The Bird Thread

I watched some magpies chase and murder a starling fledgling the other day.

Not so different from the papers?

Great picture, and sounds like a sensible approach to life right now.

Notable spots from this morning’s ride: northern lapwings (exciting, never seen a lapwing before which is a damning indictment of agricultural practices in the UK), common sandpipers, and the sound of a cuckoo (unseen). Really need to start taking my camera out on the bike as a matter of routine.

Great photo

I never see our Sparrowhawk, just the aftermath.

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Our elderly next door neighbour locked themselves out recently so I popped around with my ladder to do the honours and there was a horrible squealing from the end of her garden... I had a quick peek and a sparrow hawk was sat with a very much alive blackbird in it claws, grim viewing.

After six months of all-the-birds ignoring our mealworms to favour the sunflower hearts, the starlings have finally descended. I’m not sure I’ll be buying another bag the rate these guys empty it.

This pm.
First time I've seen a Jay in our back garden.
Better than the ubiquitous magpies,
but, I'm wondering if it was recce-ing smaller birds' nests?

I'm glad I haven't seen one in action tbh!

My daughter found an egg floating in the pond, cold. Mallard?

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Also one Swan Egg never hatched. Surprisingly still there

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Wagtails and Swallows this evening.

Not sure what was flying over the water?

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Divebombed by some screeching swifts as I was planting my tomatoes out this morning. Joyous.

Joyous.

I concur. I saw my first pair above my garden a few days ago. Cheered me right up!

just saw a flash in the back garden a bird that looked bigger than the usual visitors
it emerged from the bushes and sat on the fence
my first bird of prey in the garden ( proper bird of prey, have magpies crows and gulls circling reguularly )

it had a beige light brown breast about the suize of a magpie and was going after the numerous fledgling sparrows that have burst onto the scene in the last 2 days

what is it ? no photos sadly

Probably a Sparrowhawk.

would make sense, colour looks right on the breast but mine was not so mottled just plain one colour, possibly a juvenile or an eastend mongrel

Probably a male

Bought some old postcards with birds on them, thought you guys might like these photos as well -

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I went to a Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition over the weekend, some pretty cool bird pics including this one https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/gallery/2020-the-pull-of-the-meadows?tags=ed.current

Warning: That gallery has some images of animal abuse/cruelty, and also spiders

One of the starling chicks fell down inside the wall again. Not sure I can get it back in .what to do?

Makes the Sparrow Hawk in the garden seem tame...
Warning: Contains predator violence

https://twitter.com/ukeastcoast/status/1397072758618611724

There was an excellent doc about the Golden Eagles trained in Kazakhstan for exactly this. Raised from a chick to accompany the rider on horseback.

Like soming out of Beastmaster.

Blimey.

I put the starling chick/fledgling (it has most of its feathers) in a child's shoebox with a hole cut in it on a third floor windowsill about 6ft from the original nest hole. Hopefully it's not too stressed and exhausted by the fall or a night on the ground to make it this time*

*The same thing happened last year and by the time i'd figured out what was going on, had bashed out the airbrick, grabbed the chick, found a box, tried it in a couple of locations, the parents did start to feed it, but it died on the second night. Hopefully this time I got to it quicker and caused it less stress.

Shit photo because my tree is huge and my phone zoom is rubbish. Heard a jay screeching this morning followed by some fluffy feathers falling from the tree. Got up close and the jay was eating a chick.

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Enjoyed listening to this one earlier