Topic: Bird watch

[reddebs]

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.

I've PM'd you hun

[jillcwhomever]

I've PM'd you hun

Thank you. 

[rob1966]

I've PM'd you hun

Is this Facebook now?

[reddebs]

Is this Facebook now?

Noooo......

[Chakan]

Went on a walk to the Greenway near my house this afternoon. Just a couple of shots.

Cooper's Hawk




Ruby Crowned Kinglet




Turkey Vulture



Redbellied Woodpecker



Tuffed Titmouse

[liverbloke]

^ great them mate 

[Chakan]

^ great them mate 

Thanks I wish I had got a few more of the Cooper’s hawk, I took out the long lens snapped 1 shot and my memory card was full. Plus I had forgot to put in my main card

[jillcwhomever]

Beautiful photos once again. 

[Chakan]

Few more from another walk on the greenway

Mallards





These 2 were fighting!





Looking for some grub.


He was such a poser


Cardinals




Another Turkey Vulture

[jillcwhomever]

You take some wonderful photos Chakan. 

[Chakan]

You take some wonderful photos Chakan. 

Thank you! Was a really fun day out. I was hoping to get the mallard on the branch with wings spread and a good reflection, but unfortunately I panicked when he did it and it didn’t come out well. Disappointed but still a lot of fun

[bradders1011]

Walked through the local mini nature reserve for the first time today and saw a water vole.

[Armand9]

Walked through the local mini nature reserve for the first time today and saw a water vole.

cute animals, even some people that have an innate dislike of rodents can tolerate a water vole

they were so common when i was a kid and dont know why their decline has been so steep, i know the boffins say habitat loss, escape of mink into our waters and weather change are at fault

meh, i dare say they could all be contributing factors but even taken as a whole doesn't seem to explain it. Habitat loss is a given, they wont be there if the fucking habitat isn't but i'm not convinced about the ongoing problem of mink cos from an anecdotal perspective i rarely see mink (neither do my birding mates, and there's a lot of them) where once i saw them regularly enough. I know they're established in the country and i dont imagine they can now be irradicated totally but im sure their numbers have tailed off.

I'm not convinced about the weather angle cos rivers seem to be getting a thumbs up environmentally during their decline, in that otters have made a comeback and continue to thrive and it would seem odd that weather changes that contribute to water vole decreases would also not impinge on otter increases.

So i look at it and they're not occuring where you'd expect (so suitable habitat is not being used), i think mink numbers probably aren't impactful enough and i dont buy the weather angle at all (on a very local basis maybe, not country wide). And what is true of most rodents is true of water voles, in that they breed so prolifically that recovery from population dips isn't usually a problem - in ideal habitat the birth rate is high and females will give birth to 5 litters a year with 5-8 young each time.

Therefore whatever causes were responsible for the original massive decline are either still present or at the least something is still impactful enough to continually keep their numbers down.

I'm convinced we're missing something.

[Lad]

Had a green woodpecker looking for insects on my lawn for about twenty minutes this morning. Cracking bird, bigger than the greater spotted which we get on the feeders occasionally.

[liverbloke]

Had a green woodpecker looking for insects on my lawn for about twenty minutes this morning. Cracking bird, bigger than the greater spotted which we get on the feeders occasionally.

oooooh - lovely bird 

(rubs my pants)

[liverbloke]

went along the canal and then up to lunt reserve yesterday...

first spotted this kingy in the bushes (looks like a female due to the orangey lower part of its beak) had to really zoom in



then spotted this kestrel - think it's a female



this male shoveler was keen to pose - the show off



then spotted this female marsh harrier far off in the distance

[Chakan]

Very nice mate.

[Boston always unofficial]

There's a hawk in the tree out back chomping into something squirrel/rat not much left of it!
Finished his first course,hung out went for a fly about,came back for seconds and has now taken the leftovers home.

[jillcwhomever]

That Kingfisher and Marsh Harrier picture brilliant. Why is it when I go out for a walk all I see are squabbling sparrows and starlings? Not that I don't love sparrows and starlings. 

[El_Frank]

water vole

they were so common when i was a kid and dont know why their decline has been so steep, i know the boffins say habitat loss, escape of mink into our waters and weather change are at fault

I'm along the waterways often and I see plenty of them and know a few reliable spots now too but I have never reported seeing them, so maybe they're being massively under-reported too. There's plenty of food about but one thing I have noticed over time is the pollution, not just the typical industrial run-off kind but the sewage kind too. This summer when there was little rain the canals were being pumped with sewage, something that is only supposed to happen during storms. This is a big problem, something that is largely being hidden due to it feeding back to the housing/population debate. This caked the canals in the stuff, so that can't be helpful. Mink and Otter could be influencing things too but perhaps a combination of a few of these things.

Now, Kingfishers. My favourite bird. I'm also now seeing these fairly regularly and it helps that I've found a local territory of about a mile long so see them there reliably now. I know they keep low to the water when flying, generally perch low as well and they nest low in the bank, anything else about them that could prove handy in trying to see more of them?

[rob1966]

We went to Martin Mere in the summer and did a guided boat tour. The guide was telling us that the release of mink from a fur farm yonks ago was the cause of the reduction in the numbers of water voles. He said he just does not see any voles anymore, been an issue at their place for years now and he is out everyday.

[Chakan]

Sunday funday pics - was really overcast and the light wasn't great

Male and Female Rusty Blackbird


Rusty Blackbird


Hairy Woodpecker



American Robin


Tufted Titmouse


Mallard Ducks

[John C]

I think that's the first time I've seen a pic of and American Robin, that I remember anyway.

[Chakan]

I think that's the first time I've seen a pic of and American Robin, that I remember anyway.

It's just a red red robin bob bob bobbing down the street

[El_Frank]

Our Robins beat American ones. (And they probably would literally as well, fiesty little buggers.)

[liverbloke]

Sunday funday pics - was really overcast and the light wasn't great

...

lovely mate - it's great seeing foreign birds

[Chakan]

lovely mate - it's great seeing foreign birds

Thanks mate, yeah definitely great seeing the pics from over the pond from this side as well.

The Greenway near my house is a great spot for walking, birding and photography. I'm gonna be going to a few of the state parks here as well and see what I can find.

[bradders1011]

Recently moved into a new house, got a bird table and put it away from the trees, gradually we're getting robins, blackbirds, sparrows. Last week, however, a big wood pigeon has moved in and seems to be eating all the seed and being territorial around the garden. Is that what they do or will the other birds keep coming?

[liverbloke]

Recently moved into a new house, got a bird table and put it away from the trees, gradually we're getting robins, blackbirds, sparrows. Last week, however, a big wood pigeon has moved in and seems to be eating all the seed and being territorial around the garden. Is that what they do or will the other birds keep coming?

the larger birds will always be more dominant so to stop them getting all the food then modify your table so they can't access the food or perch comfortably enough to eat it

but remember that wood pigeons need feeding too so maybe have 2 tables - one for them and one for the smaller birds

i know this isn't always possible due to space but it would be a solution

...and imagine how many pressies santa would bring you for feeding all those birds 

disclaimer: got to add that these tables need a regular clean as birds can pass along health conditions to other birds

disclaimer 2: any food that falls from the tables may attract rats so best to clean that up too

disclaimer 3: see 1 and 2

[El_Frank]

If your table/feeding station set up is small enough, spindly enough, or out of reach enough for it to be unusable by the wood pigeons then they'll do the cleaning up on the floor for you.

[bradders1011]

Thanks both.

The table has a roof on it so hoping the wood pigeon won't be able to get in easily. Going to get a cylinder feeder too so the small birds can perch on that.

[Armand9]

I'm along the waterways often and I see plenty of them and know a few reliable spots now too but I have never reported seeing them, so maybe they're being massively under-reported too. There's plenty of food about but one thing I have noticed over time is the pollution, not just the typical industrial run-off kind but the sewage kind too. This summer when there was little rain the canals were being pumped with sewage, something that is only supposed to happen during storms. This is a big problem, something that is largely being hidden due to it feeding back to the housing/population debate. This caked the canals in the stuff, so that can't be helpful. Mink and Otter could be influencing things too but perhaps a combination of a few of these things.

Now, Kingfishers. My favourite bird. I'm also now seeing these fairly regularly and it helps that I've found a local territory of about a mile long so see them there reliably now. I know they keep low to the water when flying, generally perch low as well and they nest low in the bank, anything else about them that could prove handy in trying to see more of them?

i dont think it's under reporting for water voles cos there are extensive monitoring of sites over the country, so you imagine the feedback is giving a fair picture of the situation.

kingfishers - i posted on this very subject on the page before this one, as you have a spot you know they occur in the key at first is, to paste/copy myself rather than write it all out again:

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

once you're picking them up it's just a case of following them, they perch high and low, fly high and low (often outside the river itself) but you're right that the most typical scenario is low and straight zipping over the water (probably cos that's where we're generally looking to be honest, the one flying behind you high aint getting noticed).

if they stick around on a stretch of river you'll find they have some favourite spots and you're golden once you discover them

[Boston always unofficial]

I had a low pass flyover from a hawk earlier today on the path by the river maybe 2 feet over my head,awesome.Wish i could of whipped me phone out for a vid!

[Chakan]

Bit warmer weather here, so ventured out for the afternoon.

The sun was unfortunately straight at the lens for the Red Shouldered Hawk. Quite annoying.


Eastern Phoebe


Carolina Wren


Red Shouldered Hawk





White-Throated Sparrow


Red Tailed Hawk


Eastern Bluebird

[John C]

Superb shots mate, love them.

[Chakan]

Thanks mate, need to go a bit later in the day I think, the sun was a real bugger but lots of fun was had

[liverbloke]

nice set again chaka mate 

do you do any post production? i.e photoshop lightroom or another program?

it looks like you've lightened the 3rd photo of the hawk (?) that's why i ask

it is not cheating either as - as photographers - we know that the the camera does lie and doesn't always capture the moment as it was

also, try shooting in raw as this allows you to recover camera settings and you can alter them without losing quality in the original image - the simpler jpg file does suffer from quality loss when editing

raw images do take up more memory though as they are larger file sizes but they are worth it especially with shots taken into the sun or in low light

at most times you won't need to use raw and jpgs will suffice - but if you were wanting to print your photos then raw is the way to go

sorry if i'm telling you how to suck eggs 

[Chakan]

No worries mate, I definitely do some sort of post production work on the photos. I have a subscription to lightroom.

All the photos have been touched up here and there, a little more contrast, a little deepening of the shadows and whatnot. As with the hawk photo I was shooting directly into the sun so the hawk came out almost totally black, so had to definitely lighten it. The sun on the shoulder however hasn't been touched. That's the sun directly in the lens.

Yup I shoot raw as well, I don't think it's uncompressed raw though. I'll have to check the camera settings.

Just for reference here's a photo I took of the position I was in for the hawk

[reddebs]

Just had a kestrel land on the edge of the lawn and pull a big worm out of the ground with its claw, eating it as it pulled ☺️

 

[jillcwhomever]

I am hearing a really strange noise outside, it sounds similar to the noise crickets make in the summer. Anyone have any ideas what it could be?