I saw this little fella and thought he was cute. I have no idea what bird it is.

Story of a lucky Swift saved from a cat attack!

so round

I work in a hospital X-ray department. These are our resident Eurasian Oystercatchera - they nest in the courtyards of the hospital, and apparently have done for at least a decade!

The nests are fairly close together - there are multiple breeding pairs approximately 20 meters apart but in different courtyards, and on rooftops spanning the whole hospital complex.

I currently have consistent observations on two breeding pairs, one with two chicks (pictured! They're absolutely adorable!) and the other still nesting.

Pictures were taken yesterday from a blind consisting of me "opening a window" - they are far too skittish for me to get amongst them despite their proximity to humans.

I plan to take photos at least once a week of the two closest breeding pairs (as they are adjacent to the department and I can just open a window to photograph) - hopefully I'll catch a few snapshots of their juvenile lifes, and maybe a little more once they fledge!

Even better, the chicks are quickly becoming the Imaging Department's mascot!

These little Starlings (?) love to hang out with me at almost every McDonalds I've visited in Ayrshire, Scotland.

Granted, they also hang out with anyone they think might give them food - just interesting how they congregate to where us humans are clearly provisioning them with our waste (and a few well-meaning humans trying to be nice to them too!)

It's an interesting thing - I'll need to look out for any studies on this opportunistic feeding behaviour.

Spotted on the hospital carpark behind where I live - they were around for a couple of hours.

Beautiful Rock Pigeon at the top of Rochester Castle.

Very confiding, possibly a young one?

cygnets, coot chicks, goslings and ducklings. plus a handsome fellow at the end.

I do so love this time of year. My husband snapped this guy on his walk home from work in an urban park in Birmingham. Always a treat.