For WHO's birders

[Nurse Ratched]

"I thought you might like this video.



It's a compilation of different birds singing. Beautiful photography. If you expand the 'title' under the video it gives a list of species and the times they pop up in the video. Most of the species are familiar to us in the UK, but there are some 'exotics' (the cranes - wow, what a noise!) It was filmed in Belarus. The guy has a channel you can subscribe to. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and maybe it'll take your mind off you-know-what for a few blessed minutes."

[Northern Sold]

When my daughter was at Uni in Reading they had shed loads of the Red Kites... quite interesting when she used to take the Ferrets out for a walk... those things would fly circle above your head... https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/23265462.gyrfalcon-missing-london-spotted-southend/ In other bird news... anyone see this and grab it nice little £1000 reward

[the exile]

"It's a bloody good thing you have started here Nurse - I really enjoy reading these accounts of birdy sightings and experiences. Not a great deal to report from here in deepest Herefordshire. I don't know what I have done to offend the tits, but they seem to be boycotting the feeder in my garden. But a couple of blackbirds have been having a clumsy go, which is quite funny to watch. I went for a walk by the Wye the other day and saw a pair of goosanders, a little egret which was a brilliant white on a very overcast day - would be good on an advert for Dulux. Also a couple of buzzards, a kestrel and two separate groups of long-tailed tits, which are one of my favourite birds."

[the exile]

"It's a bloody good thing you have started here Nurse - I really enjoy reading these accounts of birdy sightings and experiences. Not a great deal to report from here in deepest Herefordshire. I don't know what I have done to offend the tits, but they seem to be boycotting the feeder in my garden. But a couple of blackbirds have been having a clumsy go, which is quite funny to watch. I went for a walk by the Wye the other day and saw a pair of goosanders, a little egret which was a brilliant white on a very overcast day - would be good on an advert for Dulux. Also a couple of buzzards, a kestrel and two separate groups of long-tailed tits, which are one of my favourite birds."

[BeauLarkyBuff]

"Rio, I live in The Chilterns West of High Wycombe and Red Kites are very common up here. Majestic birds. Can often count a dozen of them spiralling on thermals. We have a nest in one of our trees where a couple of chick's were raised a year or so ago. Hopefully it will be used again. Getting some bad press though due to people putting out food for them and consequently the reports of kites raiding picnics and bbqs. Plenty of grub for kites on the roads with squashed pheasants and squirrels. Processed human food not good for them."

[Tomshardware]

"Nice updates, gonna do the birdwatch as well this weekend."

[zebthecat]

"riosleftsock 12:28 Sat Jan 28 Red Kites are wonderful; the reintroduction scheme has worked a treat. Don't have them here yet but do have Buzzards. They look like bombers circling around for their target. One thing I have noticed is that, once they come closer to the ground, they get seriously hassled by Crows and Jackdaws and just find a thermal and soar back above them."

[riosleftsock]

"We have some red kites here, they are becoming more common, they are majestic soaring creatures hanging around the fields hovering along the A1307 north out of town. They seem to like roads next to fields, we have a huge amount of wild deer and rabbits here."

[Crassus]

zeb Wonderful observation and reporting mate - keep them coming please

[zebthecat]

"I am going to do the RSPB Bird Watch as well. It doesn't feel Springy at all although the first yellow crocuses are out. Some of the birds would beg to differ though. The tawny owls are their call and response thing every nght (I love that), a Wood Pigeon tidied the nest it used last year this afternoon and there was a pair of Collared Doves canoodling in the small beech tree in my back garden. The sparrows have perked up now the sun has deigned to come back and, man, they are noisy. I am so glad I work from home - had a cig break this morning and while I was standing there a wren picking over berries on a thorny plant, blackbirds were feasting on the now thawed windfall apples and I saw a goldcrest. Goldcrests are the closest we to humming birds. Still no nuthatch though; they are my favourites."

[Crassus]

"Sock I have a thing about robins and swans The robins 'puff' as a means of insulation in cold weather and become close due to their habit of following wild beasts foraging, so they associate humans gardening with a beast and follow the spade when gardening, by extension, feeders the same - brilliant little territorial creatures, by lad hops close every morning chirruping before sunrise Swans, well, that comes from fishing and a learned way of addressing them, beautiful, graceful and full of character once they get to know you - I kid you not"

[Crassus]

"Nurse First in every day are the Robin and Blackbird males Singing away and on the replenished feed before sunrise By sunrise it's an aviary I'm neither birding knowledgeable or a seeker of apparent rare sightings I simply rejoice in seeing the blighters going about their routine on my tab - even the maligned woodies Never ceases to fascinate me how individual birds become recognisable by their habit and individual food preference, irrespective of species Lovely"

[riosleftsock]

"I've noticed growing numbers of Robins up here, but very friendly fat little fuckers that beg like pigeons. Also plenty of Blue tits and song thrushes. Seen two sparrowhawk low altitude mid air intercepts on juicy wood pigeons in the last few years in our back garden, explosion of feathers and not much left after."

[Nurse Ratched]

"True, Crassus Plus every morning for the last week has seen a stunning sunrise."

[Crassus]

"Nurse Me too Wonderful, what a wonderful time to be alive and aware How the blind to such, miss so much"

[Nurse Ratched]

"Today the great tits started singing/calling. Ah, spring..."

[WHU(Exeter)]

RSPB* birdwatch tomorrow. *When I typed that it auto 'corrected' to ESPN! What a time to be alive

[gph]

"""I fear the bird flu has killed off a lot of my finches. Far fewer numbers coming to feed compared to last winter."" But bird flu is just a hoax spread by Jews to ruin Aryan Christmas... Fuck, I should've known I'd catch nutter if I read too many Golden Oldie posts"

[zebthecat]

No sign of avian flu here. The noisy sparrows and blue tits are still busy foraging the seeds and berries left over from summer. Up until the snow hit the big bumble bees have been enjoying my winter jasmine hedge. Not the prettiest plant but it is doing its job.

[lab]

Saw about 30 Lapwings sat in a field Thursday morning just absorbing sun . Also saw a Sparrowhawk chase a Wren/Dunnock but I’m sure it got away . The dog found a deer skull with short antlers that could make great thumb sticks and in the last field we were in we put up a snipe .

[DaveT]

Thankfully haven't seen any birds that have avian flu. Though definitely you're so many around despite the huge amount of food and fresh water I've been putting out over the past few days. Forgot to say I saw the bee catchers when they were here in June and by luck saw Eleanora's falcon when visiting nature reserve nearby back in August. Haven't seen the flocks of Bewick swans that usually arrive this time of year

[WHU(Exeter)]

That’s true enough…I should really think these things through a bit more.

[Tomshardware]

"They'll be fine Exeter, after all it's been snow in Spring before now."

[WHU(Exeter)]

"I put in 150 tulips a few weeks ago, because the weather was a lot warmer than average, the shoots have already came through, a lot earlier than usual I think. Hoping that these last few days of the sudden dip in temperature haven't killed the whole lot off. Monty Don never has these problems."

[WHU(Exeter)]

"I put in 150 tulips a few weeks ago, because the weather was a lot warmer than average, the shoots have already came through, a lot earlier than usual I think. Hoping that these last few days of the sudden dip in temperature haven't killed the whole lot off. Monty Don never has these problems."

[Nurse Ratched]

I fear the bird flu has killed off a lot of my finches. Far fewer numbers coming to feed compared to last winter.