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

[johncorrigan]

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

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

Amazing series of photos. I have never heard of this bird before. Loved the one with the oystercatcher interlopers. Reminded me of playing 'Where's Wally' with the kids way back. Thanks for the post, Pulcinella!

[Joseph K]

Wish I had had my camera (my phone) with me when out on a walk - I spotted a heron chilling out in the river...

[Serial_Apologist]

Wish I had had my camera (my phone) with me when out on a walk - I spotted a heron chilling out in the river...

I spotted one of them the other day while cycling alongside the Ravensbourne in Lewisham - pure white it was; I assumed it to be a heron.

[cloughie]

I spotted one of them the other day while cycling alongside the Ravensbourne in Lewisham - pure white it was; I assumed it to be a heron.

Could it maybe have been an egret.

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

[Serial_Apologist]

Could it maybe have been an egret.

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

Yes I think that's probably right. It seemed smaller than herons I've usually seen.

[Vox Humana]

Yes I think that's probably right. It seemed smaller than herons I've usually seen.

That was almost certainly a Little Egret. They are quite common these days, although both Cattle Egrets (usually found around cattle, as the name implies) and Great White Egrets (the size of Grey Herons) are becoming a little less rare than they used to be.

A late afternoon visit to our local estuary revealed a nice little roost of Curlews, Redshanks, a few Dunlin, at least 7 Greenshanks, Mallards, 8 Wigeon, about a dozen Shelduck, a large flock of Canada Geese and three Mandarins.

[HighlandDougie]

Scotland in November isn't exactly cheerful - all a bit grey and dark by about 4.30pm - but the two bird feeders in the back garden easily seen from a large kitchen window are a constant source of wonder - how do coal tits manage to eat so much? And for a bird of its size, the resident nuthatch seems to bully pretty much everything else off the feeders, apart from greenfinches. They - nuthatches - are a relatively recent addition to the birdlife of the Southern Highlands but make a colourful splash. There is also a resident pair of tree-creepers and of goldcrests - which, along with watching a pair of golden eagles spiralling around in the sky above the house plus a red squirrel leaping about the birches in the garden, has been a good antidote to the general gloom.

[Pulcinella]

Scotland in November isn't exactly cheerful - all a bit grey and dark by about 4.30pm - but the two bird feeders in the back garden easily seen from a large kitchen window are a constant source of wonder - how do coal tits manage to eat so much? And for a bird of its size, the resident nuthatch seems to bully pretty much everything else off the feeders, apart from greenfinches. They - nuthatches - are a relatively recent addition to the birdlife of the Southern Highlands but make a colourful splash. There is also a resident pair of tree-creepers and of goldcrests - which, along with watching a pair of golden eagles spiralling around in the sky above the house plus a red squirrel leaping about the birches in the garden, has been a good antidote to the general gloom.

One of the answers in yesterday's Times crossword was cole tit, which threw me for a bit, as I didn't appreciate that it was an alternative spelling.

[Padraig]

Scotland in November isn't exactly cheerful - all a bit grey and dark by about 4.30pm - but the two bird feeders in the back garden easily seen from a large kitchen window are a constant source of wonder - how do coal tits manage to eat so much? And for a bird of its size, the resident nuthatch seems to bully pretty much everything else off the feeders, apart from greenfinches. They - nuthatches - are a relatively recent addition to the birdlife of the Southern Highlands but make a colourful splash. There is also a resident pair of tree-creepers and of goldcrests - which, along with watching a pair of golden eagles spiralling around in the sky above the house plus a red squirrel leaping about the birches in the garden, has been a good antidote to the general gloom.

Great description of the view from your window, HD, much more varied than mine. Yet, we all have a tale to tell be it ever so 'umble. I have been resident here for 12 years, but it was only on last Wednesday that I had a visitor 'first'. I have special treats for larger birds thrown on the grass. The usual characters are the magpies, jackdaws, some crows, blackbirds and wood pigeons. Robins too compete at times. On Wednesday there was consternation when a gull swooped in. There are plenty of gulls about, but this is the first time one came into the garden. Common as they are, this one - sparkling white with its elegant wing span - was a really exotic up-stager in our kitchen window drama.

(A pair of Golden Eagles!)

[cloughie]

One of the answers in yesterday's Times crossword was cole tit, which threw me for a bit, as I didn't appreciate that it was an alternative spelling.

Anything to do with Nat?

[oddoneout]

One of the answers in yesterday's Times crossword was cole tit, which threw me for a bit, as I didn't appreciate that it was an alternative spelling.

Cole means cabbage family to me, but I see that an old meaning is the colour coal-black, or swarthy. As ever, the things one learns from this forum.

[Pulcinella]

Anything to do with Nat?

Actually, it was Wednesday's crossword, not Thursday's; I've just checked to see how it was clued.
Time flies in lockdown.
Or, one day is much the same as the next!


The clue was:
French novelist briefly keeping island bird (7)

So, most of Colette with an i inserted.
It didn't help that it was thought of as a single word (7 letters) rather than two (4,3).

[HighlandDougie]

Oops! I could do a Trump and blame someone else as in predictive texting but, no, I typed the word for that black Carboniferous stuff rather than the surname of the great singer Nat. Great crossword clue which would clearly have fooled me, unable as I am to spell the island bird’s name. Anyway, they are wonderful little birds whose presence is a source of great cheer.

[cloughie]

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

The turnkeys are the luck ones who’d vote for Christmas!

[oddoneout]

The turnkeys are the luck ones who’d vote for Christmas!

Are turnkey turkeys the oven ready ones?