Where have all our garden birds gone?

[monkeysarefun]

With all the recent storms water-logging the place, many  hundreds if not thousands  of Australian White Ibises have arrived to wander around in every available soggy paddock around here.

 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[J. S. Bach]

Where I worked in south Florida (off-campus location for a while), there was an off-shoot of a large retention lake and these white Ibises would congregate on the shore:

There were many more than those in the photo.

 

I am not sure what this one is, but it was common to see it perched on the structure:

Note that there were fish in the pond.

 

A couple of ducks (ice-breakers in training?):

I just thought that it was an unusual image so I took the photo.

 

 

Also in the pond was this guy:

I remember tossing some stale, frozen blueberry muffins in to the pond for the fish; the gator came over to investigate and one toss bonked him square on the snout! Not planned at all, he sailed right into the salvo! 🙂

[hmrspaul]

On 28/12/2023 at 21:55, J. S. Bach said:

Where I worked in south Florida (off-campus location for a while), there was an off-shoot of a large retention lake and these white Ibises would congregate on the shore:

 

There were many more than those in the photo.

 

I am not sure what this one is, but it was common to see it perched on the structure:

Note that there were fish in the pond.

 

 

🙂

Anhinga anhinga - notable for usually swimming with only their head out of the water an appearance that gives them the name Snake bird. Common throughout much of the Americas.

 

Paul

 

[03060]

Saw my first flock of Redwings of this (British) winter season this afternoon out on my local park, wonder if this is a prelude to snowfall coming as we also had wonderful thunder and lightening storm a few days ago which is also supposed to be a 7-10 day precursor to snowstorms if heard at this time of year .... according to 'old' wives and the superstitious around here ??

[jbqfc]

could be bad weather coming as i have had to put up extra feeders 

the blue tis goldfinches and starlings are feeding like mad 

 

John 

[mow]

Have had a Siberian Lesser Whitethroat, feeding in the garden from late October til early February. It was trapped, ringed, and recorded in January and DNA testing pointed to a blythi rather than halimodendri subspecies. 

 

 

 

[Flying Pig]

55 minutes ago, mow said:

Have had a Siberian Lesser Whitethroat, feeding in the garden from late October til early February. It was trapped, ringed, and recorded in January and DNA testing pointed to a blythi rather than halimodendri subspecies. 

 

 

 

 

What a fantastic garden visitor.

[mow]

27 minutes ago, Flying Pig said:

 

What a fantastic garden visitor.

 It was feeding on a coconut full of fat, seeds and insects about 8 feet from the kitchen door, but was quick to move off if anyone was about. 

 

I have posted a link to the photos of the bird when it was ringed.

 

www.flickr.com/photos/16582147@N07/albums/72177720313997310/

 

Short video clip of the bird feeding.

 

www.flickr.com/photos/16582147@N07/albums/72177720313016247/

 

Edited February 29 by mow

[Mallard60022]

Is that what they call an Erratic? Super Visitor.

Phil

[mow]

4 minutes ago, Mallard60022 said:

Is that what they call an Erratic? Super Visitor.

Phil

 

I'm not sure, but I was surprised to see it, at first I thought it was a blackcap. Not long after I had posted photos, I had a request from a bird ringer who wanted to trap it. Four visits later, the bird was caught,

 

Others have been seen since the Autumn at  Spurn Head, Anniesland, Glasgow in October, Shetland and  Landguard.  

 

 

[steve1]

The Derwent has been flooded out the back of our house* for several months. When this happens, waterfowl of various sorts appear from, seemingly, nowhere. (Perhaps they hear about it on Twitter…)

 

This flock of Pochards have been around since before Xmas and don’t seem to be in a hurry to move.

 

steve

 

*Fair play, it is a floodplain!

 

 

[Downendian]

First chiff chaff heard this morning in Wiltshire whilst fishing 

[Flying Pig]

On 04/03/2024 at 09:21, steve1 said:

This flock of Pochards have been around since before Xmas

 

Not Pochards (diving ducks) but Wigeons, which spend a lot of time ashore eating grass, but will relocate to the water if disturbed.  They have a characteristic "wheeoo" call which is very evocative of a grazing marsh in winter.

 

I had my usual New Year trip to the Lower Derwent Valley in January after visiting family, but the water was so high everywhere that the birds had moved well downstream below Bubwith bridge and were mostly out of sight.  A pity as the view from the hides at North Duffield is often quite spectacular.

[Downendian]

Lovely morning out fishing it Wiltshire. Aided by the Merlin bird ID app, I’ve identified a pair of Marsh tits looking like they’re preparing to nest. I thought they were coal tits at first but identified through their calls. They’re on the RSPB red list which includes mistle thrushes of which I’ve heard several this morning. A lovely spot for fishing and bird spotting.

Neil

[Flying Pig]

4 hours ago, Downendian said:

Lovely morning out fishing it Wiltshire. Aided by the Merlin bird ID app, I’ve identified a pair of Marsh tits looking like they’re preparing to nest. I thought they were coal tits at first but identified through their calls. They’re on the RSPB red list which includes mistle thrushes of which I’ve heard several this morning. A lovely spot for fishing and bird spotting.

Neil

 

Nice sightings!  Marsh tits are indeed becoming thin on the ground.  I've just had an exchange of emails with a ringer working in North Wilts after I saw a colour-ringed Marsh Tit on his patch and apparently they are very reluctant to disperse more than about a kilometre from where they were hatched.  This makes recolonisation of fragmented habitat difficult for the species.

 

If you can, please send in your records - see

 

https://www.wiltshirebirds.co.uk/records.html

[melmerby]

4 hours ago, Downendian said:

Merlin bird ID app

Thanks for mentioning it.

I wanted such an app to identify birds but had never heard of that one. (I dont surf the smartphone apps very often🙂)

Now installed on phone, sadly not available for my tablet (too old!)

[Anthony]

Does anyone have any views on the accuracy of Merlin in the UK?

 

MTIA

 

 

Anthony

[Anthony]

I posted my question earlier, as I live in Streatham, London, close to Tooting Bec Common.  Merlin has identified all the usual suspects, but also a few that I was not expecting, including these:-

 

Black Redstart

Goldcrest

Blackcap

Stonechat

Cetti's Warbler

Redstart

 

I appreciate that the Common is quite a magnet, and all of these are not impossible, but I was wondering if the app might be being a little optimistic?

 

Any thoughts?

 

Incidentally, it did also identify via an image, a Whimbrel in Sal, Cape Verde!  Image is poor, taken from a distance, sadly.

 

 

 

Anthony

 

[Jeremy Cumberland]

55 minutes ago, Anthony said:

I posted my question earlier, as I live in Streatham, London, close to Tooting Bec Common.  Merlin has identified all the usual suspects, but also a few that I was not expecting, including these:-

 

Black Redstart

Goldcrest

Blackcap

Stonechat

Cetti's Warbler

Redstart

 

I appreciate that the Common is quite a magnet, and all of these are not impossible, but I was wondering if the app might be being a little optimistic?

 

Any thoughts?

 

Incidentally, it did also identify via an image, a Whimbrel in Sal, Cape Verde!  Image is poor, taken from a distance, sadly.

 

 

 

Anthony

 

Some of them seem quite likely for Tooting Bec Common. Black redstarts seemed to be getting quite common in southern England before I moved up north, and they have no worries about built-up areas. Goldcrests can be found pretty much anywhere there are trees, but I find them next to impossible to spot (some people seem to have an eye for them, but not me). Blackcaps are widespread, and also don't mind towns.

 

Cetti's warblers are wetland birds and they like to remain in cover. Is there anywhere on Tooting Bec Common that's like this? The song is pretty unmistakable (at least, I don't know another song like it), and loud, so not really the sort of song a decent birdsong app would mis-identify. Listen to a recording and see if you can hear it yourself.

 

Stonechats like open heathland with gorse and similar shrubs. I've never encountered one in an urban area, but you never know - they aren't particularly timid birds. I wonder if another bird's alarm call could have been mistaken for a stonechat, but if there really are stonechats, if you can hear them you should have no problem seeing them.

 

I don't know much about redstarts, and I've only seen them in rural woodlands.

[Anthony]

As far as Cetti's Warblers are concerned, the Common has had a new lake for the last few months, which may explain it!

 

I find the whole thing such a delight when all of these are heard from my back garden.

 

Oh yes, and a Chiffchaff.

[The Lurker]

Parakeets investigate the bird feeder this morning:

[Phil Bullock]

New visitors for our garden this morning…, siskins ! Very happy with that.

 

Re bird apps I use Chirp-o-matic but if it comes up with exotica I treat it with a big pinch of salt. It was persistently trying to tell we there was a golden oriole in woods at Talybont  on Usk last April. 

Edited April 2 by Phil Bullock

[Stray]

Visitors to my garden this week: Magpies trying to nest in the Hawthorn,  a Heron stealing the goldfish and next door's hens leaving deposits on the rails, rearranging the the borders and gravel. Oh, and a Blue tit did look in the bird box.

[mow]

Walked over to the local park yesterday morning, managed to catch sight of a green woodpecker.

 

 

 

Edited April 2 by mow

[Flying Pig]

 

On 28/03/2024 at 17:55, Anthony said:

As far as Cetti's Warblers are concerned, the Common has had a new lake for the last few months, which may explain it!

 

I find the whole thing such a delight when all of these are heard from my back garden.

 

Oh yes, and a Chiffchaff.

 

Depending on when your app identified it, Redstart is quite possible, since they are much more widespread during migration (April-May and August-October) and may pitch down in any suitable habitat.  Scrub or hedgerow or even an isolated bush with rough grass adjacent they can feed on seems to be favourite, but you can even find migrating males singing from taller trees in spring.