Topic: Bird watch

[Son of Spion]

Virtually every parent on the planet that raises their young will do it, as do domestic animals like cats and dogs.

Thankfully humans developed a much healthier method of waste disposal 😁

Yes, they hide the dirty nappies behind trees in Sefton Park.

[reddebs]

Yes, they hide the dirty nappies behind trees in Sefton Park.

It seems there is a growing number of the species who are returning or have returned to their pre human state for sure mate.

Like reverse evolution 😂

[Red Raw]

Not strictly birds but an important part of the foodchain, it's Big Butterfly Count time (16th July to 8th August). Find a spot and count the species you see in 15 minutes. Love citizen science projects - lots of data for the experts with (relatively) little outlay:


https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/

Interactive maps mean you can see what has been sighted nearby:
https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/map

[reddebs]

I've been watching a family of green finches feeding this morning.  The young looked like they'd only very recently fledged as they still had a lot of fluffy fearhers 🥰

[reddebs]

Not strictly birds but an important part of the foodchain, it's Big Butterfly Count time (16th July to 8th August). Find a spot and count the species you see in 15 minutes. Love citizen science projects - lots of data for the experts with (relatively) little outlay:


https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/

Interactive maps mean you can see what has been sighted nearby:
https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/map

I might have a go at this as we've got loads at the moment, even in the house 😁

[Red Raw]

I might have a go at this as we've got loads at the moment, even in the house 😁

Yes - I'll will probably do a couple - lunchtime today and then again in one/two weeks' time.
Probably worth reiterating you can do as many as you want and that it is just as important for the research to report if you have no sightings at all.

[reddebs]

Yes - I'll will probably do a couple - lunchtime today and then again in one/two weeks' time.
Probably worth reiterating you can do as many as you want and that it is just as important for the research to report if you have no sightings at all.

I've done bird surveys before but not for butterflies as I'm not that knowledgeable on them but I'll have a go if there's a downloadable ID chart to use.

[Red Raw]

They are only interested in a few ofthe most common species (to make it easier for the general public) and they do provide a chart. I find butterflies much harder to identify - I grab a snap with the camera and double check on the computer.

Butterfly Conservation also have some good images on their site to help with the ID:
https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/identify-a-butterfly

Only a couple spotted at lunchtime (although lots of bees and flies - swifts are having a helluva time). Will repeat in a few days as weather is supposed to be sunny.

[Son of Spion]

There's a whole family of Sparrows absolutely ravaging an ant's nest outside. They've been hammering it for days now.

[Lad]

I've been watching a family of green finches feeding this morning.  The young looked like they'd only very recently fledged as they still had a lot of fluffy fearhers 🥰

Glad to hear this. Greenfinches are in serious decline, one of the worst affected British birds due to some disease. I personally haven’t seen one in about 10 years.

[reddebs]

Glad to hear this. Greenfinches are in serious decline, one of the worst affected British birds due to some disease. I personally haven’t seen one in about 10 years.

We've seen the occasional adult since we moved here but not many in comparison to others so it was lovely to see them this morning.

As I understand it the disease is to do with people not keeping their feeders clean but it's effected these the most.

[reddebs]

There's a whole family of Sparrows absolutely ravaging an ant's nest outside. They've been hammering it for days now.

Isn't nature ace 😁

[Son of Spion]

Isn't nature ace 😁

Unless you are an ant. 

The ants' nest in the back garden seems to have escaped the spadgers attention for now. The one in the front is not so lucky.


On a seperate note, my brother spotted a Common Scoter on the Leeds-Liverpool canal at Litherland yesterday. It's a sea duck I believe, and I've never seen one.

[reddebs]

Unless you are an ant. 

The ants' nest in the back garden seems to have escaped the spadgers attention for now. The one in the front is not so lucky.


On a seperate note, my brother spotted a Common Scoter on the Leeds-Liverpool canal at Litherland yesterday. It's a sea duck I believe, and I've never seen one.

As you know Paul hates crawlies and we have a lot of them here. 

He was shocked seeing the peony buds covered in ants one morning and was flicking them off till I told they were eating the aphids and it looking after the plants.

It's great not needing bug spray and letting nature do its job.

Yeah scoters are sea birds so that's got it's navigation system off kilter for sure.

[reddebs]

Productive morning so far.

I've taken 20 hawthorn cuttings, 20 redclaw and a couple of weigela. 

Hopefully enough will take to fill in all the gaps in the north and west boundaries to give the veggie plot a bit more shelter.

[rob1966]

I'm on the M4/A34 route today, seen a couple of huge kites on the hunt this morning

[reddebs]

Omg just seen a spotted flycatcher in the garden 😯

Never seen one before.

[RedSince86]

Not an interesting bird but i'm seeing and hearing a group of seagulls in my vicinity and they are loud AF in the morning.

Must have been 4-5 weeks now.

I live about 40 miles from the nearest coast and these Seagulls seem to have made their home inland now.

[reddebs]

Not an interesting bird but i'm seeing and hearing a group of seagulls in my vicinity and they are loud AF in the morning.

Must have been 4-5 weeks now.

I live about 40 miles from the nearest coast and these Seagulls seem to have made their home inland now.

Not all gulls live at the coast, a lot live inland and not always by water.

Black headed gulls, lesser and greater black backed gulls tend to be inland, whereas herring gulls are the ones you usually see at the seaside.

[jillcwhomever]

We have huge trees at the back and before I went on holidays they were cutting them back which infuriated me as I knew the bird would be nesting. I got home today to find a birds nest on my back gate post, which has obviously fallen out of the trees. Why do they have to do this in the breeding season? I feel so bad, I didn't make more of a fuss now.

[jillcwhomever]

Omg just seen a spotted flycatcher in the garden 😯

Never seen one before.

It's so exciting when you see new birds Debs. I have just been staying with my sister in Derbyshire and was watching the siskins which I never seem to see over here, such cute birds. But the highlight were the hedge of sparrows that she has. I would love to know how many live in that hedge at times it sounds as there is fifty in there. They are so entertaining though, every evening around 6pm they seem to have a party where everyone chatters away at the same time. The noise is just unbelievable but they come flying out of the hedge onto the feeders and at times they barely clear your head. My second highlight was getting her robin to feed from my hand, he did it a couple of times. I am going to see if I can train my own robin now. 

[Komic]

Spotted a family of peregrine falcons whilst in Pembrokeshire last week, seemed to be nesting on the sea cliffs. Spotted one calling for ages and then vanished, and we got round to the next view a cove and it was ripping something to shreds as we could see the feathers. Would have been amazing to see the dive bomb. Here is a slightly blurry photo of two of them

[jillcwhomever]

Spotted a family of peregrine falcons whilst in Pembrokeshire last week, seemed to be nesting on the sea cliffs. Spotted one calling for ages and then vanished, and we got round to the next view a cove and it was ripping something to shreds as we could see the feathers. Would have been amazing to see the dive bomb. Here is a slightly blurry photo of two of them

That is still a fantastic photograph, well spotted. Fantastic birds.

[reddebs]

It's so exciting when you see new birds Debs. I have just been staying with my sister in Derbyshire and was watching the siskins which I never seem to see over here, such cute birds. But the highlight were the hedge of sparrows that she has. I would love to know how many live in that hedge at times it sounds as there is fifty in there. They are so entertaining though, every evening around 6pm they seem to have a party where everyone chatters away at the same time. The noise is just unbelievable but they come flying out of the hedge onto the feeders and at times they barely clear your head. My second highlight was getting her robin to feed from my hand, he did it a couple of times. I am going to see if I can train my own robin now. 

We have dozens of sparrows here too Jill so I know what you've experienced.  They've nested in the roof of the conservatory and I reckon they're on their 3rd brood at least.

We sit out watching them on the feeders in the evening and the noise is deafening and some are still being fed by the parents which is lovely to see.

As for robins that's one bird we don't have many of.  We had one here early on but not seen any for weeks which is concerning.

[reddebs]

Spotted a family of peregrine falcons whilst in Pembrokeshire last week, seemed to be nesting on the sea cliffs. Spotted one calling for ages and then vanished, and we got round to the next view a cove and it was ripping something to shreds as we could see the feathers. Would have been amazing to see the dive bomb. Here is a slightly blurry photo of two of them

That's superb mate it's one bird I've yet to see but I believe there's a pair on the mountain near us so when we start getting out and about in the autumn hopefully we'll spot one.

[rob1966]

Spotted a family of peregrine falcons whilst in Pembrokeshire last week, seemed to be nesting on the sea cliffs. Spotted one calling for ages and then vanished, and we got round to the next view a cove and it was ripping something to shreds as we could see the feathers. Would have been amazing to see the dive bomb. Here is a slightly blurry photo of two of them

Thats a great pic.

[Yorkykopite]

Been swimming a lot - every day! - in the river for the past week or so. The bird life is amazing. On one bank there are wild meadows, on the other ploughed land and a deciduous wood. Apart from the usual ducks and swans - always great to see at 'ground level' when you are in the water - there are a pair of egrets, swallows and a noisy load of blackcaps in the wood. I've also been in the river when a tern has dived in and emerged with a fish. You can actually see the damn fish wriggling as it is carried away, which seems enough to unbalance the tern in flight for a while. Yesterday there were three or four kestrels hovering above one of the banks, but the real show-stoppers, which empty the sky of everything else for a while, are the red kites. I was swimming on my back on Thursday and was able to count 14 at one point. One of them was so close above me that I began to worry for a moment that he thought I was eatable.   

[rob1966]

There is a peacock walking around the lorry Park at work!!

Can I just say I fucking hate seagulls. There were two horrible brown ones running around the trucks in Carlisle depot, and a white one sqwauking its head off, then the fuckers woke me up at 4am making a right racket. Bastards

[reddebs]

There is a peacock walking around the lorry Park at work!!

Can I just say I fucking hate seagulls. There were two horrible brown ones running around the trucks in Carlisle depot, and a white one sqwauking its head off, then the fuckers woke me up at 4am making a right racket. Bastards

That would be mother and babies 😂 however I'd agree that they're noisy fuckers 👍

[rob1966]

That would be mother and babies 😂 however I'd agree that they're noisy fuckers 👍

Babies? Bloody hell, they were bigger than the white one. Crap mother, needs to teach the kids to be quiet 😂

[jillcwhomever]

Been swimming a lot - every day! - in the river for the past week or so. The bird life is amazing. On one bank there are wild meadows, on the other ploughed land and a deciduous wood. Apart from the usual ducks and swans - always great to see at 'ground level' when you are in the water - there are a pair of egrets, swallows and a noisy load of blackcaps in the wood. I've also been in the river when a tern has dived in and emerged with a fish. You can actually see the damn fish wriggling as it is carried away, which seems enough to unbalance the tern in flight for a while. Yesterday there were three or four kestrels hovering above one of the banks, but the real show-stoppers, which empty the sky of everything else for a while, are the red kites. I was swimming on my back on Thursday and was able to count 14 at one point. One of them was so close above me that I began to worry for a moment that he thought I was eatable.

14 Red Kites, wow. I'd have been running for home, never mind counting them! 

[reddebs]

Babies? Bloody hell, they were bigger than the white one. Crap mother, needs to teach the kids to be quiet 😂

Yeah birds unlike mammals are their full size when they fledge but they don't get their adult plumage until the following summer. 

Those "babies" look bigger than mum because they'll still have some fluffy feathers which puffs them out.

[Lad]

Yeah birds unlike mammals are their full size when they fledge but they don't get their adult plumage until the following summer. 

Those "babies" look bigger than mum because they'll still have some fluffy feathers which puffs them out.

The brown young gulls are known as yearlings I think.

[Son of Spion]

The brown young gulls are known as yearlings I think.

Interesting. I've not heard that term before. I've always known the brown, speckled gulls as juveniles.

I actually like gulls. They are quite beautiful really, although they certainly can be noisy. Mind you, they act as a Heron alarm for us because they gang up on the Heron when s/he's on the roof about to plunder the pond. The scream at it and dive bomb it like fighter planes.

[reddebs]

The brown young gulls are known as yearlings I think.

They are once they've left the parents but if they're still with mum they'll be this year's young.

Next year, like swans, they'll join the teenage gangs of marauders before going on to be parents themselves the following year.

[rob1966]

Interesting. I've not heard that term before. I've always known the brown, speckled gulls as juveniles.

I actually like gulls. They are quite beautiful really, although they certainly can be noisy. Mind you, they act as a Heron alarm for us because they gang up on the Heron when s/he's on the roof about to plunder the pond. The scream at it and dive bomb it like fighter planes.

They are hard to like when they are running on the roof of the cab at 4am squawking like mad. Same as when we go to Prestatyn and they are on the caravan roof.

[jillcwhomever]

We have dozens of sparrows here too Jill so I know what you've experienced.  They've nested in the roof of the conservatory and I reckon they're on their 3rd brood at least.

We sit out watching them on the feeders in the evening and the noise is deafening and some are still being fed by the parents which is lovely to see.

As for robins that's one bird we don't have many of.  We had one here early on but not seen any for weeks which is concerning.

There was a bit of drama in my sister’s sparrow hedge last night. Suddenly everything went quiet, a Kestrel flew into the hedge. Luckily my sister disturbed it and she flew off empty handed. It’s been a bit more quiet since. 😀

[Son of Spion]

They are hard to like when they are running on the roof of the cab at 4am squawking like mad. Same as when we go to Prestatyn and they are on the caravan roof.

I agree with that. They do push their luck. 

[Lad]

They are once they've left the parents but if they're still with mum they'll be this year's young.

Next year, like swans, they'll join the teenage gangs of marauders before going on to be parents themselves the following

That’s a good summary debs. It’s what I wanted to say but I lacked the basic skills to put it into a coherent passage of writing.

[reddebs]

That’s a good summary debs. It’s what I wanted to say but I lacked the basic skills to put it into a coherent passage of writing.

You explained it perfectly mate I just padded it out a bit 😁

It's absolutely brutal watching parent swans turf the kids out ready for them to start breeding again. 

They're so aggressive and fully attack them until they get the message. 

The poor sygnets must be so confused as the parents have spent nearly a year protecting them from anything and everything then suddenly it's turned against them.