Where have all our garden birds gone?

[Reorte]

No photos, but I looked out of my window the other day and saw four blue tits, all in a row, having a bath in a puddle in front of the house.

[phil_sutters]

No photo, but on my way to the shops I stopped when I heard a crow calling somewhat angrily above me. I looked up and it was being buzzed by a sparrowhawk, or another small bird of prey. It decided it was bigger than the hawk and turned on it chasing around for two or three minutes. It was too fast moving and too far away to photograph. Eventually they went out of sight.

[Flying Pig]

On 23/11/2020 at 20:47, phil_sutters said:

No photo, but on my way to the shops I stopped when I heard a crow calling somewhat angrily above me. I looked up and it was being buzzed by a sparrowhawk, or another small bird of prey. It decided it was bigger than the hawk and turned on it chasing around for two or three minutes. It was too fast moving and too far away to photograph. Eventually they went out of sight.

 

More than likely the crow started it.  They can be complete psychos when it comes to birds of prey.

 

I've watched a crow trying to mob a short-eared owl on several occasions. The owl is usually minding its own business flying low and looking for its evening vole when the crow decides to have a go.  Unfortunately for the crow, a short-eared owl is mostly fluff and spikes and is far lighter on its wings than a crow, so within a few seconds the owl is sitting behind and above a bemused crow and stays there until it gets bored and tries to go back to hunting.

 

Nope, the crow is still convinced that it can take on the owl, so repeat the foregoing.  All the while the pair are climbing higher and higher.  It usually takes the crow three or four failed attempts to accept that it isn't going to win here, by which time they are high in the air and everyone can see its embarrassment. But you can be sure that next time you visit the site, it or one of its companions will be trying again.  They never learn.

[PhilJ W]

Yet corvids are said to be among the most intelligent of birds.

 

[Flying Pig]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

Yet corvids are said to be among the most intelligent of birds.

 

 

Intelligence doesn't rule out unhelpfully obsessive behaviour.  Ask Andy Y.

[dhjgreen]

A visitor to our garden this morning.  She obligingly stayed long enough for Mrs dhj to get her camera.  Edit: quite a long way off sorry it is soft.

Edited November 28, 2020 by dhjgreen

[88D]

Saw a lovely murmuration of starlings at RSPB Fairburn Ings  last night. Groups joining in for half an hour until there must have been 3000 or more, then the lava lamp effect and groups plummeting into the reeds in front of us. Within half an hour, all had ensconced in the Reed bed and couldn’t be seen - but could be heard - even though they were only about 30 yards away. The human crowd started to disperse and then a Schmauser barked at our Patterdale, he barked back and a few others joined in. The starlings erupted back out of the reeds and we were treated to another 10 minutes or so of this spectacle. fantastic!

There was only one predator bird hanging around, peregrine, and he/she was kept away by the mobbing crows.

Not the biggest murmuration I’ve seen, but still a fanbloodytastic sight. I’m only guessing at 3000 by the way, probably more, but don’t know how to gauge these numbers without counting on photos. Well, I’m not going to waste my time doing that, and I would have posted a photo here if any were good.

[tigerburnie]

Cock Bullfinch

 

The sun came out by tigerburnie

Edited November 29, 2020 by tigerburnie

[J. S. Bach]

4 hours ago, 88D said:

Saw a lovely murmuration of starlings at RSPB Fairburn Ings  last night. Groups joining in for half an hour until there must have been 3000 or more, then the lava lamp effect and groups plummeting into the reeds in front of us.  ...snip...

There was an intersection at University & Sunrise Blvds near Ft. Lauderdale, FL where the power lines and other aerial items would be covered with starlings; the estimate approached 10,000. Car horns did not scare them, though. They arrived randomly and perched until late dusk. I was never there to see the take-off unfortunately. 

[Phil Bullock]

The rare Churchdown Duckpidgeon....

[88D]

A first for me. I was driving in clear daylight from Oxenhope to Hebden Bridge, about 1200’ up on the moors. I saw a completely black pheasant sidle off the road in front of me into the heather, etc. I’ve never seen nor heard of a black pheasant so thought it might be my first sighting of a Black Grouse, though, admittedly, it did look too small. Quick chat with the local birdwatcher group, and yes, it is a black pheasant, bred to be a marker for shooting parties. Can’t be that good a marker as I should have seen a lot more of them! Anybody else heard of/seen any of these?

[Phil Bullock]

2 hours ago, 88D said:

A first for me. I was driving in clear daylight from Oxenhope to Hebden Bridge, about 1200’ up on the moors. I saw a completely black pheasant sidle off the road in front of me into the heather, etc. I’ve never seen nor heard of a black pheasant so thought it might be my first sighting of a Black Grouse, though, admittedly, it did look too small. Quick chat with the local birdwatcher group, and yes, it is a black pheasant, bred to be a marker for shooting parties. Can’t be that good a marker as I should have seen a lot more of them! Anybody else heard of/seen any of these?

There’s quite a bit of variation in colouration of pheasants .... and many other birds. What you have there is the melanistic version but there is a continuum from pale to dark. I use tail feathers to make trout flies and select accordingly. But there’s no such things as pure colour in nature.... everything is tonal, especially black!

Edited December 12, 2020 by Phil Bullock

[boxbrownie]

We’ve black and white pheasants around here, admittedly white is more common (I say that in the loosest term) although so far the only ones in the garden have been the normal type.......the white ones always look like streamlined chicken to me 

[pH]

 

Before we found out the proper name for these birds, we used to call them 'little tree birds'. They are actually bush tits. The go around in flocks, sometimes of several dozen birds. They are very active - when a flock alights on a tree, the whole tree seems to pulse. 

[jbqfc]

spotted something new today sparrows eating Niger seed 

anyone else seen this 

 

John

[88D]

7 hours ago, jbqfc said:

spotted something new today sparrows eating Niger seed 

anyone else seen this 

 

John

Well, I’ve spotted a surfeit of Niger seed in our garden, but never a sparrow ( or a starling)!

[Mallard60022]

Not seen a lot of birds during Lockdown, despite being at home for almost 9 months!!! However, yesterday I saw for the first time in our garden, a Rock Dove. It was beautifully marked and very trim; I thought it was a racing bird but there were no rings and it was a bit bulky compared to others I have seen. It was having a snack as was a  Woodpigeon nearby so it was an opportunity to compare the two.

At first I thought Stock Dove as we have had those, but this was quite a different bird; rather like a very very smart Town Pigeon and with prominent white Beak base so a Male I suspect?

Sorry for no Pic as I am too slow to dash for the Phone or Camera these days. 

Very similar to this bird.....

[88D]

On 12/12/2020 at 14:08, 88D said:

A first for me. I was driving in clear daylight from Oxenhope to Hebden Bridge, about 1200’ up on the moors. I saw a completely black pheasant sidle off the road in front of me into the heather, etc. I’ve never seen nor heard of a black pheasant so thought it might be my first sighting of a Black Grouse, though, admittedly, it did look too small. Quick chat with the local birdwatcher group, and yes, it is a black pheasant, bred to be a marker for shooting parties. Can’t be that good a marker as I should have seen a lot more of them! Anybody else heard of/seen any of these?

Not that I’m infatuated with black pheasants, but—- a few things have come up from the local birdwatchers which may interest you.

Black pheasants are very common in Sherwood Forest, probably been selected through Darwinian mechanisms to avoid the arrows of passers by.

If a black, or white, pheasant is shot in a shoot, the marksman has to pay a fine!

Black and white pheasants are used as markers for flocks. The keeper makes a note of where these markers are during their normal life, and uses that info to spread food over the grounds. 

If anybody is interested in willow tits, or suchlike, perhaps they can add titbits for our delectation.

 

 

[88D]

Ring-necked Parakeets have now hit Hebden Bridge, and in winter! At this rate, they will usurp mankind as being the dominant species on the planet. 

[Hal Nail]

2 hours ago, 88D said:

Ring-necked Parakeets have now hit Hebden Bridge, and in winter! At this rate, they will usurp mankind as being the dominant species on the planet. 

Funnily enough, I put up my spring loaded feeder today and, for now, it has seen them off. Had to put up with 20 of them in the tree discussing it all morning but by this afternoon just a coal tit and a pair of great tits, neither of which have had a look in for months 

[The Lurker]

There have been lots of redwings flying around us in the last few days, using one our trees to perch. They appear to be a bit of a mixed flock as there are some smaller birds in with them some of the time - only silhouetted but slightly larger than a robin. That's the first time I have noticed them in our garden in the 17 years we have lived here; in fact, I don't think that I have seen them since I used to live in Northampton in the 90s.

[tigerburnie]

BM1K7041 by tigerburnie, on Flickr

 

BM1K6832 by tigerburnie, on Flickr

 

For those who've not seen melanistic or leucistic peasants.

[Flying Pig]

29 minutes ago, The Lurker said:

There have been lots of redwings flying around us in the last few days, using one our trees to perch. They appear to be a bit of a mixed flock as there are some smaller birds in with them some of the time - only silhouetted but slightly larger than a robin. That's the first time I have noticed them in our garden in the 17 years we have lived here; in fact, I don't think that I have seen them since I used to live in Northampton in the 90s.

 

If you have redwings in a mixed flock, check that they aren't the smaller ones, as they often mix with the larger fieldfare.

 

The starling roost near my home has now reached over 2000 birds.  This is them assembling last night.

 

[Phil Bullock]

Fantastic activity in our garden at the moment, just the usual criminals but lots of them including 5 blackbirds at a time.....

[J. S. Bach]

58 minutes ago, tigerburnie said:

BM1K7041 by tigerburnie, on Flickr

 

BM1K6832 by tigerburnie, on Flickr

 

For those who've not seen melanistic or leucistic peasants.

Pheasants?