Wye Valley Birding Part 6 "Odd and Sods"

Here are a few more birds that I have photographed during my U.K. visit. It has been an exciting time photographing unfamiliar birds and frustrating because so many are in moult but with a dozen or so new birds to add to my list my tally has been better than the combined GB and Canadian Olympic medal count!

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Goldfinch (Carduelis Carduelis)

Chaffinch (Fringilla Coelebs)

Wye Valley Birding Part 5 (Pied Wagtail)

Brockweir, Gloucestershire. UK
This particular Pied Wagtail is a regular visitor to Brockweir where it nests under the bridge. It can often been seen strutting along the railings and even on the busy road that leads through the village. I had to wait an hour until he or she turned up but it was well worth it. I am told that the Pied Wagtail is a very common bird in England but for me it was yet another "lifer"
The first picture shows the bird walking along the bridge. The second is at the end of the bridge on a stone wall abutment. The third shows how a background choice can alter the "feel" of an image and the fourth is the bird picking off insects.
While I waited, I also photographed a Goldfinch, Swallows, Wood pigeons, a very scruffy long-tailed tit and an even scruffier Robin. As I mentioned I am here on a family visit and hope to make it to Slimbridge or somewhere along the Severn Estuary to see if I can find some early migratory waders.

On the bridge railing.

On the bridge abutment.

Note the change of background.

Searching for insects.

Wye Valley Birding Part 4 (Nuthatch)

I wondered who was making all the noise in the forest, it turned out to be the beautiful Nuthatch (Sitta Europaea)
Found in the Europe and as far north as Iceland the Nuthatch feeds on nuts, insects and can often be seen creeping along tree limbs, similar to the tree creeper found in North America.

Nuthatch