlew in flight. Olympus E-M1 Mark ii & 100-400 lens, f6.3 1/1000th

Next on my spotting list was the common Pochard. This male had a bright red eye and a reddy brown head. They are called the 'diving duck', they disappear under the water every few minutes. The waterfowl is on the UK's red 'at risk' list as there numbers have decreased over the last few years. In the Winter however numbers are increased by visitors from Northern Europe wintering with us in UK.

Common Pochard. Olympus E-M1 Mark ii & 100-400 lens, f6.3 1/1000th

And to round off this blog a few more pics of more common sightings this week...

A kestrel hunting. Olympus E-M1 Mark ii & 100-400 lens, f6.3 1/1000th

Cormorant flies overhead. Olympus E-M1 Mark ii & 100-400 lens, f6.3 1/1000th

Canadian Goose wing tip touches the water. Olympus E-M1 Mark ii & 100-400 lens, f6.3 1/1000th

Goosander having a damn good stretch! Olympus E-M1 Mark ii & 100-400 lens, f6.3 1/1000th

Great Crested Grebe with punk hair-do! Olympus E-M1 Mark ii & 100-400 lens, f6.3 1/1000th

Colourful Mallard. Olympus E-M1 Mark ii & 100-400 lens, f6.3 1/1000th

Lapwing in flight. Olympus E-M1 Mark ii & 100-400 lens, f6.3 1/1000th

Distant buzzard. Olympus E-M1 Mark ii & 100-400 lens, f6.3 1/1000th

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Date of walk - 8/3 & 10/3/22