What have you seen

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  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,636
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    edited December 2016 #32

    The ability to post the photos are great improvementlaughing, but the problem of double & treble postings is just as annoying as the blank pages were!yell

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,297 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #33

    Lots of birds around at the moment, but the other day there was a wren down at birds breakfast time. Flitted around too fast to get a photo, and carefully avoided areas where bigger birds were feeding

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #34

    We put  Viola's or small Pansy's in a planter close to the kitchen windows, the Wrens seem to love eating the flowers so fairly good opportunity for taking pic's.

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited December 2016 #35

    I find this very hard to believe, but a photo would change my mind, even a diminished quality one is more than acceptable. smile

     

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #36
  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited December 2016 #37

    Welcome back to the fold. Noisey little blighters, aren't they.

  • InaD
    InaD Club Member Posts: 1,701 ✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #38

    We walked around the Great Orme today (Llandudno) and saw a male stonechat.  It's the first time I've ever seen one and must confess that I had to look up what it was!

    Also saw several seals in the sea, there one minute and gone the next.

  • Pliers
    Pliers Forum Participant Posts: 1,864
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    edited December 2016 #39

    Excellent photo, as always from Oneputt. Will have to plant a tub up with violas. We sometimes see a wren in the ivy on the drystone wall at the bottom of our small garden, but never any closer.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,585 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #40

    I wish I had had a recorder in my hand today as I looked out of the bedroom window. There was a GS Woodpecker on the fatballs at the bottom of the garden, a party of 5 Long Tailed Tits on a peanut holder, a Nuthatch on another peanut holder, a Robin in our protective cage munching away on the bits from a hanging fatball that a Great Tit was hacking away at, a Sparrow was sitting on a cotaneaster branch pecking at a fatball which had a Blue Tit hanging from the underneath of it, a Blackbird was eating an apple, a Song Thrush was turning leaves over at the bottom of the garden scaring a Wren whilst a Raven "cronked" overhead.

    It was like one of those adverts where you see smiling customers walking into a shop whilst happy customers are walking out carrying their purchases. An advert in this case made by the RSPB. It was great until someone opened the back door and everything scattered. Still it was a lovely 5 minutes.

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited December 2016 #41

    All this with Red Kites all around and Ospreys in the summer. It must be time to move to Clwyd. Can't wait to return to Red Kite site in the summer.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,585 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #42

    Walked around the lanes today. Many Redwing with a few Fieldfare and a bonus with 2 Bramblings which I haven't seen around our village for over 10 years. Also saw a Buzzard on the ground in the middle of a field eating its breakfast. Looked like rabbit pie. 

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited December 2016 #43

    Hi OP

    Does Minsmere have a massive flock of starlings like I witnessed this morning  on the Somerset levels at Ham Wall. There must have been hundreds and hundreds of thousands all taking off at the same time. It appears that due to the level of mist, they seemed somewhat unsure and returned to the reeds a couple of times giving three spectacular flights. The fly past was not as long in time as the evening murmurations, but extremely loud and very impressive. The process began with very loud chirping for 10 minutes or so and groups flying low above the reeds. Then large numbers  flocked in to the same area until the reeds became black with birds. Followed by a split second of silence, then the hum of thousands of wings beating at once as the birds flew up again. Marvelous sight, but the mist restricted the view somewhat.

    The Warden suggested this would continue for a couple of months with luck, so if anyone is interested, it is worth getting up early for.

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #44

    No most of the starlings at Minsmere and other East coast site will eventually make there way to Somerset and join the thousands already there.  We have about 25 that hang around our garden area and apart for a short period where others join them they tend to stay all year.

    I'm pretty sure that Somerset have the largest flocks in the UK during the winter

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited December 2016 #45

    Thanks for the info. Last winter there were quotes of 750,000, incredible that they perform this on a daily basis. Our garden flock consists of 5 and they also perform in the evening, flying out of their large conifer for a few laps then roost for the night.

  • Whittakerr
    Whittakerr Club Member Posts: 3,472 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #46

    On my lunch time walk on Salford Quays today I saw a kingfisher. At first I saw a small bright blue bird flying just above the water and wasn’t sure what it was, (I’m no expert on birds) then watched it perch on a low overhanging branch and couldn’t mistake it. It stayed there for a minute or so until I got closer when it flew off.

  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #47

    Whoopee, or should that be hoopoe?wink Perched on a fence near our apartment. Try as I may I couldn't catch it with its crest up. Fabulous sight in flight to! 

  • Impy
    Impy Forum Participant Posts: 257
    edited December 2016 #48

    Great sighting mickysf smile  a bird I have not been lucky enough to see even though I have heard it!

  • dougscriv
    dougscriv Forum Participant Posts: 14
    edited December 2016 #49

    I wonder if this is the same Hoopoe I saw at Flamborough head earlier this year? I couldn't get near enough to take a photo,a crowd of twitchers seemed to think they had exclusive rights to it, it was actually in the back garden of a bungalow so they would have had a good view from the kitchen window

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #50

    Micky when I first viewed your picture it was the right way up i.e. portrait but now seems to be landscape.

    Just on the edge of our village there were 3000 pink footed geese and about a dozen white fronted geese

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited December 2016 #51

    Tonight is the longest night after this the days get longer & the nights shorter. Good times for the wildlife for the futuresmile

    Winter Solstice.

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #52

    Micky, Your picture is right way up on my I Pad

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited December 2016 #53

    Hi OP

    The pic is correct on my i-pad but landscape on my macbook.

    Love the Kingfisher BTW. How about some pics from your last trip to Minsmeere? I have to convince the wife that a trip over your way early spring is essential.

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,636
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    edited December 2016 #54

    Sat watching the birds on the feeder and fat ball this afternoon....Blue, Coal, & Great Tits and a pair of Nutchatches, when up flew a Jackdaw who perched on a branch just above the fat ball. It then proceeded to pull up the string holding the bag with the ball in it and then held it in his claws againt the branch, bringing the bag within reach, while he pecked at the food. What a clever bird!! I wonder how often he/she'd tried that trick before getting it right.

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #55

    Black tailed Godwits flying along coast by Minsmere

     

     

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,636
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    edited December 2016 #56

    Great photo, OP.

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited December 2016 #57

    Birdwatching and a beach should do the trick.

  • Malcolm Mehta
    Malcolm Mehta Forum Participant Posts: 5,660
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    edited December 2016 #58

    We just saw six coaltits outside our caravan window.

  • neveramsure
    neveramsure Forum Participant Posts: 712
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    edited December 2016 #60

    While returning from my afternoon dog walk I saw a pair of Buzzards. They were low and directly over me at one point. Their flight seemed so effortless as they faced the wind and let it lift them over a nearby cops. I was so chuffed as this was only half a mile from my home. 

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
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    edited December 2016 #61

    Only  seen  Three ( 3 )  birds  all  day,  and  that  was 

    2  turkeys  &  one  goose,  and they  were  hiding  in  ovens laughing !!

     

     

    seriously  hoping  you  have  all  had  a  good  time  this  

    far,  with  more  to  come  tomorrow,  weather  permitting  !wink