Broggy

Hybrid Tufted x Pochard

Two drake Scaup

Slavonian Grebe

Lots of birds on Brogborough Lake at the moment, including over 1220 Tufted Ducks, and almost 300 Pochards.  Amongst the throng are a Slavonian Grebe, two drake Scaup, and at least two hybrid Tufted x Pochards.

Waxwings Leighton Buzzard 22-12-2012

Look what turned up in my small garden in Leighton Buzzard this morning one of about 12, as you can see the conditions and light were abysmal but couldn't resist the photo opportunity.

Smew, Radwell

My first Smew at this site.

Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope, Dunstable SW, 16th December 2012

Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope, Dunstable Sewage Works, 12th December 2012 by Martin Palmer.  A surprise find by Rob Dazley in freezing conditions.

POxTU at H-O CP

Little bit of a crest showing, smooth grey back, wrong head shape and colour, and hanging around with two Pochards...

Wilstead Waxwings

Just part of the 40 strong Waxwing flock around Wilstead.  These were photographed by Chris Watts.  5th December 2012

Dunstable Sewage Works 02-12-2012

On a very cold winters morning at the sewage works where some of the ponds were frozen over, there wasn't very much about early on other than the Lesser Redpoll feeding in the scrub at the top end of the first pool. I got to watch them for a good 1/2 hour before I got too cold and they flew off and I went home to Leighton buzzard, where I came across a gang of these Long Tailed Tits in my driveway.

Hybrid Mallard x Gadwall

Hybrid Mallard x Gadwall, Blunham Lake, 3rd December 2012

Waxwing

One of three Waxwings in Stotfold, 2nd December 2012 by Lyn Gardiner

Still life

Just completing the Bedsbirds 2012 film, again largely made from Steve Blain's footage.  I grabbed this still from a short bit of video because I thought it looked pretty good.  Hope you like it!

Raining Wax

I counted twenty eight Waxwing in this shot at Kempston this lunch time but there were more.   Shame about the weather though.

Common Snipe at Bev's. November 2012.

 A couple of shots from Bev's (DWE), taken last week. The flight image contains a staggering 84 snipe, and that wasn't all of them on site!

Jay in the garden in Leighton Buzzard this week

Why Slavs are Scarce

Poor images taken at PCP this morning, the first in haste as what I first thought was the grebe with a fish but instead was some heavy antics from a marauding Great Crested Grebe.  The Slav was treated with much disrespect and for obvious reasons, is keeping it's distance from it's cousins at the beach-end of the lake.

Cuckoo Bridge Scaups (3 of 5)

At least one imm Male (on the left here) - the rest look more like females.

Slavonian Grebe. Priory CP.

More Waxwings

More of the five Waxwings along Sunderland Road, Sandy, 17th November 2012 by Martin Palmer

Waxwing

One of the five Waxwings along Sunderland Road, Sandy, 17th November 2012 by Jim Lawrence

Short-eared Owl

This Short-eared Owl was found in a stairwell of a block of flats in Luton.  It was taken to the Bedfordshire Wildlife Rescue and later released on Totternhoe Knolls. 15th November 2012

Dotterel

Dotterel, Southill, 4th November 2012

October gatherings at Bev's. 30th Oct 2012.

 Gathering west of the A1 opposite Bev's (DWE) thousands of Starlings displayed before moving across to Biggleswade common.

Around the main lake at Bev's I encountered the largest gathering of Common Snipe I've seen. 50+ got up from the lakeside vegetation, they circled around the site before returning to their hideouts.

Merlin

Adult male Merlin, Broom GP, 28th October 2012.  This bird is ringed on its right leg.

Stewartby Peregrines

The two regular Peregrines on the chimneys at Stewartby.  The male is the top bird. 27th October 2012.

Ring Ouzel

This bird has been in a Farley Hill, Luton garden yesterday and today. Photo by Giancarlo Dinghile

The Lodge Oct 21st 2012

Nuthatch

Blue Tit

Coal Tit

Nuthatch

Blue Tit

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Greenfinch

Greenfinch & Nuthatch

Black Swan

Morning Walk Around The Lodge 21-10-2012 with Steve Blain, heard a lot, saw a lot in flight, redwing, pied wagtails, redpole, jay's, chaffinch, greenfinch, reed buntings, linnets etc all on the move, heard the raven and got a very brief glimpse, finally got some pictures in the hide and a nice shot of the black swans in Woburn on the way home. Oh yes and we saw loads of Fungi

All in all a very pleasant morning.

Sean