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April 2019

Teal - RSPB Lodmoor - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Teal Green

Teal are small, very decorative ducks. The males have chestnut and green coloured heads and strange beige bottoms: The females are subtle …

Coltsfoot - Whisby - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Coltsfoot

Since I’m in Lincoln with an hour to spare I’m off to Whisby Nature Park. It’s a classic exhausted gravel pit which …

Roe Deer - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Don’t bark at me, deer

I’m in Lincoln today and just heading off for a brief visit to Whisby, a park with the possibility of some water …

Shelduck - RSPB Lodmoor - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Sheldrakes

There’s a Shelduck walking on mud at RSPB Lodmoor. It’s sinking gently, despite its webbed feet, into the black ooze. It’s a …

Skylark - Aust - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Skylarking

The Skylarks are busy, here at Aust near Bristol. The RSPB says, “Its recent and dramatic population declines make it a Red …

Meadow Pipit Parachutes

I’m paying a quick visit to Aust near Bristol. It’s on the River Severn with a clear view of the two Severn …

Bull - RSPB Lodmoor - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Not a cute tummy button

She was looking at the beef steers when she said, “I love the cute tufts of hair on their bellies.” I looked …

Dunnock - Seaton - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Fluttering Dunnock

There’s a Dunnock in the gloom at Seaton Wetlands. Once you look carefully you’ll never view them as just a brown bird. …

Coot - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Calling Coots

The Coots at Stover Country Park are busy. I can see their nest in the bushes, barely above the water level. They …

Mallard - RSPB Lodmoor - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Mallard malady

This male Mallard looks so healthy in the spring sunshine: It takes a lot of nutritious food to make the complex chemistry …

Blue Tit - RSPB Lodmoor - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Checking for Sparrowhawks

The life of a Blue Tit is short and full of peril. Their average lifespan is between two and three years. The …

Black-Tailed Godwit - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Flying Godwits

I enjoyed going to RSPB Lodmoor in Weymouth so much that I decided to have another trip. I stopped off on the …

Mandarin Duck - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Mandarin

The RSPB say there are 2,300 breeding pairs of Aix galericulata, the Mandarin Duck, in the UK. I’m very glad about that. …