Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts

Sunday 28 May 2017

European bee-eater (Merops apiaster), Bulgaria



I found a colony of these colourful birds, called Bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) at small river's bank in Bulgaria. They are very common around the whole country and small colonies can be found around most of the rivers, where they dig holes for their nests in the banks. The only problem with them is that they are very timid and don't leave people to get close.

From Wikipedia:
As the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps, and hornets. They catch insects in flight, in sorties from an open perch. Before eating a bee, the European bee-eater removes the sting by repeatedly hitting the insect on a hard surface. It can eat around 250 bees a day.

European bee-eater (Merops apiaster), Bulgaria
European bee-eater (Merops apiaster), Bulgaria

Friday 5 May 2017

Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) in St James's Park, London



Even though London is overcrowded city it its parks can be seen some pretty interesting birds. These many parks with their artificial lakes are like magnet for different species of waterfowl and some other animals. I like to spend time in them and observe these otherwise difficult and rare to see in the wild birds.

These for example are Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis), which is a species from the genus of the so called "black geese". Their range is from the North parts of the Atlantic (Greenland, Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya) during the breeding season down to Netherlands during the wintering.

There were very strange legends about that bird, which was believed to be essentially the same creature as the barnacle. This gave rise to the English name of the barnacle goose and the scientific name of the brant. It is sometimes claimed that the word comes from a Celtic word for "limpet", but the sense-history seems to go in the opposite direction. The barnacle myth can be dated back to at least the 12th century. Gerald of Wales claimed to have seen these birds hanging down from pieces of timber, William Turner accepted the theory, and John Gerard claimed to have seen the birds emerging from their shells. The legend persisted until the end of the 18th century. In County Kerry, until relatively recently, Catholics could eat this bird on a Friday because it counted as fish. In Judaism birds that grow on trees are not kosher.

Source: WIkipedia

Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) in St James's Park, London 

Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) in St James's Park, London 
Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) in St James's Park, London 
Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) in St James's Park, London 
Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) in St James's Park, London 
Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) in St James's Park, London 
Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) in St James's Park, London 
Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) - backside in St James's Park, London 
Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) - front in St James's Park, London 

Thursday 20 April 2017

Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis auduboni) light morph near Sumburgh Head, Shetland



The Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) is an interesting Arctic bird, which superficially resemble seagull, but is in fact related to the Petrels. Unlike the Seagulls, the Fulmars have stiff wing action when they fly.

On the Shetland Islands I found them to be abundant, mostly around places with safe from cats and rats cliffs and rocks. The subspecies I filmed is Fulmarus glacialis auduboni (the one living closer to the North Pole is F. g. glacialis) and the morph is the light one, which is typical for this subspecies.

Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis auduboni) light morph near Sumburgh Head, Shetland
Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis auduboni) light morph near Sumburgh Head, Shetland
Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis auduboni) light morph near Sumburgh Head, Shetland
Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis auduboni) light morph near Sumburgh Head, Shetland
Pair of Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis auduboni) light morph near Sumburgh Head, Shetland
Pair of Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis auduboni) light morph near Sumburgh Head, Shetland
Pair of Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis auduboni) light morph near Sumburgh Head, Shetland 
Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis auduboni) light morph near Sumburgh Head, Shetland
Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis auduboni) light morph near Sumburgh Head, Shetland
Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis auduboni) light morph near Sumburgh Head, Shetland walking
Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis auduboni) light morph near Sumburgh Head, Shetland walking
Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis auduboni) light morph near Sumburgh Head, Shetland
Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis auduboni) light morph near Sumburgh Head, Shetland
Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis auduboni) light morph near Sumburgh Head, Shetland in flight 
Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis auduboni) light morph near Sumburgh Head, Shetland in flight
Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis auduboni) light morph near Sumburgh Head, Shetland in flight

Sunday 16 April 2017

Shetland Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes zetlandicus)



It is only few seconds long video, but that was all I managed to snatch of the Shetland Wren after chasing them for 3 months. Its not that they are particularly uncommon, but they move a lot and normally while I'm getting my camera out they are gone and I feel really unlucky with them.

So the Shetland Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes zetlandicus) is not a separated species of wren, but rather endemite subspecies living on the Shetland Islands. There is also another subspecies living on the Fair Isle, but I didn't had to go there and missed the opportunity to see it. And as the Wikipedia says the differences from the more common T. t. troglodytes are its darker and more rufous-brown colouring, with a heavily barred underside, the barring extending from belly to breast and the bill is stouter and longer and it has stronger legs. An estimate of the population, from the start of the 21st century, was of 1500–3000 breeding pairs.

Shetland Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes zetlandicus
Shetland Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes zetlandicus
Shetland Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes zetlandicus
Shetland Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes zetlandicus
Shetland Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes zetlandicus
Shetland Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes zetlandicus

Tuesday 21 March 2017

European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis carduelis) in London



These small birds called European Goldfinches (Carduelis carduelis carduelis) are very common across whole Europe, but nonetheless very beautiful and often overlooked. They start building their nests in the branches of the trees during spring time. The nest itself is hemispherical and very neatly woven and lined with fine fluff. Another interesting thing about the goldfinches is that they have typical sweet high pitched warble and are often hybridised with canaries which produces vigorous offspring with pleasant song.

I'll try this year to find singing goldfinch with nest, but for now that is all I could get.

European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis carduelis) in London 

European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis carduelis) in London

European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis carduelis) in London

European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis carduelis) in London

Friday 24 February 2017

Fulvous whistling duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) at St James's Park, England



I spotted this nice tropical duck in the St James's Park somewhere around Christmas. It is called Fulvous whistling duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) and is normally seen in Africa, South America or India and I guess it felt a bit cold in the chilly England winter.

To make sure it is not its cousin the Lesser whistling duck take note of the black strip on the back of its neck and the light creamy feather above the tail (the Lesser one has them in reddish chestnut colour)

Fulvous whistling duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) at St James's Park, England from the front
Fulvous whistling duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) at St James's Park, England frontal view
Fulvous whistling duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) at St James's Park, England. From the back, note black strip on the neck
Fulvous whistling duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) at St James's Park, England. From side, note light creamy feathers above tail.
Fulvous whistling duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) at St James's Park, England
Fulvous whistling duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) at St James's Park, England
Fulvous whistling duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) at St James's Park, England
Fulvous whistling duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) at St James's Park, England
Fulvous whistling duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) at St James's Park, England with a Coot for size comparasion

Tuesday 17 January 2017

Update on my dog, exactly 6 months old


As the title says, its my puppy, who is already 6 months old. Its pretty big, smart, but not very disciplined.