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

[ardcarp]

There were oystercatchers by the ton yesterday on the Exe Estuauary at low tide. They were very noisy! I think there is quite a lot of 'internal migration', i.e. they move from one region of the UK to another. So maybe we got some of yours, odders!

[Serial_Apologist]

Buzzards doing their periodic cruising of the thermals the past few days - mostly just a pair, so I'm wondering if the younger members of the group that is often around have finally moved on to pastures new. I'm not sure if the pair in the wood at work bred this year as we didn't either hear or see any youngsters, and normally they are very much in evidence on both counts.
The various gulls/terns/seabirds all seem to have moved away and the sky's chorus has changed as a result. Unusual for them all to go in such a short space of time; the oystercatchers often go away quite soon after the youngsters are flying well, but there are usually small numbers of other birds staying around, at least on a part-time basis.

Thye forthcoming nor-norwesterly airstream is going to be helpful to bird species migrating south. I often wonder if species can "smell" oncoming weather changes well ahead.

[oddoneout]

Over the past couple of weeks I have been hearing what I thought was a particularly loud and belligerent blackbird, although it was hard to see what it might be making such a noise about. Today I discovered that it wasn't a blackbird... I was standing at the bottom of the garden musing after my day's endeavours when a greater spotted woodpecker suddenly flew onto the neighbour's large old apple tree - and continued to make the loud blackbird noise while it did a quick inspection of the branches. It then shot across my patch and into the huge pear tree in the garden on the other side. I've rarely seen one and certainly never realised that was how they sounded - although I'm familiar with the laugh of the green woodpecker and the occasional flash of the astonishingly colourful plumage, as they are often around here.They favoured the allotment site as it had lots of big anthills and the tall tussocky grass to hide in where it adjoined a field and I would sometimes have one erupt in front of me when I went up to my plot.
I'm wondering now if the spotty one might come back as the apple has really thick branches and a knotty gnarled trunk all covered with lumpy bark. The pear tree would also be of interest I imagine as would the smaller apple tree just behind it and both those trees are more hidden as there are conifer hedges on each side and the end of the garden.

[gradus]

Two very loud Yaffles -Green Woodpeckers - not seen in my garden for several years but disturbing the peace this afternoon.

[agingjb]

Green Woodpeckers used to grab ants from our (sad) lawns. Great Spotted Woodpeckers used to be regulars at our bird feeders, until we had to give up on peanuts (squirrels). We have a squirrel proof sunflower heart feeder (ironically because the squirrel so smashed the top that it is now jammed so hard that I need pliers to get it off.

We had, with the usual tit suspects, Siskins and Goldfinches in the past. No Goldfinches for some time, and I fear that the Siskins may have moved on (obviously we worry about bird flu).

One bird reported more than usual fairly locally is the Wryneck. We can hope, and check the sound of its call.

[Jonathan]

We have had a buzzard in the garden for the last two days, slowly munching its way through a pigeon that it killed.

[ardcarp]

Mrs A and I had a pleasurable experience late yesterday afternoon. Usually, if at all, you just get the flash of a kingfisher going past. However, we were in a hide near a river bank at low tide. A tree had been washed down at some point and was stuck in the mud with many branches sticking up out of the water. A kingfisher had chosen it as its main perch, and we got a fabulous view of its irridescent plumage as it surveyed the river. Over a half-hour period it must have splashed into the river 20 or 30 times and returned to the perch. We felt privileged. Also there were curlews, dabchicks, oyster-catchers, redshanks and a little egret.

[ardcarp]

Not a bird - but bird-like. We spent 5 mins or so watching a hummingbird hawkmoth busy nectar-gathering in our garden this afternoon. It's always a joy to see one....but at the end of November?



or Mrs A's pic taken today

The plant is a salvia.

[johncorrigan]

Amazing...never heard of them before, ardcarp. Thanks for the pictures.

[smittims]

Just before I logged on this morning I saw a very white seagull circling before eventually swooping down on a sandwich someone had dropped on the road opposite. He was immediately 'jumped' by two crows who clearly resented his presence enough to chase him some way into the sky like a scene from 'The Blue Max' .

[ardcarp]

Amazing...never heard of them before, ardcarp. Thanks for the pictures.

No problem. Delighted to share them.(Are they an example of 'convergent evolution' ?)

These moths are rather amazing. Their proboscis curls away when not in use, but 'unfurls' into a straight tube when the insect is hovering to feed. It really can hover in a stationary position, and its wingbeats are so fast they look like a blur. (Hence the difference between the professional photo and our own.)

The ones we sometimes see seem to be particularly fond of honeysuckle, but that's not flowering now even with global warming!

[Serial_Apologist]

Their proboscis curls away when not in use, but 'unfurls' into a straight tube when the insect is hovering to feed.

So that's where the designer of those toys one used to be able to get! - not sure if one still can.

[oddoneout]

No problem. Delighted to share them.(Are they an example of 'convergent evolution' ?)

These moths are rather amazing. Their proboscis curls away when not in use, but 'unfurls' into a straight tube when the insect is hovering to feed. It really can hover in a stationary position, and its wingbeats are so fast they look like a blur. (Hence the difference between the professional photo and our own.)

The ones we sometimes see seem to be particularly fond of honeysuckle, but that's not flowering now even with global warming!

One day at work there were 6 all fairly close to each other on a buddleia bush, causing a lot of excitement among the visitors. They aren't actually that uncommon in these parts, but not necessarily seen every year; this was a bumper year for sightings though.

[Joseph K]

Saw some sort of eagle or other bird of prey today as well as a heron, which I also saw yesterday, though more close up.

[Joseph K]

I saw quite a large bird of prey again - it was grey/black. It flew away, then not much further along the path I saw it (the same one?) as though it was falling to the ground by a tree, but then it flew back up with what I believe to be a mouse in its beak. I spent a few more seconds observing it perched on a tree.