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

[jayne lee wilson]

I thought, from his post, that Maclintick must live in Berkeley square!

Not much to report here but I see a report on the dearth of sparrows in some places is linked to loft insulation, thereby denying them nesting places under the eaves (they are still the most numerous birds around here though) and a decline in greenfinches is thought to be connected with bird feeders not being properly cleaned. Think it was by British Ornithology Assoc (cannot find link now)

A date for your diary. The annual RSPB birdwatch is this coming weekend: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/

"I shot an arrow in the air...."

Yes, get those feeders primed for SatSun...

Given the numbers of greenfinches, and the rate at which they devour our sunflower seeds, perhaps I should leave those bird feeders to...
OK, strike that! I shall carry on trying to feed the bird world...

I order all the seed from the RSPB now, given the cost & demand. Parcelforce arrive every few weeks with a parcel too heavy for me to lift. I transfer it to the outhouse, bag by bag, moaning about my back....

Great winter for finch and tit numbers, but still only the occasional Brambling or Blackcap to brighten my eyes... a cuter-than-cute Grey Squirrel has become
very tame, collecting nuts from the kitchen yard wall. Hilarious scenes as Mizzy the Wegie chases it in tight circles, then the Squirrel chases her back! Great games for Mizzy, but the Squirrel is probably saying, "look, I'm on Food Business here, just go away!"
I've seen them end up face-to-face, about a foot apart, until Mizzy bounces a few steps away and looks back teasingly... "chase me again..!"...

But sometimes she gives that Squirrel the look of death ... "I could if I wanted, you know..."

[ardcarp]

on the Exe Estuary.

There is a company which runs bird-watching boat trips on the Exe during the winter months. There is an 'expert' on board who points out all the things one might miss. The trip starts at low water and the boat goes upriver with the tide so that all the wading birds (and the Exe is a major wintering site) can be identified....the icing on the cake being avocets as one nears Topsham. This really is to be recommended...no I haven't got shares in the company...but wrap up warm.

http://www.stuartlinecruises.co.uk/timetable

[Anna]

Re sparrows and roof insulation and greenfinches and dirty feeders I mentioned, I've found that the article I read in the newspaper was sourced from the British Trust for Ornithology and their bird trend report which is here: http://www.bto.org/about-birds/birdtrends/2014 It's a bit clunky as you have to click on links on that page to get to various species but some may find it interesting reading.

[Vox Humana]

There is a company which runs bird-watching boat trips on the Exe during the winter months. There is an 'expert' on board who points out all the things one might miss. The trip starts at low water and the boat goes upriver with the tide so that all the wading birds (and the Exe is a major wintering site) can be identified....the icing on the cake being avocets as one nears Topsham. This really is to be recommended...no I haven't got shares in the company...but wrap up warm.

http://www.stuartlinecruises.co.uk/timetable

Yes, I've been on that and can recommend it too.

[gradus]

Jays, sparrows,starlings, blue tits, great tits, chaffinches, collared doves,
a green finch and a greater spotted woodpecker in the last two days

[Maclintick]

I thought, from his post, that Maclintick must live in Berkeley square!
A date for your diary. The annual RSPB birdwatch is this coming weekend: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/

Oops ! Berkeley Sq. a mite out of my price-range unless I change my name to Maclinovich & develop oligarchical tendencies. Thanks for pointing out ornitho-clanger re nightingales & link to RSPB birdwatch ( & Oddie, Richard ) . Warbling impostor has now disappeared, so I'm unable to ascertain whether robin or blackbird, but I would guess the latter if it's known that they're commonly fooled into night-time singing by street-lighting....Will be extra-vigilant over next weekend...

[ardcarp]

Jays, sparrows,starlings, blue tits, great tits, chaffinches, collared doves,
a green finch and a greater spotted woodpecker in the last two days

Sparrows seem to have undergone nomenclature change over the years. In days of yore, 'sparrow' just meant any small bird of a brown nondescript appearance. When I was a kid we talked of house sparrows (male with black bib) and hedge-sparrows. The latter are now almost universally referred to as dunnocks. Similar to the house sparrow is the tree sparrow, though I don't remember having my attention drawn to the difference in my bird-spotty youth. House sparrows used to be very numerous in suburban gardens. I gather they are less so now.

[Don Petter]

Sparrows seem to have undergone nomenclature change over the years. In days of yore, 'sparrow' just meant any small bird of a brown nondescript appearance. When I was a kid we talked of house sparrows (male with black bib) and hedge-sparrows. The latter are now almost universally referred to as dunnocks. Similar to the house sparrow is the tree sparrow, though I don't remember having my attention drawn to the difference in my bird-spotty youth. House sparrows used to be very numerous in suburban gardens. I gather they are less so now.

A short film showing the differences between the House Sparrow and the Tree Sparrow:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-f9pupweYc

[ardcarp]

Nice one, Don. It reminded me of the late Prof Arthur Hutchings. Not known for his shy retiring nature (!) he nevertheless had garden birds feeding from his hand in his latter years. It was really quite touching.

[Don Petter]

Nice one, Don. It reminded me of the late Prof Arthur Hutchings. Not known for his shy retiring nature (!) he nevertheless had garden birds feeding from his hand in his latter years. It was really quite touching.

We miss the happy chirping of the sparrows (whichever genre). Our eaves haven't been touched for years, so they can't blame us with that one.

[clive heath]

We were also on the Devon/Dorset border south-coast version last weekend and we saw pipit-type birds that were puzzling and looked too small for Rock Pipits but have since heard from our resident bird feeder ( they get Nuthatches !!) and watcher that the consensus is that they were indeed Rock Pipits and that Purple Sandpipers had been around also, possibly the ones seen by ardcarp.

[ardcarp]

You should have dropped in for a cup of tea!

You get loads of rock pipits on the Isles of Scilly. You also still hear cuckoos there...it seems as if each island has its own...and I have seen them on the ground. I guess rock pipits are probably their main 'host' if that's the right word.

http://www.pixelbirds.co.uk/Scillycuckoo.htm

[teamsaint]

About 3 months ago, I was driving south on the A358 , betwen Taunton and the A303, and I was treated to a full and extended view of one of these events.

http://www.visitsomerset.co.uk/explore-somerset/countryside/starling-murmurations

It was quite extraordinarily beautiful, and sort of incomprehensible, in a way.


oh, and we seem to have loads of robins about this winter. Even I can spot them !,

[Serial_Apologist]

A single song thrush was singing in the neighbouring wood at 6 am today.

[clive heath]

Were the Somerset group meant to be moving? You tube has a few, the Gretna Green one is pretty good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1Q-EbX6dso