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

[gradus]

I generally describe the Red Kite call as a mew. Seems to me to hit the nail on the head. Round here, I often hear them long before I see them.

Sounds a bit like buzzards.

[Joseph K]

As mentioned on the Jazz listening thread I spent last weekend in the Peak District, specifically near Darwin Forest and of course I was going to check out which birds the Merlin app could identify. So here they are: Common Chiffchaff, Eurasian Wren, Eurasian Treecreeper, Long-tailed Tit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Siskin, Willow Warbler, Song Thrush, Eurasian Nuthatch, European Robin, Goldcrest, Coal Tit and Carrion Crow.

[Globaltruth]

As mentioned on the Jazz listening thread I spent last weekend in the Peak District, specifically near Darwin Forest and of course I was going to check out which birds the Merlin app could identify. So here they are: Common Chiffchaff, Eurasian Wren, Eurasian Treecreeper, Long-tailed Tit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Siskin, Willow Warbler, Song Thrush, Eurasian Nuthatch, European Robin, Goldcrest, Coal Tit and Carrion Crow.

Hope you enjoyed your weekend. That's not too far from us in Cromford. I'm surprised there was no "big stuff" other than the Carrion Crow - Siskin is a good spot, not too many of those. I'd add Jackdaw, Song Thrush, Jay, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Hedge Sparrow, Magpie, Sparrow Hawk, Buzzard and (increasing in number) Red Kite. On the river Derwent we regularly spot Kingfisher and Dipper. Sounds pretty good now I list them, although I feel that the number of species are down on where they were back in 2012 when I first started noting them down - I should actually check...

But I do have a question - why do buzzards make their distinctive call when they are up in the sky on the hunt? Often there is just a single one.
Is it to keep other buzzards away? The sound carries - at least a mile given the right conditions. They're quiet the rest of the time.

[Joseph K]

Hope you enjoyed your weekend. That's not too far from us in Cromford. I'm surprised there was no "big stuff" other than the Carrion Crow - Siskin is a good spot, not too many of those. I'd add Jackdaw, Song Thrush, Jay, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Hedge Sparrow, Magpie, Sparrow Hawk, Buzzard and (increasing in number) Red Kite. On the river Derwent we regularly spot Kingfisher and Dipper. Sounds pretty good now I list them, although I feel that the number of species are down on where they were back in 2012 when I first started noting them down - I should actually check...

But I do have a question - why do buzzards make their distinctive call when they are up in the sky on the hunt? Often there is just a single one.
Is it to keep other buzzards away? The sound carries - at least a mile given the right conditions. They're quiet the rest of the time.

We did enjoy our weekend, thanks. Despite it raining constantly throughout the day we drove up (Friday) and there being a fair amount of rain on every other day, thanks to keeping a close eye on the forecast I was able to go on some judiciously-timed walks and avoid the various deluges.

There may have been bigger birds about but I only identified them by their song...

[johncorrigan]

Hope you enjoyed your weekend. That's not too far from us in Cromford. I'm surprised there was no "big stuff" other than the Carrion Crow - Siskin is a good spot, not too many of those. I'd add Jackdaw, Song Thrush, Jay, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Hedge Sparrow, Magpie, Sparrow Hawk, Buzzard and (increasing in number) Red Kite. On the river Derwent we regularly spot Kingfisher and Dipper. Sounds pretty good now I list them, although I feel that the number of species are down on where they were back in 2012 when I first started noting them down - I should actually check...

But I do have a question - why do buzzards make their distinctive call when they are up in the sky on the hunt? Often there is just a single one.
Is it to keep other buzzards away? The sound carries - at least a mile given the right conditions. They're quiet the rest of the time.

I don't keep notes, Global, but on my annual sojourn to Iona I have noticed significant reduction in bird life, particularly, though not exclusively, sea birds. This year I've watched very few gannets diving in the Sound and have spotted virtually no shags/cormorants apart from a few drying their wings on a rock when we were on a wee boat trip one afternoon last week. A number of years back, the decline was put down to Mink activity, but they have been culled, so can't blame them no more. However when I have been swimming or paddling around this last week or two I have seen no Sandeels at all. Conspicuous by their absence, I would suggest.

There have been some lovely encounters...a couple of noisy stonechats sitting on a fence springs to mind, and the ravens are often doing their acrobatics down towards the south end. And the corncrakes are always crexxing away at all hours

Tons of noisy oystercatchers on the beaches, and a few sandpipers; but sadly no ringed plovers, and a couple of other folk have commented on that. Saddest of all is the seeming disappearance of the curlews from the Island. Used to see and hear them regularly here, but not this year. Back home I have heard them only a couple of times this year. That plaintive cry is a very sad loss to the soundscape.

[oddoneout]

I don't keep notes, Global, but on my annual sojourn to Iona I have noticed significant reduction in bird life, particularly, though not exclusively, sea birds. This year I've watched very few gannets diving in the Sound and have spotted virtually no shags/cormorants apart from a few drying their wings on a rock when we were on a wee boat trip one afternoon last week. A number of years back, the decline was put down to Mink activity, but they have been culled, so can't blame them no more. However when I have been swimming or paddling around this last week or two I have seen no Sandeels at all. Conspicuous by their absence, I would suggest..

There have been distressing numbers of wild bird deaths due to avian flu in these parts so that might also be a factor?

[eighthobstruction]

Yes, I have just been N/W Anglesey [my first holiday for 9-10 years]....many birds on the beach....https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/nor...lesey-27275275

[johncorrigan]

There have been distressing numbers of wild bird deaths due to avian flu in these parts so that might also be a factor?

Yes indeed ooo, probably a major factor. I did speak to people who had been on Staffa and other Treshnish Islands and they said there were still plenty puffins around. I didn't see many dead birds on the beaches; however your comments about avian flu did remind me of Kathleen Jamie's excellent diary piece from the LRB last August, which I think I posted previously.

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n16/kathleen-jamie/diary

[Pulcinella]

After more than 7 years living here, I've seen our resident kingfisher for the first time, perching in the reeds and skimming over the lake: truly a wondrous sight.

[Joseph K]

A few days ago one of my aunts was telling me about a Jackdaw which visits her most days and apparently will tap on the back door and gesture to her for food. Well we had tea at her's tonight and about half way through dessert the Jackdaw turned up so I was able to observe it feeding from my aunt's palm and then my little half-brother's.

[smittims]

This morning I counted 94 starlings on a neighbour's roof.

[Joseph K]

A few days ago one of my aunts was telling me about a Jackdaw which visits her most days and apparently will tap on the back door and gesture to her for food. Well we had tea at her's tonight and about half way through dessert the Jackdaw turned up so I was able to observe it feeding from my aunt's palm and then my little half-brother's.

I have footage of the Jackdaw -

https://youtube.com/shorts/1newLN-pJvU?feature=share

[ardcarp]

During a sailing trip back to the UK from Brittany last Monday, we saw lots and lots of Manx shearwaters. This was well away from their British breeding sites (islands such as Skomer in the West) so we could only assume they were beginning their migration journey to South America. They are such a fine spectacle skimming close to the wave-tops giving an occasional flap with their long thin wings. Best of all they are black on top and white underneath, so as a small group twists and turns you see alternate black-white-black-white. Mrs A and I never remember seeing them in such numbers, so we were perhaps lucky with the time of year and the weather.

[Maclintick]

I have footage of the Jackdaw -

https://youtube.com/shorts/1newLN-pJvU?feature=share

That's a sweet video, JK, & a reminder that the corvid family are amongst the most intelligent of birds. If I may be allowed to reference Dave 2002's # 1 of this long-lived thread, during the Prom season it is my custom en route to the RAH to disembark from the bus at Queen's Gate and stroll the last few hundred yards through what has been described as "squirrel alley". On the last few occasions, however, the squirrels haven't been the major attraction, as I've been treated to the spectacle of the children of large families, either of Middle-Eastern or British South Asian heritage, hand-feeding the green parakeets, which hover & swoop with delicate precision onto the outstretched palms of the delighted infants.

[Joseph K]

That's a sweet video, JK, & a reminder that the corvid family are amongst the most intelligent of birds. If I may be allowed to reference Dave 2002's # 1 of this long-lived thread, during the Prom season it is my custom en route to the RAH to disembark from the bus at Queen's Gate and stroll the last few hundred yards through what has been described as "squirrel alley". On the last few occasions, however, the squirrels haven't been the major attraction, as I've been treated to the spectacle of the children of large families, either of Middle-Eastern or British South Asian heritage, hand-feeding the green parakeets, which hover & swoop with delicate precision onto the outstretched palms of the delighted infants.

[Padraig]

I hope these birds will venture north-west. I've never seen one.

Endangered lapwing returns to County Down bog - BBC News