The flycatcher invasion

The UCC spotted flycatchers remain with one pair actively established on the grounds & a third flycatcher some 30 seconds down the road which likely implies that its mate was somewhere nearby. The river walk also revealed glimpses of another one! The city’s green patches are full of them evidently.

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The flycatcher belongs to a group of about a hundred small insect catching birds (Old world flycatchers), some of which are not quite so bland, take this here Malaysian blue flycatcher for instance!

Our little friend has his good sides too tho...

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The flycatcher looks unremarkable at first glance with its small size, unobtrusive voice and drab green colouring but one thing that stands out about it is its precision and speed. Whilst taking pictures the flycatchers moved between close knit branches with split second timing and movements that where barely visible to the eye (not ideal for taking pictures then).

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If you look closely you can see that the flycatcher is actually more elongated then say a similar sized robin, with a pointed bill and a tapered body/tail. Its tail fans out widely and can be used to make fast mid air course corrections. These adaptations combine to allow the flycatcher to hunt by perching on a branch and quickly flying up and grabbing insects in mid air before returning to the branch. All this happens in moments. See the arkive video below to see what I mean. 

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It’s amazing how each species has adapted to its environment in different ways. I also happened to find a tree creeper in the park (in a tree with a pineapple stuck in it! What the heck where they getting up to in that mid Summer festival!?). This is the best shot I’ve gotten of one so far, it’s not at all great but at least it shows the important details of this bird. It has brown camouflage to blend in with the tree bark, a stiffened tail to allow it to rest vertically against the tree trunk, a long probing bill to grab insects in and around bark and long claws that allow it to walk up and down tree branches with ease. Again, it’s perfectly adapted to life in the trees!

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There are quite a number of newly fledged birds around and those who are still dependent on their parents can be quite easy to spot. You will generally see them making a lot of noise and being far less careful about being seen then their stressed out elders. Blue tits and wrens in particular are abundant and can easily be found by their sounds. (mother on the fence on top, baby at bottom)

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Yesterday I spotted this goldfinch, pity it wouldn’t stop to be photographed at close range, still its colours more than make up for my lousy stealth abilities!

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Other everyday but none the less enjoyable sightings where several young greylags at the Lough, a jackdaw posing rather nicely and a young coot. (greylags,jackdaw,coot).

Common songbirds

Hello, I thought I would try the blog thing, if not for anyone to read then at least for a record. I have been taking pictures for over a year now and like everything else I tend to forget many of the bird details of my trips. This then will allow I hope, a way to keep said record and perhaps even share what little I have learned about bird photography.

I am situated in Cork City, a place that offers upon close examination a surprising variety of wildlife, particularly birds. These birds go largely unnoticed by most who simply assume that the countryside is the place to be if you want to see anything with wings. Here’s a brief list of some of the birds living in and around the people of Cork City. 

Little grebe, Mallard, Pochard, Tufted duck, Shoveler, Ring billed duck, Teal, Greylag goose, Canada goose, Mute swan, Oystercatcher, Common gull, Herring gull, Lesser black backed gull, Ring billed gull, Mediterranean gull, Black headed gull, Kingfisher, Pheasant, Great cormorant, Moorhen, Coot, Woodpigeon, Rock dove, Collared dove, Little egret, Grey heron, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Rook, Jackdaw, Hooded crow, Magpie, Blue tit, Coal tit, Great tit, Long tailed tit, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Siskin, Linnet, Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Wren, Treecreeper, House sparrow, Blackbird, Song trush, Mistle trush, Robin, Redwing trush, Barn swallow, House martin, Sand martin, Starling, Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, Willow warbler, Blackcap, Pied wagtail, Grey wagtail, Rock pipit and so on....

Anyway, if you are doing some walking in the city this is a great time for nesting birds, in particular Blackbirds, Robins, Song trushes and grey herons which can all be seen at the moment feeding newly fledged chicks, the robins (above and right) in particular are entertaining to watch and easy to find as they are very common.

Wrens too can be seen all over the place singing and tending to their tree hollow nests. They are quite twitchy, constantly moving through the underbrush and are therefore hard to catch on camera. The best time to catch them is when they sing. Its tiny size and brown colouration also make it difficult to spot but closer inspection is worthwhile as its plumage is actually very nice.

The two most common members of the trush family; Song trushes and Blackbirds can also be seen on every piece of green in the city scavenging for worms, snails and material for their nests. Blackbirds in particular aren’t usually bothered by the presence of people so getting a picture is easy. The male is jet black whilst the female is a dull dark brown, in spring and Summer the bill and eye ring of the male becomes a particularly bright yellow. Song trushes have a similar build but are a light brown with streaking.

Blackbird, Male (above), Female (below)

 

Song trush