hmrspaul Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 These two Rainbow Lorikeets have chased away all the other parrots that have been coming to the feeder since I put it up. I assume they are a pair - I call them Heckle and Jeckle but one is probably a female. They've pretty much moved in and check out the feeder three or four times a day to see if I've topped it up. Unlike most other parrots the two sexes look the same and a DNA test is needed to sex them positively. I've always thought they look like they are wearing badly knitted jumpers that their gran gave them for Christmas. Usually they hang around in huge flocks rather than individual pairs which in this case I'm thankful for since every holiday home I've ever stayed in the previous tenants have fed the Rainbow Lorikeets causing said huge flocks of them to descend noisily onto the verandah rail around 6am expecting a feed. P1120455.JPG P1120472.JPG Beautiful reminder of the first wild parrots I saw in Australia, on a business trip years ago. Moving like grease lighting across the botanic gardens. Unfortunately, as you suggest very aggressive so an alien invasive species in parts of Australia - on a trip to Perth, which is thousands of miles from their natural range, they have nearly ousted the 28s from the central Perth area. Sexing - I would suggest that in each photo the male is left and female right. Most parrots are not easy to sex from physical appearance apart from the doming of the top of the head which is usually more domed in males and flatter in females. I suspect if the same pair are regular visitors you'll soon see for yourself which is which. Of course, if they are siblings, they won't try it on. Paul 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted January 12, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 12, 2019 Not in the garden, but over the garden at dawn this morng & heading south for 36E, there was a large flock of Starlings, the most I have seen around here for many years and they were partly murmurating. I shall have to see if they roost locally to see the proper job murmur at dusk. Phil 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted January 14, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 14, 2019 We've done a lot of tidying up of a long neglected garden at the house we now live in in France. Several large trees have been felled as they were rotten, strangled by Ivy or too near the house. This has opened up some views but fortunately doesn't seem to have scared the birds away. My long suffering good lady has but up a bird feeder and it is certainly getting some attention. The other day we had the following in the garden. A buzzard, perched on a tree at the far side from the house, several great tits, chaffinches, a female blackbird and a robin. I tried sitting out with the longest lens I've got and these are the result. One of the great Tits. there were about 4 about, all taking turns to feed. And another The Chaffinch waiting his turn. The buzzard was the far side of the shed that you can see the gable end of. It was perched on an apple tree. Jamie 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted January 14, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 14, 2019 Here's one for you to consider. How did this duck get so lost? https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/little-lost-duck-provides-a-rare-treat-for-birdwatchers-20190114-p50r7q.html 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium dhjgreen Posted January 14, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 14, 2019 And a robin in Beijing https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-46859574 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Reorte Posted January 14, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 14, 2019 It's the time of year for the small flocks of long tailed tits to descend on my feeders. Hopefully I'll get a picture some time, but there's no sunlight on the feeder at this time of year. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killybegs Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 With regard to the title of this topic, where indeed have they gone? Or, our chaffinches to be more precise. Only the odd one since before Christmas. At this time of the year we would normally be inundated with them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Reorte Posted January 14, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 14, 2019 Talking of long-tailed tits here are some pictures I took a few years ago from my parents' house. 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Sidelines Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 (edited) Where have all our garden birds gone? In our tree. https://flic.kr/p/23viJj4 Edited January 14, 2019 by Silver Sidelines 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium dhjgreen Posted January 16, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 16, 2019 (edited) As well as the usual hordes of gold finch and LTT we had an influx of greenfinch today (7/8) then 2 song mistle (the boss just came in) thrush and then.......female bullfinch yay! Edited January 16, 2019 by dhjgreen 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Normal birds are a bit thin on the ground, and on the feeders! But we have had a few different liveried Pigeons recently. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted January 16, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 16, 2019 Hordes of Gold Finches in their regular stop-over chat room (top of next door's ash tree) this afternoon. Four of them here: (30x zoom hand held compact) Keith 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted January 16, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 16, 2019 Plenty of Starlings this morning occupying a still leafless tree across the road. A bit nearer to home, in fact a few yards from my front door the sparrows appear to be building a nest in an evergreen bush. I wish them well but I think they are a bit premature. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted January 17, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 17, 2019 With regard to the title of this topic, where indeed have they gone? Or, our chaffinches to be more precise. Only the odd one since before Christmas. At this time of the year we would normally be inundated with them. Sadly it is probably the dreaded Virus. Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmrspaul Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 (edited) Places differ. We've had several chaffinches every few minutes for weeks now - one there as I type - and have almost no recollection of seeing them in our urban garden for 20 years. Goldfinches are also abundant, they seem to have recovered from the dreadful couple of winters that really reduced them to almost nothing. And then there are my favourites - the Magpies. There is an entire family - 7 birds - to be seen regularly, they came through half an hour ago. Crows and Wood pigeons also noticeable. Generally the large countryside birds seem to be rapidly adjusting to city living - we don't shoot them - which I suspect is why some smaller birds like sparrow populations (we have plenty) are diminishing. BTO mentioned an 800% increase in wood pigeons in their garden survey over c20 years. That is a huge increase in biomass! Paul Edit to add I was going to mention I hadn't seen any Long-tail tits for a few weeks, but 3 arrived on the feeder half an hour after the original posting of this! Edited January 17, 2019 by hmrspaul 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
88D Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 Saw my first-ever Hawfinch the other day. Then saw two more, just like London buses. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted January 19, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 19, 2019 Some Goldfinches decided to come down into our garden today where they were snacking on the few berries still left on the bushes. Keith 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted January 19, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 19, 2019 the goldfinch numbers have gone down from around 30 to 10 over the last week now have these two as regular visitors Pied wagtail pied wagtail by john brace, on Flickr Grey wagtail Grey wagtail by john brace, on Flickr 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted January 19, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 19, 2019 1st Chaffinch this year this morning; juvenile female I think? Also forgot to mention unsuccessful Kestrel swoop yesterday followed by momentary perch on bin fence just outside the kitchen window. Wonderful close up view of a magnificent bird. need head mount camera I think! Next week, when it is Garden Birdwatch, I can guarantee no such sightings as this. P 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Our garden has just had an invasion of great tits. Normally there are a couple of pairs who regularly visit the feeders, but usually get chased away by the other pair if they appear together, so I tend to only see two at once. I can always tell non-local birds because they seem more wary of the feeders than the residents, who just fly in and out taking a sunflower heart with them to eat in the depths of the holly. Suddenly there were six great tits in the small shrub nearest the feeders, but they all seemed very loathed to make the short flight to the seeds. There might have been more as they hopped around from branch to branch and appear to be sticking together. I will have to monitor their progress if they stay around. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killybegs Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 It's been a good year for Pied Wagtails here. Not a garden bird, but a regular winter visitor has returned, albeit a little late. A solitary Great Northern Diver normally turns up in November but this year it didn't arrive and when a dead one was washed up on the beach, I feared the worst. Delighted to see it back yesterday. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Downendian Posted February 1, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 1, 2019 Having sold our devon cottage late last year, trying to make our Bristol garden more bird friendly. The overnight snow has drawn many this morning to hung fat balls. Delighted to see amongst the house sparrows, robins, blackbirds and starlings, a pair of blackcaps and a small flock of long tailed tits. Neil 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted February 1, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 1, 2019 the bad weather today has seen us invaded by a load of siskins never had any in the garden before 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Barry Ten Posted February 1, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 1, 2019 Snapped this chap earlier today, about 50 feet from our house. By no means a common visitor, though. 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Barry Ten Posted February 2, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 2, 2019 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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