New Year’s Day Birds of the Day!

Happy New Year to one and all.

Sparrowhawk preening

Great Northern Diver, Ashbyville

Another Normanby Park First!

I can hardly believe it but I have had another first in the Park this morning that's 2 in a few weeks who would have thought..anyway today's bird was a female Goosander down at the fishing lake.  I can't imagine it will be there long as it is very skittish and took off as soon as it saw me however it came back a couple of minutes later when it presumably thought the coast was clear.

Great Northern Diver

A few stills..

Great Northern Diver, North Lincs

One of those occasions when the light is non-existence and the bird is just too close - almost tame!

Great Northern Diver (1st Winter)

Christmas Greetings from Normanby

We would like to send Christmas Greetings around the world from here in Normanby and wish everyone a peaceful and nature filled 2013.

Scunthorpe Waxwings

Just driven back from Scunthorpe and had 13 Waxwings along the side of the Li-Lo factory on Normanby Business Park - no camera so no photos!

Another Waxwing tragedy

Click on this link http://theshadoxhurstgarden.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/waxwing-roadside-casualty.html

I can only say drivers need to slow down particularly on the road from Normanby through to Burton, Coleby, Thealby, West Halton and Alkborough.

A deceased Waxwing!

Whilst watching a couple of hundred Waxwing between here and West Halton we were dismayed to see this first winter male taken up into the air in the updraught of a car and then fall into the side of the road - it wasn’t hit by the car but was dead non the less.  They are easy pickings for drivers and Sparrowhawks as they seem to have no fear or road sense.

Waxwings

Well they’re still here in ever increasing numbers - these images were taken by my father this afternoon.

More Waxwings

Our local Waxwings are still around and we estimate there to be around 250 having said that they were a little elusive today and seem to have broken up into smaller groups - this group were settled until a Fieldfare took fright and spooked them - the local Sparrowhawk is still stalking them also and must be taking a couple a day!

Black hairy thick-tailed scorpion (Parabuthus villosus)

We think we have just identified this scorpion which we took 6 years ago in Namibia - I found it just about to climb on to my sandal!  It has just been featured on the channel 5 programme Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan and is the deadliest Scorpion in Southern Africa and apparently could kill a child/elderly person.  I remember at the time Wayne telling me not to worry as the bigger a Scorpion is the least dangerous it is!

100+ Waxwings minus one!

Over 100 Waxwings in Burton Upon Stather this morning but there is now one less thanks to a hungry Sparrowhawk!  Yes there is a Waxwing in this first picture, it is under the talons of the Sparrowhawk - all pictures taken from the car in very low light and gale force winds.