Trip to England, part 3

During the trip there were, of course, many commoner birds, the blackbird in the header image was a beautiful specimen, singing for his supper.

And there was this handsome Chaffinch.

I never previously had a good photo of a Red Kite, they were almost extinct in the UK in the 1980’s, with a study suggesting that there was only one breeding female, in mid-Wales, at the species lowest point. They then became a protected species, and were reintroduced from Europe, and now are locally reasonably common.

Looking for lunch.

Another threatened species that I was able to see, at an RSPB reserve in the south of England, was the Dartford Warbler.

But I couldn’t persuade him to turn around!

Ruddy Turnstones are less common than some other waders, and are on the Amber list of UK birds with concern about their conservation status.

This young Bearded Tit (called a reedling by the American Ornithological Society) is not closely related to other tits, and as the other name suggests, like to live among the reeds. As they get more mature the facial markings develop into a droopy moustache.