Scunnered Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 I never knew ravens could vocalise so well. Smart birds. "Sausages" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Eagle Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 Sorry to have to tell you this - but bats aren't burds. But some burds are batshit crazy... I'll get my coat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 Sorry to have to tell you this - but bats aren't burds. Bats aren't burds but plenty of burds are batty. BTW burds and binoculars sounds a bit like the perv's version of guns and ammo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steppenpig Posted May 21, 2016 Author Share Posted May 21, 2016 50% of bats are burds, but 100% of burds are bats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 Bats aren't burds but plenty of burds are batty. BTW burds and binoculars sounds a bit like the perv's version of guns and ammo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 How to crack a nut?......around these parts it tends to be low flying dropped snails.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steppenpig Posted May 23, 2016 Author Share Posted May 23, 2016 collared dove. probably not that exciting, but the first I've seen great or blue tit. (didn't hang around long enough to confirm). I know tits are supposed to be quite common, but i don't actually see them that oftem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 collared dove. probably not that exciting, but the first I've seen Did it crap on you? If not, why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTMark Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 collared dove. probably not that exciting, but the first I've seen great or blue tit. (didn't hang around long enough to confirm). I know tits are supposed to be quite common, but i don't actually see them that oftem. Collared doves are very common. See if you can see a turtle dove I've never seen one in the wild apart from a possible fleeting glimpse in the Essex countryside. After you've been doing this for a while you'll be surprised how quickly you can identify them. For instance, the Great Tit is substantially larger than the Blue Tit, but when you start, you have no frame of reference, so that information is useless unless you see the pair side-by-side. Blue Tit - blue head crest, narrow striping on belly. Great Tit - large thicker stripe on belly, yellow bits usually more yellow, no head crest, black head. Your "next stage" is then to try and tell apart the Blue Tit and the Coal Tit (slightly smaller, badger like head colouring), then the Coal Tit and the Marsh Tit. Then you can move onto gender: for example, being able to identify whether a woodpigeon is male or female. That one is a bit of a challenge. It gets easier, and I've found it rewarding being able to "put names to them" as opposed to "they are just birds". One day you'll see one of the rarer ones, like a nuthatch or a tree-creeper, and I must admit there is a moment of excitement when you spot one you've never seen before and can tell what it is, something which passes everyone else by without a glance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steppenpig Posted May 23, 2016 Author Share Posted May 23, 2016 And a thrush of some sort After you've been doing this for a while you'll be surprised how quickly you can identify them I am already eperiencing that with, my minor successes thus far. The only trouble is, I don't see how I will ever be able to identify anything without binoculars, so I am reliant on them comeing visiitng me in the garden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTMark Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 Most of my "bird-watching" is simply looking out of the kitchen window at the garden feeders, we get quite a variety. Most thrushes are song thrushes. The mistle thrush is bigger, I've only ever seen one. In the garden. It came to have a wash in the upturned bin lid acting as a bird bath. However we had to retire that when we got the cats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RentingForever Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 It's been a good year for birds (feathered) spotted out of my home-office window. Blue tits, great tits, long-tailed tits, chaffinch, goldfinch, greenfinch, and lots of assorted blackbirds, house sparrows, robins and unidentifiable small-brown-jobs. Once you've got the hang of identification one of the joys is watching the different behaviours of the different species - who goes for what food, are they pushy or shy, in groups or alone etc. For example according to the RSPB "Many small birds have a 'soliciting' posture where the females crouch and half spread their wings, quivering them rapidly as they do and often calling to the male. This is an invitation to mate". There's a very up-for-it female great tit in my garden doing exactly this today. Phwoarrr! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 We have a lot of goldfinches since we started putting Niger seed in one of the feeders. Mind you they spill a lot and I end up with about ten million Niger seedlings to get rid of. Always have a lot of tits, blue, great, coal and long-tailed, robins, blackbirds, jays, and GS woodpeckers if there are fat balls out. Plus chaffinches and the odd nuthatch. And always parakeets. They used to demolish a dozen fat balls in half a day until mr B found a parakeet-proof feeder. The nijer specific feeders have tiny holes to prevent wastage, but even then you get huge amounts falling out and self seeding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy_renting Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 Some of my favourite birds (if they don't exist, they bloody well ought to): Chortling Willow Grebe Tawny Nutnibbler Fan-tailed Fantail Chirping Thingy Bird Great F***ing Sandhopper Spork-billed Cocklecatcher Wading Wazzock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Cavey Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 ^ Lilac breasted roller Fork tailed drongo Northern flicker Kori bustard Ticked all of them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juvenal Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 After tiptoeing in and out of my shed for weeks due to robins nesting, I saw my first baby robin today. Came with its mother from bushes a few feet away seeking the regular mealworm issue. Small and brown, with a speckly chest - the red comes later. Big moment for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rave Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 collared dove. probably not that exciting, but the first I've seen I've never seen one in England but there's been a pair round the pool at our hotel here in southern Spain. Loved watching the male hop round after his lady and doing the lovely 'coo COO coo' when she played hard to get. Most amusing. I personally love house sparrows, they used to be everywhere in London but increasingly hard to spot now. I should declare an interest- when I was a stupid 12 year old I shot and killed one (in Somerset) for no better reason than that I had the airgun in my hand and it landed on the fence 10' away from me. It didn't suffer, I got it full in the face, but it was an awful nihilistic thing to do and I'm still guilty about it 25 years on. What can I do to attone for my crime and help them prosper now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steppenpig Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 Been seeing some starlings recntly. Quite attractive petrol-purple-green-black color, but up close (binoculars), there's something ugly about them. Look a bit like crows with slicked back hair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 It's been a good year for birds (feathered) spotted out of my home-office window. Blue tits, great tits, long-tailed tits, chaffinch, goldfinch, greenfinch, and lots of assorted blackbirds, house sparrows, robins and unidentifiable small-brown-jobs. Once you've got the hang of identification one of the joys is watching the different behaviours of the different species - who goes for what food, are they pushy or shy, in groups or alone etc. For example according to the RSPB "Many small birds have a 'soliciting' posture where the females crouch and half spread their wings, quivering them rapidly as they do and often calling to the male. This is an invitation to mate". There's a very up-for-it female great tit in my garden doing exactly this today. Phwoarrr! Could be a dunnock. http://www.discoverwildlife.com/blog-custom/bto-garden-bird-month-march-dunnock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Bird watching with binoculars can be quite frightening. Sparrows the size of a labrador. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 After tiptoeing in and out of my shed for weeks due to robins nesting, I saw my first baby robin today. Came with its mother from bushes a few feet away seeking the regular mealworm issue. Small and brown, with a speckly chest - the red comes later. Big moment for me. From eight hatched blue tits, only one survived and fledged today, just sat in the bush chirping whilst the parents were still feeding it, all big and fluffy......got one of these a few weeks ago that attaches to window and the birds feed freely from it, can see them really clearly, love the meal worms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Thanks for showing me your tit! That really cheered me up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 From eight hatched blue tits, only one survived and fledged today, just sat in the bush chirping whilst the parents were still feeding it, all big and fluffy......got one of these a few weeks ago that attaches to window and the birds feed freely from it, can see them really clearly, love the meal worms. Some smart ******er has bought a load of clear cheap 99p soap dishes and are now selling them for £9.99 as 'Specialist bird watching apparatus' Genius. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juvenal Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Thanks for showing me your tit! That really cheered me up. Now then, now then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Now then, now then... There's no filth in MrPin's holy chapel of faith. All the filth is in your head! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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