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

[Padraig]

I think some will like this, though the star is not a bird:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-41062652

[Richard Tarleton]

Padraig, I had the pleasure of spending a month doing bird-related work on Rathlin, getting on for 40 years ago now - I lived in one of a pair of huts at the west end of the island with a colleague. This was very much during the Troubles, and before there were any tourist facilities on the island. I'll PM you!

[kernelbogey]

I noticed a robin's song this morning in the garden which had what i think of as an autumnal air to it. I think there's a different song that emerges at this time of year. No idea why that would happen.

[Richard Tarleton]

I noticed a robin's song this morning in the garden which had what i think of as an autumnal air to it. I think there's a different song that emerges at this time of year. No idea why that would happen.

"After moulting in autumn it is rather sad and wistful, whereas from around Christmas it becomes stronger, faster and more vigorous" (Holden and Cleeves, in the RSPB Handbook). It no longer has the urgency of the breeding season - though robins do defend their feeding territories energetically, with "tic tic" fighting calls. Lots of teenage robins around at the moment.

And of course unusually for birds females sing a bit, and hold feeding territories, in winter.

[eighthobstruction]

....blond versions of Meadow pippet....

[Serial_Apologist]

....blond versions of Meadow pippet....

Spotted my first London wren yesterday. Not Sir Christopher, I hasten to add, though it wasn't that far from the naval college in Greenwich!

[Padraig]

Padraig, I had the pleasure of spending a month doing bird-related work on Rathlin, getting on for 40 years ago now - I lived in one of a pair of huts at the west end of the island with a colleague. This was very much during the Troubles, and before there were any tourist facilities on the island. I'll PM you!

Thanks Richard for your PM. (I'm not confident about sending PMs, though no problem receiving them).
Interesting that you were in the area at that time. So was I - working on an inter-schools Project that involved frequent visits to Corrymeela. We did not discuss birds, more's the pity, but the Troubles did feature in our programmes.
Was it that long ago? Did you treat your Mary Ann to some dulse and Yellow Man?

[Padraig]

Thanks again Richard for your 2nd PM.
Just to clear up the little incident on Rathlin you refer to, I wish to state that we were never there, and if we were, it wasn't us!
OK?

[Richard Tarleton]

Thanks Richard for your PM. (I'm not confident about sending PMs, though no problem receiving them).
Interesting that you were in the area at that time. So was I - working on an inter-schools Project that involved frequent visits to Corrymeela. We did not discuss birds, more's the pity, but the Troubles did feature in our programmes.
Was it that long ago? Did you treat your Mary Ann to some dulse and Yellow Man?

Ha ha! It was a most amusing incident.

I visited Corrymeela, circa 1982 - I knew people who were closely involved with it. One of its supporters was the great Tom Paxton, whom I first saw in Belfast in the late 80s - he visited whenever he was in NI.

I didn't know the song - I do now - though I know people who undoubtedly do! Another PM!

[oddoneout]

"After moulting in autumn it is rather sad and wistful, whereas from around Christmas it becomes stronger, faster and more vigorous" (Holden and Cleeves, in the RSPB Handbook). It no longer has the urgency of the breeding season - though robins do defend their feeding territories energetically, with "tic tic" fighting calls. Lots of teenage robins around at the moment.

And of course unusually for birds females sing a bit, and hold feeding territories, in winter.

A teenage robin has decided to adopt the bottom of my garden as his territory. He is still a bit wary of my movements and so spends time sitting on the fence by my seat, burbling very quietly. As the quote says it is rather sad and wistful, but lovely to hear none the less. I'll look forward to increased confidence as time goes on, hopefully encouraged by the tasty morsels I turn up when weeding that I put to one side for him.

[kernelbogey]

"After moulting in autumn it is rather sad and wistful, whereas from around Christmas it becomes stronger, faster and more vigorous" (Holden and Cleeves, in the RSPB Handbook). It no longer has the urgency of the breeding season - though robins do defend their feeding territories energetically, with "tic tic" fighting calls. Lots of teenage robins around at the moment.

And of course unusually for birds females sing a bit, and hold feeding territories, in winter.

Thanks for this Richard. A new perspective on this song, which I've noticed over many years, though I'm no bird watcher.

(Non sequitur - I have been observing crows, as I'm playing a character in a pantomimie later this year who gets turned into one by the wicked Queen.)

[Padraig]

No birdy news here - sorry. I just thought RT might like a bit of 'local' news - well he is an honorary Columban after all, and he might even have known the person here when she was stationed at St.Augustine's in Derry.
There's also an item of interest to pedants - isn't there always! - and some controversial political stuff. Yes something for everybody except birders!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-41200218

[Richard Tarleton]

No birdy news here - sorry. I just thought RT might like a bit of 'local' news -

Lovely story Padraig - no I haven't met this bishop.....we have a lady bishop in Pembrokeshire, at St Davids....we also (to get back to birds) have these....there's a new Welsh Archbishop, but the job went to a bloke

[ardcarp]

Well, what birds haven't been watching us lately? Common terns. Usually we see lots of them in estuaries and in coastal waters in Southwest Britain and in Brittany. This Summer they seemed diminished in number...none of the noisy flocks diving for small-fry. I wonder if a decline in their numbers has been noted by others? Or were we just unlucky?

Still plenty of gannets, shearwaters, guillemots and razorbills...and of course the ever present cormorants and shags. If the decline in tern numbers is a fact, I wonder what has caused it? Less sand eels around perhaps?

[ardcarp]

Mrs A and I have been watching a grey phalarope at Seaton Marshes this afternoon. First one I've ever seen. Not an especially smart bird (appearance wise) and I'm sure we wouldn't have identified it without (a) prior knowledge that one was hanging around there and (b) a well-informed person pointing it out to us.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/g/greyphalarope/