What have you seen

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  • RedKite
    RedKite Club Member Posts: 1,717 ✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3182

    On the way to Villefranche shopping yesterday I saw 2 Great White Egrets and 6 Little Egrets and on the way back 1 hare sat in a field, this morning just after I had filled up the bird feeders I looked out and there was a male Pheasant feeding on the dropped seeds so he could be back around again now he knows where there is a source of food.

  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3183

    Help required. Saw this raft of ducks on the sea near us. Could they be scoters? Never seen one before and apologies for the dreadful photo!

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,607 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3184

    You're right Micky, the photo isn't helping and my MacBook won't enlarge it for some reason.

    The shape, colour and number of them would certainly indicate that they are Common Scoters. The females tend to lose their blackness in winter and become a sludgy brown with a darker head and most of those that I can make out seem to fit the bill.

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited February 2021 #3185

    Hi Mickey

    may I suggest downloading the Merlin Bird Guide by Cornell Lab.

    It is free and is suitable for the phone. It also contains the bird song.

    much easier than carting around a hefty book.

  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3186

    Thanks folk, I've got them down as scoters then! Wished I'd had my bins and camera with me there might have been a velvet amongst them! 

    Loking at the merlin guide too.

     

     

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,607 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3187

    A good number of Redwings seem to have been chased westwards due to the weather so it was lovely to see quite a flock of them today. Also have a large increase in Finches of various sorts.

    Hoping for a Waxwing but no such luck.

  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3188

    Just an hour's icy walk yesterday with blue skies and spindrift around us. Spotted a family of Bullfinches comprising of four individuals including one stunning male on the ivy and brambles in the hedge way. On return journey a flock of Redwings which were happy to continue feeding amongst the snow and exposed leaf litter just a couple of metres from us. 

  • TonyBurton
    TonyBurton Forum Participant Posts: 269
    edited February 2021 #3189

    We've got snow and  fieldfares in our garden.

     

  • RedKite
    RedKite Club Member Posts: 1,717 ✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3190

    Whilst out today and we just coming to a crossroads slowly and had a Goshawk fly in front of us just over the bonnet of car very close wow.

    Plenty of birds of prey where we stopped for our picnic a local viewpoint over the river Lot, also quite a few Cormorants about.

  • greylag
    greylag Club Member Posts: 585
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    edited February 2021 #3191

    We have 2 regulars back.......

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,607 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3192

    Nice photo Greylag.

    I know you like photos so check out the ones put on Dee Estuary bird website. Scroll down to see them.

    www.deeestuary.co.uk

  • RedKite
    RedKite Club Member Posts: 1,717 ✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3193

    good photo greylag.

     

    Out for a walk today and saw a male Cirl Bunting had a good view of it and then on the way back found a dead long tailed tit on the side of the road, shame as I like seeing them.

  • RedKite
    RedKite Club Member Posts: 1,717 ✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3194

    My usual walk yesterday and on the way back in next field to ours I saw a head pop up and then got a closer look with the binos and had a Red Legged Partridge do not see them around here but but have seen them about a couple of miles away so will keep a look out for more and then on the wall at the bottom of our field the local Pheasant was about.   When back home  realised my right ankle was painful do have an old injury on that foot so now strapped up and not walking very far today.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3195

    We used to see a little group of red legged partridge on a remote CL in Cornwall, they had lots of scrub and cover, we didn't realise at the time they were an introduced species. Hope your ankle recovers!

  • Wherenext
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    edited February 2021 #3196

    3 Ravens just passed over the garden, cronking away, one of them carrying some nesting material.

    I love hearing them.

     

  • JohnM20
    JohnM20 Forum Participant Posts: 1,416
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    edited February 2021 #3197

    12º in the garden today. Although no other insects flying I was surprised to see so many bees on the hellebores. They were honey bee size but looked like three different species, not bumble bees.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3198

    I've enjoyed waiting to see this flower appear in Cambridge Botanic Gardens.

    Moonflower LINK

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,607 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3199

    Mrs WN showed me the video Brue. Isn't nature wonderful in all its variety?

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3200

    The toads in our pond are getting active, have been watching them today, I could see four. It's taken a few years to see them established but we've always found toads in the garden so now they're multplying!

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,060 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3201

    We have frogs Brue, lots of them. We are checking ponds daily for signs of “lurve” action. They catch us out every year, cleaning pond is difficult, they go from lurking around in bottom, keeping warm and safe, to bonking like crazy, so getting timing right to get leaves and other debris out is a fine art. I like frogs though, wouldn’t be without them. Luckily, none of our dogs bother them.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3202

    We can hear a few frogs but haven't spotted them yet. Spring is in the air, the local rook colony is nest building in their usual noisy manner. 

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,060 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3203

    First for us this morning. Having a look around garden with binocs, see what’s around, then a red legged Partridge trundles from under hedge. Knew they were around, but haven’t had one in garden before. Seems quite at home😁

  • RedKite
    RedKite Club Member Posts: 1,717 ✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #3204

    Just seen the the first male Redstart outside the kitchen window not sure if it is our resident back from last year.

  • JohnM20
    JohnM20 Forum Participant Posts: 1,416
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    edited February 2021 #3205

    Blackbirds nest building and a pair of small tortoiseshell butterflies having a bit of a love-in on the garden fence this afternoon in the sunshine (12º)

  • Fisherman
    Fisherman Forum Participant Posts: 2,367
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    edited February 2021 #3206

    Same here, nest building. Just seen a Robin carrying material to a box. Our resident Buzzards are busy wheeling and diving above us. No sign of the Red Kites yet.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited March 2021 #3207

    Out for a walk this morning, alder catkins and pussy willow, magpie nest and meandering stream to enjoy along the way. 

  • RedKite
    RedKite Club Member Posts: 1,717 ✭✭
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    edited March 2021 #3208

    Great photos brue I have seen catkins and pussy willow also we have got wild muscari hyacinths flowering, also on Friday when is was a really warm sunny day about 10 orange tip butterflies that is earlier than last year. No sun today and a lot cooler.  The blackcaps have arrived as well just waiting to hear the chiffchaffs.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited March 2021 #3209

    We have beautiful blue skies and sunshine at the moment but I've just heard the weather forecast for mid week and it sounds awful....better make the best of it while we can! Sounds like things are well on the way in France Redkite, more of a bumpy spring  ride here...smile

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Posts: 8,196 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2021 #3210

    Brue lovely photos. I'm impressed with the path! Looks solid and dry? Jealousy isn't nice but I think I'm feeling some 😱

    Grey chilly start here for a change 🙈. Dog and I took ourselves off to the local estate, knew it would be mucky, but getting better, so had planned a dog bath on our return, she had definitely developed an odour of stale pond from all the wet walks! Was a bit later than usual and saw a couple from a distance, thought they were neighbours but dismissed as they have an elderly dog, been so long since normal living 😉, I'd forgotten they got another a couple of years ago. They waved and waited so we had a lovely socially distanced walk. So nice to have a conversation!

    Sun's come out now so will go and see how spring is coming along in the garden.

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited March 2021 #3211

    +1,the welcome return of Spring in 5 pics. Excellent👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻