101 in 1001 - Take Photos of 20 Birds Native to the UK (Part 1)

Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

Over the past few months I've been making more of an effort than usual to look out for feathered beauties to photograph for the 101 in 1001 goal:

015. Take photos of 20 different kinds of bird native to the UK.

To my surprise, I've managed to snap images of 10 already! Not only that, but there were at least another 5 to 10 species that I saw but didn't manage to take pictures of. 

Anyway, those who had their photos taken were:

1. Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

Robin

Robins are relatively small - approximately 14cm in length, with a wingspan of 20-22cm and a weight of 14-21g - sexually non dimorphic birds that can be found throughout the UK and Ireland, all year round. Despite this, they often appear on things like Christmas cards and are very much associated with winter in the UK (there are definitely robins in my garden all year though!).  They are omnivorous, and eat worms, insects, other invertebrates, fruit and seeds.

I took the above photos, at a place in Brixham called Berry Head, on the same day. Both photos were of the same robin, who was having its feather ruffled by the wind on top of the cliff, but I could hear another one chirping to it in the bushes as well. It eventually hopped down from the bushes and pecked at the ground for a while, before returning to the safety of the shrubs.

2. Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)

Great Black-backed Gull in Flight

Great Black-backed Gulls are large - approximately 64-78cm in length, with a wingspan of 150-165cm, and weight of 1-2kg - sexually non dimorphic gulls that live on a diet of fish, carrion, eggs, other birds, and occasionally other prey if the opportunity presents itself. They can be found along all the coasts of Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Ireland, and the south, west, and north-west coasts of England (as well as a few pockets in the east). 

I took the photos above at the very end of December 2017, again at Berry Head, but the gulls hadn't yet gone into their first winter plumage (perhaps due to the milder climates in this area? I'm not sure). This gull and the others I saw were following a group of Harbour Porpoises at the time, presumably picking off the fish that the porpoises didn't catch. (Bonus shot of a Harbour Porpoise below.)

Harbour Porpoise Surfacing for Air

3. Magpie (Pica pica)

Magpie

Magpies are medium-sized - around 45cm in length, with a wingspan of 50-60cm and weighing 200-250g - sexually non dimorphic birds in the corvid family. They can be found throughout most of the UK and Ireland, where they eat an omnivorous diet and flock together when not breeding. 

I often see these fascinating birds at the feeder in my garden (along with a few crows, sparrows, and robins) and hear their croaky chatter. However, the magpie in the picture above was at Berry Head and seem to be part of a pair who had made a home on a radio mast near the lighthouse.

4. Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)

Meadow Pipit 

Meadow pipits are small - a of 14-15cm, a wingspan of 22-25cm and a weight of 15-22g) sexually non dimorphic songbirds that can be found throughout most of the UK and Ireland. Their diet consists mainly of small arthropods, in particular spiders, and insects such as beetles, moths and flies.

The meadow pipit in the photograph was, again, on the clifftop of Berry Head, cautiously running around on the grass. Though it might not seem like it from the picture, unless it moved, it was actually very well camouflaged against the grass due to its size and patterning.

5. Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)

Shag (Juvenile)

Shag (Juvenile) a Mute Swan

Shags are large - 65-80cm in length, with a 90-105cm wingspan, and weight of 1.75-2.25kg - sexually non dimorphic birds that mainly eat a diet of fish, but will also feed on crustaceans and molluscs as well. Their numbers in the UK are quite low and they have a conservation status of red. 

Most of the breeding pairs live in the north and west areas of the UK, so I was very lucky to see this beautiful juvenile (in the south west). This photo was taken in the harbour of my town, but nearby there is a small colony of great cormorants and a few Shags out on some large rocks in the sea. At first I mistook the above bird for a juvenile cormorant, but on closer inspection I noticed that the angle where its head meets its bill is very steep, the bill is comparatively delicate, and the beginnings of the distinctive crest of the shag can be seen as well. Therefore, I'm fairly certain that it was a shag and not a great cormorant.

6. Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)

Mute Swan Swimming in the Harbour

Highly recognisable, mute swans are very large - 140-160cm in length, with a 208-238cm wingspan, and weight of 10-12kg - sexually non dimorphic birds. They feed mainly on a diet of insects, aquatic plants and molluscs and can be found all over the UK and Ireland throughout the year.

Pair of Mute Swans and a Shag (juvenile)

This pair of swans lives in the harbour in my town and I often see them swim out into the bay as well. Despite their size and the fact that geese, who also long-necked silhouettes, appear in the bay at various times of year, it still seems somewhat surreal seeing the swans gliding around in the sea! Surreal, but beautiful.

Mute Swan

7. Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)

Herring Gull with a Dirty Bill

Herring gulls are large - 54-60cm in length, with a 130-140cm wingspan, and weight of 700-1440g - sexually non dimorphic birds. Their diet is extremely varied, eating everything from carrion, small mammals, young birds, fish, insects, offal and eggs to fruit and seeds. They are found around the coast of the UK and Ireland throughout the year, but will will also venture further inland sometimes, particularly during the winter months. Unlike other gulls of a similar appearance, herring gulls have pink coloured legs, rather than yellow.

Herring Gull from the Side

I've lived near the coast since I was a child, so I've always been used to seeing large gulls like these and find them quite majestic. However, a friend moved to live with me some years ago and the largest/feistiest birds they were used to seeing regularly were pigeons, so the herring gulls around here came as something of a shock! Friend absolutely adores them now though, so it all worked out in the end. 

Herring Gull in First Winter Plumage

The herring gulls I took photos of for this entry were in the harbour and were entering first winter plumage at the time.

8. Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)

Carrion Crow Perched on a Bench

Carrion crows are medium-sized - 45-50cm in length, with a 90-105cm wingspan, and weight of 370-650g - sexually non dimorphic birds, with a diet consisting of carrion, worms, insects, eggs, seeds, fruit, and scraps left by humans. They are very similar to the hooded crow, but the two have diverged into separate subspecies. Carrion crows are found throughout the UK, though they are not as common in Northern Ireland.

The photo above was another I took at Berry Head, but I really didn't do this gorgeous bird justice. The crow and its partner were sat on top of a rooftop, but one of them decided to swoop down, perch on a bench and kindly posed for a photograph. I think it was hoping for some food, but I didn't have any!

9. Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)

Two Gulls and a Great Cormorant

Great cormorants are large - 80-100cm in length, with a 130-160cm wingspan, and weight of 2.1-2.5kg - sexually non dimorphic birds, with a diet consisting entirely of fish. They can be found throughout the UK and Ireland year-round. The angle that their bill meets their head at is much shallower than that of a shag and the bills themselves look more robust than those of the shag. Great cormorants also do not have a crest on their heads, as adult shags do, and they have more yellow and white on their face area.

I see these birds fairly regularly and feel very lucky that I'm able to do so, as I find them fascinating. There is a small colony of them on the rocks in the bay off the coast of my town (I mentioned it when talking about the shag), which is where I took a photo of the one above. This isn't the best picture I've ever taken of a great cormorant, but it was one I took during this time period, so nevermind!

10. Stonechat (Saxicola torquata)

Male Stonechat on a Fence

Stonechats are small - 12.5cm in length, with a 18-20cm wingspan, and weight of 13-17g - sexually dimorphic birds that mainly feed on fruit, seeds and invertebrates. Both male and female birds have an orangey breast. but the feathers on the head and back of the male are darker, and the face is black instead of brown, as it is in the females. Stonechats can be found throughout the UK and Ireland, year-round, but they are more common in coastal areas, Scotland and Wales.

Although stonechats are considered "garden birds", I must admit that I've never seen one in my garden before. The above photo was yet another I took at Berry Head, and when I spotted the little bird at a distance, I thought it was a robin at first, simply because I'd never seen one before. I'm glad I have now though, because they're really lovely!

BONUS:

Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)

Mr. Pheasant - not very well camouflaged!

I can't actually include the above bird as part of my goal, because it's an "introduced species" and therefore not a bird that's native to the UK. However, I still wanted to post this photo, because he looked so elegant and it was very unusual (for me) to suddenly see a bright orange pheasant on the top of a cliff!

And with that, I've come to the end of part one of this challenge! Onto the next ten...

Walking with Bats

Sunset at the bat walk

On the 17th of June, my friend Miseria, my mother and I went to Berry Head National Nature Reserve to take part in a bat walk, which was organised by the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust. The event began at 8:15pm, but we arrived early, so we decided to walk along the coastline and take some photos of the surrounding area beforehand.

The view of the coastline

Guillemots

My mother

At around 8pm, we went to the visitors centre to meet with the guides and the rest of the group before the beginning of the event. We got to see into a bat cave on a night vision camera, whilst we had a talk about horseshoe bats (greater & lesser), including where they live, what they eat, how they behave (they're apparently the only species of microbats that hang upside down!). We were also given the opportunity to ask questions. 

The main guide told us lots of information about bat conservation as well, including the fact that all bats are protected in the UK. Apparently, there is a really large population of horseshoe bats in Devon, comparatively, so it's an important roosting area for them. We were also given information leaflets about both species of bats, which went into a little more detail into some things. 

After telling the group that we would probably see greater horseshoe, lesser horseshoe, and pipistrelle bats, the guides explained that we'd be listening to the bat echolocation ultrasound through "bat detectors". Each type of bat emits a different frequency of ultrasound and so the detectors are tuned into one type at a time. Although Horseshoe bats do use echolocation, they use it in a different way to any other type of bat, using their famous "horseshoe"-shaped noses to disperse the sound in a different shape and direction than other bats do. 

Following this talk, we headed to a nearby cow field in order to look for some dung beetles, as this is what horseshoe bats mainly feed on. The Coast and Countryside Trust manages the fields and hedgerows in the local area, so they can make sure that the wildlife have the best environment possible. Also, the grass is kept a reasonable length because of the grazing cows, so there's no need to bring potentially harmful machinery into the fields.

The friendly & curious cows

A dung beetle in a specimen pot

As soon as we arrived in the field, the cows approached us and we got to pet them for a little bit, which was a nice bonus! Then the two assistant guides put on gloves and went to gather some cow dung and started looking for beetles. Whilst this was happening, the other guide told us more about bat habitats, land management, the types of beetles (and other things) that the bats eat, and the life cycles of those things.

Once the two assistants had found some beetles, they took them around the group in specimen pots and showed us them individually, up close. They also answered any questions we had, too; it was really interesting to learn more about the bats and beetles. 

Next, we walked to a path/road near the hedgerows where we were going to watch the bats. We were told some last minute extra information about bats and given another chance to ask questions. We were then told the guidelines for how to behave once we got to the area with the bats, in order both not to disturb them and also to get the best result out of the bat-watching.

We all went and sat in a line, on the grass verge of a roadside, with hedgerows bordering the front and back of us. The guides gave some of us, including Miseria, bat detectors. They set some of them to detect pipistrelles and some to set greater horseshoes and explained that later during the evening they would set all of them to greater horseshoes, as the pipistrelles would probably stop appearing then.

Miseria's bat detector was set to pipistrelles and they began to appear almost immediately, flying in and out of the hedgerows around 1-2 metres above the ground. Their ultrasound frequency sounded like high-pitched clicks/beeps and they flew really close to us, almost bumping into us sometimes!

After around half an hour, the guides changed the bat detector frequency to the greater horseshoes and they started to appear around 10 minutes later. They had a completely different sound to them; much deeper and more like a pulsing sound, compared to the clicking. They flew very close to the ground and swooped upwards towards the end of each flight pass (it seemed like they did, at least). Even after the detector had been set to greater horseshoes, there were still a few pipistrelles flying back and forth too.

The bat watching concluded at around 10:30pm. Altogether, we saw approximately 20-25 bats that evening, which was apparently really good because sometimes they don't see any at all! It was a such an informative and interesting evening and seeing so many bats was wonderful!

Miseria, my mother, and I stayed around the area for a little longer, as Miseria and I wanted to take some more photos. We left at nearly 11pm in the end, haha.

The Moon

Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust are running bat walks at Berry Head until late August, so if you're interested in going to one, check their website bat walks page for more information. (You don't need to be a member, but you do need to book a place in advance!).