RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted January 5, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 5, 2023 (edited) 32 minutes ago, Hroth said: Its that time of year again. RSPB Birdwatch 2023 Im in! Hope my feathered chums all turn up to be counted. Tally so far this year in our 30ft square garden … Greenfinch Goldfinch Chaffinch Blue tit Great tit Long tailed tit Coal tit House sparrow Dunnock Robin Blackbird Redwing Starling Magpie Crow Jackdaw Blackcap Greater spotted Woodpecker Woodpigeon Collared Dove Rather pleased with that lot …. And can add Heron, Buzzard, Red Kite, sparrowhawk, kestrel and various gulls passing overhead. Edited January 5, 2023 by Phil Bullock 8 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeysarefun Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 Rainbow Lorikeets pouncing on an apple that someone dropped outside the local fruit shop. This is one reason why the local fruit shop doesn't have outside fruit displays! 8 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted February 4, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 4, 2023 Sat eating a sausage bap with SWMBO this morning…. Watching the birds, great relaxation! Hang on is that the wren in the water feature? Not sure…. Grab the Binos…. Is that a golden stripe on its head? Little blighter didn’t keep still for long….. it is!!!! A goldcrest! Wonderful …. Another one to add to the list . Speaking of which did anyone else do the RSPB bird watch??? 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Flying Pig Posted February 4, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 4, 2023 22 minutes ago, Phil Bullock said: Sat eating a sausage bap with SWMBO this morning…. Watching the birds, great relaxation! Hang on is that the wren in the water feature? Not sure…. Grab the Binos…. Is that a golden stripe on its head? Little blighter didn’t keep still for long….. it is!!!! A goldcrest! Wonderful …. Another one to add to the list . Speaking of which did anyone else do the RSPB bird watch??? I don't have a garden but send in records all year round. It makes quite ordinary sightings more interesting when you feel they are of some significance, which increases the pleasure of the local patches considerably for me. Goldcrests are a lot more widespread than people think and certainly aren't confined to conifers. For several years my first record of Goldcrest would come from a patch of bushes beside the Ridgeway path on the Marlborough Downs. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted February 4, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 4, 2023 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Flying Pig said: I don't have a garden but send in records all year round. It makes quite ordinary sightings more interesting when you feel they are of some significance, which increases the pleasure of the local patches considerably for me. Goldcrests are a lot more widespread than people think and certainly aren't confined to conifers. For several years my first record of Goldcrest would come from a patch of bushes beside the Ridgeway path on the Marlborough Downs. Yes that’s easy to believe … they are so secretive, often only recognise them by their calls. We don’t have significant conifers in our garden but others nearby certainly do… Edited February 4, 2023 by Phil Bullock 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam Posted February 9, 2023 Share Posted February 9, 2023 (edited) On 04/02/2023 at 13:04, Phil Bullock said: Yes that’s easy to believe … they are so secretive, often only recognise them by their calls. We don’t have significant conifers in our garden but others nearby certainly do… We have a conifer tree on the right hand side of our garden, and then our neighbours to the back of our garden have a fir tree which overhangs into our garden, and is used by many birds on their way to our feeders. Our goldcrest can sometimes be seen around the two large trees, and there is another goldcrest in the area which I saw the other week along a path. Edited February 9, 2023 by Liam 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted February 11, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 11, 2023 We have a feeder for the red squirrels they lift a lid and take a peanut. One of the Rooks has discovered he can lift the lid with his/her head. Don 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerburnie Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Not in the garden, just down the road 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 14, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 14, 2023 Anybody identify what raptor this rear view is of? Unfortunately the blighter didn't turn around, although it sat there for about 5 minutes. It's at least 2x the size of a Sparrowhawk and I've not seen it in the garden before. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Flying Pig Posted February 14, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 14, 2023 10 minutes ago, melmerby said: Anybody identify what raptor this rear view is of? Unfortunately the blighter didn't turn around, although it sat there for about 5 minutes. It's at least 2x the size of a Sparrowhawk and I've not seen it in the garden before. I don't think there's anything to suggest it isn't a female sparrowhawk, which can be considerably larger than males. It has juvenile wing coverts (brown with pale edges) contrasting with more adult feathers on the back which I think makes it a bird of last year. 2 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 14, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 14, 2023 1 hour ago, Flying Pig said: I don't think there's anything to suggest it isn't a female sparrowhawk, which can be considerably larger than males. It has juvenile wing coverts (brown with pale edges) contrasting with more adult feathers on the back which I think makes it a bird of last year. Thanks. I couldn't quite match it to any particular bird. The Sparrowhawks around here always seem smaller, we had one on the ground and it wasn't much bigger than a starling, so the size of this one was a surprise. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted February 15, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 15, 2023 The female sparrowhawk is brown compared to the smaller male's gey. The Kestrels and Buzzards were clear enough but I thought we also had a Merlin reglarly and one I couldn't recognise but my Bird ringing neighbour identified as a Hobby this in Someset. Don 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted February 27, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 27, 2023 Put the video camera out this morning to test it more than anything else but our latest visitor kindly obliged!!! Goldcrest having a bath 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Jonboy Posted March 3, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 3, 2023 Rearranged our feeding station so that the pigeons cannot reach the food in the feeders yesterday evening. This morning we have had a procession of them trying every-which way to access breakfast, and then looking in the window as if to say “excuse me kind sir, but I appear not to be able to reach…” Will be interesting to see if they disappear in the coming weeks or keep trying. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted March 3, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2023 2 hours ago, Jonboy said: Rearranged our feeding station so that the pigeons cannot reach the food in the feeders yesterday evening. This morning we have had a procession of them trying every-which way to access breakfast, and then looking in the window as if to say “excuse me kind sir, but I appear not to be able to reach…” Will be interesting to see if they disappear in the coming weeks or keep trying. they will keep trying it is a constant battle they will find a way John 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Flying Pig Posted March 3, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2023 @Lambton58 refers to Woodpigeons as ""justa"s, as in just a woodpigeon. Their ubiquity and ability to suggest all kinds of scarcer species at first glance is an endless source of birding fun. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted March 3, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2023 Pigeons are reckoned to be among the most intelligent of birds. https://beautyofbirds.com/pigeon-intelligence/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 03060 Posted March 3, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2023 Well I like them, I certainly wish that I could fly like they do. I'm sure that it's the black and white bars on a woodpidgeons wings that inspired the D-Day landing aircraft markings, ie instantly recognisable. Hmmm, is it wrong to want to come back as a pidgeon next time around, I wonder ?? (LoL) 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Lambton58 Posted March 3, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2023 7 hours ago, Flying Pig said: @Lambton58 refers to Woodpigeons as ""justa"s, as in just a woodpigeon. Their ubiquity and ability to suggest all kinds of scarcer species at first glance is an endless source of birding fun. Mrs Lambton58 and I maintain that 'justa' is an old Bedfordshire name for woodpigeons. And yes, their ability to suggest other species is darned irritating. On the otherhand, I'm told they make good pies... 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Flying Pig Posted March 3, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2023 40 minutes ago, Lambton58 said: Mrs Lambton58 and I maintain that 'justa' is an old Bedfordshire name for woodpigeons. And yes, their ability to suggest other species is darned irritating. On the otherhand, I'm told they make good pies... They make terrible pies - they can't hold a rolling pin for a start. 1 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 On 03/03/2023 at 11:10, jbqfc said: they will keep trying it is a constant battle they will find a way John I find they spend their time on the ground under the feeders making a fairly poor effort at tidying up all the bits that the small birds spit out, but a cracking job of trampling on my plants...... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted March 5, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 5, 2023 1 hour ago, Anthony said: I find they spend their time on the ground under the feeders making a fairly poor effort at tidying up all the bits that the small birds spit out, but a cracking job of trampling on my plants...... yes they do a good job of trampling my plants to and knocking plants to the bottom of the pond when bathing but i have a couple that are obsessed with getting on the suet feeder as i have a tray underneath to stop the bits falling on to the path as they make it very slippy he used the tray to stand on so i then put a cage round guess what he hangs on the cage and can still just reach the feed will have to refit the cage a bit further out it is good fun though sitting watching them trying to work out to get to the feed John 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeysarefun Posted March 7, 2023 Share Posted March 7, 2023 (edited) The pigeons round here have hair like Vyvyan from The Young Ones and often have a mental look in their eyes, like this one, just look at him. Also, probably venomous. Edited March 7, 2023 by monkeysarefun 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmrspaul Posted March 7, 2023 Share Posted March 7, 2023 Crested Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes) are beautiful and that is a nice photo. The irridescence of the wings is lovely. You are fortunate to have such a fine common bird. Paul 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Downendian Posted March 18, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 18, 2023 Seen and heard the first Chiff Chaff of the year this morning, tried to video it but the bird wouldn’t play ball! Several blackcaps singing away in the extensive back gardens of my neighbourhood - spring is truly on its way. Neil 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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