| Summer birding update 09:54 - Apr 30 with 1094 views | artsbossbeard |
Some decent spots on my Boris walks lately:
Willow Warbler
Pied Flycatcher - presumably stopping for a food break mid migration
And...
2x Nightingales - 1 seen & 1 heard.
Plenty of Green Woodpeckers, Dunnocks & Goldfinches to boot. [Post edited 30 Apr 2020 9:58]
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| Please note: prior to hitting the post button, I've double checked for anything that could be construed as "Anti Semitic" and to the best of my knowledge it isn't. Anything deemed to be of a Xenophobic nature is therefore purely accidental or down to your own misconstruing. | | Poll: | Raining in IP8 - shall I get the washing in? |
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| Summer birding update on 09:57 - Apr 30 with 1079 views | GeoffSentence |
All good spots particularly the pied flycatcher and nightingales.
Willow Warblers are funny ones, one of out most common warblers and though there are twice as many of them as chiff-chaffs I see the the latter all over the place but hardly ever catch a confirmed glimpes of a WW. |  |
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| Summer birding update on 09:59 - Apr 30 with 1065 views | ElephantintheRoom |
Pied Flycatcher? Wow... even spotted flycatchers are as rare as hen's teeth around here and have been for many years.
Best spot I've had recently on my Boris lie down in the back garden is a garden warbler
However on my dawn dog walk this morning I did see something very rare indeed fly by...... an airliner out of stansted. |  |
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| Summer birding update on 10:01 - Apr 30 with 1056 views | artsbossbeard |
| Summer birding update on 09:57 - Apr 30 by GeoffSentence |
All good spots particularly the pied flycatcher and nightingales.
Willow Warblers are funny ones, one of out most common warblers and though there are twice as many of them as chiff-chaffs I see the the latter all over the place but hardly ever catch a confirmed glimpes of a WW. |
Yep, gotta hear it sing and then it's easy to classify from there.
I actually saw it twice (presumably) in the same place within your "golden triangle" area.
Can point you to the nightingales too on PM but you'll have to rely on my rubbish geography & directions rather than road names etc. | |
| Please note: prior to hitting the post button, I've double checked for anything that could be construed as "Anti Semitic" and to the best of my knowledge it isn't. Anything deemed to be of a Xenophobic nature is therefore purely accidental or down to your own misconstruing. | | Poll: | Raining in IP8 - shall I get the washing in? |
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| Summer birding update on 10:02 - Apr 30 with 1046 views | GeoffSentence |
| Summer birding update on 10:01 - Apr 30 by artsbossbeard |
Yep, gotta hear it sing and then it's easy to classify from there.
I actually saw it twice (presumably) in the same place within your "golden triangle" area.
Can point you to the nightingales too on PM but you'll have to rely on my rubbish geography & directions rather than road names etc. |
The nightingale pointers would be great cheers ABB. | |
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| Summer birding update on 10:26 - Apr 30 with 1003 views | gordon |
| Summer birding update on 09:57 - Apr 30 by GeoffSentence |
All good spots particularly the pied flycatcher and nightingales.
Willow Warblers are funny ones, one of out most common warblers and though there are twice as many of them as chiff-chaffs I see the the latter all over the place but hardly ever catch a confirmed glimpes of a WW. |
Willow Warbler have declined really dramatically in the S and SE Britain particularly, while making big gains in Scotland - where I am in Perthshire you can get WW in any old non-descript hedgerow, and in patches of young woodland they are the most abundant species. |  | | |
| Summer birding update on 10:38 - Apr 30 with 987 views | Mullet |
We've got woodland and farmland about 5 minutes from my house so our biggest tree gets loads of pigeons and the feeders we've installed bring in loads of smaller birds.
A sparrowhawk took down a starling last year in our front garden while we were eating tea. This past few weeks I've seen something that looks much bigger hunting and circling high up.
Can't tell what it is, looks way too big to be a sparrowhawk but I didn't think the bigger birds of prey would hunt this close to urban areas. Buzzard perhaps? |  |
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| Summer birding update on 10:46 - Apr 30 with 975 views | Guthrum |
| Summer birding update on 10:38 - Apr 30 by Mullet |
We've got woodland and farmland about 5 minutes from my house so our biggest tree gets loads of pigeons and the feeders we've installed bring in loads of smaller birds.
A sparrowhawk took down a starling last year in our front garden while we were eating tea. This past few weeks I've seen something that looks much bigger hunting and circling high up.
Can't tell what it is, looks way too big to be a sparrowhawk but I didn't think the bigger birds of prey would hunt this close to urban areas. Buzzard perhaps? |
For the bigger birds, buzzard if it has rectangular "eagle shaped" wings, red kite if pointed "hawk-shaped" ones. |  |
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| Summer birding update on 10:52 - Apr 30 with 970 views | Mullet |
| Summer birding update on 10:46 - Apr 30 by Guthrum |
For the bigger birds, buzzard if it has rectangular "eagle shaped" wings, red kite if pointed "hawk-shaped" ones. |
Whatever it is, it drives the birdlife crazy. We watched them come hurling out of trees and off our roof yesterday afternoon. About 4 different species all trying to get safe. This thing seems to soar and eye up a potential victim but I've not seen it take anything yet.
I can't tell if a buzzard would be way too big or hunt like that from pictures on the net. | |
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| Summer birding update on 10:56 - Apr 30 with 967 views | EdwardStone |
| Summer birding update on 10:02 - Apr 30 by GeoffSentence |
The nightingale pointers would be great cheers ABB. |
There's one in Berkeley Square |  | | |
| Summer birding update on 10:58 - Apr 30 with 966 views | EdwardStone |
| Summer birding update on 10:52 - Apr 30 by Mullet |
Whatever it is, it drives the birdlife crazy. We watched them come hurling out of trees and off our roof yesterday afternoon. About 4 different species all trying to get safe. This thing seems to soar and eye up a potential victim but I've not seen it take anything yet.
I can't tell if a buzzard would be way too big or hunt like that from pictures on the net. |
If you don't see it coming then that's a Sparrowhawk…they strike lightning fast, just a little puff of feathers where the victim was
Generally a low level approach making maximum use of cover | | | |
| Summer birding update on 11:09 - Apr 30 with 962 views | ElephantintheRoom |
| Summer birding update on 10:52 - Apr 30 by Mullet |
Whatever it is, it drives the birdlife crazy. We watched them come hurling out of trees and off our roof yesterday afternoon. About 4 different species all trying to get safe. This thing seems to soar and eye up a potential victim but I've not seen it take anything yet.
I can't tell if a buzzard would be way too big or hunt like that from pictures on the net. |
My son worked for a falconry centre for a while and one day brought a number of hawks, owls and an eagle which he placed on perches in our back lawn.
Within minutes alarge number of rooks and jackdaws had assembled on our house and in the trees hurling corbid abuse at raptors none of whom were native birds.
You see crows attack kites and buzzards almost every time you see them around here on the essex cambs border.... both are becoming increasingly common - probably because there are more rabbits and vastly more pheasants. Young birds make easy pickings - but I guess the kites are suffering from a drop of road kill.
Most small birds around here are nabbed by sparrow hawks... we have one that comes every day - and occasionally a kestrel which I saw take a sparrow.. Out on dog walks I have seen sparrow hawks and hobby hawks chase skylarks.
Soon be time fr a TWTD thread on binoculars! | |
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| Summer birding update on 11:14 - Apr 30 with 946 views | Mullet |
| Summer birding update on 10:58 - Apr 30 by EdwardStone |
If you don't see it coming then that's a Sparrowhawk…they strike lightning fast, just a little puff of feathers where the victim was
Generally a low level approach making maximum use of cover |
Definitely not a sparrowhawk this time, too big and it glides about over our garden. Although watching a sparrowhawk sit on anotherbirds chest as it squeezed the breath and blood out of its beak was kind of terrifying in a way! | |
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| Summer birding update on 11:29 - Apr 30 with 927 views | gordon |
| Summer birding update on 11:14 - Apr 30 by Mullet |
Definitely not a sparrowhawk this time, too big and it glides about over our garden. Although watching a sparrowhawk sit on anotherbirds chest as it squeezed the breath and blood out of its beak was kind of terrifying in a way! |
Tips for Buzzard are: soars on upturned wings, in a slight 'V'shape, with wings held in rigid position, also most vocal raptor with mewing call, quite compact shape with wings and a short, rounded tail.
Kites often soar with wingtips curving down, and constantly adjust their wing and tail position in the wind. Forked tail easiest thing to spot
Peregrine has pointed wingtips (same as Hobby and Kestrel) but rarely soars or circles.
Goshawk or female Sparrowhawk also won't soar for long, and flap very quickly in between glides (this is more a feature of Sparrowhawk than Gos).
Also been a few young White-tailed Eagles kicking around in southern England recently from the Isle of Wight reintroduction. | | | |
| Summer birding update on 10:03 - May 3 with 782 views | BanksterDebtSlave |
Went there with Miss Slave at 4:30 this morning. The dawn chorus is at its best right now, we were stood close to about 6 nightingale at different times with more in the distance.
Treat yourself folks....if you can, head for your nearest woodland to lift your spirits. |  |
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| Summer birding update on 10:10 - May 3 with 774 views | solemio |
| Summer birding update on 10:56 - Apr 30 by EdwardStone |
There's one in Berkeley Square |
Ah, but did it sing? | | | |
| Summer birding update on 11:51 - May 3 with 734 views | BanksterDebtSlave |
Hot off the presses...now sitting listening to the first of our resident Turtle Doves just arrived! | |
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