Oldt1mer - Keith's photos with the keyword: Black

This fine pair of Oystercatchers – Haematopus ostralegus – had just been mating when I took this shot. The Oystercatcher, also known as the Common Pied Oystercatcher, the Palaearctic Oystercatcher or simply the Oystercatcher, does not eat many oysters preferring cockles, mussels, earthworms etc. probably because they are more available than oysters. Seen at Martin Mere, a picture of them starting to mate can be seen a bit earlier in my photostream. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The lovely little Azure Damselfly – Coenagrion puella – is very common throughout the UK and found pretty much anywhere there is water, be it small ponds, larger lakes, streams and small rivers. The male is blue and black and is similar to the Common Blue Damselfly whereas the female is green and black. Seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Reed Bunting – Emberiza schoeniclus – is a sparrow sized little bird but slimmer and with a deeply notched tail. The male has a black head which is streaked with white in winter, a white collar and a drooping white moustache whilst the female is streaky brown all over. Found near wetlands with reed beds and scattered bushes they feed on seeds and invertebrates, often invading farmland in winter to feed on seeds. Seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Whooper (pronounced 'hooper') Swan - Cygnus cygnus - also known as the Common Swan, is a large Swan which migrates to Britain from Iceland during the winter months, although just a few pairs do breed in the north of the UK. Very similar to, but larger than, the Bewicks Swan, they mainly eat aquatic plants and grass but will also take grain and even potatoes. They pair for life with the cygnets staying with the parents throughout the winter, even sometimes being joined by brothers or sisters from previous years. They are very noisy and have a loud honking call. Seen enjoying the winter sun with Coots and Mallards at Martin Mere Wetlands Center. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

Fringed Tulips are a beautiful flower which occurs in many varieties. This, I believe, is the Crispa Tulip ‘Hamilton’ which hopefully a gardening expert will either confirm or correct my id. This lovely specimen was found at Martin Mere. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Cinnabar Moth – Tyria jacobaeae – is a small black and red moth which is dependant on the Common Ragwort to survive. This is because it lays its eggs on the lower leaves of the plant and when the caterpillars emerge they eat their way up the plant to the top as you can see here. Poison from the plant helps to protect them from predators as it does the adult moth which can cause a rash if handled. The caterpillars, when mature, leave the plant to spin cocoons in the earth in which they hibernate before emerging in spring/summer as fully grown moths. These were seen at Martin Mere. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The European Goldfinch – Carduelis carduelis – is a small, colourful (brown, black, white, red and yellow) bird in the Finch family. Although native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia they have been introduced to other countries such as Australia, New Zealand, and Uruguay among others. Both male and female are very similar but the female has a slightly smaller read area on the face. This one was seen with it’s face in the sunlight at Martin Mere. Explore No 428, Nov 08 2023 This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Common Wasp – Vespula vulgaris – is normally a mild mannered little creature. Although they can be extremely annoying, they will not attack or sting unless provoked or scared so it is best to not wave or try to bat them away. (Don’t ask me how to get them off your picnic sandwiches though, without doing just that). This one was seen happily searching for pollen at Three Sisters, near Wigan. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

Here we have a female Eurasian Bullfinch – Pyrrhula pyrrhula – which has the same black cap as the male but rather than the rose red (as seen in my picture of the male a few pictures back) breast, the female is pinkish-grey and not quite as striking overall as the male. Other facts can be found with my picture of the male. Seen at Pennington Flash. Explore No 362, Oct 11 2023. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This is the Eurasian Teal – Anas crecca – which is a small dabbling duck which breeds in Eurosiberia and migrates south in the winter. Also known as the Common Teal or Eurasian Green-Winged Teal it is commonly found in sheltered wetlands feeding on seeds and aquatic invertebrates. This is a male in nuptial plumage, as can be seen by the white stripe running along his flanks, which was seen at Martin Mere Wetlands. Explore No 254, 19 July 2023. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This tiny little fly sitting in a buttercup flower is, I now believe to be, the Snouted Duck Fly – Anasimyia lineata – which is a species of hoverfly commonly found near wetlands, swampy water areas, ditches etc. It is unusual because of its long snout which tapers to a point which, unfortunately cannot be seen in this picture. Seen at Pennington Flash, Leigh, Lancashire. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The lovely European Peacock Butterfly – Aglais io – can be found across Europe and temperate Asia as far east as Japan. It is not to be confused with the American Peacock which, although belonging to the same family are not close relatives of the European species. This was an early appearance and was seen at Martin Mere Wetlands. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Great Tit - Parus major - is the largest of the Tit family and is a very common sight in gardens, woodland and many other habitats. They eat insects, seeds, berries and nuts as well as offerings at bird tables etc. This one was seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Eurasian Oystercatcher - Haematopus ostralegus – is also known as the Common Pied Oystercatcher, the Palaearctic Oystercatcher or just the Oystercatcher. Despite its name, oysters do not form a large part of its diet, preferring molluscs such as cockles and mussels where available and earthworms and insect larvae when inland but this does change depending on location. It is the national bird of the Faroe Islands. This pair had just flown in, pecked around for a minute then the male decided that he would like a family and went straight to the female and hopped on board. This shot was just before he settled down to business and was taken at Martin Mere Wetlands. I do have further shots of the procedure but I liked this one the best. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Eurasian Bullfinch - Pyrrhula pyrrhula - is a very easily identifiable bird of the Finch family, especially the male with his bright pinkish-red breast and cheeks, black cap and tail and grey back being the most pronounced. They love feeding on the fresh buds of various trees in the spring and seeds throughout the year, they take insects but mainly to feed their young. They breed across Europe and into temperate Asia and can be seen pretty much anywhere there is a supply of food. This one was seen at Pennington Flash. Explore No 244. 28 March 2023 This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The beautiful Red Admiral butterfly - Vanessa atalanta - was previously known as the Red Admirable and is widely distributed across North Africa, the Americas, Caribbean, Europe and Asia. Preferring warmer areas, it does migrate north in spring. The adult butterfly drinks from flowering plants like the Buddleja (Butterfly Bush) and also overripe fruit whilst the caterpillars main host plant is the stinging nettle and sometimes the false nettle. This one was seen enjoying Buddlleja flowers at Martin Mere Wetlands. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The mere sight of a Common Wasp - Vespula vulgaris - hovering around is enough to send many people running and flailing their arms about trying to get rid of it. It is exactly this action, though, that may cause it to sting because under normal circumstances it will usually not sting without being provoked by sudden movement or threatening behaviour. The sting is, however, rarely life threatening and is an alkaline venom as against Bee venom which is acidic. I find it fascinating how the body flexes at the middle. This one was spotted peacefully enjoying nectar at the Three Sisters Recreational area, Wigan. Explored No 466, Jan 18th 2023 This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Patchwork Leafcutter Bee - Megachile centuncularis - is a solitary bee which carries pollen on the underside of the abdomen instead of the legs as other bees do. It is resident in both North America and Eurasia and will visit gardens as well as the countryside collecting pollen from various flowers but especially from Thistles and Brambles. This one, which I think is a female, was seen digging deep into the Thistle flower at Three Sisters Recreational area, Bryn, Wigan. Explored No 302, Nov29 2022 This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.