Introduction The Bee-Eater is a species I have only seen once, but has recently been making headlines across the UK, with a small number taking up residency in a Norfolk quarry for consecutive years! Rather exciting, as this species establishing a population in the UK would be simply incredible. They may well turn up nextContinue reading “Bird Spotlights: European Bee-Eater”
Category Archives: Bird Spotlights
Bird Spotlights: Eleanoras Falcon
Introduction I first saw this particular bird when out birdwatching in the wild island of Mallorca, with one of the best local experts you could find, Pere Tomas. They were majestic, and for a bird of prey, surprisingly happy to be around each other, as they hunted the many insects flying about the air. IContinue reading “Bird Spotlights: Eleanoras Falcon”
Bird Spotlights: The Gannet
Plumage The adult gannet has a yellow head, a white back and a white front. The juvenile is nearly the same except it has a speckled brown plumage. Diet Gannets will only eat fish. They are famous for the way they catch them though. They fly as high as they can, and then fold theirContinue reading “Bird Spotlights: The Gannet”
Bird Spotlights: The Collared Dove
Plumage The collared dove only has one plumage and in this plumage, it has a white like coloured head, a black collar, a white like coloured breast and a white-green back. Diet The collared dove has a diet that mainly consists of mixed grain and wheat. They will also eat buds, shoots and seeds. AContinue reading “Bird Spotlights: The Collared Dove”
Bird Spotlights: The Linnet
Plumage The male has a grey and pinky red head, a pinky red breast and a golden brown back. The female has a grey head, a faintly striped breast and a brown back. Diet Like most finches, the linnet has a diet of seeds mostly and occasionally insects in the summer. When looking for seedsContinue reading “Bird Spotlights: The Linnet”
Bird Spotlights: The Cuckoo
Plumage The cuckoo has a mainly grey plumage, which makes it quite unobtrusive to mobbing crows when they hide in thick trees. The female is pretty much the same as the male so it’s hard to tell gender. Diet A cuckoo usually eats insects, a favorite being hairy caterpillars. It also occasionally eats eggs andContinue reading “Bird Spotlights: The Cuckoo”
Bird Spotlight: The Kingfisher
The Plumage The kingfisher male has an orange head and a bright blue body whereas the female instead of the bright blue on the body, they have an oily green effect. Despite their plumage, kingfishers are very unobtrusive as they sit in trees above a river, waiting for the right moment. Diet The kingfisher usuallyContinue reading “Bird Spotlight: The Kingfisher”
The Bovey Birder 