Monday, March 14, 2011

Two Stunningly Un-Rare Birds

Man about the House... Sparrow

Living on Fair Isle...
Sometimes I get to caught up with looking for rare birds.

Today I'm looking a two stunning common birds that most birders don't give a second look to on Fair Isle.

House Sparrows are my year around friends & entertainment. They grace my Garden for free food, a small price to pay to keep a health population about the house. The plumage would be much more appreciated if they were as rare as Little Buntings. Let's hope it doesn't come to that as they have been disappearing from gardens all over the UK. Lucky for the Fair Isle House Sparrows we have no Blue Tits or colourful Tits of any kind to make them seem plain or dull.
A beautiful day as viewed from my studio at the South Lighthouse.

The Fulmar is not a seagull, it is a small northern relative of the Albatross family. It is so common here that I've heard it said If you wake up and can't see a Fulmar your not on Fair Isle. The Fulmar is my favorite bird in flight... like someone took a stiff strait wing glider and through it off a cliff it rides the up drafts with no need to flap. They are so pure white you can't take a photo with out some part of it looking overexposed.
Enjoying the sunny day
Fulmar

This is the best shot of a Fulmar I've ever taken... but I can't help think when looking at the birds facial expression it reassembles many humans with the feeling of I don't really want my photo taken right now, but at the same time I secretly love the media attention.

1 comment:

  1. I love House Sparrows, I have lived in this house a year this week and never had one in my garden. Come to think of it I have never had a Fulmar either lol

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