What have you seen
Comments
-
It would look great if you could get it sectioned through diagonally and then polished.
0 -
We have a bird feeder on our kitchen window that is used extensively by sparrows and our 'tame' blackbird who is very protective of it. However, yesterday we were in the kitchen, close to the window, when a flock of young starlings descended on the feeder. It was impossible to count them accurately but we estimated about twenty. They were screaming and fighting with each other, the noise was incredible. They were there for at least a minute until 'da da daaaa!' in flies a sparrow hawk less that a foot from the window. He didn't manage to catch one but they all very quickly dispersed into the hedge or flew off completely.
0 -
Had not thought of that AD as we are in truffle country here, although they usually have dogs these days but up until about 3 years ago there used to be lady and her domestic pig who was well known for finding very large truffles and then about 900.00 euros a kilo.
All very quiet here on the bird front seems strange with no singing except for the blackbirds and blackcaps.
1 -
That reminds me of an incident when a family friend showed off his newly built bird feeders to a group of admiring onlookers. As we "oohed and arghed" in flew the local sparrow hawk and the air filled with feathers!
It's amazing how sparrowhawks work, they know where to lurk and pounce.
0 -
Quite a few Kestrals about the farm fields, and tonight spotted 3 close together, one with damaged tail feathers. Heard an owl calling in the early evening on Monday day and could just see where it was perched but too far off to identify properly. Went out again yesterday evening to see if it was,will about by no joy, but did see a Red Legged Partridge. Then looking up from my seat outside the van around 9:45, with Tawny Owls calling in the woods below the site, I spotted a Little Owl sitting on the telegraph wires about 20 yards from our pitch. It was by that time too dark to get a photo of it but I was able to get within 10 yards of it before it silently flew off.
2 -
Whilst making my early morning mug of tea and looking through the kitchen window I saw a Turtle Dove so out with the bins and watched it so lovely to see have heard them down the road on my walks but not seen any much slimmer than the Collared Doves.
We had a male Kestrel here with damaged tail feathers awhile ago but all full set now,some good birds Nellie we get red legged partridges around here they really do not want to fly unless they have to, heard the Nightjars up at our friends last week, and we have got the Stag beetles around our oak trees. We have had the Oak processionary moth caterpillars that have stripped a lot of Oak trees again like last year but not around here but about 3 to 4 miles away not as bad as last year but the trees are growing leaves again areas just look like early Spring it just looks awful.
2 -
I was reading some posts from America on a friend's web site, a resident in Delaware can smell the wildfires burning 2000 miles away and another says the skies are darkened with smoke. I hope we get some rain here now so things get dampened down, a good thunderstorm will clear our air and stop moorland fires etc.
0 -
It’s on its way 🪄😊
0 -
Pleased to see this returnee, I spotted one in our garden last year and saw this on an inside door today, it flew off outside seconds later. A Jersey Tiger Moth, they are quite large with a flash of red.
3 -
The question is "What have you Seen" well in the last 7/10 days since we have been back from the IOW almost nothing. Bird feeders full. I have seen one bedraggled Blue Tit, one massive crow and a cheeky squirrel on the full bird feeders. Have they all emigrated? Before we went away I couldn't fill up the sunflower hearts quick enough as the Goldcrests finished them off in record time. What is going on here? Even the humble sparrow has deserted me!!!
David
0 -
It's that end of season lull! Although we've now got Swallows congregating on the wires ready for the first take off south. We have a very bedraggled Robin parent who's put in an appearance and our pigeon parents have survived the strong gusts of winds over the last 24 hours, how their shambolic nest stays together is a mystery!
0 -
Swallows preparing to head south! What do they know that we don't?
0 -
Don't worry these are the early hatchlings, later broods will go a lot later. A good supply of insects at the moment so they're all busy feeding in the skies. We notice that the youngsters wait on the wires and the adults feed them on the wing. Love seeing them but hate seeing them go too.
0 -
Phew! We don't have any wires now. Come to that I've not seen a swallow over our gardens for years, but delighted that we have had swifts last year and this 🙂.
Yesterday the swallows flew very low over the meadows on our walk, just above Dora's head height, first time she's seen them. She thought they were for chasing, there were about 20, one in particular gave her a good run only when she got quite close did it go upwards! She catch a glimpse of them again as we stopped meadows and thus had 2 very good runs. She has yet to catch on that running towards rooks and crows doesn't get her anywhere, they just fly up and land behind her......
Dirty little devil delighted in a good roll in fox poo whilst out today boy does that stink! I have to do a patrol for it around our garden before she's allowed out. Our fox obviously over eats a very varied diet.
Our garden birds are still breeding well, new baby robins, tits, sparrows and starlings so food going fast. Having difficulty sourcing mealworm and sunflower hearts in my usual haunts today. So really stocked up on seeds and fat balls. About 40 starlings and a similar number of sparrows at any one time.
Terrific heavy shower I hope they're all well tucked in at present.
0 -
Good to see a number of Swifts over the site yesterday when we arrived, as well as Swallows. On our walk today we saw Kestrals, Buzzards and a couple of Ravens, but no Marsh Harriers.
0 -
Twice in one afternoon a sparrowhawk landed on top of the bird-feeder pole. All the birds escaped, including the greater spotted woodpecker.
The birds are coming in droves, they're eating us out of house and home! The peanuts aren't as popular, but the sunflower hearts need topping up daily. We also have a log, with 4 large holes drilled all the way through, these are stuffed full of suet/mealworms/peanuts. That's a particular favourite of the woodpeckers; that also needs filling up on a daily basis at the moment. Interestingly, the blackbirds have taught themselves to balance on top of the log and peck away at the top holes, they've become very good at it, and even brought their offspring to feed them from it. Other than that, we get lots of blue, great and long-tailed tits, gold, green and bull finches and a couple of robins. We have defeated the squirrels by putting a bucket upside down about 3' from the bottom of the pole, they now can't get up the pole and it's too far for them to jump across from the back fence.
1 -
We're in trouble.
We've taken the 3 main staging areas away from the birds. They'll get something back eventually but today we've been visited by a Sparrow deposition, twittering away as they sat on the fence staring daggers at us. The Berberis, the Cotoneaster and a Forsythia have been reduced to their bare, basic components and they don't like it.
We've promised them extra rations but relations are strained.😢
1 -
Don't worry too much Bakers.😱
There's a wood directly behind us and we still have several bushes and trees for them in the garden. They did like the Berberis though as it's the nearest bush to the bird bath and they do like a communal scrub up.😂 Might have to consider repositioning the bird bath.🤔
1 -
"Our" pigeon family have lost their latest attempt at raising a family. We think a squirrel probably put paid to their efforts. Their precarious nest site was too vulnerable to attack.
0
