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."

[Nurse Ratched]

Speaking of lovely coloured birds, I saw my first YellowHAMMER of the year at the weekend.

What a brilliant spot. Jel.

[Lee Trundle]

Speaking of lovely coloured birds, I saw my first YellowHAMMER of the year at the weekend.

[Nurse Ratched]

Clever cat!

My firecrest spot, in my scruffy urban neighbourhood, will not be bettered this year, I think. First one I have ever seen. I heard it calling in a tree on my street and whipped round to look for it because I wasn't familiar with the call. I knew it was something 'different'. Then I saw how tiny it was. It hung around for a while, flitting from branch to branch, still calling. I realised it was either a goldcrest or firecrest. I whipped out my Merlin app and it confirmed 'firecrest'. Just before it flew off I caught the bright head streak and eye stripe. I've had a spring in my step all day.

[WHU(Exeter)]

Just googled, what a lovely coloured little bird

Most exotic it gets in my garden is jays, I do love their colours.

That cat, no word of a lie has now twice mimicked nearby magpies. The first time I heard him doing it, I initially thought he had something stuck in his throat, but the second time he did directly after two magpies had been noisy. I googled cats mimicking magpies and apparently it's not unknown and there's some youtube footage of their efforts.

[Nurse Ratched]

Firecrest!

[Hammer and Pickle]

Been to the East Grinstead Rudlof Steiner Emerson College place. Not exactly a cult but they manufacture beigeness there on a industrial scale - I shall never go there again and couldn't resist calling their man Adolf.

[Nurse Ratched]

Arf! Sounds like a nutty place.

[zebthecat]

There was bird a fight in my garden this afternoon for the perching spots on the apple trees in my garden8-10 Herring Gulls appeared out of nowhere a couple of months ago - not seen a single one before in the 12 years I've lived here.
The Gulls were sunnign themselves in the upper branches of the trees this afternoon and a whole load of Javkdaws arrived. Have had Jackdaws nesting in a disused chimney for years and they all move on once the chicks have fledged but they are back to start nesting and breeding now.
After a lot of harassing and chasing the Jackdaws drove the Gulls out of trees and elsewhere. Interestingly a few Magpies joined in on the Jackdaws side.
The East Grinstead Corvid Massive ftw.



 

East Grinstead? Is that the place where all the cults plot up? I've been reading a bit about cults again over the last few days. You know how something sets you off and you go down the rabbit hole? I keep coming back to 'cults', for some reason. That and MK Ultra. 

Yes it is.
We have, pretty much, the cult full house here and in the small surrounding area from the Scientology HQ to Wiccans in Forest Row as you, no doubt, have found out. When I joined Factset in Forest Row I sat next to our office manager and she was, literally, a witch but a lovely human being as well which is more than you can say about about some of the loons.
The Church of Scientology pay for the town's Christmas lights.

[Nurse Ratched]

There was bird a fight in my garden this afternoon for the perching spots on the apple trees in my garden8-10 Herring Gulls appeared out of nowhere a couple of months ago - not seen a single one before in the 12 years I've lived here.
The Gulls were sunnign themselves in the upper branches of the trees this afternoon and a whole load of Javkdaws arrived. Have had Jackdaws nesting in a disused chimney for years and they all move on once the chicks have fledged but they are back to start nesting and breeding now.
After a lot of harassing and chasing the Jackdaws drove the Gulls out of trees and elsewhere. Interestingly a few Magpies joined in on the Jackdaws side.
The East Grinstead Corvid Massive ftw.

 

East Grinstead? Is that the place where all the cults plot up? I've been reading a bit about cults again over the last few days. You know how something sets you off and you go down the rabbit hole? I keep coming back to 'cults', for some reason. That and MK Ultra. 

[zebthecat]

There was bird a fight in my garden this afternoon for the perching spots on the apple trees in my garden8-10 Herring Gulls appeared out of nowhere a couple of months ago - not seen a single one before in the 12 years I've lived here.
The Gulls were sunnign themselves in the upper branches of the trees this afternoon and a whole load of Javkdaws arrived. Have had Jackdaws nesting in a disused chimney for years and they all move on once the chicks have fledged but they are back to start nesting and breeding now.
After a lot of harassing and chasing the Jackdaws drove the Gulls out of trees and elsewhere. Interestingly a few Magpies joined in on the Jackdaws side.
The East Grinstead Corvid Massive ftw.
 

[WHU(Exeter)]

Sunny (the stray cat) has pretty much doubled in size over the last 2 months. Not overfeeding him, but it's dawned on me that not only is he likely to be getting food from other neighbours, but we live near a load of takeaways and during the early hours he can probably tuck into the equivalent of a couple chickens, if he braves it with the foxes.

he (evidently) ain't going to go hungry, although at this rate I may need to get a bigger outside cat house....

[Trilby55]

Saw a Woodcock today , it got out of some bracken just in front of me . They don’t fly far before dropping down again , I’m sure they prefer to fly at night . 

[Hammer and Pickle]

Just took down a nest box I put up sometime in May or June - had been meaning to put it higher in the tree and thought it wouldn’t be housing anyone until this spring. But I couldn’t resist the curiosity of what was inside and, lo-and-behold, on opening it up I found it had been nested after all. The nest was a fine mix of moss, the bratchet’s hair and poop - extraordinarily compact and no doubt super comfy. So I’ve hastily put the box back up the tree in what I hope will be a higher, even more attractive location. Will now be watching it a lot more carefully with the old Weiss nocs.

[WHU(Exeter)]

Have a cornflower come up, in December…that’s really unusual isn’t it? 

anyone with experience of Helleborus Orientalist?

(sorry if it’s been asked before)…..

[Nurse Ratched]

My woodpecker is back. You can all relax now.

[Mike Oxsaw]

We’ve had a Robin head butting the kitchen door coz it can see its reflection I guess. He was sitting on the handle and taking several shits too . He’s now started on the wing mirrors of both cars , several shits are getting wiped off daily . Bird in a bird in a bird may be on the menu for Xmas

Modern day Boy Wonder impersonators are rubbish.

[Trilby55]

We’ve had a Robin head butting the kitchen door coz it can see its reflection I guess. He was sitting on the handle and taking several shits too . He’s now started on the wing mirrors of both cars , several shits are getting wiped off daily . Bird in a bird in a bird may be on the menu for Xmas

[Hammer and Pickle]

Have done pretty much the opposite on the cats front.

Have had a cat visit the garden for around 6 or 7 months, sweet little cat, but skinny as hell, as really scared around people. Over the weeks I’ve no doubt now it’s a stray and I think possibly was mistreated, hence his really nervous behaviour. I did think of phoning a cat protection place, but them wondered what would happen if he never found owners, or he’s gone past the point of adapting to living around people again?

have fed him once a day as I think it’s unfair on the cat to make yourself the sole source of food, especially if going away for a couple of weeks etc

cant let Jim in the house, as an older cat has visited for over 10 years, since they were a kitten, and upsetting the apple cart wouldn’t be right.

taken me the last 4 months for it to come up for strokes now, and at first it seemed like it was a really alien concept to the little fella. Got him one of those little cat houses now, as he used to just sit there in the rain, not even attempting to seek shelter. Think it’s the best 20 quid I’ve ever spent.

What a pleasant post!

[WHU(Exeter)]

Have done pretty much the opposite on the cats front.

Have had a cat visit the garden for around 6 or 7 months, sweet little cat, but skinny as hell, as really scared around people. Over the weeks I’ve no doubt now it’s a stray and I think possibly was mistreated, hence his really nervous behaviour. I did think of phoning a cat protection place, but them wondered what would happen if he never found owners, or he’s gone past the point of adapting to living around people again?

have fed him once a day as I think it’s unfair on the cat to make yourself the sole source of food, especially if going away for a couple of weeks etc

cant let Jim in the house, as an older cat has visited for over 10 years, since they were a kitten, and upsetting the apple cart wouldn’t be right.

taken me the last 4 months for it to come up for strokes now, and at first it seemed like it was a really alien concept to the little fella. Got him one of those little cat houses now, as he used to just sit there in the rain, not even attempting to seek shelter. Think it’s the best 20 quid I’ve ever spent.

[Swiss.]

There's a couple of monk parakeets that come on to my terrace in Brussels. I've seen loads also in the main parc here. 

[Tomshardware]

Been planting a rosemary shrub near the bird feeders, this morning. Recently a neighbour's bastard cat has just been hanging around there all day and been a very noticeable decline in the wild birds coming to feed. Apparently cats hate the smell of rosemary so I'll see how this works.

Further to this, from word go it stopped one cat. Another one wasn't put off by it though. However, I found its little den under the bush and filled it with a load of jagged, broken bricks and that seems to have kept it away.

Another tip is if you have any rose prunings or any other spiky cuttings to leave them around where the cats go and they don't like that either.  

[One Sunny Day]

Been planting a rosemary shrub near the bird feeders, this morning. Recently a neighbour's bastard cat has just been hanging around there all day and been a very noticeable decline in the wild birds coming to feed. Apparently cats hate the smell of rosemary so I'll see how this works.

Further to this, from word go it stopped one cat. Another one wasn't put off by it though. However, I found its little den under the bush and filled it with a load of jagged, broken bricks and that seems to have kept it away.

[Mex Martillo]

Someone lost their pet!
Amazed how close you got to that woodpecker, Hammer.

It's a wild bird. I know a few on here enjoy a cockatoo.

That made me chuckle !

[Perry Nium]

Someone lost their pet!
Amazed how close you got to that woodpecker, Hammer.

It's a wild bird. I know a few on here enjoy a cockatoo.

[Mex Martillo]

Someone lost their pet!
Amazed how close you got to that woodpecker, Hammer.