Let's talk Great British Birds and from around the world - upload your photos.

[Rainbirder]

A few from the dim rain forest undergrowth of Trinidad and Tobago:

 

Blue-backed Manakin; Grafton, Tobago; July 2006. The males gather in leks to dance in small troups -but only the principal choreographer gets off with the gals.

 

 

Male Bearded Bellbird in mid-call; Asa Wright, Trinidad;May 2006. They are said to have the loudest call of any bird species .......I wouldn't disagree!

 

 

Male Tufted Coquette; Asa Wright, Trinidad; May 2006. A tiny wee jewel of a hummingbird no bigger than a large bee.

 

 

Male Collared Trogon, Northern Tobago; July 2006. A stunning species of the rain forest subcanopy.

 

 

Male Purple Honeycreeper; Asa Wright, Trinidad; May 2006. A showy wee bird .......and he knew it!

 

Trinidad Blue-crowned Motmot; Asa Wright, Trinidad; May 2006. Perhaps I just dreamed this one up!

 

 

Rufous-tailed Jacamar; Arnos Vale, Tobago; July 2006. Despite its appearance this bird is far more closely related to woodpeckers than to hummingbirds. One of these could really stick it to the pigs in "Angry Birds"!

 

 

Male Ruby-Topaz Hummingbird, Asa Wright, Trinidad; May 2006.

A bird's colour is normally a consequence of structural pigment in the feathers & so a red bird looks red because it has red feathers!
However some birds, especially Hummingbirds, have complex feather structures which act as diffraction gratings splitting white light into component parts, some of which is absorbed & some reflected. The variable colours produced by this process are bright, reflective, metallic and ephemeral. Colours produced by this means constantly vary in intensity giving the bird a sparkle which brings the feathers to life. This moment-to-moment variation is dependent on the angle & intensity of the incident light.

The image above was taken whilst the bird was feeding in a shaft of morning sunlight resulting in a red cap (ruby) and burnished gold (topaz) chest/gorget.

 

It is hardly believable but the image below is of the same bird perched in shade.

Edited August 21, 2013 by Rainbirder

[Game Warden]

That hummingbird is an amazing pic sir!

[michael-ibk]

And the Trogon. And the Jacamar. And ... all of them, really. Thanks for posting, @@Rainbirder, wonderful pictures.

[TonyQ]

@@Rainbirder

Wonderful photos. I have only just discovered this thread (Thank you for signposting @@Game Warden with the excellent Puffin picture)

 

The detail is incredible in the Trinidad and Tobago pictures

I love the Whooper Swan picture - beautiful

[TonyQ]

Great Crested Grebe Courtship Display (Dance)

 

I am not realy a birder, but I love to watch the Grebes' courtship display at this time of year. I spent a very enjoyable couple of hours yesterday watching this display at Earlswood Lakes, near Birmingham, UK. There are a number of pairs at the lakes -I find it a marvellous display.

Edited March 25, 2014 by TonyQ

[TonyQ]

It seems that the dancing works!

 

[Game Warden]

Have you been birding recently in the UK? If so what did you see and where?

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@TonyQ

 

Very nice!

I've never before seen such behavior.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@JohnR

 

One hopes its literate and therefore compliant.

Great Image!

Tom K.

[JohnR]

@@Tom Kellie Nope.

 

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

@@Tom Kellie Nope.

 

~ @@JohnR

Touché!

Tom K.

[JohnR]

With the very warm winter we have had I was not expecting to see the countryside birds like the reed bunting come into my garden this year but we have just had a week of frosts. Lo and behold,

 

a reed bunting appears, picking up some sunflowers seeds that the starlings had scattered.

[Tom Kellie]

With the very warm winter we have had I was not expecting to see the countryside birds like the reed bunting come into my garden this year but we have just had a week of frosts. Lo and behold,

a reed bunting appears, picking up some sunflowers seeds that the starlings had scattered.

 

~ @@JohnR

 

This is the very sort of positive news which I most enjoy!

Illustrated, no less.

The capacity for the natural world to surprise extends to home gardens.

Thank you for sharing this sighting.

I especially appreciate the sharp photograph.

Tom K.

[PHALANX]

I live in E.Sussex near Piddinghoe (cattle Egrets) and often walk around Cuckmere Haven, where we have a good breeding colony of little egrets. Recent sighting was a Great white Egret. Occasionally we get Egyptian Geese. It is nice when I am out to have these reminders of my second home,Africa.

PS: Sorry about the quality. They were a long way off and I only had a bridge camera with me.

Edited March 30, 2016 by PHALANX

[PHALANX]

A few from the dim rain forest undergrowth of Trinidad and Tobago:

 

Blue-backed Manakin; Grafton, Tobago; July 2006. The males gather in leks to dance in small troups -but only the principal choreographer gets off with the gals.

 

 

Male Bearded Bellbird in mid-call; Asa Wright, Trinidad;May 2006. They are said to have the loudest call of any bird species .......I wouldn't disagree!

 

 

Male Tufted Coquette; Asa Wright, Trinidad; May 2006. A tiny wee jewel of a hummingbird no bigger than a large bee.

 

 

Male Collared Trogon, Northern Tobago; July 2006. A stunning species of the rain forest subcanopy.

 

 

Male Purple Honeycreeper; Asa Wright, Trinidad; May 2006. A showy wee bird .......and he knew it!

 

Trinidad Blue-crowned Motmot; Asa Wright, Trinidad; May 2006. Perhaps I just dreamed this one up!

 

 

Rufous-tailed Jacamar; Arnos Vale, Tobago; July 2006. Despite its appearance this bird is far more closely related to woodpeckers than to hummingbirds. One of these could really stick it to the pigs in "Angry Birds"!

 

 

Male Ruby-Topaz Hummingbird, Asa Wright, Trinidad; May 2006.

A bird's colour is normally a consequence of structural pigment in the feathers & so a red bird looks red because it has red feathers!

However some birds, especially Hummingbirds, have complex feather structures which act as diffraction gratings splitting white light into component parts, some of which is absorbed & some reflected. The variable colours produced by this process are bright, reflective, metallic and ephemeral. Colours produced by this means constantly vary in intensity giving the bird a sparkle which brings the feathers to life. This moment-to-moment variation is dependent on the angle & intensity of the incident light.

The image above was taken whilst the bird was feeding in a shaft of morning sunlight resulting in a red cap (ruby) and burnished gold (topaz) chest/gorget.

 

It is hardly believable but the image below is of the same bird perched in shade.

Words fail me. These photos are stunning. Thanks for sharing. AJ

[pomkiwi]

A juvenile peregrine falcon was very tolerant of us on the Cornish coast.

 

[Towlersonsafari]

Hello there @pomkiwi are you sure that isn't a female Merlin? 

[pomkiwi]

@Towlersonsafari I would certainly not claim to be sure at all. I think that the size is more in keeping with a peregrine and there were adults around. However I am very happy to be guided otherwise.

 

[kittykat23uk]

35 minutes ago, pomkiwi said:

@Towlersonsafari I would certainly not claim to be sure at all. I think that the size is more in keeping with a peregrine and there were adults around. However I am very happy to be guided otherwise.

 

 

I would have said it was a female kestrel, the back looks quite chestnut and quite marked. What time of the year did you see it?

[pomkiwi]

@kittykat23uk It was late April.