The Bird Thread

Wtf is wrong with people?

They have no fear of the minimal repercussions, example from yesterday
https://twitter.com/RaptorPersScot/status/1487080444843773955

Good article, birds have been a revelation and source of comfort for me during Covid

I was at a local National Trust grounds yesterday and chatting to several retired couple's at the bird feeders who have been going there for decades and hearing them discuss the changes they have seen in bird numbers (greenfinches) and those that used to breed there (Cornrake) and now no longer visit, it is super depressing. My daughter is 16 and makes me think that there are species I see now that her children will probably never know and while there are success stories like the Red Kite, we get images like those from adroit that show the uphill battle are little feathered friends face.

a few snaps from our RSPB garden birdwatch effort this morning. nothing exotic unfortunately.
really windy out there which might have had a bit of an impact on numbers.

3 goldfinch
2 blackbird
2 dunnock
1 magpie
3 sparrows
1 great tit
1 blue tit
2 collared dove
1 robin
1 squirrel

anyone else taking part?

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No birds here yet today, I assume the wind has put them off. The garden is usually full of 'em!

Not many birds here near Carlisle, pretty windy with branches down. so going to try again tomorrow. Only birds I have seen are pigeons and the local pack of five magpies.

Daughter is going to Belsay Hall and Gardens tomorrow as they are taking part.

I might re-do it tomorrow as it's a good excuse to sit and look out of the window for an hour rather than doing other jobs.
we've been having a few long tail tits visiting over the last couple of weeks so I was hoping they'd make an appearance.

Will hopefully do it tomorrow when nearly no wind plus full feeders.

https://twitter.com/Natures_Voice/status/1487409199449522180

I feel his excitement. Wonderful.

Out camping on Dorset this weekend. Spotted some spoonbills in Arne just now. This is through the knox..

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Can anyone recommend some squirrel proof feeders that don't cost an arm and a leg? Tried normal ones, didn't last a week before the squirrels destroyed them

Arne

One of the best 24/7 bird feeder cams there:

https://youtu.be/SLNKVjKgXJc

^ quiet right now, obvs

I'm not sure what brand the ones we have are but they have cast metal fittings and the squirrels haven't chewed through them yet.

https://www.lovegardenbirds.co.uk/johnston-jeff-hammertone-cast-metal-seed-feeder-6-port

edit - similar to this one I think

Had something similar to that and they just chewed through the plastic. Thinking about it, maybe it was rats or something and i've been unfairly maligning squirrels all this time

Chucking out the old for the new ! Man that was windy.

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Apparently this is in Lewisham

https://twitter.com/jahanlon2/status/1487346697499992066

Wow. Great photo

Got the camera on the feeders today, quite quiet but might pick up.

https://youtu.be/inEBhbvLomM

^ Just got a huge gang of Long Tailed Tits, from 50 - 53 mins. Too many & too much movement to count them properly!

Gif from footage

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Ohh, might extend my feeder with a pole on top like yours. Our long tailed tits descend mob handed for ten minutes then flock off again lol

I didn’t look in my garden today as I went out for a walk from about 7.15 to 13.15 and saw stuff up and down the Thame

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And then some more

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