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

[Richard Tarleton]

They also seem to have an affinity with holly.

And holm oak - they like roosting in evergreens

[ardcarp]

Change of tack. When Tom Service starts up I usually shut down. But in a R3 trailer just now [I switched on for the Finzi] I heard him blurt that the number of puffins in Iceland is between 8 - 10 million. Oh. I thought they were in serious decline.

There are signs that the puffin stock in Iceland is at great risk again this year. According to biologist Erpur Snær Hansen, who recently returned from a research trip around the country, studying the condition of puffins and other sea birds, there is a collapse of the puffin stock in Iceland. “This is the twelfth year in a row that breeding does not go well in Vestmannaeyjar (the Westman Islands),” he said.

There were an estimated eight million puffins in Iceland in 2003 but that number has dropped to around five million, a 37 percent decrease. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) compiles a list of threatened species known as the Red List using criteria such as a decrease in a species’ stock of 30 percent or more within a decade. “The young birds, which are the birds people catch when puffin hunting, are virtually gone in three quarters of the population,” Erpur added.

Erpur continued by saying that there are periods of warm weather at 70-year intervals. During the warmer periods, the baitfish stock, which puffins feed on, collapses. “Now such a period is ongoing but there is also a change in the temperature of the ocean, which is caused by humans.”

[Vox Humana]

I think I'd put more faith in a biologist - or even Tom McKinney. McKinney used to be a serious birder before he joined the BBC.

[Lat-Literal]

Maybe Birding Pals have someone local to you who would be wiling to help. This network was set up with international travellers in mind, but there's no harm in asking.

Thank you VH.

I wasn't aware of that website.

It's very good but unfortunately there is no one near to me.

Because people no longer hitch lifts? - I've no idea if that's true, not having motorwayed my way for quite a few years, btw.

They probably don't hitch. I have never hitched. Not that personality type and the concern would have been what might be at the wheel. These days the concern is more likely to be on the part of drivers - travelling psychopaths etc - but actually the sort of obstacles I had in mind involved paperwork, ie health and safety, insurance, employment legislation etc says no.

[Richard Tarleton]

They probably don't hitch. I have never hitched.

I hitched loads in the 1970s, and to ensure good karma gave lifts when in a position to do so - and had lots of positive encounters. I haven't done either in a long time - except in 2003, on one of my Alpine walking trips - when I had some bad blisters (before I definitively cracked this problem) - I hitched a lift over the Col de la Bonette, the highest road pass in Europe, meeting up with my companions in the next valley.



The second car that came along stopped - it was a beat-up van, driven by a young shepherd with his dog - an itinerant shepherd who minded flocks in the high mountains during the summer. He was collecting a sheepdog pup in the village where I was headed. For the length of the drive, I had the most fascinating insight into the life of the shepherd, the history of the brébis sheep, etc., testing my French, and when we arrived at St Etienne sur Tinée we had a coffee in the square with the person he was meeting. One of those perfect encounters.

[greenilex]

Lovely pics, thank you.

This morning a large mixed flock of gulls has come in off the water and is chasing along our terraced streets elegantly removing garbage/creating havoc with overstuffed bins. They can’t half fly...Fish going deeper in advance of bad weather?

[Lat-Literal]

I hitched loads in the 1970s, and to ensure good karma gave lifts when in a position to do so - and had lots of positive encounters. I haven't done either in a long time - except in 2003, on one of my Alpine walking trips - when I had some bad blisters (before I definitively cracked this problem) - I hitched a lift over the Col de la Bonette, the highest road pass in Europe, meeting up with my companions in the next valley.



The second car that came along stopped - it was a beat-up van, driven by a young shepherd with his dog - an itinerant shepherd who minded flocks in the high mountains during the summer. He was collecting a sheepdog pup in the village where I was headed. For the length of the drive, I had the most fascinating insight into the life of the shepherd, the history of the brébis sheep, etc., testing my French, and when we arrived at St Etienne sur Tinée we had a coffee in the square with the person he was meeting. One of those perfect encounters.

Yes - very nice memories and pictures, RT.

Thank you very much.

[Maclintick]

I'm tempted to post "I caught this morning morning's mini-PARROT !" -- cheered by a solitary goldfinch nibbling doggedly at the edges of the lawn & brightening a dull dawn, an almost-tropical mirage resplendent with red crest & yellow wing flashes -- vibrant splashes of colour, a harbinger of warmer days, one hopes. By the time I'd fished out the bins, he'd scarpered.

A recent news item reporting the successful reintroduction of cranes to East Anglia made us itch to head eastwards.We've seen these magnificent birds on their Swedish migratory stopover Lake Hornbörga, where the wardens seed tons of potatoes in the squishy margins of the lake to revive them after the punishing flight from Spain, where they overwinter -- on our last visit there were 14,000. It's worth keeping an eye on the webcams in March -- offline currently.

http://www.webbkameror.se/djurkameror/hornborgasjon/index.php

[Quarky]

Having problems with the local garden bird population in this Arctic weather.

The local Sainsbury quickly sold out of Wild Bird seed food, so I had to buy more expensive high energy seed. However, touring the garden this morning, there had been few takers for this bionic stuff. My conclusion is they had turned their noses up and would rather freeze and starve!

How's that for a come-uppance?

[Richard Tarleton]

Better value to order it in bulk from the RSPB or as I do from CJ Wildlife - the latter's Hi energy Seed and peanuts are disappearing from our feeders at an alarming rate.

[Quarky]

Thanks for the tip.

I think the problem this morning was that the birds had not by 7.30 emerged from their hidey holes. However now the food is being consumed at a great rate, and I will need some more by the weekend

[Stanfordian]

This morning a large group of what I took to be oystercatchers feeding on the large expanse of grass close to the road, which I have never seen them do previously, rather than the marsh. They were nearly all black (couldn't see any white) with orange beaks. I'm not sure what else they could be.

[gradus]

A pair of greenfinches are amongst the early callers to the feeders, rather before the hordes of blue and great tits. Chaffinches seem to prefer to peck around picking up the spillage from the feeders.

[HighlandDougie]

I hitched loads in the 1970s, and to ensure good karma gave lifts when in a position to do so - and had lots of positive encounters. I haven't done either in a long time - except in 2003, on one of my Alpine walking trips - when I had some bad blisters (before I definitively cracked this problem) - I hitched a lift over the Col de la Bonette, the highest road pass in Europe, meeting up with my companions in the next valley.



The second car that came along stopped - it was a beat-up van, driven by a young shepherd with his dog - an itinerant shepherd who minded flocks in the high mountains during the summer. He was collecting a sheepdog pup in the village where I was headed. For the length of the drive, I had the most fascinating insight into the life of the shepherd, the history of the brébis sheep, etc., testing my French, and when we arrived at St Etienne sur Tinée we had a coffee in the square with the person he was meeting. One of those perfect encounters.

I've only just seen this post. The Cime de la Bonette is on our summer driving route from the Vésubie via the Tinée Valley to Jausiers and thence to Grenoble/Chambéry) so I know it well. I hope that you had time to walk up to the summit and enjoy the magnificent view of the Maritime - and other - Alps (with Monte Viso dominating the view to the north east). Good place for spotting a gypaète barbu, too.

[Serial_Apologist]

Better value to order it in bulk from the RSPB or as I do from CJ Wildlife - the latter's Hi energy Seed and peanuts are disappearing from our feeders at an alarming rate.

I put a bowl of water out for the birds yesterday at midday, went out for a short walk, and came back to find a robin walking on it!