Janet Drew
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jedrew.bsky.social
Janet Drew
@jedrew.bsky.social
190 followers 190 following 140 posts
Lifelong astronomer and scientist, with an interest in birds, landscape, geology, and (almost) all things natural. For fun, consumes crime fiction, and tries to play the cello.
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jedrew.bsky.social
This was a once only opportunity for me - I've one other photo of the male upland goose alone, but not next to the brown female as here. For #BirdOfTheDay #Least photographed. Seen on eastern side of Andes, Argentina. Such dimorphism ...in a goose! #birds
A pair of upland geese, seen by the roadside on desolate grassland in Argentina approaching the Andes. The terrain is in a rain shadow, and covered mainly by tussocky yellow-grey grass, used to little water. They were some distance away, and very clearly a pair. Both looking right. The female is mostly soft two-tone brown, while the male is an easier spot having a beautiful white neck and chest, with fine black/white barring on his back and sides. Both have neat black beaks and dark eyes.
November 10, 2025 at 9:50 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
For #BirdOfTheDay, a southern crested caracara with wings up, about to #takeoff. (This is the second of the caracara pair I posted a week or so back - the first has already gone in this photo.) The amount of muscle packed into the base of the wing is obvious. #birds
A southern crested caracara readying for takeoff, from atop the branches of a small tree - the wings are up, and blurred a bit by movement. The leading edge of the bird's right wing (especially) is seen end-on and looks quite muscular - as they need to be for these sizeable birds. The photo was taken in Torres del Paine National Park in October 2018. The tree is just coming into leaf.
November 8, 2025 at 11:59 AM
jedrew.bsky.social
#BirdOfTheDay #lunchtime ...for a curlew, in marshy ground, north Norfolk coast. It was actually lunchtime. On the menu: crayfish. Good camouflage - only spotted because it was moving. #birds
A curlew, in marshy undergrowth, seen side on just after he/she had found a crayfish to eat. The crayfish, belonging to an invasive species, is still in the bird's beak. The bird's plumage blends well with the mixed grasses/reeds environment: only movement gave it away. Location: towards the sea from Burnham Overy Staithe, north Norfolk.
November 6, 2025 at 3:48 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
A #BirdOfTheDay #close-up, just about. Very fine detail is visible in this photo of a rufous-collared sparrow, including what looks like a wart just above the eye. Widespread in Los Gaciares, Argentina. Takes 'brown job' to a new level. #birds
A rufous-collared sparrow, seen on the walkway overlooking Perito Moreno Glacier in the Andes foothills, Argentina. This bird of many browns, with its lovely rusty collar, stands on a wooden rail. Out-of-focus walkway grid shows behind it.
November 5, 2025 at 3:45 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
A photo worthy of these great birds! Don't you just love the sounds these highly sociable swans make? To that end - a repost of a clip of them gathering on the Kilcoole coastal marsh: they fly in every autumn for the winter.
November 3, 2025 at 3:07 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
A mouning sierra #finch for #BirdOfTheDay, seen at the edge of a car park on Valdes Peninsula, Argentina. #birds
A mourning sierra finch, percehd on a post watching us pack items in the car boot. Has the grey/black plumage that presumably inspired the name - and a bright yellow seed-eater's beek.
November 1, 2025 at 12:21 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
A personal picture of the day - taken today, while totally wet after bouts of furious squally rain. The sun through the trees seemed an act of weather kindness. #landscape #nature
The sun shines through branches, in woodland (Ardnamona Nature Reserve, Donegal). Middle foreground includes some rust-coloured bracken, shining as well. Everything is wet.
October 29, 2025 at 7:15 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
The gull makes all the difference. Donegal harbour, yesterday at dusk. #BirdOfTheDay #gulls #landscape
The softly golden dusk sky, over Donegal harbour 28/10/25 - with a single gull in silhouette aganst the sky flying over the water, at distance.
October 29, 2025 at 5:36 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
Peak autumn in Wicklow. #gardens #nature
The River Vartry flowing through Mount Usher, Wicklow. To the right, a bank of hydrangeas, and in the centre, on the opposite bank - a maple ablaze in gold and red, reflecting in the water. Phone camera, a week ago.
October 27, 2025 at 9:53 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
...have to admire this blue tit. On the other hand, goldfinches have surprised me by how (needlessly) aggressive they can be - they squabble all the time. #birds #nature
October 27, 2025 at 9:38 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
For #BirdOfTheDay #Egrets, here's an unabashed free-loading little egret - parked beside a pool in Orlando's SeaWorld, probably waiting for someone else's feeding time. #birds
A little egret standing on poolside rocks in Orlando's Sea World - the fluffy decorative feathers on its pure white chest showing. Very confident.
October 26, 2025 at 4:12 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
Not starlings mumurating - but knots. For #BirdOfTheDay #flocks, and #birds. Seen at dusk over The Wash.
Seen from Snettisham, Norfolk: knot murmuration over the Wash at dusk. Photo taken in October 2022. The sky was apricot orange behind the dark, fast moving flocks of knots. That season, there was quite a bit of comment about the huge scale of the flocks of knots gathered at/near Snettisham beach.
October 25, 2025 at 11:37 AM
jedrew.bsky.social
A brown pelican at cruising altitude for #BirdOfTheDay and #Flyday. #birds
A brown pelican with wings fully extended, gliding over the sae off Englishman's Bay in Tobago.
October 24, 2025 at 7:54 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
A #Raptor for #BirdOfTheDay - the harris hawk. Not a wild one, obviously, but still a very fine bird. Perfect claws for the job!
A harris hawk at rest on a falconer's job - with jesses on, ready to fly. Seems to be thinking about something. The breeze catches some of the wing feathers.
October 22, 2025 at 3:29 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
A #colourful #BirdOfTheDay - a trinidadian motmot sitting on a fence (waiting for passing lizards)
This motmot was seen in Tobago. It would frequently visit the garden where we were staying, hoping for food (lizards). One day a golden tegu passed through - and the motmot straffed it unsuccessfully, beak first (the feet on a motmot are pitiful). Rainbow colouired from head down to the tip of its tail.
October 19, 2025 at 2:02 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
For #Black #BirdOfTheDay - a very dapper razorbill. They look a bit strange, face- or beak-on.
A razorbill on the cliffs at Bempton, Yorkshire. The bird's head is side on. The black on the head and back is very glossy black. The tan smudge on the white tummy is just an out-of-focus flowering grass. ...and here, the razorbill face-on - making the white markings above the beak look kind of strange.
October 18, 2025 at 5:30 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
#birdinthebush x 2 for #BirdOfTheDay - courting southern crested caracaras. They played the imitation game for some time before one of them got fed up and flew off. #birds
A pair of souther crested cararcars perched on a branch in foliage - seen in Torres del Paine in October 2018. Their finely striped chests and yellow beaks show well.
October 15, 2025 at 5:27 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
I was lucky enough to visit the Alhambra first, 40 years ago when tourism was much less of a thing (hence NO people in this photo of the Generalife!). Totally magical, in the quietude of the place. Paradise on earth as per original design.
October 15, 2025 at 12:00 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
11 months ago, I posted a murky photo of what may well have been the same troupe of migrating geese. These #birds are mainly greylags. The problem - last year and this - is what are the 4 white/brown geese in there? ...hybrids most likely, but with what?
Photo taken yesterday, 12 Oct 2025, from Kilcoole Beach looking across onto the coastal flats. A group of 10 geese are swimming along awater-filled channel. 6 of the geese are greylag geese, while 4 of them - showing large areas of white - are a bit of a mystery.
October 13, 2025 at 6:03 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
A day-after #BirdOfTheDay - an arctic tern chick. Dozing between meals?
A very young arctic tern chick, stood in a cleft among rocks on the ground. Seen on Inner Farne, Northumberland. The chick has coral pink feet and a red beak - otherwise a fluff ball of grey with black splodges and a white tummy,
October 10, 2025 at 11:37 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
A squirrel for #squirrelsaturday
A red squirrel in the gardens on Tresco, Scilly Isles. This one has his/her face covered in pollen from the century(?) plant it is perched on.
October 4, 2025 at 10:56 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
Not long since back from an Italian city tour, which included Ravenna and its magnitficent early Christian-era wall mosaics. Here's a detail I love, showing #birds - a convincingly-rendered peacock and peahen, in this instance.
A detail from the mosaics decorating San Vitale, Ravenna. A peacock and peahen are shown in a flower garden. The panel this comes from sits just above the panel showing Justinian and Belisarius.
October 4, 2025 at 6:24 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
An example of a historic, but still working, library. Spectacular. The best of human...
A view down the library corridor, from the Stabat Mater room in Bologna's Archiginnasi. Dark wooden bookcases frame the corridor. Above the first opening , some typical Archiginnasi heraldic artwork.
September 18, 2025 at 5:41 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
#birds #MallardMonday Two (well-named) spectacled ducks preening at the water's edge, below Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina.
Two spectacled (aka bronze-winged) ducks, standing on bare rock by the water - preening themselves. The photo was taken from the walkway at Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina
September 8, 2025 at 4:36 PM
jedrew.bsky.social
Just sharing a photo from the archives, for want of something better to do - an abstract or fantasy take on a lake. See ALT for details.
An other-worldly, abstract photo of clouds reflected in Crummock Water (Lake District) with the superposed contrast of an islet plus a couple of rocks.
September 3, 2025 at 9:24 PM