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

[Richard Tarleton]

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.

Excellent, Dougie - no I didn't walk to the top, as I was sparing my blisters, but was back on foot the next day....

I saw my first French gypaète barbu at Cauterets, on GR10, and more at Gavarnie - having seen loads in the Spanish Pyrenees, and even one in Crete (in the White Mountains). Staggering birds. I have a delightful book on them, illustrated by the inimitable Alexis Nouailhat, whose work I think you know. In the Spanish Pyrenees, there is approximately one pair per valley, in around 60 valleys, I've seen them from Navarra to Catalunya.

[ardcarp]

We're snowed in here in Devon for the first time in years. The air and ground temperature is very cold, and today our garden is full of redwings. (Strange how they appear so suddenly in adverse conditions. It makes you wonder where they have been all this time.) Suspended fat balls are frozen hard making it difficult for the smaller birds to get anything from them. Mrs A. has been involved in thawing experiments throughout the day! Any remaining berries on bushes and trees have suddenly gone.

[Richard Tarleton]

It's been a good winter for redwings round here. My two recent highlights: 3 displaying goshawks over the village, and a male merlin in Tesco car park (chasing wagtails and being mobbed by herring gulls).

[gradus]

Pied wagtail was shopping in Tesco yesterday. Poor little devil came hopping through the double doors from the warehouse. Lord knows how they'll get it out.

[ardcarp]

After years of trying to get mistletoe established on some of our apple trees (it isn't widespread in Devon for some reason) we now have a large globe-shaped mass of it on one of them with lovely pearly berries. Up to last Thursday, no birds seemed interested, but now it's been virtually stripped. I guess the various members of the thrush family are the chief beneficiaries, and not just the mistle thrush. My question is, do birds regard this as a 'last resort' among the many berries to be found in gardens?

[oddoneout]

After years of trying to get mistletoe established on some of our apple trees (it isn't widespread in Devon for some reason) we now have a large globe-shaped mass of it on one of them with lovely pearly berries. Up to last Thursday, no birds seemed interested, but now it's been virtually stripped. I guess the various members of the thrush family are the chief beneficiaries, and not just the mistle thrush. My question is, do birds regard this as a 'last resort' among the many berries to be found in gardens?

There is a priority order with berry consumption, some of which is related at least in part to the effect that low temperatures have on palatability. I think some of it may well be to do with frost softening the flesh of some varieties, but there may also be some changes to things like sugar content?

[gradus]

Joy of joys, a pair of thrushes rootling around under the feeders. Haven't seen any for quite a while.

[ardcarp]

There is a priority order with berry consumption, some of which is related at least in part to the effect that low temperatures have on palatability. I think some of it may well be to do with frost softening the flesh of some varieties, but there may also be some changes to things like sugar content?

Thanks! That makes sense.

[oddoneout]

Joy of joys, a pair of thrushes rootling around under the feeders. Haven't seen any for quite a while.

A solitary song thrush has been loitering along the boundary between my garden and next door's. They have a well stocked bird table by my fence which said thrush is keen to get at but is ill at ease with all the other birds so keeps jumping back to my quieter patch. I don't think I've seen a thrush in this garden since I moved in 3 years ago. My little cherry tree that hangs over the fence next to the bird table is used as a general purpose gathering/waiting area and was very decorative today with blue and long-tailed tits, a wren and the resident robin, plus assorted brown jobbies of the sparrow variety, blackbirds and aforementioned thrush. The pestilential pigeons are back on the farmer's rape fields again for now as the snow cover has reduced, so not hogging the food and keeping the others away.

[ardcarp]

Another request for information. We've been watching a very handsome male blackcap. He's been to and fro from a fat-ball feeder all morning. The feeder is in the form of a metal spiral with 3 fat-balls held one on top of the other inside. The blackcap seems only able to perch on top of the feeder and reach down to peck at the food. On our other nut feeders (wire mesh) the tits, finches and sparrows seem happy to cling to the side. Are blackcaps not able to do this?

[oddoneout]

Another request for information. We've been watching a very handsome male blackcap. He's been to and fro from a fat-ball feeder all morning. The feeder is in the form of a metal spiral with 3 fat-balls held one on top of the other inside. The blackcap seems only able to perch on top of the feeder and reach down to peck at the food. On our other nut feeders (wire mesh) the tits, finches and sparrows seem happy to cling to the side. Are blackcaps not able to do this?

I would assume it has to do with how the bird would feed 'au naturel'. Some birds naturally cling and feed sideways upside-down or whatever, others learn it. Blackcaps as winter feeders are still somewhat in the pioneer category I think; perhaps they will change in due course if it's found to be advantageous.
You might be interested in this link from the BTO

https://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/about/background/...blackcap.../id

[ardcarp]

Thnaks odders. The link displayed a 'forbidden' notice, but never mind, I found it by Googling [what I assume to be] the same site. The blackcap pictured does seem to be teetering on the diagonal as it feeds!

Mrs A and I ventured out to our local estuary shortly after low tide yesterday afternoon and were rewarded with 4 avocets. They are not usually seen here, though there is a big winter colony further west on the Exe. In fact the entire mud flat was crammed with waders of all sorts, maybe making up for lost time in the freezing weather. We had some friends with us and they were thrilled to see such a variety of bird-life.

[vinteuil]

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swifts...




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[Richard Tarleton]

swifts...

Let me guess. You're in a rooftop café by the Djemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakesh, sipping mint tea?

[HighlandDougie]

Let me guess. You're in a rooftop café by the Djemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakesh, sipping mint tea?

From what I remember from Vinteuil's earlier posts, it might be Tomoca Coffee in Addis Ababa. But, first swift of the year spotted a couple of days ago here in the Alpes Maritimes. "Ah, spring has arrived", I foolishly thought, given that the weather yesterday was dire - and the swift probably did beat a hasty retreat back across the Mediterranean. But the sun came back this morning - brimstone flittering around the garden so more swifts should arrive soon.