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

[jayne lee wilson]

I saw quite a large bird of prey again - it was grey/black. It flew away, then not much further along the path I saw it (the same one?) as though it was falling to the ground by a tree, but then it flew back up with what I believe to be a mouse in its beak. I spent a few more seconds observing it perched on a tree.

Most likely a Peregrine, Goshawk or the smaller Sparrowhawk, given this behaviour... the Peregrine has a mid grey back, but with paler, barred white undersides. Goshawk similar, but larger.
The male Sparrowhawk again similarly coloured but darker and considerably smaller, often with lovely buff colours around the face. Neither would even approach Eagle-sized, but Eagles are mainly confined to Scotland apart from a very few Sea Eagle reintroductions on Southern Coasts/Isle of Wight. And very large! We're talking barn doors here, soaring above you......if you saw one up close the sheer size would take you aback...! You'd be lost in wonder....

Given its size impressed you, Goshawk or Peregrine seems most likely (apart from a falconer's exotic escapee....if it really was all-dark, this would be more likely...)... check out some images....

[Joseph K]

Most likely a Peregrine, Goshawk or the smaller Sparrowhawk, given this behaviour... the Peregrine has a mid grey back, but with paler, barred white undersides. Goshawk similar, but larger.
The male Sparrowhawk again similarly coloured but darker and considerably smaller, often with lovely buff colours around the face. Neither would even approach Eagle-sized, but Eagles are mainly confined to Scotland apart from a very few Sea Eagle reintroductions on Southern Coasts/Isle of Wight. And very large! We're talking barn doors here, soaring above you......if you saw one up close the sheer size would take you aback...! You'd be lost in wonder....

Given its size impressed you, Goshawk or Peregrine seems most likely (apart from a falconer's exotic escapee...)... check out some images....

Thank you, Jayne. Its size did impress me - however I don't have much if anything to compare it with! Having just googled your suggestions, I would say probably a Goshawk.

[Serial_Apologist]

Once again I am astonished how familiar carrion crows are becoming around this district - and by "familiar" I don't mean in frequency of numbers - they're everywhere in any case - but by how close they are prepared to let humans approach and pass by. Today two of them were pecking around in some muddy half-frozen patches of leaves and uprooted weeds by the kerbside unconcerned, just a metre from me. The other day another was crouched among people crowded at one of the busy bus stops up on the Parade. "What's wrong little fellow" I said, stooping over the forlorn bird as it returned a sad gaze - possibly injured by traffic, I thought, although there was no sign of blood; could maybe have been suffering with avian flu. This afternoon another of the species swept past me with something in its beak, and landing on an inverted L-shaped street light, proceeded to use the level top as a dinner table.

[ardcarp]

Has anyone been listening to The Flight of the Ospreys on Radio 4?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001ddnd

Fascinating, but rather annoyingly spread over one 15 min episode per week!

(An osprey was seen, presumably on migration south, a few weeks ago on the Axe estuary.)

[Old Grumpy]

Walking by the Ouse at Beningborough, saw some unusual ducks. Disappointed to find on Googling that they were only Common Merganser.

[kernelbogey]

A blackbird or thrush - it was darkling by that time - was pottering around in the garden looking for grubs or whatever, and a very fat-lookig woodpigeon flew down beside her and followed her - I assume looking for whatever she was picking up. Haven't noticed that before.

[ardcarp]

Walking by the Ouse at Beningborough, saw some unusual ducks. Disappointed to find on Googling that they were only Common Merganser.

Bit like the Common Gull. It is in fact rather uncommon! By far the most widespread gull is the herring gull (the one that steals chips out of your hand!) closely followed by the black-headed gull and the rather fierce black-backed gull.

[Old Grumpy]

Bit like the Common Gull. It is in fact rather uncommon! By far the most widespread gull is the herring gull (the one that steals chips out of your hand!) closely followed by the black-headed gull and the rather fierce black-backed gull.

Thanks for that - I did think they had a degree of distinction. Hard to get a fix on though, they would dive and then reappear somewhere else quite far away.

[Old Grumpy]

A blackbird or thrush - it was darkling by that time - was pottering around in the garden looking for grubs or whatever, and a very fat-lookig woodpigeon flew down beside her and followed her - I assume looking for whatever she was picking up. Haven't noticed that before.

All the wood pigeons around here are fat looking - though they seem to spend most of their time "courting", rather than feeding!

[kernelbogey]

All the wood pigeons around here are fat looking - though they seem to spend most of their time "courting", rather than feeding!

Having just calculated my BMI, I could say that this wood pigeon was obese looking.

[jayne lee wilson]

Like most birds, Wood Pigeons have a layer of down beneath the plumage we can see. They fluff up their outer layer frequently in Winter, to help them stay warm. So this will of course present a plumper appearance. It is possible they will eat more to build fat reserves as the Weather cools, but only if they have a plentiful source. Even so, like most wild creatures they regulate their food intake and are unlikely to overeat.
They often call at night here from their roost in the trees; a lovely soothing sound when I'm in bed.

My own Wegie Cat looks bigger in Winter, but again that's due to her lovely luxurious winter coat... another comfort blanket for me...

[Mal]

Black swans on my local lake! Missed them...

https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/people/have-you-spotted-the-rare-black-swans-at-milton-keynes-lake-3721024

[Sir Velo]

A blackbird or thrush it was darkling by that time

Of course both are turdus (sic).

[jayne lee wilson]

There's a mistake in the bird ID detail of this piece today.... can you spot it?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/22/country-diary-the-redwing-is-bird-brained-but-far-from-stupid

[ardcarp]

A local nature reserve (only a few hundred yards from where we live) has had its car-park packed full since before Christmas. We went down there this afternoon, and apparently there has been nationwide interest in an Isabelline wheatear that appered...and has stayed. Birders and twitchers from all over the place have come to pay homage and take photos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx9C6jyY0JY

Presumably it was blown off-course during migration.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabelline_wheatear