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

[Jonathan]

I've downloaded it too, when I get home this afternoon, I'll give it a go and see what it detects!

[Pulcinella]

I've downloaded it too, when I get home this afternoon, I'll give it a go and see what it detects!

You should play something for it: St Francis preaching to the birds?

[Serial_Apologist]

You should play something for it: St Francis preaching to the birds?

From Le catalogue des oiseaux, maybe?

[Bryn]

From Le catalogue des oiseaux, maybe?

Best of luck getting it to identify the Golden Eagle in the first piece there (Le chocard des Alpes).

[Pulcinella]

From Le catalogue des oiseaux, maybe?

But I think that Jonathan is a Liszt fan, so the First Legend might actually be something he can play!
(I've no idea how difficult it or the Messiaen is!)

[Serial_Apologist]

Best of luck getting it to identify the Golden Eagle in the first piece there (Le chocard des Alpes).

[HighlandDougie]

Best of luck getting it to identify the Golden Eagle in the first piece there (Le chocard des Alpes).

Le chocard des alpes is a chough, normally PYRRHOCORAX GRACULUS, which has a beautiful trilling song (just up OM's street). I assume the reason for the emoji is the aigle royale (magnificent as it is in the air) not floating anyone's boat, call-wise??

[Bryn]

Le chocard des alpes is a chough, normally PYRRHOCORAX GRACULUS, which has a beautiful trilling song (just up OM's street). I assume the reason for the emoji is the aigle royale (magnificent as it is in the air) not floating anyone's boat, call-wise??

Indeed.

[Jonathan]

But I think that Jonathan is a Liszt fan, so the First Legend might actually be something he can play!
(I've no idea how difficult it or the Messiaen is!)

Good point! Unfortunately, it's pouring rain here so I didn't test it this evening when I got home.

[oddoneout]

I glanced out of the kitchen window yesterday while making lunch and noticed a wood pigeon on the chain link boundary fence. At first I thought the wobbling was due to the inadequate perch surface but then realised it was busy pecking at something. I went out to investigate and found that it had just about stripped all the new growth from the top of a honeysuckle plant. The list of plants they will destroy continues to grow... I will cut back most of the tattered remains as a lot of the buds have been damaged as well so regrowth would be patchy, and in the meantime it just looks awful with all the short bare stems poking up from the top of the fence. A bit of feed to the roots to encourage the plant and fingers crossed it doesn't happen again. Perhaps there will be something else to attack by then, preferably not in my garden which is already much netted in the veg patch - but I can't do the flower garden as well!

[gradus]

Spoonbills on Orford Ness, plus other assorted waders, a Marsh Harrier and a maladroit Kestrel -3 attempts over the afternoon but no result.

[HighlandDougie]

Spoonbills on Orford Ness, plus other assorted waders, a Marsh Harrier and a maladroit Kestrel -3 attempts over the afternoon but no result.

Jealousy! Aldeburgh Festival and a Marsh Harrier. Not sure that a wood pigeon would normally be its food of choice but, had it been a sparrow hawk, I would have suggested that it be suggested to it that it visits Oddoneout's East Anglian garden. Female sparrow hawks are just about big enough to take down and devour a pigeon.

[vinteuil]

Mrs C and I have been thoroughly enjoying using the Cornell Merlin app on our phones. For those unfamiliar with it one of its tools is like a bird Shazam...you point the phone in the direction of the bird sound and up pops the bird...

... many thanks for alerting us to this : it is an amazing gadget. A quick walk around Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park this morning, and it found -

Blackbird, Blue Tit, Canada Goose, Cetti's Warbler, Coal Tit, Coot, Crow (Carrion), Dunnock, Egyptian Goose, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Greylag Goose, House Martin, House sparrow, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Moorhen, Parakeet, Rock Dove, Swan, Swift, Tree creeper, Wren...

(there were also two dancing grebes and a female pochard with offspring, but they were staying schtumm)

.

[oddoneout]

Jealousy! Aldeburgh Festival and a Marsh Harrier. Not sure that a wood pigeon would normally be its food of choice but, had it been a sparrow hawk, I would have suggested that it be suggested to it that it visits Oddoneout's East Anglian garden. Female sparrow hawks are just about big enough to take down and devour a pigeon.

Sparrow hawks have never been that much in evidence round here and other raptors are noticeable by their absence over the past 2 or 3 years. Kestrels used to a common sight but no longer. On the other hand numbers of buzzards and sightings of same have dramatically increased. I don't hear or see owls either. I think the fields immediately round about are not suitable for the small animals they all need - scrappy apologies for hedges and no planting for wildlife round the field margins. The 160 acres purchased to extend the common may make a difference after a few years as it will be planted and managed for wildlife.

[Maclintick]

Jealousy! Aldeburgh Festival and a Marsh Harrier. Not sure that a wood pigeon would normally be its food of choice but, had it been a sparrow hawk, I would have suggested that it be suggested to it that it visits Oddoneout's East Anglian garden. Female sparrow hawks are just about big enough to take down and devour a pigeon.

Alde estuary last week -- curlews, oystercatchers, shelducks, a sparrowhawk from the footpath along the reedbeds between Snape & St Botolph's. Marsh Harriers, avocets, redshanks & waders aplenty at Minsmere. Perfect weather, although the evening heat in the Maltings was oppressive. The ice-cream vendors did well in the intervals..