What have you seen

1123124126128129163

Comments

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,046 ✭✭✭
    10,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited January 2022 #3752

    That’s a pretty good turn out Nevers👍 It’s way too windy for birdwatch here today. Not much in garden at all, they are all staying safe I think.

  • neveramsure
    neveramsure Forum Participant Posts: 712
    500 Comments
    edited January 2022 #3753

    Quite a cold wind here too TDA. I now have three bird boxes at various locations all fitted with cameras and one of them has a resident Bluetit. Today being windy it has spent some time sheltering from the cold, it's now all fluffed up with its head under its wing.laughingcool

    I can't wait for nesting season.laughing

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,046 ✭✭✭
    10,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited January 2022 #3754

    Quite a few trees down round here. We had to detour past one this morning to get to chosen dog walk. Huge, brought a couple of walls down as well. Thankfully no one hurt, unlike that poor lady in Scotland. We stopped on motorway bridge to watch M1 traffic, not a good day for HGV drivers. Didn’t see a single van out, and only one MH, very small one.

  • Pliers
    Pliers Forum Participant Posts: 1,864
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2022 #3755

    The black rabbit of Inlé?  Hopefully not 🙂

  • ADP1963
    ADP1963 Forum Participant Posts: 1,280
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2022 #3756

    A pair of Bluetit's are very active this morning in a South facing nest box. I know they use this one in particular for roosting overnight. It is a nice sunny morning here, but cold so hope it is all in their minds as yet. 

  • neveramsure
    neveramsure Forum Participant Posts: 712
    500 Comments
    edited January 2022 #3757

    Hi ADP, I have had a bluetit roosting overnight for a couple of months now and there is now a lot of poop in the box.undecided I have been considering cleaning it out but do not want to risk scaring the bird away.

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,046 ✭✭✭
    10,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited January 2022 #3758

    Watership Down😁 I used that book for my very first teaching practice, takes me back a bit. Poor kids, I had them reading it, acting it out, hopping around in PE, sewing little felt bunnies, and the piece de resistance……. we built a very big papier mache scene, complete with burrows, gorse, hedges, the lot. Started to get a bit out of hand when pet bunnies were brought to school mind🤣 Happy days😁 I sometimes wonder if any of those dear little juniors went on to breed rabbits…….

  • ADP1963
    ADP1963 Forum Participant Posts: 1,280
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2022 #3759

    In my experience TDA do nothing at this time of the year as they will be sizing potential nesting sites up.

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,644 ✭✭✭
    5,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited January 2022 #3760

    Did you see the video from Macclesfield police of the unit that had overturned on the Cat and Fiddle road yesterday. Car looked too small for the size of caravan, and who in their right mind would take a caravan over that road in those winds anyway?

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,644 ✭✭✭
    5,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited January 2022 #3761

    Don't think that is he, as the others are still playing around today, enjoying the early morning sunshine, along with himself!laughing

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,644 ✭✭✭
    5,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited January 2022 #3762

    We're not at home so no garden birdwatch for us, but had a good river watch yesterday. Grey Herons, Oystercatchers, Lapwings, a Little Egret, Curlews and Redshanks, plus around 40 Mallards during our mid morning walk.

     

     

     

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2022 #3763

    TtDA, as much as I enjoyed Watership Down { as well as books about Moles innocent } :--

    Should that final line not be :--  I sometimes wonder if those dear little juniors went on to breed LIKE rabbits  ??  undecided

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2022 #3764

    Yesterday we were down on the Somerset levels, some are flooded at present but not as much as some years. We were in the willow growing area which reaches down to the Tone. Lots of bird life down there, one day we'll manage to see the Cranes but had to make do with Egrets and Herons. smile

  • ADP1963
    ADP1963 Forum Participant Posts: 1,280
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2022 #3765

    Hey Brue, if you want to see Cranes go to the new Power Station they are building in beautiful Somerset. yell

  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
    2,500 Likes 1000 Comments
    edited February 2022 #3766

    Just seen a murmuration, a small one admittedly but a sight I’ve not witnessed for a few years. The starlings circled and eventually landed on the trees behind my daughter’s house and the sounds they then made was a joy to hear. These colourful members of the mynah family really do have a huge repertoire and a wonderful ability to mimic other sounds in their environment. Sadly fewer in number these days.

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,644 ✭✭✭
    5,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited February 2022 #3767

    We have seen quite a few small murmurations of Starlings during this trip, and missed a huge one at Alkborough Flats, although tda's OH was in the right place at the right time.yell

    Did see a flock of about 10 Long Tailed Tits today on our walk around Long Preston.

  • ADP1963
    ADP1963 Forum Participant Posts: 1,280
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2022 #3769

     I put fresh seed out this morning and within minutes the Pheasants were on it, that is the Hen Pheasants. The 2 Cock Pheasants were having a face off going up and down and every other direction possible to intimidate each other. When they realised they were of equal status and there was not going to be a winner, they decided to eat, but there was no food left as the Hen Pheasants had eaten it all and scarpered.

  • RedKite
    RedKite Club Member Posts: 1,717 ✭✭
    500 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited February 2022 #3770

    Still got the male Sparrowhawk about but it does not like being harassed by the Crows and 

    Magpies.

    Also had 3 Red kites land in next door's large Plane tree nearest they have been to our place and great to see as there seems to be quite a lot of them about today coming from the south.

  • JohnM20
    JohnM20 Forum Participant Posts: 1,416
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2022 #3771

    We have a window feeder on our kitchen window which is visited several times each day by a male blackbird. It's his and no-one is going to steal anything from it. Except for last night. About 10.00pm we checked to make sure there was enough breakfast in the feeder for Mr Blackbird. Not only was there about enough but there was also three big slugs eating the meal worms, calci worms and sunflower seeds surprised. How had they got there? Our walls are heavily textured brick so I would have thought not the most comfortable to slither up but there they were. The big questing is how did they know there was food up there, about 6 feet from the floor? I flipped them out onto the floor and left them for the hedgehog that is still visiting us every night. I'll have to watch again tonight to see if we get any more unwanted visitors.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2022 #3772

    We regularly have "tree climbing" slugs on our apple trees, nocturnal habits! At the moment our garden toads are on the move too.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,607 ✭✭✭
    5,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited February 2022 #3773

    Part of our walk today took us along a fast moving stream. In summer it disappears underground but there is enough water running down from the Welsh hills above it to make it quite a sight in winter. Today we saw a pair of Dippers doing their "Pleased to meet you" bob dance and a Grey Wagtail hunting for insects along the edge of the bank. A pair of Buzzards accompanied us for a long way, "meowing" to each other.

    Plenty of Snowdrops out as well and some Winter Crocus. Catkins on the trees and a garden had some Magnolia buds that looked almost ready to pop. A grand walk.

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
    2,500 Likes 1000 Comments
    edited February 2022 #3774

    Just read that 2 x White Tailed Eagles (re wilded) have been shot on a game shooting estate in Southern England

  • ADP1963
    ADP1963 Forum Participant Posts: 1,280
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2022 #3775

    That is sad reading Oneputt. Hope they get to the bottom of the incident and prosecute the culprits........not that it will bring those beautiful birds back to life.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2022 #3776

    Local TV news states two separate incidents both birds from IOW, one found in Dorset and the other in the south. Awaiting pathology reports.

  • RedKite
    RedKite Club Member Posts: 1,717 ✭✭
    500 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited February 2022 #3777

    Very sad to hear about the 2 White tailed Eagles.  Have had our local Buzzards displaying and a couple of days ago the male was actually doing loops in his flying display not seen that before amazing to watch.

    When out the other day we came back via some smaller roads and in one field were Herons Little Egrets and Great White Egrets and Cattle Egrets so surprised to see so many, did wonder if there were frogs non the move as no water in the area at all.

  • Fisherman
    Fisherman Forum Participant Posts: 2,367
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2022 #3778

    Are you all certain these Eagles were SHOT. The report suggests that the cause is BEING INVESTIGATED. Lets wait the results before once again maligning Gamekeepers and the like. Could it be that these TAME  birds were  unable to adapt to so called " rewilding". I reserve my judgment.

  • RedKite
    RedKite Club Member Posts: 1,717 ✭✭
    500 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited February 2022 #3779

    Just been watching a wood lark around our field and looked up to see 2 Black Kites flying over and going north from us so they are on the move from the south.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,607 ✭✭✭
    5,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited February 2022 #3780

    I do sincerely hope that the unfortunate Eagles have died of natural causes as the alternative is too horrific to imagine. Their deaths are unexplained at present but multi agencies were involved in searching for them.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,607 ✭✭✭
    5,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited February 2022 #3781

    Had a fantastic day of birdwatching by the River Dee on the Wirral today.

    Everything from large birds such as Great White Egrets and Marsh Harriers to the smallest, a Goldcrest. From Winter migrants like Pink Feet Geese to potential summer ones like Chiffchaffs, albeit with one of them seen being a Siberian Chiffchaff, presumably finding the Wirral warmer than Siberia.

    I know some Chiffchaffs over-winter in the UK but normally it's in the more clement South or South West. Never seen one in Cheshire before this early. Usually our first ones arrive second week in March.

    I think Carlsberg sponsored the day!😂