Summer Birding

After uni and society activities were put on hold back in March, the BirdSoc community continued to get out birding in their local areas wherever in the world they were. Read on for some summer birding highlights from our members.


Hannah, pronouns she/her, Fife

"I was living on the east coast of Scotland so I had a nice mix of coastal and well-maintained agricultural habitat. We have a healthy population of corn buntings and other farmland birds in my area (the chicks in the photo are yellowhammers!), as well as lots of eiders and two pairs of shelducks that come to our coast every spring for a few months. I also included a photo of a swallow that perched on the gutter just outside my window and sang every day.  Another highlight was several weeks ago when I went further up the east coast and saw some gems including a sea eagle, spotted redshank and marsh harrier, and seeing hundreds of manx shearwaters on the Irish Channel."

Corn Bunting by Hannah Coburn

Yellowhammer nest by Hannah Coburn

Male Eiders by Hannah Coburn

Shelduck by Hannah Coburn

Barn Swallow by Hannah Coburn

Miya, pronouns she/her, Texas

"These Hummingbirds would come everyday from late August to when I left in September. Taking these photos was difficult, because they are very small, fast, and as soon as I left the would come to the feeder. Seeing Indigo Buntings was an unusual encounter, because usually Indigo Buntings go to rural areas and I live in the middle of the city. It was also interesting to learn that Indigo Buntings migrate during the night and follow the stars for guidance."


Hummingbird species by Miya Malouf

Indigo Bunting by Miya Malouf

Fiona, pronouns she/her, Edinburgh

"During lockdown I switched from working on my PhD in the office to my room in Edinburgh. I think one of my most memorable wildlife encounters was hearing a bang outside my window and looking up to see a puff of feathers drifting down. A female sparrowhawk had caught a pigeon as it was coming back to roost. I was able to quietly open the garden door and take these photos of her enjoying her prize without disturbing her." 


Sparrowhawk by Fiona McAuliffe


Mark, pronouns he/him, Scottish Borders

"The crossbill has become my defining bird of the summer. They’ve stayed close to the area and my morning walks are now spent enjoying their constant chatterings. They rarely let me approach them, often remaining high up in the canopy out of sight, but still within hearing range. I’m unsure as to when the crossbills will move on elsewhere but, for now, I hope they stay just a little while longer."

Common Crossbill by Mark Pitt

Irena, pronouns she/her, Bulgaria

"This August I went bird ringing at the seaside in Bulgaria (at Durankulak) where I encountered and handled many fabulous birds! Amongst the bird species that amazed me the most were Little Bittern, Bluethroat, Kingfisher, Paddyfield Warbler!, Wryneck (it’s very amusing to handle them and their name is definitely justified, haha) and Bearded Tit. Other than that, during my travels around the country I have a close encounter with a Hoopoe,  Bee-eaters, a female Western Marsh Harrier, a Nightjar and a Little Owl which were all very thrilling experiences. Additionally, I saw Pied Wheatear, Griffon Vulture and Night Heron, species I haven’t seen before!"

Griffon Vultures by Irena Atanasova

Marsh Harrier by Irena Atanasova

Pied Wheatear by Irena Atanasova

Little Bittern by Irena Atanasova

Nightjar by Irena Atanasova


Maria, pronouns she/her, Australia

"Here are some pictures I took during my time in Victoria, Australia. A couple of king parrots (male and female I think), a laughing kookaburra and some sulphur crested cockatoos (resting on a startled Maria). I love camping and hiking and being in the bush has given me the opportunity to see so much of the amazing wildlife. It certainly made me wish I had a better camera than my phone!"

Kookaburra by Maria De La Torre Barranco

Sulphur-crested Cockatoos by Maria De La Torre Barranco

King Parrots by Maria De La Torre Barranco

This blog kicks off a monthly round-up post of what our members are up to. We're looking for regular contributions from anyone in the BirdSoc community. Please send a few sentences on your birding highlights of the month and any photos to edinburghbirdsoc@gmail.com.





Comments

  1. TasSeptember 26, 2020 at 1:30 PM

    Beautiful shots from everyone - excited for the next posts!

    ReplyDelete

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