Oldt1mer - Keith's photos

The Northern Lapwing - Vanellus vanellus - is a bird of the Plover family more commonly known as simply the Lapwing or Green Plover. It is also known in some areas as the Peewit (or Pewit), Tuit (or Tew-It) and the Pyewipe on account of its display calls. As a boy, I used to see many of these lovely birds feeding on worms and insects in the fields and farmlands and often coming across their ground scrapes with eggs which they fiercely defend by various tricks and deceits. Unfortunately they have suffered a decline and are now on the red list in the UK. It is a highly migratory bird, wintering as far away as North Africa, northern India, Nepal and even China, flying mainly by day in large flocks. This one was seen from a hide at Martin Mere, Burscough, Lancashire. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Harlequin Ladybird - Harmonia axyridis - is one of the UK's largest ladybird at 8mm and is widespread across the UK. One of the most invasive insects in the world, it is of Asian origin and first arrived in the UK in 2004, rapidly becoming one of the most common in the country as it can have multiple broods throughout the spring, summer and autumn. It is also a predator being able to out compete native species for food and also eating their eggs and larvae. To explain, it took 100 years for the Grey Squirrel to spread though the UK ... it took the Harlequin less than 10 years. Over 100 different colour patterns have been recorded so identification can be awkward at times. This one was seen at Pennington Flash, Leigh. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The brightly coloured European Goldfinch - Carduelis carduelis - is native to Europe, North Africa and western and central Asia and has been introduced to other countries including Australia, New Zealand and Uruguay. They can be seen just about anywhere, either solo or in small flocks, looking for small seeds from Ragwort, Teasels, Dandelions etc. (notice the sharp pointy beak for getting at those seeds) and are happy in gardens preferring sunflower kernels or niger (or nyjer) seed to anything else on offer. This one is, I think, just coming into adulthood because, although it has its red face, the white marks on the wings and tail are not yet fully defined. It was seen from a nature hide at Martin Mere, Burscough, Lancashire. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The lovely little Pied Wagtail - Motacilla alba - is also known as the Water Wagtail. It is a smallish bird with a long tail which, when not standing and wagging its tail frantically up and down, can be found dashing about car parks, pavements, lawns and by waterside looking for food, mainly insects but they will also eat seeds and other scraps in winter. The species is known as the White Wagtail but there are nine recognised subspecies of Wagtail. In the UK they are 'M. a .yarrellii' and have a much darker/blacker back than the nominal race and the black of the throat continues onto the side of the neck, these are known as the Pied or Water Wagtail. I was lucky enough to catch this one as it walked through a little patch of sunlight at Carr Mill Dam, St Helens. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This is the Alder Leaf Beetle - Agelastica alni - and it is that little black (actually a very deep metallic blue as you can see) shiny beetle that is seen, in sometimes large numbers, chewing holes out of every leaf on alder trees in the springtime (although these two seem to have found something else to occupy them). They greatly favour the Alder but will also munch their way through Beech, Birch, Hazel and Hornbeam leaves as do their black caterpillar larvae. They are widespread in Europe and were also introduced to the US in the 19th century. Once considered extinct in the UK it was found again in Manchester in 2004 and seems to be thriving and extending their range to other areas. This pair were seen at Pennington Flash, Leigh. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The lovely Azure Damselfly - Coenagrion puella - is commonly found darting about close to the vegetation of ponds, streams, canals and lakes across most of Europe. Very similar to, and often mistaken for, the Common Blue Damselfly, this little one is only approx 3.5cm long and, because it is so small, it tends to lay in wait for insect prey before catching it in mid air with its legs then returning to the perch to eat. This is a male, the female is a glossy green where the male is blue. Seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Smew - Mergellus albellus - is a small diving duck with a smaller and more pointed bill than usual for a duck which helps as they eat mainly insects, insect larva and fish. They breed across northern Europe laying their eggs in holes high up in tree trunks which they line with down and soft feathers, some, however, visit the UK from Holland and Denmark over the winter months to escape the very cold weather. As you can see, the males are white with black markings, the females and immature males are mainly grey with chestnut foreheads and crowns. Seen at Martin Mere Wetland Center, Burscough, Lancashire. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The beautifully marked Great Spotted Woodpecker - Dendrocopos major - is resident across Eurasia from the UK to Japan and will inhabit any area which is not too cold or dry to have woodland habitat. It eats mainly insects and larvae and will happily visit safe feeders for nuts, seeds and suet (as can be seen here). They will also eat carrion occasionally and will raid the nests of other birds for their eggs and even chicks. This one was seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The smaller Moorhen - Gallinula chloropus - had, unknowingly it seemed, strayed into the Coot's - Fulica atra - territory and was happily swimming around when the Coot finally spotted it .... you can see what happened next. The poor little Moorhen was chased completely off the pond and only escaped when it ran up onto the land and far enough away for the Coot to be happy. I heard the noises whilst strolling along and turned to see what was happening, I had one shot only and this was it. Seen at Martin Mere Wetland Centre, Burscough, Lancashire. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Asian Water Monitor - Varanus salvator - is a large lizard which is native to South and Southeast Asia. They have various other names such as Rice Lizard, Ring Lizard, Plain Lizard, Malayan Water Monitor, etc. In Thailand, the local word for the Water Monitor is 'hia' which is also used as an insulting word for bad and evil things so some prefer to call them 'silver and gold'. Adults can grow up to 2 mtrs (6ft 7in) but this one was more like 75cm (30in) long. They will eat fish, crabs, frogs, birds, rodents, cats and even small dogs but are only preyed upon by saltwater crocodiles. They will attack humans if they feel threatened and they can inflict serious injury. I saw this one climbing a tree just outside our hotel in Khao Lak, Thailand. I did get full body shots but found this portrait more interesting. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Eurasian Blue Tit - Parus caeruleus (or Cyanistes caeruleus) - is the only bird native to Britain with blue and yellow plumage. It is a small bird 12cm (4.7in) long with a wingspan of 18cm (7.1in) which loves to eat aphids and other plant pests, grubs and some moths as well as the food we put out in the garden for them. They will nest wherever there is a suitable and safe hole whether that be in a tree, wall, stump or nest boxes and will return to the same hole year after year until one of the pair dies then that hole will more than likely be taken by another pair. This one was seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The male Eurasian Bullfinch - Pyrrhula pyrrhula - is a striking bird, being much more brightly coloured than the female. Also known as the 'Common Bullfinch' or simply the 'Bullfinch' (as it is the original bird to bear the name Bullfinch), it is a normally shy bird, living in woodland and forests but is also be found in hedgerows and even parks and gardens as long as there are trees (or feeders) to feed on and dense vegetation to nest in. They can be a pest because of their habit of eating the buds of fruit trees in spring causing crop shortages. (In England, for centuries, every parish would pay a bounty for every Bullfinch killed. Thankfully that is not the case now). In other seasons they eat mainly seeds, insects and buds of late flowering trees and shrubs. This perky little fella was giving me his best Penguin impersonation (and showing off a dusting of yellow pollen on his chest) at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Eurasian Nuthatch - Sitta europaea - is also known as the Wood Nuthatch. It is a smallish, short tailed bird which eats mainly insects like caterpillars and beetles but is also happy to eat acorns, hazelnuts and other nuts and seeds. Nesting in tree holes, they will often use mud to close the entrance if it is too big to help protect the eggs. It is often seen foraging whilst descending trees head first and is more than happy to visit bird tables. This one was seen at Pennington Flash enjoying a ready made lunch. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Eurasian Oystercatcher - Haematopus ostralegus - is also known as the 'Common Pied Oystercatcher', the 'Palaearctic Oystercatcher' or just the 'Oystercatcher'. Contrary to its name, oysters are not a large part of their diet, preferring mussels, cockles and other molluscs which they smash or prise open with their strong beaks, they are very partial to earth worms when inland or when molluscs are in short supply. They are so named because they are actually capable of opening oysters which few, if any, other wading birds can. This one was spotted at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This colourful little one is a male Oriental Fruit Fly - Bactrocera dorsalis - which is a tiny little fly just 8mm (adult) long but can cause so much damage to any fruit within its flight range. A female can lay more than 3000 eggs in her lifetime all of which are laid in both cultivated and wild fruit which is ripe or nearly ripe, causing the fruit to be unusable. Endemic to Southeast Asia it is a highly invasive species which now has a presence in at least 65 countries. This one was seen on the spadix of a small peace lily in the gardens of our hotel in Khao Lak, Thailand. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Common Darter - Sympetrum striolatum - is a dragonfly which is prevalent throughout Europe. They breed in still or slow moving water of all types from lakes to ponds and rivers to ditches and can be seen from June to November. As their name suggests, Common Darters are ambush predators, waiting on a perch such as a fence, a leaf or the top of a stick or reed and then having spotted their insect prey, they will follow it then dart forward suddenly from a hovering position to catch it. They then take their catch to a favoured perch to eat it. This female was seen at a small pond at the Three Sisters Recreational area near Wigan. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The beautiful Common Pheasant - Phasianus colchicus - is also known as the Ring-Necked Pheasant. Although native to Asia and parts of Europe like the Balkans, it has been introduced to many parts of the world as a game bird where it has become one of the world's most hunted birds, much of this commercially at farms and hunting lodges etc. etc. This rather wet male was a rare visitor to the wall behind our house, only spotted when I went to close a window because of rain. I got some shots through the rain streaked window which were not good, I then went downstairs, carefully slid open the patio door a few inches and managed to get a couple of shots before he spotted me and walked away along the wall. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Mute Swan - Cygnus olor - is the second largest of all waterfowl species (after the Trumpeter Swan) but it has been known to equal or exceed a male trumpeter in mass. Its name is derived because it is the least vocal of all swans but it can give out a fierce hiss when threatened and does have a repertoire of other sounds. Its closes relative is the Black Swan and the Black Necked Swan. This one was seen at Pennington Flash, Leigh. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.