Sometimes we are lucky enough to see a rare bird. It was my lucky day last week.
A Spotted Sandpiper graced my local lake for a day, giving great views to a few local birders, giving me a lifer, and giving the county, a first.
An elusive Garden Warbler up next
and almost as elusive, a Willow Warbler.
This Chiffchaff was a bit more co-operative,
and a singing Blackbird, was very showy.
I've spent a lot of time recently trying to get a decent shot of the many Swifts we have flying around at the moment.
The best I've managed so far.
I'll finish with some' baby cuteness'.
A young Long Tailed Tit.
An unusually coloured Mallard.
A Canada Goose gosling, having a scratch
and last one, a Mute Swan cygnet, just oozing cuteness.
Enjoy the rest of your week, and check out some more bird posts, from World Bird Wednesday.
81 comments:
Fabulous images Keith.
Wow Spotted Sandpiper, that is something else.
Wonderful collection of birds and photos. I love them all and it is too hard to pick a favorite. The birds are all cute. Congrats on your Spotted Sandpiper sighting.
Wow!! Congrats on the lifer. It's a beaut of a shot too...and the last shot...oh my gosh, they can't get any cuter!
What lovely images! Love the last one. Very high on the AWWWW scale!
they are so lovely this pics and fantastic this birds, I love to see that, big hugh Kathrin
What a beautiful set of images Keith. Excellent.
The swift is just fantastic and as for the cygnet.......aaaahhhh. ;)
Stunning collection keith!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
Great variety of birds. I haven't seen any of those small ones, except for the sandpiper. We get a spotted here every once in a while. Love the baby swan!
What a great post! Beautiful shots, all of them - but two last of them - the cutest! And thank you so much for information - it will be easy now to find my birds in my book. So the last one is just mallard - even it has quite different colours. I follow you from now!
Thanks Roy. Yea, that bird caused quite a bit of excitement round here.
Thank you Eileen. A great find, the Spotted Sandpiper.
Thanks Kelly. That cygnet's a real heart melter lol
Thanks Robin. The last one is one of my favourites ;)
Kathy, thank you. Glad you enjoyed them :)
Thanks Trevor. I'm glad I wasn't shooting film for that Swift shot lol
Thanks Gary :)
Dina, thank you. The Spotted was way off course, turning up here; and in breeding plumage too.
Thank you Marias, glad you enjoyed the 'cute' pictures. :)
I'm always amazed at the wonderful collection of birds that you see and capture each post. You always outdo your own self!
Thank you Hilary. I'm glad you enjoy them.
I have a lot of fun taking them, and it's always good knowing other people enjoy them too.
superb stuff keith. Am jealous over the Spotted Sandpiper.
What a wonderful collection of birds! Congrats on the Spotted Sandpiper.
The baby photos are adorable!
A beautiful set Keith. The LTT juvenile is a stunner. Congrats on the local lifer.
Cheers Matt. Yea, that was a great find. :)
Thank you Marissa :)
Thanks Andrew. :)
oh those are great!!! 'oozing cuteness'. :)
Your photos are stunning.
I'm new to this. What does being given a lifer mean?
Hi Keith...well after all those wonderful comments, wow what can I say to top then!!
You do a spectacular job behind the lens my friend...the last on of the cygnet is as you said "ooozing cuteness"...it is most adorable!!
♥ and Hugs!!
Texwisgirl, thank you. Cute overload lol
Scrappy G, thank you.
A lifer is the first time ever, that you've seen a particular bird. :)
Thanks grammie. Photographing birds is one of the things I love most. Hopefully it comes across in the pictures.
Glad you enjoy them. :)
Great photos of all the birds but the Sandpiper is very special.
What gorgeousness on this page.
And your (new?)website is ever so classy.
Wow- amazing photos. Love them all, especially the singing blackbird.
Awesome photos of the rare bird, the rest are awesome as well, I do love the baby bird photos, they are definately cute.
Oh my goodness, Keith. That last image is beyond cute! It surely must evoke an "Awwwww!" from everyone who sees it. :)
Superb series my friend and congrats on the lifer.
Great serie, im alway's impressed by your images of Blackbird...he is very interesting!
Absolutely terrific shots, Keith, each one of them! Congrats on the lifer! I have tried many times but have yet to get a decent shot of a swift... too far,too high, too fast!
Beautiful photos,all of them and beautiful birds aswell. I love the first one. And the last ones with the sweet babys :)
Well caught with the Spotted Sandpiper, the rest of them were also brilliant.
Adorable photos Keith! Each one of them is very beautifully and successfully taken! Have a great new week! Ciao! :)
All very good photos! The last one is absolutely adorable.
So many beauties! The day's just begun over here and what a cheer! :D
As I scrolled through these shots, I was thinking that there were so many good ones I couldn't pick a favorite...then I came to that last shot of the young swan...Hands down, my favorite!
Wow! You were hot on the birding trail this week. This is an awesome collection starting with the grand lifer. And brother, you know cuteness!
Wow, thanks for all the comments. I have to get off to work very soon, but I'll catch up properly later.
Thanks Mick, it was a great bird to find, and see.
Thanks Joco, and thanks for the compliment. :)
Thank you Mike. The Blackbird was in full tilt with his song that morning.
Horst, thank you. The young birds are so photogenic. :)
Thank you Linda. They are little beauties at that age.
Cheers Frank. A real boost when we see a bird like that isn't it. :-)
Thanks Dominic. Often overlooked because they are common here, but the Blackbird has a lovely singing voice.
Thanks Hilke. I took a lot of pictures of the Swifts, to get a couple that didn't finish up in the bin. Great fun trying though.
fjällripan, thank you. The last shot is definitely popular :)
Thanks Bob. A once in a lifetime moment I think. :)
Müge, thank you. Hope your week is good too :)
MaineBirder, thank you. Last one is one of my favourites too. :)
Thank you Amila. Hope you have a great day. Just starting here now.
Tammy, thank you. Glad you enjoyed them :)
Springman, thank you. I've had a great few days recently; the trouble is, nothing else gets done lol
A great set Keith ! But my fav is definitely this cute little cygnet - soooo sweet :)
I love all of them but Swift is my favourite - I simply adore them:)
Hi there - that sandpiper is a cracker - and the rest of mighty fine as well.
I have to say I miss the LBJ warblers that I used to watch - they were such markers of coming summer.
Cheers Stewart M - Australia
Keith, the babies are darling---who couldnt love them? That is the best Swift photos Ive ever seen..BOY what a capture!! All the birds you shared today are very well photograhed and super birds!!
Very good images!
Fantastic photo and caption. Bravo!
Brilliant baby shots Keith. All characters in their own right. Great shot of the Swift. I always end up with a blurred silhouette.
Great series! I really like that Sandpiper and the Swift in flight.
Thanks Pescalune. The cygnet is a favourite I think ;)
Thanks Joo. Took a lot of pictures to get a few. Good fun though.
Thanks Stewart. It's a great time of the year here at the moment, with all the new arrivals.
Sondra, thank you. I can't resist taking pictures of the little ones, no matter how often I see them. Glad you liked the Swift; I was very pleased with that one.
Modesto, thank you :)
Rezervesana, thank you :)
Thanks John. I had lots of blurred Swifts to get a couple lol
dreamfalcon, thank you. :)
Very cool you not only saw your lifer but got a great picture as well!
Fabulous images.I really like that Sandpiper and the Swift in flight.
Thanks for visiting http://wwwmysrilanka.blogspot.com
Thanks Ryan. Yea, it was a great morning :)
Shifan, thank you. The Swift was a challenge; but enjoyable.
Your photos had me oohing and aahing!
Thanks Pam, glad you liked them :)
Stunning! A perfect set of images. Beautiful!
Great shots, id be well please with a swift shot like that.
Fotokarusellen, thank you. :-)
Thanks Mike :-)
Congrats on the Lifer! Very nice capture of him/her...to boot.
You sure do have a great eye. I love all of the photos!
you have so many great birds and shots it is hard to comment on it. Well, congrats to tha lifer. And to that good shot of a swift. As you say, they are really hard. So fast and mostly too high up for the camera. Then I adore the little long tailed tit. :)
Oh wow these are all amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Hummingbird
Your photography is exquisite and I always enjoy the visit.
Today I'm smiling ear to ear with all the 'baby cuteness' - made my day! :)
Congratulations on the lifer; he's a beauty! All of your photos are wonderful! I love the singing Blackbird and the flying Swift. I can't get a decent flight shot to save my life. The babies are delightful!
the sandpiper is a nice looking bird. love the singing blackbird. of course love love all the cutness shots. could that be a white goose or white duck?
Jean, thank you. I was very pleased with the Sandpiper find. Always exciting to see a 'new' bird.
NatureFootstep, thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed them :)
Thanks Kim :)
Thanks Carletta. I wasn't sure if there were too much 'cuteness' here lol
Pat, thank you. I had a few tries at getting the Swift ;)
Thanks Doreen. The little duck in the 9th shot, is one of 4 Mallard chicks, to survive from a family of 12. Two yellow, and two usual coloured ones now. They're from my local lake, and I've been watching their progress. I think they're all big enough now to survive the big world. :)
The sandpiper was a nice find, Keith. Thanks for your comment on my return. I hope to get out more now the work is finished. Hope you are keeping well.
Wow! Thoroughly thrilled to see these captures. Great shots.
Wonderful photos Keith, every one of them!!!
You're right about the Garden Warbler being elusive. I don't think I have ever seen one!
Love the one of the young LTT :)
What a thrill it is to spot an unusual bird,& have your camera with you!Your pictures should grace the pages of a magazine,you always capture them in their beautiful natural state,thanks for sharing them,phyllis
Thanks Emma. Good to see you back; and look forward to some more posts :)
Indrani, thank you :)
Jan, those Garden Warblers are a nightmare at times lol
Phyllis, thank you. Maybe one day I'll have some in print. :)
Isn't it just great spotting an uncommon bird?! I couldn't help noticing the tires and the cool way they are attached to the wood structure. Is it a pier? The chicks are SO cute! Great captures.
Thanks JM.
The tires are on a jetty, used by the local rowing club. It's useful for getting a bit further out on the lake sometimes. ;)
Wonderful collection Keith and well doneon this new nice lifer.... I love the long-tailed tit but the strange fashion mallard is also ver y nice. Well done Mate.
Great group of photos! thanks for sharing
Great going Keith love the pics well done
Thanks Chris. :)
Iowa Gardening Woman, thank you for stopping by, and commenting :)
Cheers Scott :)
Wow, lots of cuteness. Love the Spotted Sandpiper. Awesome photo.
Thank you gwendolen :)
Fantastic series of birds in this post. The black bird is a beauty...Thomas
Thanks Thomas. Appreciate your comments :)
Well done on the spotted sandpiper Keith, and a great image selection.
Thanks Bob. Yea, the Spotted Sandpiper was a great find.
Very happy with that one.
Hey Keith, What a treat to go through your images.I just love the babies...
Shantana
Shantana, thank you.
I hope everything is well with you and your family. :-)
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