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."

Nurse Ratched" wrote: ↑23 Aug 2025, 22:02
 

Tomshardware wrote: ↑20 Aug 2025, 20:49 Bastard robins already singing for territory.  

The robin is probably my favourite bird, I only say bastard as in a way their singing is one of the first signs that we are getting closer to autumn.   Good you have a toad Exeter.

Used to love birds coming into the garden, but stopped trying to feed them years back as the cats were knocking off too many of them Really miss robins especially, as it got to the point of them tapping on the window early winter mornings for food.

The pond has attracted a toad in the last couple weeks and hoping it might use it as a breeding place with tadpoles hopefully, as haven't heard a toad in the garden for easily a decade.

Bastard robins already singing for territory.  

Toms, if you (or any others) are interested in that ice bucket thing, Qianly do a bronze galvanised one on Amazon for 24 quid. Barst water pump with LED lighting is also 24 quid. All you need then is some water plants and some bricks to balance the pump near the top of the water. Bung in a few water snails and away you go.

It's a small 'pond' for sure, but the end result looks really good when considering the money spent on it - runs off mains but the water pump electrical lead is long. Got it outside the bedroom and the sound of running water is great for sleeping too.

Im fully aware that they dont fly but i saw a Pine Marten today

If anyone’s toyed with the idea of getting a lwater feature going in their garden, been trying to get something going in the garden that’ll attract frogs and newts, but got nowhere on that front, other than keeping water snails alive.

On the other hand though, a really good thing anyone can put together, is to get hold of one of those bronze champagne/wine/ice big buckets on Amazon, get a water pump that comes with a LED night light, a few natural pond plants, water snails.

Put some bricks in to get the water pump near the surface of the water and you’ll have a really lovely water feature for about 75 quid from Amazon, whereas if you bought it off Etsy or similar as a ‘piece’, reckon it’d be 150;plus.

Mine are house sparrows too and there are loads of them.
Also had a female common darter dragonfly and a male for company taking turns to perch and go for a hunt. 
 

zebthecat wrote: ↑10 Aug 2025, 21:52 It was flying ant day in the garden today.
The sparrows loved their new winged snacks and had a whale of a time.
A couple of dragonflies joined in the feast. One was a Common Darter but the other was too fast to identify.

It was flying ant day in the garden today.
The sparrows loved their new winged snacks and had a whale of a time.
A couple of dragonflies joined in the feast. One was a Common Darter but the other was too fast to identify.

Touché

Don't get me wrong, I love all birds. I've even had a few Blackbirds myself in my time. I just hate those kind of birds who always stick their beak in causing me trouble. 

Swifts eat tiny spiders and insects that are quite up high in the air. 'Aerial plankton'. They never come down to gardens to bird feeders because they're not interested in anything we have to offer.

STOP GETTING BIRDS WRONG

Tomshardware wrote: ↑10 Aug 2025, 14:18

Massive Attack" wrote: ↑09 Aug 2025, 22:17

Tomshardware wrote: ↑09 Aug 2025, 21:34 The swifts have left around here. Always feels like the beggining of later stages of summer when they go.

"SEND THEM BACK, SEND THEM BACK"

Reported you to the BTO, bird racism.

Swiss - are you referring to the video in the OP? If so, that's a chaffinch. Male 

Is that first one a Jay? I got one that visits my terrace quire regularly. 

Massive Attack" wrote: ↑09 Aug 2025, 22:17

Tomshardware wrote: ↑09 Aug 2025, 21:34 The swifts have left around here. Always feels like the beggining of later stages of summer when they go.

"SEND THEM BACK, SEND THEM BACK"

Tomshardware wrote: ↑09 Aug 2025, 21:34 The swifts have left around here. Always feels like the beggining of later stages of summer when they go.

The swifts have left around here. Always feels like the beggining of later stages of summer when they go.

Only the odd ladybird here but loads of butterflies. Whites, Commas, loads of Gatekeepers and the odd Brown Speckled Wood.
The highlght has been Hummingbird Hawk moth that loves drinking from night scented stocks.

I went from one to dozens of them, so hope you get the same.

ditto with the white butterflies.

I've seen the grand total of ONE ladybird so far this year, but it's possible the 'plaque' is occurring in waves, regionally, so I live in hope.

What I have seen is zillions of butterflies. Many more than usual. 

Massive Attack" wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025, 08:08

Dead, was it?