Having dipped severely on the aurora the other night, saw the glow in the sky and didn't bother to check it properly, dow! Then having two evenings when we thought it was buzzing but the cloud prevented a view, it was neat this morning to awake to a clear sky to the south. Of late the morning sky to the south has been at best misty. Mars shone brightly to the SW, but best of all was Saturn low to the south with its rings showing really well at x 45. Then just around 7:00 a.m. the ISS passed under it, very neat.
A little later as I went out to the car to de-ice it (that is not to scrape off Iceland Gulls you understand) a Woodcock circled the house and garden.
Yesterday, to and from Kirkwall to a meeting, a 3cy Iceland Gull on the PDC and then a 3cy and an adult west of Finstown plodding around in a field near Binscarth, didn't even bother to stop to use the bins, well they're trash birds now (only kidding, honest).
7 comments:
I should hope so, remember your Calderdale days mate, don't get blase :)
Hey Nick, send us a Yellowhammer, or even better a Great Tit, sure we could organise a bit of a swap; how about 4 Kumlien's Gulls for a Great Tit? I'll have to save up for the Yellowhammer.
I've seen 1 Kumlien's but thousands of Great Tits, I think we need to renegotiate the deal :)
http://www.tertial.us/gulls/tkg.htm
Any WWGulls will do
http://calderbirds.blogspot.com/2012/02/andys-eastern-jackdaw.html
Hi Alastair would value your opinion on this Jackdaw type
Andy,
Have a look here: http://bp2.blogger.com/_7E6C7Pb1xTs/R3KMwrPAXBI/AAAAAAAAAe8/hZiuU7f9n_g/s1600-h/IMG_8221_blogf1.jpg
The text on bird forum suggests:
Some monedulas are really rather stunning, big pale collars and nicely mottled mantle and underparts.
The mottled mantle and underparts are important, I believe you need to see these features as well as the collar. From your photo the collar looks good but I can't make out the other features.
This was photographed in Lithuania:
http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=168666&d=1226860620
Nordic is Corvus monedula monedula
Eastern/Russian is Corvus monedula soemmerringii
I will point out, despite scanning corvids a fair bit, I've never seen a good nordic/eastern one. There are not that many Jackdaws here in the winter maybe.
Thanks , i see there is quite a lot of overlap between the two subb species,the mottled effect needs to be clarified..Nordic/Eastern is a good record for Halifax thats for sure
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