Your day's wildlife

[Poacher]

Black Kite!
Large raptor flapping slowly, heading North over A52 near Bottesford about 8:30 this morning.
Distinct shallow fork in almost parallel tail (i.e. not fanned), nearly uniform dark underparts (i.e. no pale wing patches).
Definitely a kite, and equally definitely not a Red Kite.
Sorry for the short description and no photo; there was no place for my chauffeuse to pull over safely for better observation.
I'm fairly familiar with the species from seeing them in Spain and southern France, and I'm quite sure of the ID.

 

[biggs682]

Fair bit of size difference between these 2 hogs last night

 

[matticus]

Black Kite!
Large raptor flapping slowly, heading North over A52 near Bottesford about 8:30 this morning.
Distinct shallow fork in almost parallel tail (i.e. not fanned), nearly uniform dark underparts (i.e. no pale wing patches).
Definitely a kite, and equally definitely not a Red Kite.
Sorry for the short description and no photo; there was no place for my chauffeuse to pull over safely for better observation.
I'm fairly familiar with the species from seeing them in Spain and southern France, and I'm quite sure of the ID.

Golly! Quite a spot

Was it definitely a different species? I just wonder if - like albino-ism - the Red Kites sometimes come out with the wrong hair dye! A Black one would need to be a long way from home. I *think* I saw a couple in the Pyrenees, but i was too excited about spotting vultures to properly notice.

 

[Poacher]

Golly! Quite a spot

Was it definitely a different species? I just wonder if - like albino-ism - the Red Kites sometimes come out with the wrong hair dye! A Black one would need to be a long way from home. I *think* I saw a couple in the Pyrenees, but i was too excited about spotting vultures to properly notice.

While I'm sure of the ID, I doubt whether my short viewing will result in the Notts committee accepting it as a confirmed record.
It wouldn't be a first for Notts; there was one accepted in 1978, and an unconfirmed sighting over Stapleford woods near Newark a few years back. The wings appeared relatively broader and shorter than Red Kite, and the fork in the shorter tail much less pronounced.
My report has appeared on the Nottsbirders site, so I hope this prompts a few birders to keep a keen lookout and get better views and possibly a photo or video.

Mrs Poacher and I went on an organised birdwatching holiday many years ago, and while the first sight of one just North of the Loire valley caused some excitement. As we travelled further South, the call became "another Black Kite" and then shortened to "ABK", they were that common! Since then their range has expanded Northwards, year on year, and UK sightings increased - still a rarity, though.

AFAIK Red Kites don't vary much in plumage - I can find no record of a melanistic one.
Here's a photographic guide, which has made me even more certain!

 

[biggs682]

On last night's hog video footage , it looked like Bobby our resident hog was at the feeding station when another similarly sized hog turned up you could physically see Bobby expand in size to show the intruder that it was bigger than the arrival .

 

[the_mikey]

Young starling enjoying some mealworms.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Riding down the canal towpath this morning I must have disturbed a squirrel as it jumped out & then ran in front of me going from side to side as they do. I was about to slow down until it decided what to do when it totally shocked me by jumping into the canal & proceeded to swim to the other side.

It had never occurred to me that they could swim

 

[Jameshow]

Red kites are extremely rare where I live. Just completed a MTB multi day ride around Wessex

It was lovely to see them so common and ubiquitous, presumably filling an ecological niche previously unfilled

Much prefer the buzzard which are really common around Devon like a mini golden eagle 🦅 imho.
Knocks the spots off the red kite scavengers!!

 

[Gillstay]

No photo as such an elusive bird, but female Goshawk in the garden for about 5 mins. Scared the hens no end.
Fantastic to see.

 

[biggs682]

What I think is a blue hawker dragonfly

And a pair of Egyptian geese

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

On today's mini amble a Jackdaw was seen to be giving a Sparrowhawk a hard time. Sparrowhawk merely wanted to use a thermal.

 

[potsy]

Taken with a phone camera, let me get pretty close which is unusual.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Taken with a phone camera, let me get pretty close which is unusual.

View attachment 659988

On a previous commute I'd often pass several herons; one would stand on the road* and refuse to budge no matter how close you got; this was his spot and everyone just had to go around.

*ETA: Road closed to motorised vehicles; I'm sure he knew this.

 

[Jenkins]

A stoat or weasel (don't know which) on a back road heading out of Kelsale near Saxmundham

 

[Deleted member 26715]

A stoat or weasel (don't know which) on a back road heading out of Kelsale near Saxmundham

I thought a stout was a weasel just with a white winter coat