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For WHO's birders

Posted: 27 Mar 2020, 12:27
by 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."

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 02 Feb 2023, 21:13
by Hammer and Pickle
"Looking around there’s definitely a lack of the previously abundant magpies this winter. Also noticeably fewer swallows, swifts and martins last summer. On the other hand, the jays seem OK. As do the crows, jackdaws, rooks and ravens (I’ve seen the local pairs out and about only this week)."

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 02 Feb 2023, 19:49
by the exile
Never seen a hawfinch myself but someone I know out here in Herefordshire saw one a couple of years ago.

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 02 Feb 2023, 19:45
by Nurse Ratched
Mine was clearly old information.

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 02 Feb 2023, 19:24
by Aalborg Hammer
Just looked in my 'Observer Book of Hawfinches' and they're shown mainly up the middle of England up to southern Scotland and the Welsh borders

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 02 Feb 2023, 18:40
by Nurse Ratched
"BN2 I'm not 100% sure, but I think hawfinches are only found in Scotland."

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 02 Feb 2023, 17:43
by BN2
"I think I saw a hawfinch a couple of days ago, but it was there and gone in a flash, so can’t be sure. Certainly seemed too brown to be a female chaff, though."

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 02 Feb 2023, 16:04
by Aalborg Hammer
"exile - I'm in east Hampshire- I did see a pair of Bullfinches back in December but none since.We had a pair of Firecrest/Goldcrests nesting in our Cypress tree but not seen them for a while...we have a back of thistles that I planted years ago and that attracted Goldfinches (a charm I believe the collective noun is) but they've vanished too...I fear the flu has got them. If you have bird feeders ,keep them clean"

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 02 Feb 2023, 15:26
by Tomshardware
"Not keen on otters, the fishy bastards."

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 02 Feb 2023, 15:12
by Nurse Ratched
Pickle - sadly I've concluded that's what has happened to my birds. So few this year.

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 02 Feb 2023, 15:10
by Hammer and Pickle
"Maybe they are identifying as birds? The bastard otters, not the eco lemons that is…"

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 02 Feb 2023, 14:53
by the exile
"Aalborg - that's an impressive list of sightings - where in the country are you? I take it you're not in Aalborg if you're doing the RSPB thing. Funnily enough I saw a greenfinch on my sunflower seed feeder this morning - first one for ages. Like most people, haven't seen a bullfinch for ages but goldfinches are really common around here."

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 02 Feb 2023, 13:46
by Crassus
"Indeed, same here, only saving grace is that it is killing bastard otters too - fuckers are catching infected birdlife, something the eco lemons claim they do not do"

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 02 Feb 2023, 13:40
by Hammer and Pickle
Listening to a boffin on the radio atm - a very nasty case of bird flu going round on a global scale this year apparently

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 31 Jan 2023, 14:08
by Aalborg Hammer
"I took part in the RSPB birdwatch this weekend and am disappointed in the decline of bird numbers this year -I have the usual blue tits,great tits ,coal,marsh and long tailed tits but no finches to speak of. Robins ,wrens and nuthatches appeared fleetingly - a few redwings and fieldfares on our berry bushes.Our usual firecrests ,goldfinches and bullfinches have vanished and we haven't seen a greenfinch,a yellowhammer or a siskin for ages-when we moved in 30 years ago they were common. One first this year,a pair of waxwings appeared briefly on our niger seed feeder earlier this month"

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 31 Jan 2023, 12:28
by Hammer and Pickle
The White-Tailed Sea Eagle I’ve just seen from the window going up the river probably thinks it’s lunchtime and it’s coot or rat on the menu.

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 31 Jan 2023, 12:24
by Nurse Ratched
Blue tits have joined in now. The birds definitely think it's spring.

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 28 Jan 2023, 20:48
by lab
"Red kites will see ferrets and dogs as flushers of things like rabbits and indeed will keep an eye on them . The thing is kites will only prey on dead things , things that buzzards kill for example . I recently saw a kite chase a buzzard off a hare that the buzzard had killed . Someone mentioned long tailed tits , yep gorgeous , twitter away in little groups as they work down a hedgerow . Leave them selves open to a sparrow hawk though . Saw a woodcock today ….now they make a hell of a journey ."

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 28 Jan 2023, 20:21
by 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

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 28 Jan 2023, 20:11
by 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."

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 28 Jan 2023, 20:11
by 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."

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 28 Jan 2023, 12:46
by 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."

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 28 Jan 2023, 09:37
by Tomshardware
"Nice updates, gonna do the birdwatch as well this weekend."

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 28 Jan 2023, 00:34
by 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."

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 28 Jan 2023, 00:28
by 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."

Re: For WHO's birders

Posted: 27 Jan 2023, 23:56
by Crassus
zeb Wonderful observation and reporting mate - keep them coming please