Ah, I've never had that particular pleasure. Lovely little bird though - we didn't get a clear look at it last time (in 2010) but this time round we got a good long view. Much smaller than I would have expected.
Ah, I've never had that particular pleasure. Lovely little bird though - we didn't get a clear look at it last time (in 2010) but this time round we got a good long view. Much smaller than I would have expected.
Yes, I initially thought they were Green woodpecker-sized, but are actually more like a Sparrow in size. I have seen just three in the wild despite several decades of birdwatching and looking out for them. Best was at Hunstanton in Norfolk. Found it after searching all day- it had been seen in the morning but not afterwards. Watched it feeding- I managed to approach it and then lay down and watched it from just a few yards for twenty minutes. Brilliant and very strange birds and often very difficult to find even when you know one is present.
I heard a story of someone watching a Wryneck in Sussex near a railway line and they flushed the bird which flew straight into the path of a passing train...
'Beardies' are great too. I've had males chasing other in the reeds around me at Cley- they lose any shyness in that situation.
It was complete and utter luck in my case; was visiting a friend down in Bournemouth in 2006 and we went cycling along to the fringes of the New Forest. When having a rest, we saw a strange bird hopping across the path about 20 yards ahead of us - identified it later as a wryneck, having compared my friend's shots in a bird book.
Very fortunate! This was a bird I always wanted to see since my earliest birdwatching days. Finally saw one at Portland in 1960's after several 'misses'/failed attempts, it was then forty years till the Norfolk one.! (and one more since)
Well, you two jammy birders should send me happy thoughts over the next couple of hours as I'm just off out the door to test one of my 'nightmare' species by looking for Great Northern Diver at Carsington Water! Will report back.
Well, you two jammy birders should send me happy thoughts over the next couple of hours as I'm just off out the door to test one of my 'nightmare' species by looking for Great Northern Diver at Carsington Water! Will report back.
Now I really do feel better about your photographs; I've seen GND too
I've never actually gone out somewhere with a view to spotting a bird, I just always have a notebook on hand just in case I do spot something. As such, I have a few lucky ticks, along with one or two nice seabird ticks which come of living in the north-east with easy access to the Farne Islands. I suspect that both of you will have seen a *lot* more wild birds than I have, being as you actually have gone out to look for them.
My one and only wild Black Redstart was in the Giraffe paddock in Hanover Zoo. Beardies are probably more exotic to Czech bird enthusiasts than to Brits, but they are cracking little birds. Not sure that you'd expect to see one near to a Wryneck in the wild..
Well, you two jammy birders should send me happy thoughts over the next couple of hours as I'm just off out the door to test one of my 'nightmare' species by looking for Great Northern Diver at Carsington Water! Will report back.
Well, good luck with that one. But I only really get excited by Divers when they are in summer plumage. Have seen both Red throated and black throated in Scotland in summer- well worth the trip.
