New Blood!

Red Grouse. Brian Rafferty.

Not for the first time I've been fortunate enough to have received some excellent images, this time of young birds illustrating some success in breeding at the early stage from the credited photographers and here I should point out that all codes of practice and the welfare of the birds were adhered and attended to in order to achieve these results, and includes holding the appropriate permits where applicable. In all these images it is irrelevant where they were taken but if you would like to see some more superb wildlife photography and where they were taken in the case of BR his website is HERE 

The photograph above is of the downy Red Grouse which will need some good luck on its side for several days yet until it fledges giving it the advantage of flying off from any potential predator of which there are many, the earliest days are the most dangerous ones for a creature so vulnerable and unprotected.

Oystercatcher. Brian Rafferty.

I have found one or two young Oystercatcher this summer including four on Conder Pool where the Grey Heron and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls often lurk ready to take out anything that moves, and I can assure you this young bird above is definitely not yet big enough to escape the powerful grasp in the bill of either the heron or the gulls to mention but two threats to birds as young and small as this.

Avocet. Peter Guy.

And thanks to Peter for this great shot of the recently hatched Avocet chicks, and once more to Brian for the Red Grouse and Oystercatcher photographs they are all very much appreciated.

Todays 'Mega Bird' (RBA) is a River Warbler in Norfolk at Thorpe-next-Haddiscoe, a place I confess to never having heard of. Also 10,000 Swift through Spurn today....so what's going on there then?