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

[greenilex]

Today our young dog dashed into the bushes and dislodged a nest full of blackbird fledglings. Cue total chaos. Baby birds shrieking, parents scolding and trying to distract the perpetrator, dog barking etc.

They were nearly fledged and I don't think any were injured, but I don't give much for their chances as we have plenty of avian and feline predators as well as the would-be bird dog.

[greenilex]

Thinking it over, I didn't see the actual nest so it might have been just one fledgling with operatic tendencies - already on the ground centre left...

[Padraig]

I now know that a sparrowhawk has been reconnoitring the back garden for some weeks: vague shapes at dusk have developed into positive identification. Yesterday she swooped in, turned about and displayed her markings as if for a photo, on her way out. I saw her again today as she flew straight through. No kills witnessed, but a neat bunch of small black feathers was discovered a week ago. There's a confident precision in her movements quite distinctive among the usual fluttering and darting of the residents. She and the two grey squirrels are interesting additions to the garden, while thrushes, starlings and collared doves have made recent regular appearances.

[Lento]

thrushes, starlings and collared doves have made recent regular appearances.

I envy you your thrushes: never see them in suburban East Berks; saw first fledgling robin today, though. A male sparrowhawk was very much in evidence here for a week or two, but seems to have moved on (I hope he's OK, but many do starve, of course).

[ardcarp]

Wot no thrushes in the whole of E. Berks???

[Serial_Apologist]

Wot no thrushes in the whole of E. Berks???

It does surprise me that thrushes (song and missel) have suffered so badly in the decimation of bird numbers as compared with blackbirds, which are of the same family. Maybe it has somthing to do with the blackbird's slightly larger size giving it greater hardiness, though that would not apply to the similar-sized and built missel. Robins, another of the thrush family, have also fared well.

[Padraig]

Me too S_A. Thrushes have been absent from the garden for a couple of years. Last year I spotted a pair on a nearby lawn but none came to us. Just the other day a song thrush appeared in the back garden, while out front there were two of the same. I hope they are back for good. Elsewhere in my walking area thrushes are scarce, though there is no lack of blackbirds. Our robins are as plentiful as ever too and cheekier by the day.

[Lento]

Wot no thrushes in the whole of E. Berks???

Definitely not a single one: I've checked personally

[Richard Tarleton]

The BTO Atlas tells us that there has been little change in the distribution of song thrushes since previous atlases, but an overall 54% population decline in the period 1970-2010, although there was a small increase in the latter part of that period. The likely causes are given as changes in farm management, land drainage, pesticide use [e.g. molluscicides] and predation. A smaller decline for mistle thrushes but with some regional variations - in eastern England it's largely restricted to villages and towns, but garden counts indicate that abundance has declined there too.

[vinteuil]

... lordy, lordy - in principle I'm all in favour of birds and birdsong.

But....

In a tree that comes all too close to our bedroom window we now have a blackbird. Who has a Loud Call. And who has decided to chirrup non-stop from about 4.30AM to 5:30AM. Every morning. In the most irritating, repeating but not exactly repeating, with unequal pauses between each burst, style of birdsong.

O for my trusty service revolver...

[Serial_Apologist]

... lordy, lordy - in principle I'm all in favour of birds and birdsong.

But....

In a tree that comes all too close to our bedroom window we now have a blackbird. Who has a Loud Call. And who has decided to chirrup non-stop from about 4.30AM to 5:30AM. Every morning. In the most irritating, repeating but not exactly repeating, with unequal pauses between each burst, style of birdsong.

O for my trusty service revolver...

If it's that "tsink, tsink" type of repetition, I would guess there to be a predator in the vicinity, such as a cat. I have also observed blackbirds, sometimes more than one at a time, hopping in circles around a lawn in the middle of which a cat was sitting, mostly just nonchalantly licking its paws and rubbing them behind its ears. They don't like to have cats around, threatening or non-threatening!

[vinteuil]

If it's that "tsink, tsink" type of repetition, I would guess there to be a predator in the vicinity, such as a cat.

... no, it's not just the tsink, tsink fright call - it's an extended tsink ptweet chirrup twuit twuit cheep tweet chirrup tsink. Repeated endlessly. .

[P. G. Tipps]

... no, it's not just the tsink, tsink fright call - it's an extended tsink ptweet chirrup twuit twuit cheep tweet chirrup tsink. Repeated endlessly. .

Almost needless to say the glorious blackbird is my very favourite bird ... such a sleek-looking, divine-sounding creature with whom I mostly associate with awakening morning calls and warm, relaxing summer evenings.

However, I've noticed quite a few robins recently ... around here they seem to appear more at the approach of summer rather than in the depths of winter as legend has it.

[Nick Armstrong]

an extended tsink ptweet chirrup twuit twuit cheep tweet chirrup tsink. Repeated endlessly. .

Reminds one of BeefO, GongGong and ahinton discussing politics....

[Nick Armstrong]

I guess a number of regulars here will have seen this fabulous photo which appeared on the RSPB website yesterday:




© Richard Brooks