Topic: Bird watch

[jillcwhomever]

Bad edible dormice

I was going, aww they are so cute. Then I heard about them eating birds. Bad mice, as you say.

[duvva 💅]

I was going, aww they are so cute. Then I heard about them eating birds. Bad mice, as you say.

That stag going head over heels 😆 “its ok I don’t think anyone saw me”

[jillcwhomever]

That stag going head over heels 😆 “its ok I don’t think anyone saw me”

What is it about these males and their ego's? 

[Chakan]

Is this a live camera?

[jillcwhomever]

Is this a live camera?

They have a number of live cameras on normally.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e5jv9r/live/chhc6q

[Chakan]

They have a number of live cameras on normally.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e5jv9r/live/chhc6q

Oh righto, cool cool.

I have some other youtube cameras that are live if anyone is interested. Not just birds.

[jillcwhomever]

Oh righto, cool cool.

I have some other youtube cameras that are live if anyone is interested. Not just birds.

Ooh yes please. I am working at home tomorrow will be nice to have something on in the background. 😀

[Chakan]

Ooh yes please. I am working at home tomorrow will be nice to have something on in the background. 😀

https://www.youtube.com/c/AllenBirdcam - South African Bird Cam based in Pretoria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CceTtNITGtI - Variety of Animals in a forest, not quite sure where they are based, but I think it's the US
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p9GixOto9Y - Bird cam in the US
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydYDqZQpim8 - Water hole in Namibia game reserve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaIQdOt4PeQ - Okaukuejo Resort, Wildlife Waterhole (they get elephants, rhino, zebra, giraffes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXe8MpU7uzk - Hummingbirds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtoxxHADnGk - Bird Feeder in Panama

[jillcwhomever]

https://www.youtube.com/c/AllenBirdcam - South African Bird Cam based in Pretoria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CceTtNITGtI - Variety of Animals in a forest, not quite sure where they are based, but I think it's the US
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p9GixOto9Y - Bird cam in the US
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydYDqZQpim8 - Water hole in Namibia game reserve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaIQdOt4PeQ - Okaukuejo Resort, Wildlife Waterhole (they get elephants, rhino, zebra, giraffes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXe8MpU7uzk - Hummingbirds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtoxxHADnGk - Bird Feeder in Panama

Thanks for these, I will have a look at them. 

[liverbloke]

Here's a few posts of a walk along the leeds liverpool canal on tuesday...

first a common buzzard - common but still an impressive bird

[liverbloke]

next, a male goosander - still rare for a canal setting - and a kestrel...

[liverbloke]

and finally a moorhen fight over territory

these quiet nondescript birds usually are quite boring (no offence to any moorhens reading this) but man, when they argue!

[Chakan]

Very nice!

[jillcwhomever]

Beautiful photographs, I love the one of the Kestrel in particular.

[Chakan]

What camera are you using btw? Just curious.

[Son of Spion]

Superb photos there. What part of the canal were you walking?

I saw a Kingfisher on the canal at Litherland the other week. I've spotted them before but usually on the stretch up in Lydiate.

[John C]

I suggest you enter those Moorhen pics in to a competition mate, they are fabulous.

[liverbloke]

thanks for all the comments guys 

What camera are you using btw? Just curious.

i've only got years old entry level stuff mate - everytime i want to upgrade my girl says to me 'we need that money for our next holiday/weekend away/new curtains/get the car fixed/sort the garden/new kitchen etc', you know the sort of thing 

so i've got a nikon d3200, a nikon 70-300 and a sigma 150-500 - but they've helped me learn the skills rather than just relying on a camera with all the bells and whistles to do all the work if you see what i mean

so my advice to anyone getting into photography would be to learn how to take pictures before investing in a high spec camera - the old adage 'all the gear and no idea' comes to mind

and, as you know, wildlife photography is the most difficult - landscape? just need to go on the right day for the weather. sports? it's all there in front of you same with concert photography. portrait? you choose the subject and the environment. but wildlife? you have to rely on animals 'performing' or even showing up and then they're usually moving unpredictably and in the distance so you have to alter your settings mid-shot and then most days nothing ever happens 

Superb photos there. What part of the canal were you walking?

I saw a Kingfisher on the canal at Litherland the other week. I've spotted them before but usually on the stretch up in Lydiate.

i was walking along the maghull section heading up to lydiate and onto lunt

here's a kingy i saw a while ago along the canal in maghull by the humpback road bridge - not the best shot but i had to be a quick as it was on the move

[Crosby Nick]

That’s a great photo. Never seen a kingfisher but think you get them by the canals here too sometimes.

And love those pics of the birds of prey. If I see something in the air I always assume it’s a Kite, and I think it almost always is but wish I could take pics as clear as yours. Superb.

[Chakan]

Yeah wildlife photography is definitely the most complicated.

Very nice photos!

[BarryCrocker]

That time of the year where these fckrs are waking me up before sunrise every morning here in Sydney.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/oFCr_D8n6io" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/oFCr_D8n6io</a>

[liverbloke]

That’s a great photo. Never seen a kingfisher but think you get them by the canals here too sometimes.

And love those pics of the birds of prey. If I see something in the air I always assume it’s a Kite, and I think it almost always is but wish I could take pics as clear as yours. Superb.

cheers nick - get yourself a decent compact super zoom to start with and see how you go

it only takes one good pic and you're hooked - and remember that when you see other photographer's photos, don't be disheartened as they've usually taken a ton of photos to get just the one good one

[Chakan]

cheers nick - get yourself a decent compact super zoom to start with and see how you go

it only takes one good pic and you're hooked - and remember that when you see other photographer's photos, don't be disheartened as they've usually taken a ton of photos to get just the one good one

Yup it's definitely quality over quantity.

Take my Kruger trip for instance, 4000+ photo's, how many did I like maybe 300ish, how many did my wife like? Maybe 150

[liverbloke]

Yup it's definitely quality over quantity.

Take my Kruger trip for instance, 4000+ photo's, how many did I like maybe 300ish, how many did my wife like? Maybe 150

ain't that the way 

and it's most probably shot 3212 that the lion has just turned its head to reveal a nice catch light in its eyes and opened its jaws enough to see the pointed teeth with just the right amount of saliva on and that pesky branch that was spoiling the composition has briefly blown out of shot 

[Chakan]

ain't that the way 

and it's most probably shot 3212 that the lion has just turned its head to reveal a nice catch light in its eyes and opened its jaws enough to see the pointed teeth with just the right amount of saliva on and that pesky branch that was spoiling the composition has briefly blown out of shot 

Yup pretty much, it's always something that gets in the way.

Specially in the Kruger where you're sharing the car with 4 people and 15 other drivers in cars and trying to get a good shot through a tree of a lion or hyena or whatever. Always jostling for position!

I do like the birds though, so that's the only thing, i'm usually in the best spot to get them cause people just drive past them. I could literally spend a week or 2 in the kruger just photographing birds.

[jillcwhomever]

Why can't Kingfishers be that bold when I am walking around. I still haven't managed to see one. Beautiful photograph again.

[Son of Spion]

...i was walking along the maghull section heading up to lydiate and onto lunt

here's a kingy i saw a while ago along the canal in maghull by the humpback road bridge - not the best shot but i had to be a quick as it was on the move

I think it's a lovely shot. 

I find them pretty difficult to pin down for any length of time to view, never mind actually photograph. Funny enough though, I've never actually gone looking for them. I've just come across them when walking along the bank or when I'm fishing. If I went out specifically to see one, I bet I never would.

[Armand9]

Why can't Kingfishers be that bold when I am walking around. I still haven't managed to see one. Beautiful photograph again.

kingfishers are very much a bird of habit, if they find a spot they like, they'll keep using it (usually in a circuit of spots they've successfully fished before)

so first of all put yourself in an area you know they frequent and know what you're looking for in that it's probably not going to be like the pic above - your first sighting is more likely to be a flash of electric blue zipping past you over the water

be aware of the call - it's a high pitched whistle, sometimes a single note other times a few notes but typically once known (use the link) not hard to pick up (you dont need to be an expert on bird calls or anything, just aware of a high pitched whistle coming your way)

https://xeno-canto.org/692347

more than anything else picking up that whistle is gonna get you your first sighting (well, unless someone says look 'ere mate, it's a kingfisher  )

i know all that sounds blatantly obvious but you haven't bumped into one yet, trust me, as long as you're not near deaf, being in an area where you know they frequent, the call will get you the bird

from there it's just a case of trying to see where it lands, maybe at first the general area but eventually a spot where it'll hang out making multiple fishing attempts, and that'll be it, a spot you know you can do for kingfishers

(some do move seasonally out of/into areas, eg from rivers to lakes in the winter, but as long as the water isn't frozen and you've found one, every chance it will be loyal to that spot for some period in the day)

[Armand9]

and finally a moorhen fight over territory

these quiet nondescript birds usually are quite boring (no offence to any moorhens reading this) but man, when they argue!

cracking series of pics from buzzard to moorhen mate, really impressive quality

[androulla]

thanks for all the comments guys 



i was walking along the maghull section heading up to lydiate and onto lunt

here's a kingy i saw a while ago along the canal in maghull by the humpback road bridge - not the best shot but i had to be a quick as it was on the move

That’s a really beautiful shot!

[jillcwhomever]

kingfishers are very much a bird of habit, if they find a spot they like, they'll keep using it (usually in a circuit of spots they've successfully fished before)

so first of all put yourself in an area you know they frequent and know what you're looking for in that it's probably not going to be like the pic above - your first sighting is more likely to be a flash of electric blue zipping past you over the water

be aware of the call - it's a high pitched whistle, sometimes a single note other times a few notes but typically once known (use the link) not hard to pick up (you dont need to be an expert on bird calls or anything, just aware of a high pitched whistle coming your way)

https://xeno-canto.org/692347

more than anything else picking up that whistle is gonna get you your first sighting (well, unless someone says look 'ere mate, it's a kingfisher  )

i know all that sounds blatantly obvious but you haven't bumped into one yet, trust me, as long as you're not near deaf, being in an area where you know they frequent, the call will get you the bird

from there it's just a case of trying to see where it lands, maybe at first the general area but eventually a spot where it'll hang out making multiple fishing attempts, and that'll be it, a spot you know you can do for kingfishers

(some do move seasonally out of/into areas, eg from rivers to lakes in the winter, but as long as the water isn't frozen and you've found one, every chance it will be loyal to that spot for some period in the day)

Thanks for the tips, I know quite a few are seen around the river Birkett, which is where I walk quite often, just haven't been lucky enough to see one yet. But quite a few people I know have seen them around there.

[Armand9]

Mega photographed in my part of the world, somerset, yesterday (well the picture came to light yesterday - taken by a non-birder)

the bird in question, to my knowledge and certainly in my lifetime, has never been twitchable - a juvenile American Purple Gallinule (very moorhen like in size and look but more violet/green) and is from North America as the name says

it's currently being looked for but is probably dead, these types often die unfortunately after such an arduous effort that is not part of its normal migration - thousands of miles across an ocean wasn't meant to happen

if it has survived and becomes twitchable, expect thousands to make the trip, literally - once in a lifetime job

the actual pic


what the adults look like on home ground

[liverbloke]

that's amazing and, as you say, it'll be on its last legs sadly

there are some questions being asked about the reliability of the witness (a builder) but it would have to be a well thought out hoax and one that only a birder would get excited about

[Armand9]

yeah, trouble is we have had them and one that has stuck with me is when the guy was asked why are you making shit up (he claimed a booted eagle here, when his pics data showed they were from spain), he eventually admitted it and said 'i wanted to be someone'

.....................

 

i said to him 'we aint fucking rockstars dude, we're birders, one rung above fucking trainspotters in everyone else's eyes'

other times it's just a genuine mistake (we've had that in this thread, one pic getting messed up with others so time and place skewed)

i dont doubt this APG claim and pic as genuine, i could be wrong but my gut is it's on the level, some birders seemed to get bent out of shape from the off cos the pic is a bit of an odd one but i dont have a problem with it, until there is something substantial against it

[rob1966]

Saw a video online the other week of eagles in the USA, think it was bald eagles, in their nest with chicks. One of the adults flies in with a kill, it was a bloody domestic cat. Talk about the birds getting their own back

[jillcwhomever]

This is an incredible video on a Barn Owl family, has some gorgeous filming.

https://youtu.be/6KJW3ztGy_0

[reddebs]

This is an incredible video on a Barn Owl family, has some gorgeous filming.

https://youtu.be/6KJW3ztGy_0

They're ace when you ring them at that age.  They just lay there on their backs quiet as anything after their initial warning hiss.

[jillcwhomever]

They're ace when you ring them at that age.  They just lay there on their backs quiet as anything after their initial warning hiss.

I had forgotten you'd worked with them before. I have a big birthday coming up next year, so I've been considering hiring a cottage in the Highlands as I have always wanted to see a Golden Eagle. I came across these log cabins which look perfect for the task, it's really set in a stunning spot. I am wondering if I can cross out another of my ambitions and see the northern lights as well.

[reddebs]

I had forgotten you'd worked with them before. I have a big birthday coming up next year, so I've been considering hiring a cottage in the Highlands as I have always wanted to see a Golden Eagle. I came across these log cabins which look perfect for the task, it's really set in a stunning spot. I am wondering if I can cross out another of my ambitions and see the northern lights as well.

Oh yes do it Jill. 

The northern lights have been visible on Anglesey a few times since we moved here but we're not quite high enough or open enough in the right direction to see them from the house (lazy buggers that we are).  I'm a member of a few Facebook groups that have lots of photos on whenever they've been seen.

[jillcwhomever]

Oh yes do it Jill. 

The northern lights have been visible on Anglesey a few times since we moved here but we're not quite high enough or open enough in the right direction to see them from the house (lazy buggers that we are).  I'm a member of a few Facebook groups that have lots of photos on whenever they've been seen.

Oh yes, I remember you saying about the northern lights over Anglesey. That's another place I need to visit more especially as it's not too far away. Can you give me a link to that Facebook group please? I seem to have lost it. I am trying to paint them at the moment, but I need another photograph.