Small but beautifuly formed.

With the promise of a warm sunny day ahead, i elected to visit a local reserve that had some special visitors.

The start of the walk was a waggonway,thee forerunner of our railways, stretching for miles through our countryside.



Birdsong accompanied me as did a fresh hatching of Orange Tip butterflies.



Chiffchaff and Willow warbler were the main songsters as i proceeded down the tree lined footpath.

At last i came to my destination to look out upon a calm pond and a clear blue sky.



I wont name the pond because it carries the bird i came to see, a Schedule 1 breeding species, that requires a license to photograph them at or near the nest site. These are protected species so knowledge of their whereabouts is kept secret.

It goes without saying that i was nowhere near any nests, in fact i had to wait hours for them to wander my way, bt i was glad i was patient.

These are still distant shots but do show these tiny birds well enough.

Black-necked grebe.







My next reason for visiting was not long in turning up, the Little Blue Sex Machine or Ruddy Duck. Sadly now pretty much long gone from our ponds and lakes,thanks to the policy of the RSPB of shooting them to prevent them flying off to Spain and trying to inter breed with the White Headed duck.





Other birds of note included Little grebes (dabchick)




And a very smart Northern Shoveler.

Re: Small but beautifuly formed.

Crikey Nom, that grebe looks like it's been in an oil slick, never seen those before...

Great pics again as ever...

Re: Small but beautifuly formed.

Quote

I wont name the pond because it carries the bird i came to see, a Schedule 1 breeding species, that requires a license to photograph them at or near the nest site. These are protected species so knowledge of their whereabouts is kept secret.
"unquote

You say near the nesting site, what do they classify as near? sounds a bit vague to me. Can you be more specific as I don't think that would even stand up in court if prosecuted

Re: Small but beautifuly formed.

Well i always err on the side of caution so if you can see the nest from where you are with the naked eye you are too close. In this case im hundreds of yards away.

I might add that i was using a superzoom camera and a shoulder pod to provide a stabalized platform.

home » volunteer-surveys » birdatlas » methods » Protected species Britain
Protected species Britain

The species listed below are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as amended by the Environmental Protection Act 1990. It is an offence to intentionally disturb any of these species during the breeding season without a valid licence. Whilst licences can be sought there is was no specific need to visit nests (of these or any species) for the Atlas as proof of breeding can be documented in other ways (e.g. from observations of adults carrying food or faeces). If you did encounter one of these species and suspected breeding we asked for the Atlas Coordinator (birdatlas@bto.org) to be contacted so that we could determine if there was already a nearby licence holder, if it was a target species for ringing or the Nest Record Scheme.
List of Schedule 1 species
Avocet

Eagle, White - tailed

Oriole, Golden

Serin
Bee - eater

Falcon, Gyr

Osprey

Shorelark
Bittern

Fieldfare

Owl, Barn

Shrike, Red - backed
Bittern, Little

Firecrest

Owl, Snowy

Spoonbill
Bluethroat

Garganey

Peregrine

Stilt, Black - winged
Brambling

Goldeneye

Petrel, Leach's

Stint, Temminck's
Bunting, Cirl

Godwit, Black - tailed

Phalarope, Red - necked

Swan, Bewick's
Bunting, Lapland

Goose, Greylag

Pintail

Swan, Whooper
Bunting, Snow

Goshawk

Plover, Kentish

Tern, Black
Buzzard, Honey

Grebe, Black - necked

Plover, Little Ringed

Tern, Little
Chough

Grebe, Slavonian

Quail

Tern, Roseate
Corncrake

Greenshank

Redstart, Black

Tit, Bearded
Crake, Spotted

Gull, Little

Redwing

Tit, Crested
Crossbill, (all species)

Gull, Mediterranean

Rosefinch, Scarlet

Treecreeper, Short - toed
Curlew, Stone

Harrier (all species)

Ruff

Warbler, Cetti's
Diver, Black - throated

Heron, Purple

Sandpiper, Green

Warbler, Dartford
Diver, Great Northern

Hobby

Sandpiper, Purple

Warbler, Marsh
Diver, Red - throated

Hoopoe

Sandpiper, Wood

Warbler, Savi's
Dotterel

Kingfisher

Scaup

Whimbrel
Duck, Long - tailed

Kite, Red

Scoter, Common

Woodlark
Eagle, Golden

Merlin

Scoter, Velvet

Wryneck


The Welfare of the bird always comes first.

Re: Small but beautifuly formed.

Oh Nom, those photos are almost as good as being with you when you took them.... I love water birds because they look so calm and elegant as they sail across the the water... thanks for sharing them!

Re: Small but beautifuly formed.

quote" It is an offence to intentionally disturb etc" unquote So it is not an offence if unintentionally disturb. i would love to see someone trying to prove intention.
As I said it is so vague it is not worth the paper it is printed on

Re: Small but beautifuly formed.

Fantastic pictures Nom
It is great to see you getting out and about in the countryside, I find there is nothing like it for lifting the spirits.

Re: Small but beautifuly formed.

It is isn't it Twink I love waterbirds for the same reason.

Re: Small but beautifuly formed.

Great photos of some unusual looking water birds there Nom.

Re: Small but beautifuly formed.

Beautiful pictures Nom. I've seen some of those little orange-tipped, they are pretty aren't they.

Never seen a duck with such a bright blue bill before, amazing, it looks like he's painted it on.
Never seen such red eyes on a bird as that little Grebe either.

The walk through the trees look heavenly, and what a perfect day for you too. Glad you got out and about.

*

(I thought you had written about me at first - "small but beautifully formed")