West Ham Online

"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."

Pied wagtail love open space, fields and car parks are favourite haunts, I once saw dozens of them at a retail park at dusk gathering to roost.  Have seen the odd grey wagtail, both times on rocks in a fast flowing stream, also seen a dipper a couple of time.

And agree that it is more of a flick than a wag.

Problem I have is they’re sorely misnamed. Wagging is definitely a lateral movement and here we have an undeniable flick. So we have an opportunity to rename a species - I give you the pied flicktail.

A quick Google search returns an answer that they can be seen in other habitats especially in winter.

Regarding the grey wagtail, I can't think of a bird that is similar enough visually or behaviourally to make it an accidentally false sighting, and it seems you know your birds. It must not be cast in stone that they only live near fast-flowing water without exception. 

One Sunny Day" wrote: ↑14 Nov 2024, 16:42

Nurse Ratched" wrote: ↑14 Nov 2024, 14:26 Pied wagtails have a bit of a cult following on here. 

It's very strange, I get plenty of them in the front garden but never in the back. Also very strange is I get a grey wagtail in my garden in the winter, despite living half a mile away from the nearest river. For context, that's like living nowhere near a river habitat and getting a kingfisher rocking up in your garden.

Nurse Ratched" wrote: ↑14 Nov 2024, 14:26 Pied wagtails have a bit of a cult following on here. 

The semi-resident village crows are back this month, along with a single noisy offspring who they seem to be trying to teach to hunt for him/her/their self.

Also glanced up the other day to see 8 or 9 birds of prey circling on a thermal - they looked like Kestrels, but I don't thing that specie is native here - never noticed such beasts before, but their presence certainly cleared the air below them for a while.

Yes. Pied wagtails are CHARISMATIC

Pied wagtails have a bit of a cult following on here. 

How nice but watch out if you find you’re getting the urge to put an apron on and make yourself some scrambled eggs.

Just seen a pair of pied wagtails on my roof. Lovely birds.

Can confirm the local raven pair have made it through the summer and are playing house again. Most satisfactory.

Thanks, Bungo. That sounds familiar.

Coffee one sugar" wrote: ↑09 Nov 2024, 10:39 Sorry, I meant the second.

  

We get that bird around here a lot. It routinely sticks its arse up in the air, flashing the red bit in that area.

Sorry, I meant the second.

Village weaver, I think.

Nurse, what's Bungo's first picture?

Village weaver?

https://ebird.org/species/vilwea1

Yer man in yellow looks a bit....finchy.

Recently back from Mauritus (yeah I know). Anyway. loads of these fellas about. The mohican bird is apparently a red-whiskered bulbul, but the locals all call it a pingu!

No idea what the yellow one is. Lots of small doves too and inevitably many sparrows!

zebthecat wrote: ↑07 Nov 2024, 21:33

Was he at Suffield?
A friend of mine went there and loved it.

 

It was in New Brunswick, Zeb. 

Nurse Ratched" wrote: ↑07 Nov 2024, 20:34 Hi, IoC.

My son recently returned from Canada (work stuff). He absolutely loved the place; raved about it. Helicopter ride over Niagara falls and all that caper. I have a video of him scampering after a porcupine, trying to get it to look at the camera for me.

The porcupine was a dead ringer for Timothy Spall.