#collared doves

ok I know this isn’t art but like. My partner and I have been feeding the birds on our balcony since we moved here. We’ve seen a variety! Jackdaws, blue and greater tits, robins, sometimes a starling or a blackbird comes along too! But the main visitors we have are a pair of Collared Doves! We’ve seen about 3 of their babies already, and now they’ve decided to turn the box we feed the birds out of into a nest.

06th November 2020-Friday of favourite birds and more at Lakeside Country Park and home 

On another gloriously sunny autumnal day I took the first three pictures in this photoset before my walk at lunch time of a Blue Tit in the garden I am liking seeing them lately, flowers on the balcony with the red berries in the front garden behind and a Starling in the garden. I then reached Lakeside on another lockdown walk I had been looking forward to, where I took the rest of the pictures in this photoset as I progressed around the lakes of more lovely white flowers like yesterday its been a good week of flowers for me in the sun, a view including autumnal leaves over the nature reserve area, the two Mute Swans behind the fence in the nature reserve area not somewhere I had seen them before I really am enjoying an intimate relationship as such with the same two individual birds each time this year which I have known for years, some brilliant forget-me-not again I saw them here earlier in the year to add to the flower theme, another Tufted Duck it was lovely to see, a nice view over the lake they all looked so blue today and against the bright blue sky a closeup this time of the amazing red autumn leaves I have enjoyed a lot this year especially yesterday. On the walk at a safe social distance I got to speak to some fantastic people today which really made me happy as well. 

But just like yesterday really the most notable events of the walk came towards the end of the walk whilst crossing the grassy area north of the steam railway station where the track loops round which is turning into quite a wild area for species seen lately. With one of my favourite birds the Great Crested Grebe seen on the lakes I saw yet another Green Woodpecker flying lately and going into a clump of trees that you walk through which was nice. As I remembered to photograph a nice looking autumnal looking tree as I tweeted tonight today! (See the blog of yesterday’s walk for the story of how avian distractions made me forget to photograph it: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/633989095576780800/05112020-lakeside-and-home-after-yesterdays) I heard a really harsh and loud squeaky version of the cry of a gull. And when I looked up I was delighted to see a Black-headed Gull was mobbing a Buzzard! Quite something, I had seen crows do it but a gull never before. I had rather predicted I might see a Buzzard soaring over as it made it another favourite bird hat trick of mine on a walk I hadn’t seen one at Lakeside or at home for a little while. It was so nice to see the birds speedily fly over against the bright blue sky, I was not quite fast enough to take an in-focus picture. 

I walked on and a dragonfly flew out, my first butterfly or dragonfly of November some of them do go on into the last months of the year and with how sunny this week has been I thought I might see an odd one of either, it was a Common Darter one I have had a brilliant summer for at Lakeside seeing so many this year. This one flew right at my face and even landed on me for a bit which was a fantastic natural moment. Before I left it became a favourite bird quadruple as I saw a Jay fly into the trees as I did yesterday. The most of my favourite birds I’ve seen on one day at Lakeside this year and only one short of my record five as I saw Great Crested Grebe, Buzzard, Green Woodpecker alongside Great Spotted Woodpecker and Kingfisher all year ticks on New Year’s Day 2016. A brilliant end to a week where my walks, wildlife watching and photos has kept my spirits up. Wishing you all a safe and happy weekend. 

I gained 20+ doves

I AM BIRB QUEEN