January 4, 2006
Common birds
Well, I've been starved of birding for the last two weeks, thanks to frantically running round the UK visiting friends, drinking and eating (the chocolate fountain on new year's eve was a definite highlight). In fact, the only birding I've managed was a walk around the block from my parents' house to the nearest playing field. A few days after 25th, we really did get a white christmas:
Since I only acquired my digital camera after my arrival in California, I don't have any photos of any of our regularly occurring UK garden birds. Leaving the UK for a while puts a good perspective on these birds; our backyard birds are often much more colourful than the streaky brown Sibes we race halfway across the country to see, and yet through their sheer abundance are largely ignored. Here are my first attempts to digiscope them: I hope to improve on these, as well as to nail the local Jays and Green Woodpeckers which posed beautifully until my finger touched the shutter release...
Blue Tit (these put the US chickadees to shame!)
Great Tit
Greenfinch
Fieldfare
Redwing (and to think we drove to Washington to dip one last year!)
Blackbird
... and a 'real' Christmas Robin. Sad that he chose to face the other way at the critical moment!
Off to explore Paris next week, and not taking bins, but a flock of 19 Bohemian Waxwings found today in Pitsea will be on my agenda as soon as I get back...