What have you seen
Comments
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HI Impy we also have got Hummingbird Hawk moths around our flowering shrub in the last few days and they do appear in the winter as they hibernate usually over the winter like Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Red Admiral and Brimstone butterflies but if warm enough they will come out.
Have seen a few Large Tortoiseshell butterflies flying about with the warm weather and have seen and heard a Blackcap male bird in some bushes around here.
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Had a lovely morning walking beside the Dee marshes. Plenty to keep us on our toes.
Singing Skylarks, Song Thrushes, Reed Buntings and Cettis Warblers plus a flock of Twite with a lone Brambling in amongst them. Haven't seen one of those for quite a few years. Scarce this far west.
Also saw a Merlin and a Great White Egret put up by a passing Marsh Harrier.
All in all it was balm for the soul and not too many people out first thing.
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Spotted a raven whilst out for a walk. Blue and indigo plumage shining in the sun but that eye?
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Watch 6 Buzzards circling above the forest close to the site we were staying on. It appeared that there were two pairs ducking and diving close to the trees, pairing up I suspect, while the other two birds were much higher up, perhaps older birds watching over their juveniles? The displays went on for well over 15 mins.
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Talking of evocative bird calls pyewipe feeding on the field behind our house on winter nights is a memory from my youth. Their strange call sounded like aliens had arrived. When the ‘deceit’ really got going it sounded like an invasion, sadly their numbers are much reduced these days. Beautiful birds but why is that collective noun a deceit?
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I think, but may be wrong, that they pretend to be injured to lure predators, like foxes, away from their young. I seem to recall an RSPB guide telling me that many years ago.
They're a beautiful bird, one of my favourites. My OH and her mother know them as Peewits.
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Out and about this morning and couldn't fail to notice the 200+ Gulls in a farmers field. Lovely to see that a large majority of them were Common Gulls, not that common ironically. They were doing their Worm Paddle Dance. You hardly ever hear them either. We were taken aback some years ago when abroad when we came across a breeding flock making strange sounds. We'd never heard their song. Nothing like the other raucous gulls at all.
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Went to Warham Camp this morning and great variety of wild life about in this glorious 16C of sunshine. Lots of Brimstone butterflies, Heron, Buzzards,Kites, etc etc but the star of the show was a Pallid Harrier which has been roosting close by for some time
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That was my understanding of the collective noun, too. I also know them as peewits.
The cricket field opposite my parents house, I grew up there - they lived there for 66 years, (they both had their wish of going out feet first) had them visit in large numbers often when I was a child. Might they have been annual visits? Sadly, I can't recall them visiting in numbers for more years than I care to remember and certainly not in quantity.
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Doing some gardening this afternoon and it was delightful to hear so much birdsong and such variety too.
On a walk from home into the local countryside I heard our first Chiffchaffs of the year on the edge of the village. We were lucky to have 3 competing ones for a while in the local woods last year.
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My old buzzard mate back to full feather.Over last few weeks looked a bit bedraggled with broken or moulting tail feathers. Now soaring at his best.Mostly on his own as I guess his mate is on the nest in the large oakwood adjacent. Will have a look on a dry day both for the buzzard and kite nest.
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Same here WN a lot of Blackkbirds and others all singing around here.
Saw three pairs of Blackcaps in a small shrub outside a small village shop about 5 miles from here the other day and had 7 Black Kites flying over whilst hanging the washing out this morning, not heard any Chiffchaffs yet but will not be long.
Whilst opening the shutter in the lounge this morning there was a female Tree Frog right under the opening so had to be careful and then moved her onto a long trough under the window she was very dark green but with red/yellow feet must have been her singing away yesterday very loudly.
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Not heard a Chiffchaff yet this year but there were lots of Skylarks about this afternoon by the coast. We did spot this young seal pup when walking on the shore. I didn't want to get too close so not the best of shots.
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Thanks, RK. I too heard a Chiffchat today as I took Flyte for a short walk close to the River North Tyne, West of Hexham
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With regard to storks, Oneputt, there are plenty of reports this March across southern and middle England of both ringed and unringed storks cropping up. Reports of these birds in the UK have happened every year of my life however, there are far more these days. Whether this is a result of climate change, natural expansion or the reintroduction programmes I’m not sure. One suggestion is that more continental birds are following those bred here during their wandering across the channel and back. Lovely to see and read about though whatever the reason.
Oh, and that marsh harrier, such a wonderful sight to see them in hunting mode.0 -
i would like to see the storks but not in the area we will be in this Spring break in UK.
Whilst coming back from shopping on Tuesday we had a Red Kite swoop down to get some remains on the road and I was driving slowed down and nobody behind or coming the other way about 10 feet in front of us wow made my day and they are so agile.
Have got the frogs making a lot of noise near us and doing so more in daytime.
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The trees haven't yet started to leaf so it's a good time of year for seeing songbirds, if they'd stay still for a while that is.
Having breakfast and looking out into the woodland I saw some slight but regular movement going up a tree and a Treecreeper came into view. Industrious little birds.
One of the young lady Physios currently calling on MiL asked me to listen to her phone. Apparently she had got up at dawnbreak to let her dog out for a call of nature and heard her very first Dawn Chorus. MiL told her about my knowing a few of the songs and so I helped her out. Quite an impressive collection including a distant Tawny Owl.
How lovely it must be to hear and be enthralled by your first Dawn Chorus. One of the joys of Spring.
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Saw my first brimstone on our walk this morning. Been seeing red admirals regularly for a while. 😀 Then saw a 2nd brimstone further on.
Beautiful, if breezy morning. And it's DRY 🤔 for a few hours! Our breeze is pretty strong in the east I wonder about the west!
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have seen my first Swallows a couple of days ago no Swifts yet but the Crag Martins have arrived on the rocks near or friends house.
I have seen my first Green Hairstreak butterfly also many Brimstones also over here a Cleopatra like the brimstone only with a orange patch on the male wings, 2 Swallowtails 1 Wall Brown and some of the Whites have appeared.
Also heard a Garden Warbler at our friends house and now have heard 2 Cuckoos so things are on the move.
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Driving along today I was struck by the sudden explosion of colour after putting up with a drab, dreary, grey winter.
Leaves blossoming on trees and bushes and I was even pleased to see so many bright dandelions on grass verges. Amazing that something so simple as colour can enhance the day.
Edit - Meant to say Bakers that there was a report in the press saying last year was a bumper year for Red Admirals. Keep up the good work.
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