What have you seen
Comments
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Very similar to what we saw today up Lathkilldale, with water meadows yellow from Celendines and Dandilions, real Bluebells and Wood Anenomes in the woods, and Marsh Marigolds on the river banks, and unexpectedly a cluster of purple and white Fritillary. There was also quite a lot of rather dull Peacock Butterflies plus numerous Orange Tips and a couple of Brimstones, plus one Small Blue. More Mandarin Ducks on the river, but still no Dippers, and spotted a Chiffchaff giving voice by the water.
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Thought this might be of interest.
I am fairly sure that I read somewhere that Blackbirds and Pigeons could not use garden feeders because of their size and feet/claw shape.
However the block of suet that has now become the favourite choice of nearly all the birds in our garden after years of ignoring them to the point the blocks just went mouldy and had to be binned.
We now have a male and female Pigeon that have learned to cling on to feed. They have been trying for several years (perhaps not the same birds) to master their technique but have recently succeeded.
The male blackbird has also managed to cling on and feed, but the female has failed to achieve success until today. Almost hummingbird like, hovering underneath and feeding from below.
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A day of mixed fortunes. Saw 4 x Dotterels but too distant to get any decent photos. The Temminck Stint had done a runner from Titchwell, The Hoopoe had flown the coop at Beaston Bump. Did get a lucky shot of a beardie at Titchwell, saw the bird fly into the reeds so just pointed camera in rough direction and click the button. Got a fine a pretty good shot, in focus to. Off to Cley tomorrow to see if we can get the Long Billed Dowitcher
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Evolution in progress BM😁 We have collared doves, magpies and even Jackdaws that have learnt to use our feeders, and they actually perch as well. Food ends up flying all over🙄 Wood pigeons are just too round, but they are canny. If the feeder swings round, they sit on another feeder and stretch to reach🤣 I will try and get some photos, funny watching Jackdaws, they are almost as long as one of feeders.
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We are looking forward to revisiting Alkborough, the Flatts never fail to deliver something unusual, last year it was an Otter and a Cuckoo.
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Yes the flats are a favourite off ours, great place to relax and mooch about.
Great shots BM. We used to have a BB feed off our feeders , used to jump onto the feeder, swing on it then drop to the ground and feed on the pillage. Most of our blackbirds are migrants so only a couple around at the moment.
The long billed Dowitcher has been at Cley for about 7 months and has shown consistently, today it decided it was shy ☺️
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All go in north Norfolk Oneputt.
Had a pair of Woodlarks on our field this morning not seen them for awhile, 2 Nightingales singing this morning.
Good photos BM have had the Greater Spotted Woodpecker managed to get seeds out of our small metal feeder took a few attempts.
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Thanks for the comments, I am envious of those in Norfolk, OP has whetted my appetite, but long delayed appointments are now catching up so must delay our usual spring trip up the east coast.
I did make a trip up to the Avon Gorge to check on the Peregrines but was disappointed to learn the new pair are struggling to establish a nest site. However, some displaced Jackdaws from the recently closed Bristol Zoo did give an amusing spell. While talking to a fellow birder, we looked around to see a Jackdaw a few feet away poking its head into a rucksack pinching crisps. The owner of the bag explained about the displacement and showed me how the Jackdaw would actually take a crisp from his hand, seemed very partial to cheese and onion, I expect any flavour would have done.
There are a group of 4 Glossy Ibis showing around Chew Valley reservoir ifnanyone is in the region.
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"The male blackbird has also managed to cling on and feed, but the female has failed to achieve success until today. Almost hummingbird like, hovering underneath and feeding from below. "
yes we have a similar situation in our garden, but today i saw our first blackbird chick, i think we have approx 8 chicks, we have 2 pairs nesting in this pine bush which is unusual because blackbirds are normally very territorial, the bush is very dense so almost impossible to see the nests but at approx 8-10 days the chicks wriggle from the nest and take up perching positions near the perimeter but well camouflaged. At approx 14 days they just launch themselves from about 5ft up and away they go. During this period the parents are very noisy protecting their young, both attacked me when i took this photo, and very busy feeding. Unfortunately this morning a marauding Magpie had one of the chicks that had fallen out for breakfast, it was his last meal
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Fantastic RedKite.
In my childhood I dreamed of seeing some birds. High on the list was a Golden Oriole another the Resplendent Quetzal. The latter seen on a fabulous trip to Costa Rica. The other a miss despite visiting a poplar stand the were known to frequent in East Anglia. Lucky you, their song apparently is quiet jungle like!0 -
Just for fun, how many other birds can you identify?https://youtu.be/yOQBQMEE0aM
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For the first time that I can remember we have both a Blackcap and a Garden Warbler singing away in the woods behind us. Great to compare the two of them.
Last year when in the Netherlands we came across mostly Garden Warblers with very few Blackcaps.
We've been quite lucky with Golden Orioles when abroad but not much chance of seeing one this year.
House Martins made an appearance in the village today. First time seen in the village but not our first of the year.
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Walking around Fewston reservoir in Yorkshire this morning I was amazed to spot a golden (Chinese?) pheasant at the water's edge - I though they were quite rare? Tried to take a picture but by the time I'd got Ralph to sit and got my phone out it had jumped into the trees.
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We had a visitor to breakfast yesterday. I think it’s a red legged partridge but I’m happy to be corrected.
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Thanks, WN. If I’m honest, a friend pointed me in the direction of red legged partridge and it’s good to know he was right.
PS. That’s on IoW, not Cornwall,
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I’m hearing of more than usual occurring at the moment, Mandarin Ducks and Black Swans too. Don’t know why more often mind. There are a few explanations out there but I just wonder if social media is increasing the ease of these being widely reported.
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Mandarin Ducks are definitely becoming more common in the countryside, we have seen them in three different places already on our present tip.
I heard my first Cuckoo this afternoon while walking Flyte near to the C&CC's Ebury Hill site.
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An extremely rare sighting today. Didn't even need my binoculars.
There were actual patients in the Doctors waiting room with appointments! Someone in front of me actually got a 9.45 appointment when they rang up this morning.
The experience was quite surreal.
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Black swans live in the park in Dawlish, Devon. They’ve been there for as long as I can remember.
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There used to be a lovely garden near Helston that was open to public, that had black swans as well. Trevarno, sadly closed a few years ago now.
There’s one of the villages on the North Coast of Norfolk road, between Wells and Sheringham that has some quite unusual water fowl as well usually, on the village pond. Certainly Mandarin Ducks, they have been there years, so must be breeding. Nice to see something a bit exotic.
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Whilst gardening today we had this beauty land on a trowel. It was obviously tired as it stayed long enough to be photographed, had to turn phone on first, and then lasted another 5 minutes before disappearing into the foliage.
One of the many variants in the Ichneumonid group, wasp like.
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Good Photos WN and have seen them here and I was looking at these insects in my book as was looking for something else very unusual insects.
Plenty of butterflies about today as very warm as well and more garden work done.
Golden Oriole singing again.
We have got blue tits in one of our bird boxes pleased about that as last year we did not have any.
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Sat looking out of the window when I noticed feathers flying, it was a sparrow Hawk eating supper on our wall less than 5/6 yards from where I sat. Only had my phone to get a quick photo
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