I am sorry that I have been absent from this blog but it was a forced issue, my hard drive crashed out completely and sadly nothing could be rescued at all. I am fairly good about backing up, but my September photos had not reached that stage yet!! October I had the originals, but all the editing had gone. I am still trying to get back to sort of where I was, but it is taking time. The other thing is many of my email addresses also seem to have vanished, I have to admit to not having backed them up for some time, I thought they would all be sitting in Google but that does not seem to be the case!!
I went for a walk a couple of days ago to clear the cobwebs from my head, and although not the best of photos, I did get some shots of a couple of birds, and one I have not seen before, or had at least not identified. Thanks to my friend Noushka for helping me out with the ID. If you have not seen her blog I can assure you it is well worth a visit.
European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola hibernans) a first for me. Male and female.
Apologies for the photos but they were far away in a hedge, every step I took closer they flew a step further away!....
Female...
as above...
as above...
the first photo of the pair slightly enlarged.
A little further down the road, this robin played the same trick on me, every step I took it moved a step further away!!! European robin (Erithacus rubecula)....
as above.
Back home I liked this shot of the sparrow diving into the 'bird bath' 😉
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus).
Female House Sparrow (Passer domesticus).
The icing on the cake though was this Little Owl (Athene noctua) that was on our chimney the other evening.
I was in my office when I heard a strange noise, not the typical call. I shot downstairs, grabbed the camera, and it waited just long enough for me to get a single shot.
Linking up to
Good to see you up and running again Diane. I wonder if that Little Owl will stay around? Try a nest box.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/barn-owl-nestbox/little-owl-nest-box/
Hi Phil, we have had little owls around ever since we moved here in 2005. At that stage they were nesting somewhere very close, but I did not have a telephoto lens, so I never got any photos. They have now moved to somewhere on the other side of our hamlet and although I hear them daily I seldom see them now, they are generally well hidden in the trees. If my French was better, I would ask and try to track them down on some of the farmland, but it is not up to discussing birds and their nesting habits! The one neighbour down that end who speaks a little English says he does not know where they are, he has masses of rambling barns where I thought they may be. We used to have a local Barn owl as well, but I have not seen it since I had a decent camera.😒 Happy weekend. Diane
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are back up and running Diane. It can take awhile to get everything operational once again. I do love your bird photos. The little sparrows are always a delight when splashing about and you got a good close up of the owl.
ReplyDeleteThanks Penny, I am glad to be back, the owl was an absolute delight to see. Hope all is well Diane
DeleteI love your sweet wee birds Diane, my birdbath is plagued by crows at the moment and they frighten the smaller birds away. Any advice on how to discourage the crows?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the crow advice Diane, will have a look at both ✨
DeleteDon't know how effective it is but people seem to have had good results!!
DeleteI'm delighted to see that you got a great shot of the local Little Owl, Diane, and rather jealous too! It's a very long while since I had such an intimate encounter with a Little Owl. I hope to see some more of this wonderful bird from you! Best wishes - - - Richard
ReplyDeleteI just wish I could find where it is nesting but I cannot walk all over peoples farms peering into their barns especially as my French is not up to explaining the situation!! Hope the rest of the week is a good one, take care Diane
DeleteHello! Wonderful serie of birds. I like European Robin very much. The Little Owl is awesome.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the visit and the comment much appreciated. Have a good day Diane
DeleteVery nice birds - I am seeing some European birds this week. Great fun.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the late reply, been on the road with work.
Cheers - Stewart M - Bath, UK
You are lucky you are travelling wish we were. Cheers Diane
DeleteI collect Emma Bridgewater bird mugs - always fun to see them photographed - like your Little Owl.
ReplyDeleteI love the Little Owl, I hear them so often but seldom do we see them. Keep well Diane
DeleteGreat photos. I'm sorry to hear your hard drive crashed. (I thought Google saved all the email addresses, too. Hmmm...)
ReplyDeleteThanks Anne for the visit and comment. Thankfully I had backed up my addresses all but the last few. I Have an gmail address but I work through Outlook. Never the less I thought all sent email addresses were recorded in gmail!
DeleteHave a good day Diane
Glad you're back! Loved the photos. Especially loved the bird bath shot and the Little Owl!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, the first time I have had a total crash were nothing could be saved!! I am also glad to be back. Happy weekend Diane
DeleteP.S. I see some people are able to comment on your blog but it will not allow me to follow the comment link so sorry no comment from me :-((((
DeleteGreat shot of the Little Owl. I don't see them a great deal anymore.
ReplyDeleteWe hear them regularly around here, but they are very secretive and there are many barns around so they have a wide choice of where to hide! Also, we are in an area where there are many very big trees. A very lucky shot to have heard it on our chimney. Have a good Sunday Diane
DeleteI loved all the photos!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the comment, much appreciated. Diane
Delete