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

[Richard Tarleton]

I've walked it the other way - from Nice to Briançon. In numerous climbing and walking forays to various parts of the Alps, the Queyras (just south of Briançon) is the only place I've ever seen Edelweiss growing in the wild.

Nothing like living there, Dougie! We saw few raptors on our passage through Mercantour etc. but hiking trails with a pack on your back - with the imperatives of keeping up with your companions/getting to your next gîte d'étape - not conducive to good birding, I've found. Being able to spend leisured hours in the area better. Fortunately I've also been able to do that on many other trips to the Alps, Pyrenees, etc.

Are you familiar with the work of Alexis Nouailhat? Lovely illustrations - and cartoons - of Alpine fauna. Here are the animals presenting the lammergeiers with a bone to celebrate their centenary (of their reintroduction?) in the Alps (I love the stoat's little skis)

and this is a lovely little book on the lammergeier which I picked up in a bookshop in Lourdes () illustrated with photos and Nouailhat drawings.

[HighlandDougie]

Richard

Many thanks for the pointers to the work of Alexis Nouailhat. I loved the cartoon. i will now actively seek out further examples.

Lammergeiers are, with the possible exception of Condors in Chilean Patagonia, the most magnificent birds I've seen. Their smaller cousins, the griffin vultures, are almost plentiful here at times, especially if there are sheep grazing on high pastures. Very glad also that you've experienced the Mercantour, albeit at speedy walking pace!

HD

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Living near Bempton Cliffs, we see many sea birds. Our cat, unfortunately, does as well, but we have never been able to work out how he brought home a large oyster-catcher. It was nearly as big as the cat himself.

Lots of puffins at Bempton.

[hmvman]

Living near Bempton Cliffs, we see many sea birds. Our cat, unfortunately, does as well, but we have never been able to work out how he brought home a large oyster-catcher. It was nearly as big as the cat himself.

Lots of puffins at Bempton.

Is there still a lot of activity there, EA? We were thinking of paying a visit but wondered if it might be a bit late in the season.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Is there still a lot of activity there, EA? We were thinking of paying a visit but wondered if it might be a bit late in the season.

Many of tye puffins are out at sea rather than on the cliffs, but there's still a lot going until the ejd of June.

[hmvman]

Many of tye puffins are out at sea rather than on the cliffs, but there's still a lot going until the ejd of June.

Thanks, we're thinking about going on Friday if it's a reasonable day.

[Dave2002]

Unusual for our garden - a pied wagtail (I think) appeared briefly yesterday. Bands of white and black down its rear end. Didn't hang around though.

[amateur51]

Cockney sparrer with two fluffy, aggressive and greedy offspring trying to satisfy them with pieces from the fat balls. Great to see that the parents have survived the winter storms.

[Lento]

Sparrers seems to be doing a bit better now, dare I say?

[Anna]

Unusual for our garden - a pied wagtail (I think) appeared briefly yesterday. Bands of white and black down its rear end. Didn't hang around though.

That's interesting because I was wondering if a disaster had happened to the pied wagtails, they used to be very common (lovely little birds the way they bob along) and could be seen in great numbers, particularly around our small bus station and the adjoining supermarket car park (which then joins fields and the river) I cannot remember seeing any for at least a couple of years. Ditto starlings.

If anyone wants any sparrers we are overrun with them here, nesting all over the place!

[Suffolkcoastal]

Often to Strumpshaw later today (only 10 miles away) and probably Benacre Broad area tomorrow, which was one of my favourite haunts from my earlier birdwatching days and where I saw a number of good species over the years.

House Sparrows have increased slightly I think in the last couple of years. From my last two months of my return to twitching, compared with 20-30 years ago when I last actively bird watched, I've noticed the following species being far more plentiful in my area:
Mute Swan
Little Egret
Magpie
Jay
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Wood Pigeon
Marsh Harrier
Sparrowhawk
Lesser Black Backed Gull
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Wren
Robin

and the following species seem to have declined markedly:
Grey Partridge
Red Legged Partridge
Lapwing
Starling
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Skylark
Meadow Pipit
Willow Tit
Kestrel
Bullfinch
Song Thrush
Yellow Wagtail
Yellowhammer

I'm still yet to see either of the last two species this year, which is quite worrying.

[hmvman]

Had our trip over to Bempton Cliffs yesterday. It was a beautiful day there and there was plenty of activity. We did see a few puffins too.

[hmvman]

Cockney sparrer with two fluffy, aggressive and greedy offspring trying to satisfy them with pieces from the fat balls. Great to see that the parents have survived the winter storms.

We've got plenty of sparrer activity in our garden too at the moment. It's great fun watching them having dirt baths in the flower beds!

[Ian Thumwood]

Often to Strumpshaw later today (only 10 miles away) and probably Benacre Broad area tomorrow, which was one of my favourite haunts from my earlier birdwatching days and where I saw a number of good species over the years.

House Sparrows have increased slightly I think in the last couple of years. From my last two months of my return to twitching, compared with 20-30 years ago when I last actively bird watched, I've noticed the following species being far more plentiful in my area:
Mute Swan
Little Egret
Magpie
Jay
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Wood Pigeon
Marsh Harrier
Sparrowhawk
Lesser Black Backed Gull
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Wren
Robin

and the following species seem to have declined markedly:
Grey Partridge
Red Legged Partridge
Lapwing
Starling
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Skylark
Meadow Pipit
Willow Tit
Kestrel
Bullfinch
Song Thrush
Yellow Wagtail
Yellowhammer

I'm still yet to see either of the last two species this year, which is quite worrying.

I'm staggered by the list as , if I had been asked the same question, I would have compiled one that was identical.

The odd omission if Stock Doves. I used to see these regularly but rarely encounter them whist at bird-watching. Oddly, a pair have materialised in my garden over the last two months but I would be pushed to put a date to the last time that I had seen these birds.

I've never seen a lesser spotted woodpecker but I do get Bullfinches and song thrushes in the garden. The latter has to have one of my favourite songs of all British birds. These days I seem to see more Wood Pigeons than anything else.

[johncorrigan]

Apologies, but I couldn't think of anywhere better to post this. More years back than I care to recall I remember standing on a bridge in Katmandhu watching vultures tearing at some carcase in the river. I was amazed. I had seen vultures circling as we went through Iran and Pakistan but watching them at work was totally riveting.

I got caught up on Saturday by a programme on Beeb 2 about these magnificent birds and the devastating effect of their decline on the human population in India and in particular in Tanzania. It was the best Natural World film I have seen in a long time. I notice it was a repeat from earlier in the year, but if you like birds you might well love this...oh yes and it's got Maribu Storks in there too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03sfvhd/natural-world-20132014-10-vultures-beauty-in-the-beast