The Bird Thread

Probably the worst pictures ever to grace this thread, but every bird here is a pied wagtail - I found this huge flock of them yesterday evening, roosting on these trees in the middle of the Eden shopping centre in High Wycombe. It was an impressive sight - apparently it is common behaviour for this species to roost together in warmer town centres, but I had never seen anything like it.

Love wagtails :)
I think their behaviour's changed relatively recently (10 years or so). They used to be quite a rare sight in cities, I remember noticing them when we got back into a building site that had been closed for best part of a year, they liked the quiet and the standing water, but they were shy. Then soon after I noticed them getting bolder at work, coming near if you were sitting outside. Now they're like bloody starlings (I love starlings too). Pied that is. Grey are still shy and I've never seen a yellow one in London.

There's a tree full of goldfinches at work, like that. Quite a sight!

Camouflaging after disturbing the wren with leaves raking the garden.

Sitting having lunch, looking out from 8th floor balcony toward London, just seen something fly by with distinct red underwings. Was pigeon-size, with the slightly erratic wing stroke of one. Dyed racing pigeon? Lockdown boredom art project??

Distinct red underwings sounds like a redwing. Smaller than a pigeon though.
Also erratic wing beat is kind of diagnostic.

Yes, v intriguing - my partner saw it at same time, very distinctive the colouring along leading edge of underwings which was a solid, deep, rich red. In hindsight, didn’t look like it had been painted, and it was small/lean pigeon size (ie not a plump wood pigeon). Looking up the Redwing it looked too light and rust/orange , but did see one description which said the colouring can be ‘blood red’ and migration pattern checks out, so possibly. ...So distinctive, wish I could figure it out!

A redwing is the size of a small thrush, largely because it is a small thrush. It does perfectly fit your description.

Thank you Colin - churning through this on a ride today, it’s the only thing it could have been. It was surprising the intensity of the red colour ...and wish I’d got a proper look for 100% confirmation. Prepared for next time!

Massive amounts of Redwings and Fieldfares arriving from Europe - could be in for a hard Winter folks - the first Bewicks arrived at Slimbridge today. Have to get the car MOT'd so I can get up to Cley in midwinter - fantastic at that time of year.

Little Egrets are pretty common down here, at the edge of Romney Marsh, but a Great White Egret turned up on my local lake yesterday.

^they seem fairly common round here (Aylesbury Vale) but they are still great to see. They make brilliant shapes in flight. These flew up from a flooded field while I was walking past yesterday.

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Tail-less Red Kite spotted in Marlow (not by me)

https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/18864449.rare-sighting-red-kite-without-tail-marlow-leaves-experts-baffled/

It might need a CSI zoom but there’s a Kingfisher in the centre, honest guv!

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Took me about three minutes to spot it!

Or did I spot it? A little help?

Added an arrow but it’s reduced the resolution. Next up pictures of the Loch Ness Monster.

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Awesome. I did spot it. Was doubting myself because I could see the shape but not the colours. Nice one. Have never seen one before.

The only time I have ever seen a kingfisher was one flying down the Irwell slap bang in the centre of Manchester, most incongruous

Scared 3 Goldfinches out of a roadside hedge on the way to Staines early this afternoon.

Often see kingfishers down in Wanstead Park / River Roding way. Least likely place I spotted one was on Pymmes Brook up on the North Circular by the Edmonton IKEA. Not really in keeping with the tone of the place.

Seen a couple I think. One down in the nature reserve in swettenham, Cheshire near where I grew up

One near our mates a couple of years back by the army barracks(?) in deepcut

I've only seen a kingfisher once, through a very powerful telescope that someone had (he wouldn't say how much it cost, he was a proper twitcher who seemed to know everything) on a bird-spotting walk organised by (I think) the Hackney Marshes User Group. It was sunning itself on the concrete of the weir (or whatever it is) where the Flood Relief Channel joins the River Lea. With that telescope, you could make up absolutely every detail and the bird's colours looked totally brilliant in the sunshine. Great experience. He had the telescope set up there for about ten minutes so everyone on the walk could have a long look, and the kingfisher didn't move from its spot at all.

Some lovely pictures of birds in flight:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/26/charmed-in-lockdown-garden-birds-by-denis-thorpe-in-pictures

I do subscribe to the widespread idea that the most visually beautiful thing in nature is bird wings.

I do subscribe to the widespread idea that the most visually beautiful thing in nature is bird wings.

Tits, generally.