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

[Serial_Apologist]

According to tonight's University Challenge, the Redstart is the smallest of the Thrush family. I thought it should be the Robin, but according to my Oberserver's Book of Birds the Whinchat and Stonechat are smaller by 3/4 of an inch at 5" in length. Should someone complain? Or have the Whinchat and the Stonechat now become extinct?

[Bryn]

According to tonight's University Challenge, the Redstart is the smallest of the Thrush family. I thought it should be the Robin, but according to my Oberserver's Book of Birds the Whinchat and Stonechat are smaller by 3/4 of an inch at 5" in length. Should someone complain? Or have the Whinchat and the Stonechat now become extinct?

The European Robin is not a member of the Turdus group, though the American Robin is.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrush_(bird)

Neither the Whinchat nor the Stonechat is classified as a thrush any longer.

[Serial_Apologist]

The European Robin is not a member of the Turdus group, though the American Robin is.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrush_(bird)

Neither the Whinchat nor the Stonechat is classified as a thrush any longer.

[johncorrigan]

The battering from Babet is gone from Angus, but won't be forgotten for a long while. After a few days of grey it was wonderful to wake to the sun this morning. Mrs C and I decided to take a stroll round the fields and were rewarded with flocks of redwings and fieldfares; and then out of the blue a couple of skylarks started up - I hadn't heard them for a couple of months, but they fair helped to continue lifting the spirits after the storm.

[Maclintick]

A black redstart appeared on a garden fence this morning -- gone by the time I'd retrieved my binoculars. Very gratifying, as they're on the RSPB red list.

[kernelbogey]

I noticed a blackbird singing shortly after 0600 this morning: it seemed a bit earlier than I had noticed recently, although I can't say I've really observed times. But it set me wondering if climate change is having an effect - or is it just light levels?

[Roger Webb]

Nothing very exotic in the Wye Valley this morning (the two pheasants, although 'exotic' if you live in, say, Ealing are a commonplace - escapees from yesterday's shoot up the lane).
Blue tits, great tits, long tailed tits (known as 'flying spoons' locally), coal tits, all attracted by the generous amount of peanuts and fat balls we keep our feeders stuffed with.
My neighbour buys her bird food in Waitrose and has more luck attracting the exotic (ie. fussy) species. We buy cheap and in large quantities....nothing with a picture of Bill Oddie on it!

[Sir Velo]

I confess to having concerns that feeders actively discourage the foraging skills birds should have . We have a surfeit of cotoneaster, viburnum and other berries at which the birds turn their noses (beaks?) up, preferring the choice morsels, literally laid on a plate for them.

[oddoneout]

I noticed a blackbird singing shortly after 0600 this morning: it seemed a bit earlier than I had noticed recently, although I can't say I've really observed times. But it set me wondering if climate change is having an effect - or is it just light levels?

Blackbirds round here have been singing at about that time for a while, but as sunrise is now almost 7am that's not entirely unexpected. More of a concern is birds still singing at 9-30pm as I heard yesterday after choir, which I think is to do with street lights not climate change. I read recently that the new low energy bright white lights that are replacing orange sodium street lamps are possibly not good for wildlife, but I need to go back and look into the details. I do know that they are more intrusive in terms of getting through window coverings and being very visible across the fields behind me. They also make for very hard dark shadows, and sharp cut-offs between lit and inlit, which I don't find very helpful when navigating tatty/dirty pavements at night.

[Roger Webb]

I confess to having concerns that feeders actively discourage the foraging skills birds should have . .

Would you extend your concerns to humankind and food banks? Do these discourage the 'foraging skills' humans should have?

[Sir Velo]

Would you extend your concerns to humankind and food banks? Do these discourage the 'foraging skills' humans should have?

No, with respect, as the situation isn't analagous. For starters, birds are wild creature and nature has provided plentifully for them without the need for human interference. Human interaction often has unfortunate, unforeseen side effects such as the transmission of disease, or through encouraging other pests (eg grey squirrels).

[vinteuil]

.

... we regularly get rose-ringed parakeets (Psittacula krameri) in these parts of west London : some people enjoy them, others can't abide them. I quite like 'em.

This morning my trusty merlin gadget advised me that in the back garden we had a monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) : binoculars confirmed this.

I had not realized that monk parakeets are also feral in the United Kingdom

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

[Roger Webb]

No, with respect, as the situation isn't analagous. For starters, birds are wild creature and nature has provided plentifully for them without the need for human interference. Human interaction often has unfortunate, unforeseen side effects such as the transmission of disease, or through encouraging other pests (eg grey squirrels).

Surely the reason there is so much concern over falling numbers of species including birds is BECAUSE of 'human interference' leading to nature NOT being able to provide for them!

The comment about food banks was entirely frivolous; I donate to both birds and human 'food banks' with alacrity!

[Serial_Apologist]

Would it be possible to start a new more general thread on natural seasonal change - one which recognises more species of plants and animals than birds? The UK weatherworld site has a thread titled "Nature's course" or some such, and nobody on there complains about it not being devoted to weather. I ask this because I have often been moved to post messages to do with ecological and environmental matters, mainly on the Stormy Weather thread, where, as elsewhere on the forum, they tend to get lost among other subjects discussed.

[french frank]

Would it be possible to start a new more general thread on natural seasonal change - one which recognises more species of plants and animals than birds? The UK weatherworld site has a thread titled "Nature's course" or some such, and nobody on there complains about it not being devoted to weather. I ask this because I have often been moved to post messages to do with ecological and environmental matters, mainly on the Stormy Weather thread, where, as elsewhere on the forum, they tend to get lost among other subjects discussed.

If you started something more general we could perhaps merge the birds and wildflower threads?