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."

[Hermit Road]

lowermarshhammer 2:37 Sun Mar 29 Thanks for that. I’ll give that a go.

[Mex Martillo]

"No bird going near the caged bird table, I think they have freaked out, scared of the transformation in their environment. I guess they’ll get used to it. Have to say my favourite bird in these parts is called a puput, (hoopoe in English = Upupa epops) they look a bit like a jay gone wrong, nice looking bird, but what I really like is they come every spring to eat the processionary caterpillars that come down from the pine trees. These caterpillars are poisonous, give me and my dogs allergies, fucking hated them and love anything that eats them."

[Toe Rag]

"Hmmm, I shall now refer to the whole lot of them as “sparrows” haha"

[lowermarshhammer]

Might be dunnocks. They are everywhere as well. I'd describe their song as 'scratchy.'

[Nurse Ratched]

No! ?üßê

[Toe Rag]

"Could be wrens in amongst them yes. There’s a LOT of brown jobs though and as you say, they don’t stand still. Chiff chaffs and chaffinches are very noisy around here even with this bloody wind roaring through the trees."

[Mr Anon]

Didn't you half volley one into the chest of a colleague?

[Nurse Ratched]

"My office has a wide window sill and it's high above ground. I secretly feed the birds, but it's almost only pigeons who take me up on the offer. They recognise and memorise human faces, so they are becoming more comfortable around me, even though I habitually leave the window open (the room smells weird). I had a pair make love on that sill. I turned to see what all the rustling and warbling was about and he mounted her and they made love, albeit briefly, as these things are with pigeons. All the while they both stared me full in the eyes. That bit was a little unnerving."

[Mr Anon]

"Sorry for ""derailing"" thread Nurse.."

[,]

Who was your colleague copulating with?

[Coffee]

lowermarshhammer 3:12 Sun Mar 29 Last line - your colleague or the pigeons?

[Mr Anon]

Who wouldn't want to go out like that if they could choose!

[Nurse Ratched]

‚ò?

[Nurse Ratched]

‚ò?

[lowermarshhammer]

Dunno about that but I have wiped out beaucoup pigeons with the train. Thump. Once half volleyed one into the chest of a punter waiting at a platform. Oof. A colleague took out two in one hit once whilst they were copulating.

[Mr Anon]

Might not be in the spirit of the thread but I wonder if city centre pigeons have started canabalizing yet?

[Nurse Ratched]

"""LBJ's sort out the twitchers from the merely interested. They are hard as fuck to identify and they never keep still for long enough to compare them properly to a picture in a book."" Yep. Feckers."

[lowermarshhammer]

"Toe Rag. Maybe wrens? UK's most numerous bird, often overlooked. Always seem them by the riverside when I'm fishing. A little bit too early for most warblers I'd think. Heard a few chiff chaffs recently. LBJ's sort out the twitchers from the merely interested. They are hard as fuck to identify and they never keep still for long enough to compare them properly to a picture in a book. I'm ok at telling some of them apart by song but they aren't really much to look at. Same goes for some, but not all, of the waders , I'm clueless on the ID of some of them look a like fuckers."

[Toe Rag]

I am sat by a river as of this moment watching kingfishers going backwards and forwards. Busy little things they are as well. Seem to be disappearing into the banks so I guess they’re nest building. Lots and lots of brown jobs flitting about. No idea what they are. Various types of warblers I guess?

[lowermarshhammer]

Hermit Road Sunflower hearts in one feeder. Nyger seeds in another feeder. Patience. You'll get goldfinches eventually I'd think.

[Nurse Ratched]

All lovely stuff.

[Hermit Road]

Seen a load of Red Kite recently. I’ve probably seen tons of them before without knowing what they are. Saw a Goldfinch in my garden a couple of years ago and haven’t seen one since. I’m a bit gutted about that they are incredible birds.

[lowermarshhammer]

Saw a lapwing for only the second time whilst driving the train the other week. Best spot I've had whilst at work was possibly a cuckoo. Or 6 Whooper swans in formation. Little owl. Tawny. Peregrine. Once had a kestrel fly parallel and alongside the cab for a few seconds. That's easily the most exciting thing that's ever happened at work. One freezing winter's day years back there had been an overnight irruption of redwings and fieldfares. Absolutely 1000s of them flying everywhere all day thatbtime. as they got disturbed by the train. I would imagine in the wilds of Scandinavia they don't see any trains so they must be petrified by them.

[Bungo]

"Nurse Ratched 12:50 Sun Mar 29 Been pressure washing the patio. A Robin keeps hopping around nearby, presumably looking out for worms I've disturbed? That was a bit crap really wasn't it?"

[lowermarshhammer]

"Nurse 1250 Not recently but last summer I was fishing a small pond with a trees all around it and a small copse on one side. Sparrowhawk was attending to a nest about 5 metres to my left and maybe 8 metres up. I am sure it was unaware that I was so close and it came down and flew right in front of my face, so close I could feel the air turbulence from it's feathers. A short while later a grass snake swam past the rod tip. Some idiot has released a teenage mutant ninja terrapin into that pond. Silly cսnt."