The Bird Watching Thread
Discussion
)...anyway this morning goldfinches, 3 of them to be exact for the sunflower hearts, what a beautiful thing they are.Mort7 said:
Wow! Thanks for that. The nearest to those that we get over here are Rose-Ringed Parakeets, which are gradually working their way up the Thames from London, where they escaped during the latter part of the last century. We see them quite regularly when we're walking by the river.
There are lots on the south side of Manchester. too.
PositronicRay said:
Yes we often do it, as does Smollet. You should be able to find previous threads, but perhaps add your results to this one.White-tailed eagle currently living in Oxfordshire.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-...
Mort7 said:
White-tailed eagle currently living in Oxfordshire.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-...
Love to see that. Red kite spotted on Tuesday dominating a tree, surprisingly close up. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-...
Here's a link to a film of murmurations on the Somerset Levels. The music is by an old friend of mine who lives down there, Denny Bridges, who was a mate when I played in a band in South Wales in the late sixties. He went on to play for the Third Ear Band and worked for George Martin at his studios in Montserrat.
https://youtu.be/MapRyVRhZHc
https://youtu.be/MapRyVRhZHc
Cheers. 
Here's a short one from Otmoor.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9f6cRNxpSs
Here's a short one from Otmoor.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9f6cRNxpSs
Edited by Mort7 on Wednesday 29th January 13:34
Yes. Peregrines and sparrowhawks at Otmoor, and later in the evening, when the starlings have either settled in the reed beds, or are in the process of doing so, it's not unusual for a marsh harrier (or occasionally a hen harrier) to fly low over the reeds and stir them all up.
There are lots of golden plovers at Otmoor too, and they do their own version of a murmuration - usually before the starlings go to bed. It's not unusual to see a peregrine in amongst them too.
Edited to add: You're probably aware that murmurations are defensive - similar to shoaling in fish. The intention is to confuse predators. I have never seen a bird of prey make a successful kill from a murmuration. Neither have I heard of anyone who has seen it. That's not to say that it doesn't happen, but it's much rarer than a sparrowhawk taking a bird from a bird table, or from your lawn, where each bird is moving individually.
There are lots of golden plovers at Otmoor too, and they do their own version of a murmuration - usually before the starlings go to bed. It's not unusual to see a peregrine in amongst them too.
Edited to add: You're probably aware that murmurations are defensive - similar to shoaling in fish. The intention is to confuse predators. I have never seen a bird of prey make a successful kill from a murmuration. Neither have I heard of anyone who has seen it. That's not to say that it doesn't happen, but it's much rarer than a sparrowhawk taking a bird from a bird table, or from your lawn, where each bird is moving individually.
Edited by Mort7 on Wednesday 29th January 17:17
Mort7 said:
Yes. Peregrines and sparrowhawks at Otmoor, and later in the evening, when the starlings have either settled in the reed beds, or are in the process of doing so, it's not unusual for a marsh harrier (or occasionally a hen harrier) to fly low over the reeds and stir them all up.
There are lots of golden plovers at Otmoor too, and they do their own version of a murmuration - usually before the starlings go to bed. It's not unusual to see a peregrine in amongst them too.
Edited to add: You're probably aware that murmurations are defensive - similar to shoaling in fish. The intention is to confuse predators. I have never seen a bird of prey make a successful kill from a murmuration. Neither have I heard of anyone who has seen it. That's not to say that it doesn't happen, but it's much rarer than a sparrowhawk taking a bird from a bird table, or from your lawn, where each bird is moving individually.
cheers thanks for that. Might take a hop down to Otmoor one day then. There are lots of golden plovers at Otmoor too, and they do their own version of a murmuration - usually before the starlings go to bed. It's not unusual to see a peregrine in amongst them too.
Edited to add: You're probably aware that murmurations are defensive - similar to shoaling in fish. The intention is to confuse predators. I have never seen a bird of prey make a successful kill from a murmuration. Neither have I heard of anyone who has seen it. That's not to say that it doesn't happen, but it's much rarer than a sparrowhawk taking a bird from a bird table, or from your lawn, where each bird is moving individually.
Edited by Mort7 on Wednesday 29th January 17:17
Also heard my first chiffchaff today.
I imagine we'll see record numbers of people bird watching in the coming months, unless full lockdown happens this evening.
My brother lives in Shanghai and as his business collapsed and he stopped socialising he decided to buy a Nikon B700 and started taking pics. There's suddenly a surprising number of birds around in the empty city where it's usually hard to find a single one.
I'm trying to I.d for him but Chinese birds are not my speciality.
Crested myna
Light-vented bulbul
Spotted dove
Black crowned night heron
Generic warbler
No idea
I imagine we'll see record numbers of people bird watching in the coming months, unless full lockdown happens this evening.
My brother lives in Shanghai and as his business collapsed and he stopped socialising he decided to buy a Nikon B700 and started taking pics. There's suddenly a surprising number of birds around in the empty city where it's usually hard to find a single one.
I'm trying to I.d for him but Chinese birds are not my speciality.
Crested myna
Light-vented bulbul
Spotted dove
Black crowned night heron
Generic warbler
No idea
A pair of blue tits are checking out the next box in the front garden. They've been in and out quite a few times, and seem to like it. The trouble is, it faces my front door and is quite exposed, so they may be undecided about it. They've both flown off now, probably to apply for a mortgage.
The odd thing was, while one was inside the box, the other kept flying up to my living room window, where I was standing watching them. It could obviously see me inside, and even was flapping up against the glass and hanging on the window frame. I wonder if it was trying to work out if I represented a danger to them, or would turn out to be a good neighbour.
The odd thing was, while one was inside the box, the other kept flying up to my living room window, where I was standing watching them. It could obviously see me inside, and even was flapping up against the glass and hanging on the window frame. I wonder if it was trying to work out if I represented a danger to them, or would turn out to be a good neighbour.
Do you know, I think you are absolutely right.
He is there again at this very moment, flying up to the glass and even tapping on it. I just noticed he is raising the blue feathers on the top of his head into a sort of crest, and looks very angry.
How can little creatures like this be, on the one hand, so stupid, yet on the other so clever as to (in Eric Morecambe's words) build a nest with just their nose and both hands behind their back?
He is there again at this very moment, flying up to the glass and even tapping on it. I just noticed he is raising the blue feathers on the top of his head into a sort of crest, and looks very angry.
How can little creatures like this be, on the one hand, so stupid, yet on the other so clever as to (in Eric Morecambe's words) build a nest with just their nose and both hands behind their back?
It's not just birds. At our previous house we were woken up one moonlit night by banging that was shaking the house. I ran downstair to find the noise coming from our living room, and our cat going ballistic behind the living room curtains.
On turning on the lights and drawing back the curtains I found a muntjac deer was busy attacking its reflection in the patio door. As soon as the reflection disappeared so did the muntjac - back through the hole it had made in the fence to get at its 'rival'. It’s hasty withdrawal might also have had something to do with that fact that I was as nature intended at the time.
Closer inspection of the glass in daylight revealed large quantities of deer fur, and several deep gouges made by its tusks, which made for an interesting conversation with my insurance company.
Be grateful you only have stroppy blue tits.
On turning on the lights and drawing back the curtains I found a muntjac deer was busy attacking its reflection in the patio door. As soon as the reflection disappeared so did the muntjac - back through the hole it had made in the fence to get at its 'rival'. It’s hasty withdrawal might also have had something to do with that fact that I was as nature intended at the time.
Closer inspection of the glass in daylight revealed large quantities of deer fur, and several deep gouges made by its tusks, which made for an interesting conversation with my insurance company.
Be grateful you only have stroppy blue tits.
Gassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff