Well I was never going to be birding today and the near future looks positively grim with personal and weather problems both contributing. So its another picture gallery and no better way to fill the space than with a couple from intrepid traveler/birder Colin Bushell, and excellent landart creations from Richard Shilling.First up is the exotic little female Rufous-crested Coquette above, one of Colin's many birds of Peru 2009......
......and the equally exotic but much larger Hoatzin. Some name for a bird and which means absolutely nothing to me but an impressive creature all the same.
Colin's blog is here http://latinamericabirding.blogspot.com/
And the two excellent works having an airing on Birds2blog from Richard are called Autumn Beech Water Box......
......and Maple Vein Calligraphy. Richard never fails to impress me with his amazing creations which illustrate his original ideas to the full. Richard's blog is here http://jrlandart.blogspot.com/ Thanks Colin and Richard for allowing me to keep the blog alive with pics from your travels/works of art.
Hi Pete,
ReplyDeleteThanks for showing the Hoatzin pic you're always welcome)and plugging my blog. Yes, odd one isn't it? It's a bird of vegetation choked Amazonian oxbow lakes and rivers. I'll be featuring the oxbow lakes in one of my next posts on the blog so I'll tell a little more about this strange creature then.
Filthy day outside!
Colin
might have to nick a few pics myself pete. Not a camera day today, thats for sure!
ReplyDeleteNice to seem some familiar art over this way! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of questions for you:-
Are Kestrels the only native birds that hover? (Unless some humming-birds have made it through immigration unchecked). A couple of times recently there has been a kestrel near to the parking area by the caravan park at Cockersands giving a fine display. But as you mentioned Merlin sightings there I wondered whether my assumption about Kestrel's being the only hoverers was correct? And whether it was a Merlin instead? I didn't think so but it is handy having an expert to check in with.
Question 2. On Wednesday what time were you at Cockersands until? I have an idea we had another close encounter. My partner and I dashed up there to do a quick project for kids we are working on at lunchtime and a couple of twitchers went past and got into a red car, before leaving 1/2 an hour later. I just had a feeling that might be you. Am I right?
Anyway. Keep up the entertaining blog. Whether you are giving us today's news from being out and about or just teaching us something we didn't know (well me anyway as I knwo nothing!), it is always a great read. From one lapsed and amateur bird watcher, I find there is always something of interest to be found here.
Nice work!
Rich
Yes, another two excellent birds of Peru Colin, the tiny Coquette and the rather impressive Hoatzin, love 'em both. Thanks also for the confirmation my 'pic permit' is still intact.
ReplyDeleteMay not be a camera day most of the week up here in the frozen north as I see it Warren......not really frozen yet though.
Rich, another of your good points is that you're not greedy with your words once you get your hands on the keyboard Rich.
Answer 1. Kestrel, smart/small raptor 'can' be confused with Merlin until you said it was hovering.
Answer 2. Didn't go to C'sands until later in the afternoon, on this occasion at the caravan park end mainly to sift through several hundred Black-headed Gulls and see if the 12 Little Egret count the day before could be equalled if not exceeded but wasn't and found just four.
I reckon your art will be much appreciated by my thousands of 'followers' Rich.