Birdwatch Batch #3

And here’s the third Birdwatch Batch post from our Sunday trip to Middleton Lakes. It’s possible this might be the last one of the year since of pressures we often only go there once a month now. I apologise if this one is a little late, as I also went to Middleton Lakes at the end of November, but I didn’t have much time coming back, and my slow-witted brain forgot and passed it off, but now it’s here, and I will share some remarkable sights, some I’ve never witnessed before.

First up is my best sighting of a bird of prey I’ve had in a while, a surprise as we drove into the entrance of the reserve. Even as an "ornithologist," I am not so specialised in birds of prey, but from my research, it is likely my first notable sight of a buzzard.

Checking the bird feeder as always.

Every day at the forest trail is not without a greeting from a cute little robin. Robins with their brave manner towards humans are for me one of the easiest birds around to photograph closely, so this is just impressive among my many wildlife photos.

The wetlands looked very clear and beautiful at evening. There were also shovelers (a bizarre type of duck with a uniquely spatulate bill to forage the waters for invertebrates), which I have seen here before, but they were too far for my iPad’s primitive camera to photograph in detail.

The most mind-blowingly beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen, my old tortoise of a brain was barely able to fathom it.

Foraging through the leaves like a little msh.

Murmurations of starlings on a beautiful sunset background, what could be more amazing?

A timid pheasant bursts in a blur through the marsh. Ring-necked pheasants are not native to the UK, but Asia instead, probably introduced by the Romans a thousand years ago, but these beautifully-coloured gamebirds have adapted so well that they now breed in the wild en masse, and have become a staple of the British countryside. They are rife with predators, especially popular with game hunters, so they have good reason to be this cautious, although one pheasant I met months ago was the pure opposite.

Mallards shoot up against the colourful evening sky. If you listen closely, you’ll notice that their heavy flapping creates a cute whistling noise from their feathers.

Neighbour planet Venus as a little bright dot in the haze. I’m no longer in my astronomy phase but Venus is the first and last planet visible from Earth during evening and morning respectively, earning its famous nickname of the "morning/evening star."

A heartwarming dusk on the way back to the car. I just love the atmosphere of the British countryside and country life, all is peaceful, no dreadful sirens, no brashful teenagers on their phones, just nature and the calls of a menagerie of sweet little birds. It is a very nostalgic feeling I’ve always loved, especially in December, the route to Christmas, and the best and last month of the year. Thank you for viewing this Birdwatch Batch post, and stay tuned for the next one!

And not to forget from November, my first successful bird hand-feeding, robin alone!