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

[Vox Humana]

Considering that the main autumn migration period will be all but done within a couple of weeks, I seem to have managed to miss most of it. I did manage to get down to the far tip of Cornwall for a day at the end of September and even then saw very little, though that little did include a wonderfully obliging Baird's Sandpiper from the other side of the Atlantic. I love how tame small arctic-breeding waders can be—unlike our larger Redshanks and Curlews.

A couple of days ago Mrs Humana and I managed to get thoroughly lost in the South Hams of Devon ("No, I don't need a map; I can remember the way"). On a country road somewhere above East Portlemouth we suddenly encountered a massive feeding frenzy of Swallows. I couldn't count them, but there were easily three or four hundred of them swirling over the fields.

I was reminded of this today when one of Mrs Humana's friends sent her a video of a cloud of House Martins swirling around her house in South Brent, Devon. In fact, on consulting the Devon birding blog, there seems to have been quite a movement of Swallows and martins in that area today: according to a birder who lives in South Brent, that flock was at least a mile wide and numbered "simply thousands" of House Martins. Several flocks, each of several hundred birds (mainly House Martins) came in off the sea at Dawlish, while 300+ moved NE over Kingsteignton and over 100 Swallows were seen near Paignton. I guess these birds won't be here for too much longer.

[Dave2002]

I'm guessing the swallows have gone now. Around two weeks ago I watched many of these circling round the local town hall/museum tower, and some settled on the telephone wires. I didn't see them go, but I think they must have done sometime in the last fortnight. Are these flights of birds tracked as they make their way south? I don't know how many miles they fly in a day, or what height they fly at on their route out of the country. Do they prefer flying over land or sea, or doesn't it matter to them?

[Vox Humana]

I'm guessing the swallows have gone now. Around two weeks ago I watched many of these circling round the local town hall/museum tower, and some settled on the telephone wires. I didn't see them go, but I think they must have done sometime in the last fortnight. Are these flights of birds tracked as they make their way south? I don't know how many miles they fly in a day, or what height they fly at on their route out of the country. Do they prefer flying over land or sea, or doesn't it matter to them?

Swallows are usually the last of the hirundines to disappear. We regularly see hangers-on into November and the odd bird will try to overwinter here, usually in far west Cornwall, but last December there were single birds dotted around the country—Cornwall, Northumberland, Essex, Suffolk, Sussex, Anglesey—and some of these evidently survived. Some larger birds, such as Cuckoos, Ospreys, Honey Buzzards are radio-tagged so that their migrations can be tracked day-to day. (And, incidentally, it's utterly sickening to read just how many Golden Eagles and Hen Harriers suddenly stop transmitting over grouse moors. It's such a regular occurrence that it's not even suspicious).

I don't know whether transmitters are fitted to swallows and martins, though they certainly could be. We tend to get our data on small birds from recoveries of birds that have been ringed. Swallows will fly 200 miles in a day at speeds of 17–22 mph. The journey to South Africa takes them about six weeks. I'm sure I have read of a Chiffchaff flying from Britain to the north coast of Africa in one go, but that's nothing compared to the Alaskan Bar-tailed Godwit, that can cover the 11,000 kilometres to New Zealand in a single, eight-day long flight.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...2Dday%20flight.

[Vox Humana]

Several years ago almost all of our local Greenfinches were wiped out by trichomoniasis, so we have been very pleased to see a small recovery during the last couple of years. We now have a regular group of 5-8 visiting. This very nearly decreased by one yesterday when this young Sparrowhawk breezed in. When a hawk attacks it is so focused on its prey and expends so much energy that they are often left temporarily exhausted and it takes a minute or so for them to recover. That is why this chap was so obliging. Luckily I had the camera to hand and the double glazing didn't spoil the pic too much.

[Rjw]

Cycled past a pheasant shoot today.

Made me feel disappointed with the state of the human race!

[Vox Humana]

Cycled past a pheasant shoot today.

Made me feel disappointed with the state of the human race!

[Serial_Apologist]

Thoroughly unpheasant pluckers.

[Bryn]

Cycled past a pheasant shoot today.

Made me feel disappointed with the state of the human race!

Hmm. A better life and death than that of the overwhelming number of chickens and turnkeys.

[Serial_Apologist]

Hmm. A better life and death than that of the overwhelming number of chickens and turnkeys.

That would depend on their aim in life.

[Vox Humana]

Hmm. A better life and death than that of the overwhelming number of chickens and turnkeys.

That's not saying much though. This is by no means an isolated example.

More here.

[gradus]

A very poor harvest means that many farmers are finding it tough to avoid bankruptcy this year. Though some deplore raising game birds for the shoot, it puts a little money into keeping the farm going until the hoped-for recovery next year.

[Serial_Apologist]

A very poor harvest means that many farmers are finding it tough to avoid bankruptcy this year. Though some deplore raising game birds for the shoot, it puts a little money into keeping the farm going until the hoped-for recovery next year.

Then they should be compensated, with grants to encourage environmentally sustainable works. restoring the moorlands to former ecological balance, or penalised for not so doing. Otherwise the farmers will just carry on raising partridges for this cruel sport, recovery or no recovery.

[Pulcinella]

A suitable venue to stage Tippett's The knot garden?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-54592215

[oddoneout]

A suitable venue to stage Tippett's The knot garden?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-54592215

That shot of the birds from underneath(3rd one down) is just mind-boggling - at a quick glance it looks like a landed fish catch. The first picture, of the birds on the ground, looks like tweed fabric.

[cloughie]

Just now - A female blackbird and a wren foraging in the rain!