Long-eared Owls - Asio otus104 viewsa record shot - there's two of 'em in there somewhere
photographed @ Marton Mere Nature Reserve Blackpool
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Mosquito - Culiseta annulata68 viewsthere's two of them in this photo, they are one of the largest Mosquitoes, they bite, often causing large blisters
photographed @ Whitbarrow
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Squabbling Little Egrets - shot 15/1571 viewsand finally this one decided to get the flock out of there
photographed from the Morecambe Hide @ Leighton Moss RSPB reserve
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49 viewsphotographed in the garden of the gîte we were renting in the Vendée, France, there are two of 'em in this shot
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ChiffWarbler or Willowchaff133 viewsthis bird was keeping quiet, there were both Chiffchaffs & Willow Warblers in the vicinity, so not sure which this is - photographed @ Stanley Park, Blackpool
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What chance have the fish got??85 viewsbarely discernable - but there are two Bitterns & two Great Crested Grebes in this shot - looks like the fish @ Mere Sands Wood are in for a tough time!
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Whooper Swan - Cygnus cygnus38 viewsI finally get two Whoopers in a love heart pose & there's two manky mallards swimming by in the background to ruin it :-(
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Oh No! Now there's two of em.75 viewsphotographed @ Marton Mere nature reserve, Blackpool
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mating Common Blue butterflies (Image 6 of 10)64 viewsthere was just the occasional readjustment when Mr Blue would flash his wings at me
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5 Skippers (I know not which type)54 viewsseen here visiting a thistle flowerhead, there were proably 30+ Skippers on this large thistles' many flowers.
photographed in the Vendee, France
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Ringed Plover - Charadrius hiaticula74 viewsthere's always plenty of rubbish discarded on the beach, we seem to be a nation of litter louts - off with their hands I say
photographed @ Rossall Point, Fleetwood
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Red Kite - Milvus milvus89 viewsthere are two Kites in there somewhere
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Cormorant - Phalacrocorax carbo74 viewsI was going to clone out the 2 faces in the top right of this photo, but as one of them is local & much respected birder Maurice I thought I'd leave 'em in there.
photographed @ Marton Mere nature reserve Blackpool
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Kestrel (with prey) - Falco tinmunculus80 viewsperched, with prey, right outside the door of one of Marton Meres hides, I wonder if anyone was in the hide surveying the mere oblivious to it being there?
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Kestrel (with prey) - Falco tinmunculus79 viewsperched, with prey, right outside the door of one of Marton Meres hides - the hide window can be seen in this photo. I wonder if anyone was in the hide surveying the mere oblivious to it being there?
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Bearded Tits - there are 5 in this image53 viewsphotographed on one of the grit trays @ Leighton Moss RSPB reserve
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Adders114 viewswork this one out, there's two of them in there somewhere. My first ever sighting of Adders, photographed at Meathop Moss.
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Common Scoter79 viewswell once again I mistook a female Common Scoter for a female Ruddy Duck - on this occasion a post on a birding website by a local birder (Stephen Dunstan) mentioned there being a Scoter on the Mere & he went onto confirm that's what I'd photographed.
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Bittern237 viewsthis was easily my closest sighting of a Bittern at Marton Mere, but sadly there was half a reedbed between me & it & I was shooting directly into the sun. Still, despite the poor photos, it was a thrilling sighting.
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Bittern Botaurus stellaris Marton Mere nature reserve Blackpool247 viewsthis was easily my closest sighting of a Bittern at Marton Mere, but sadly there was half a reedbed between me & it & I was shooting directly into the sun. For this shot the bird lept up off the ice & into the reeds with a couple of flaps of its wings, it then dropped down again & melted away into the reeds.
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Little Egret193 viewsin this shot there are two Buzzards in the Hawthorn on the left in the background, photographed @ Marton Mere nature reserve Blackpool
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Wheatear237 viewsI can hear Injuns coming from the west, there's three of them & one of them has a limp.
photographed @ Fleetwood Marsh dog walking Park
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Merlin184 viewstaken from the Eric Morecambe hide @ Leighton Moss RSPB, I didn't even see the merlin hidden away on the fence post until some kind chap with a scope pointed it out to me. I've posted a more heavily cropped version where you can just about make out there is in fact a bird in the photo. My only Merlin photo to date.
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Cormorants56 viewstaken at extreme range from Lower hide @ Leighton Moss RSPB reserve, there were three in total Cormorant fighting for the right to perch on this post
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Bittern123 viewsI'd just been photographing a Kingfisher where the channel crosses the causeway at Leighton Moss when I suddenly realised there was also a Bittern sat there in full view. It's a shame the Kingfisher didn't fly up & land on it's beak, now that would've been a good shot :-) .
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Whooper Swan70 viewsWhilst driving down Fluke Hall Lane, Pilling, I turned a corner to see this Whooper Swan running towards me with a tractor right behind it, when the swan saw me coming it veered off the road into the hedgerow & became entancled in the branches there. After watching it for a while it became apparent it was stuck, so I phoned the RSPCA, who agreed to send someone out & asked me to wait with the swan until they arrived.
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Noisy bugger92 viewsI don't know what type of fighter plane this is, but there are always plenty of them flying overhead at Newton Marsh as they fly in & out of the BAE airfield at nearby Warton.
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Ringed Teal210 viewsA small Teal from central South America & therefore almost certain to be an escapee from a waterfowl collection. This individual was very tame, it actually chased me around the bank hoping I was going to feed it, which actually made it quite awkward to photograph as it wouldn't stay put & kept coming too close, so I was constantly backing off trying to get a shot.
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Red-eared Terrapin275 viewsRed Eared Terrapins are not a natural species in the UK. They have become common in most areas due to widespread release of imported pets by the public once it is realised that terrapins in captivity need a lot of care, as they can live to over 40 years. They have a strong bite resulting in injuries that should be seen by medical staff as soon as possible as they may carry some diseases. They are not thought to be breeding in the U.K. as the mean summer temperature is too low, however there is some possibility that if temperatures rise by a few degrees breeding could start. Note:- Recent news from a reptile specialist in the south (near Southampton) is that terrapin nests and eggs were found last year but no hatchlings were found.
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Kestrel81 viewsThere always seems to be at least one Kestrel in the area when I visit Todderstaffe hall, getting close enough to get a decent photograph though is proving hard.
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Four-spotted Chaser88 viewsThe truth is out there - I reckon the pattern on this Dragonflies wing looks like an Aliens face - spooky. :-)
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Glossy Ibis97 viewsThis rare vagrant arrived in the Pilling area in the late autumn of 2006 & hung around there for a couple of months, providing excellent sightings for the many birders who travelled from far & wide to get a glimpse of it. Nearly two years on & it's still in the North West, being frequently seen both sides of the Ribble Estuary.
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