Oldt1mer - Keith's photos with the keyword: Brown

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 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 Canada Goose – Branta canadensis – is also known as the Canadian Goose as it is native to he arctic and temperate regions of North America. It has been introduced to many countries including the UK, France and other countries in Europe, New Zealand, Japan, Chile, etc. A herbivore by nature it has also become very well adapted to living near humans so will take foods offered by them, they can, however, become very territorial and aggressive. This one was seen having a good wash and splash around 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 Chaffinch – Fringilla coelebs – is widespread throughout the UK and can be seen in gardens, parks and farmland as well as its more natural habitat, woodland. Prized as songbirds, they used to be caught and caged with even competitions to see which bird would repeat its song the most often. Thankfully, those days are long gone. They eat seeds, buds and shoots, fruit, insects, earthworms and even snails eggs as well as food put out on bird tables. This lovely male was 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.

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.

The lovely Speckled Wood - Pararge aegeria – is a small butterfly which is normally, and commonly, found in or near woodland areas across the whole of Eurasia. An early flyer in Britain it can be seen from the end of March and then on through to October. This one was spotted having a rest in the sunshine on a path 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.

This is the male Northern Shoveler – Spatula clypeata – in its breeding/winter colours. Originally classed as Anas clypeata, a study of DNA sequences caused it to be moved into the Spatula genus. It feeds on aquatic invertebrates such as crustaceans and plankton by swinging its bill from side to side and filtering the food through small comb like structures on the edge of its bill. 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 captivating European Robin – Erithacus rubecula – or Robin Redbreast to many, is a very friendly little creature and is the UK’s favourite bird. They sing nearly all the year round and have very loud voices for such little birds. It belongs to the Old World Flycatcher family as opposed to the American Robin which belongs to the Thrush family. This lovely little one was seen at Pennington Flash. Explore No 485, May 23 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 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.

This is the Black-Tailed Godwit - Limosa limosa - in its winter plumage, (in summer it has a bright orangey-brown chest and belly), the white wingbars remain at all times. It is a large wading bird, approx 40-44 cm long with a wingspan of 70-82 cm, which eats mainly insects, worms and snails but will also take small insects like beetles and grasshoppers and some plants. There are just 53 (approx) breeding pairs in the UK, the remaining population arriving during winter months from the Icelandic region. It is also the national bird of the Netherlands. This one 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 Dunnock - Prunella modularis - is a small brown and grey bird which is normally seen, on its own or with a mate, moving around on the ground foraging for food in parkland, woodland, and especially under feeders in the garden. Also known as the Hedge Sparrow or Hedge Warbler because of its love for hedgerows, bushes etc. which give them shelter from prey and also food in the form of seeds, worms and insects including spiders. Living throughout temperate Europe they have also been successfully introduced into New Zealand. This one was seen in a large bush at Pennington Flash where it had found, what looked like, some juicy insect eggs or aphids. 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 brightly coloured European Goldfinch - Carduelis carduelis - is native to Europe, North Africa and western and central Asia and has been introduced to other countries including Australia, New Zealand and Uruguay. They can be seen just about anywhere, either solo or in small flocks, looking for small seeds from Ragwort, Teasels, Dandelions etc. (notice the sharp pointy beak for getting at those seeds) and are happy in gardens preferring sunflower kernels or niger (or nyjer) seed to anything else on offer. This one is, I think, just coming into adulthood because, although it has its red face, the white marks on the wings and tail are not yet fully defined. It was seen from a nature hide at Martin Mere, Burscough, 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.

This colourful little one is a male Oriental Fruit Fly - Bactrocera dorsalis - which is a tiny little fly just 8mm (adult) long but can cause so much damage to any fruit within its flight range. A female can lay more than 3000 eggs in her lifetime all of which are laid in both cultivated and wild fruit which is ripe or nearly ripe, causing the fruit to be unusable. Endemic to Southeast Asia it is a highly invasive species which now has a presence in at least 65 countries. This one was seen on the spadix of a small peace lily in the gardens of our hotel in Khao Lak, Thailand. 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 Common Pheasant - Phasianus colchicus - is also known as the Ring-Necked Pheasant. Although native to Asia and parts of Europe like the Balkans, it has been introduced to many parts of the world as a game bird where it has become one of the world's most hunted birds, much of this commercially at farms and hunting lodges etc. etc. This rather wet male was a rare visitor to the wall behind our house, only spotted when I went to close a window because of rain. I got some shots through the rain streaked window which were not good, I then went downstairs, carefully slid open the patio door a few inches and managed to get a couple of shots before he spotted me and walked away along the wall. 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 beautiful Spotted Forest Skink - Sphenomorphus maculatus - also known as the Stream Side Skink or the Maculated Forest Skink, which is commonly found in South and Southeast Asia. Normally nocturnal, it lives in wooded and forested areas near streams and small rivers in lowland and hilly areas, foraging among rocks and vegetation close to the waters edge where it feeds on small insects and invertebrates. This one, however, was seen happily sitting on a rock, in the afternoon, by the side of the footpath through a forest leading to Little Sandy Beach (or Little White Sandy Beach) in Khaolak, Thailand. 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-Whiskered Bulbul - Pycnonotus jocosus - is also known as the Crested Bulbul. It is a medium sized songbird generally found in pairs or small groups in gardens, orchards and open forests. Native to tropical Asia it has also been introduced to many tropical areas of the world where populations have established themselves including Florida, California, and Hawaii. They eat fruits, nectar and insects. They are also a popular cagebird in parts of Southeast Asia. This one was seen in Goa, India. 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.