runs as required Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 For the last week, as it has got noticably darker each night, huge flights (I'm talking several hundreds) of noisy rooks have been careering around over the trees surrounding our garden from about 8.30 until it is totally dark. Why? I heard it suggested they are young birdsoverspilling from established rookeries trying to find places to roost - is that the case? in other words is it a bird version of our current affordable housing crisis for the young? dhig 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adams442T Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 (edited) As usual my front and rear garden Rowan trees have been descended on by, it seems like, hundreds of starlings. Well laden with berries this year there are still plenty to go around though! My new rear garden planting has seen a good variety of both bees and butterflies this year, and the new pond is home to frogs and dragon and damselflies which have appeared out of nowhere! A few butterfly pix as the starlings flew off as soon as my camera came out! In order Comma Butterfly; 5 Tortoiseshells; Red Admiral; Painted Lady and (not so) Common Blue. Edited September 2, 2015 by Adams442T 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted September 2, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 2, 2015 (edited) Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar on the rose-bay willowherb. (Probably over 50mm long) Fairly common in the garden.(both the weed and the moths!) Keith Edited September 2, 2015 by melmerby 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar on the rose-bay willowherb. [/url] Keith Or, as the plant is known in our house, "Hells-bane devil-weed" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyID Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Caught this little beauty feasting on the Elder Berries. Not exactly sure what it is. Flew away before I could ask. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Looks like a Siskin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killybegs Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Or more likely a greenfinch as siskins have more prominent yellow wing bars (and the males have black caps). That's assuming of course hat they are the same across the pond as they are here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 You could well be right - What I thought was a black cap may well be a shadow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted September 9, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 9, 2015 A first for our garden today; Long Tails, Greats and Blues all stopping off at the same time for a feed and drink. Five minutes of fun and great to watch and then off they went. Phil 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Evenin' all, Caring for the better half has resulted in much more opportunity to observe the avian life in the garden recently. Here are a few visitors of the last fortnight.....the bullfinch family are hourly guests.... Enjoy what you do Dave 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runs as required Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 (edited) After a drop of rain and a cloudy late afternoon yesterday (Sunday) we were rewarded with a perfect evening. There was a bat circling round in the dusk, still a few rooks flapping noisily about trying to find somewhere to roost. Two owls were busy hunting in the dene, sometimes a perfect call and reponse, more often a discordant clash. We'd been down south in Warwicks and N Oxfordshire last weeke-end. There were still swifts and swallows circling above us on Tyneside before we left, I've not seen any since we got back. Does anyone else wonder whether they'll see them again next year? dh Edited September 14, 2015 by runs as required 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 (edited) Still have Martins flittering and chittering and swooping here in the land of the Northern Haggis - mornings are getting chilly, so I suspect they will leave before much longer. We have gained a very territorial mature robin, and a young interloper who doesn't seem to get the message! Edited September 14, 2015 by shortliner 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 (edited) I have been cat sitting at my sisters, and imagine my surprise one afternoon last week when I saw 18 long tailed tits emerge from a large apple tree at the bottom of her garden. A marvellous sight. Fortunately, the cat is old and fat - which means it sleeps in the sun most days and the birds just disregard it. Edited September 14, 2015 by jonny777 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runs as required Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 (edited) [swallows have] been up here (near Tynemouth) for about a couple of weeks! dhig Thought I'd dig back on this thread because I remembered some posting when they were first seen. So they arrived about mid May, and away again end of first week in September - about 15 weeks. In the days of telegraph poles along railway lines, you would see birds gathering to begin migration, I haven't noticed that recently. dhig Edited September 14, 2015 by runs as required 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 A very welcome visitor to our tiny garden... ...no doubt attracted by all the sparrows etc converging on our bird feeders. It's not the first time it has visited but on this occasion it failed to kill. It is the first time it stayed long enough for me to get a snap. Magnificent bird. Chaz PS - all the regulars were back ten minutes after the hawk had gone. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted September 25, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 25, 2015 I'm fairly sure our few Martins have gone. The Swifts went weeks ago. Nice news about Blackcaps on the news yesterday. Phil 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted September 28, 2015 Author Share Posted September 28, 2015 A couple of observations to share from yesterday: A blue tit had found a way to get into a green poppy seedcase (like a little woodpecker) and was eating the seeds. Another blue tit arrived and studied the enterprise and began to imitate the first. Two wrens fighting to the death (until separated). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted September 29, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 29, 2015 Out of the blue this morning appeared a male and female Juvenile Goldfinch, some mature looking Great Tits briefly, a couple of youngish looking Chaffinch and a young Robin seems to have taken up residence and sings late evening and early morning. Despite having to have our large hedge (roadside and it was encroaching well over the pavement) well and truly cut back a few weeks ago when nesting was deffo completed, our Sparrow tribe appears to be back to the standard 20ish at this time of year. Common things but all beautiful to watch and listen to. Phil 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Out of the blue this morning appeared a male and female Juvenile Goldfinch, some mature looking Great Tits briefly, a couple of youngish looking Chaffinch and a young Robin seems to have taken up residence and sings late evening and early morning. Despite having to have our large hedge (roadside and it was encroaching well over the pavement) well and truly cut back a few weeks ago when nesting was deffo completed, our Sparrow tribe appears to be back to the standard 20ish at this time of year. Common things but all beautiful to watch and listen to. Phil Can I ask how you are sexing the Goldfinches? None of my books have anything to say about dimorphism. Agree with you about the sparrows. Our flock of a couple of dozen are regulars and can empty the tall feeder in two days (greedy little pigs). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted October 1, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 1, 2015 Male Juve has a little red appearing at the head/neck. Female hasn't. They have been around every day now and that's promising. However, I am not experienced enough to know for certain that I have identified the sexes correctly, other than having lots of G Finches locally and watching them for over 8 years along with having juves shown to me/us several times on birding expeditions with experienced leaders. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted October 19, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 19, 2015 Wow. Little flurry of activity this morning as a mix of Tits arrived, upset the new resident Robin and local gang of Sparrows and there was a minute or two of whizzing about. Longtail, Blue and Great Tits and for the first time knowingly here in our garden, for a fleeting 5 seconds, a Goldcrest! All gone after just about a couple of minutes snatch and grab feeding!! Phil 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted October 19, 2015 Author Share Posted October 19, 2015 Another unusual observation: We have regular Nuthatch visits. I've noted before that they take sunflower seeds to 'anvils' in nearby trees. Yesterday I watched as one excavated a hole in some freshly turned soil and buried a sunflower seed! Either, squirrel like, it was saving it for later or it was planting it for the future. Amazing. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted October 20, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 20, 2015 (edited) Single Coal Tit....one 3 second visit only!!!!! Nope, here he is again. Sunflower seed seeker too. Got a great view (just outside the kitchen window) from about two metres; grabs a single seed (ground feeding ) and whizzes to safe place to eat it. P Edited October 20, 2015 by Mallard60022 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Downendian Posted October 21, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 21, 2015 I've started putting out feed again routinely. There are a lot more Coal tits around this year in South Devon, at one view they outnumbered blue tits. Like Mallard60022 only at feeder for a second or two to grab a sunflower heart and then off. Neil 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightengine Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 A large group of Long Tailed Tits in my garden Christmas tree this morning. Lovely to watch flitting from branch to branch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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