What birds (are you/have you been) watching? What birds have been watching you?

[ardcarp]

Thanks Dermot! That's fascinating. A bit of history that should be preserved...spmewhere.

[Constantbee]

Wondered whether anybody might like to try this bird identification app:

https://birdnet.cornell.edu/

It's called BirdNET, a free sound recording app that gives a probabilistic identification of a bird based on a short recording of its song. Hours of fun.

[LezLee]

Don't like the American accent and it's very complicated. There's a much better RSPB one!

[johncorrigan]

Outside the kitchen window, a couple of yellowhammers shining in the bright morning sunshine - great to see them back.

[Padraig]

Outside the kitchen window, a couple of yellowhammers shining in the bright morning sunshine - great to see them back.

I forget when I last noticed a yellowhammer, John. I remember them when I was a lad. My most recent regular visitor is a grey crow. They have long been vocal in a nearby lonesome pine but only this year has one come into the garden after scraps previously claimed by magpies and rooks. I think he has been watching me so I react when I hear his croak, hopefully to establish a rapport! I like his elegant gear - much more stylish than mine. In my last residence a young grey crow not yet fledged attached himself to me for a while and I fed him hoping he would stay around - but he didn't.

[Keraulophone]

Blackcaps have been enjoying the suet balls hanging from an ash tree during the last fortnight. I had never noticed them in the garden before.

[HighlandDougie]

Outside the kitchen window, a couple of yellowhammers shining in the bright morning sunshine - great to see them back.

I was quite surprised a couple of weeks ago when I saw one waiting patiently in the queue for a bird feeder slot - when not being hogged by the thuggish greenfinches or the surprisingly aggressive goldfinches. I've always thought of them as spring/summer birds. But a delight to see one.

[jayne lee wilson]

On the garden bench in the sun today, surrounded by 7 Pheasants, 1 male 6 female, all munching away at the seed. In among them for a week or two now...of all things, a Moorhen.

The nearest pond is about 300m as the hen flies, so I guess it came here during the floods when its vegetable food sources were submerged, and discovered a very reliable food source here - on a partially-flooded lawn (or now a rough meadow of raked moss thatch (pheasants again), mud and tussocks, with, I hope, wild flowers to return).
It has become quite friendly, even waiting for my throwing arm to deliver more nourishment! I sometimes hear it call out at night, probably from the higher shrubbery branches it prefers when not feeding.

[gurnemanz]

Not seen a curlew but did spot this sign during my bike ride the other day. I'll let them know in the unlikely event of one crossing my path.

[Serial_Apologist]

Not seen a curlew but did spot this sign during my bike ride the other day. I'll let them know in the unlikely event of one crossing my path.

The link has failed to reproduce on the forum page, for some reason.

[gurnemanz]

Thanks. I've had this problem before. It showed up on my system. I'll try again.

[Maclintick]

Very few birds airborne yesterday in the high winds, but an undaunted solitary oystercatcher foraging at the edge of the reservoir -- presumably blown 50 mi from the nearest coast. My walk was enlivened by a spectacular hailstorm -- yours truly cowering under a horizontal fusillade of icy pellets...

[johncorrigan]

Yesterday spotted the return of the peewits and a couple of oystercatchers. Then, walking along the side of the burn a flash of bright blue in the sunshine, flying low over the water - a kingfisher...I had never seen one before. Unfortunately Mrs C didn't spot it, but I am renaming the beaver path, kingfisher path. Haven't told her yet!

[ardcarp]

That's the trouble with kingfishers! How often does one person catch that flash of blue just in time for a companion to miss it! Mrs A and I did get our act together once, watching one perched for about half a minute... on a twig up a remote creek in Cornwall.

[Padraig]

. . .catch that flash of blue . . .

One of the magical moments on the river: kingfishers darting; herons flapping; owls gliding silently in the dark, a grey shadow giving them away. I haven't fished for sea trout at night in years and I don't suppose I'll ever see those sights again, except in memory. Thanks for the reminder.