The Bird Thread

It looks like 2 pairs of hawks / falcons at Lewisham, for those interested in such things.

I'll keep an eye out above my garden, sometimes the Lewisham falcons come over to Peckham especially this time of year. I often see them getting mobbed by swifts.

Has anybody else finished Alan Partridge’s Oasthouse recently?

Goodbye Maurice!

Top day birding, got a bluethroat which took me to 200 species since started keeping a list last year

Productive 90 minutes at slimbridge got bluethroat, wood sandpiper, spotted redshank and black winged stilt. Also first time seeing a ruff in summer plumage and how they get their name

A pair of long-eared owls has turned up in deepest Sussex, the few of us who know their whereabouts aren't exactly publicising it.

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Detail.

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Amazing!

Fuck yeah, that is very cool

Very cool!

I'm currently on holiday in Poole Harbour, an hour ago watched a white tailed sea eagle take out a gull for its dinner, top birding

Amazing. I'm down that way this weekend (with the kids so won't be bothering any hides) but would be cool for them - and me - to see one!
We're camping near Arne and hoping for nightjars.

Yes I'm staying at the massive caravan park opposite Arne across the bay, turns out it's a great birding spot and wildlife in general. Was able to walk five minutes from my caravan this morning and see a sea Eagle before breakfast and before the teenager woke up. Lots of nightjar around this area, should have no problem finding one over the arne side. Don't know how old your kids are but you could get them watching the osprey webcam and they have a good chance of then seeing them over the harbour/ Wareham Channel

Also I went on a Birds of Poole Harbour run boating trip last night and would highly recommend if anyone is ever down here, the guiding and commentary was superb and learnt and seen lots of things I would of missed otherwise. Their website is good for sightings and guides/ advice to all the various areas around the harbour

Anywhere chosen as a site by Springwatch is going to be pretty OK I reckon

Nightjar success! They were very obliging with multiple fly-bys near and far. They were chirring all around so difficult to pinpoint one place to look but we didn't really need to.

Also heard something we couldn't identify, it was a bigger/louder sound, like a short sharp loud "pew". Any ideas?

Magic! I am hoping we might hear some in France in a few weeks time. Here are some I heard at Westleton in the meantime https://fieldrecordings.xyz/2021/09/28/nightjars-at-westleton-heath-suffolk-uk-in-july-2019-by-paul-ridout/

Working in our flat on 6th floor and I heard a raptor type bird call so looked out to see what appears to be a buzzard having a chat with a crow, all small birdlife disappeared and was a bit surprised to not see more crows join the argument.
This was topped by the resident peregrine getting involved which I presume was the tercel due to the size difference, not something I expected to see in SE19

I've never really paid a lot of attention to birds, despite having been lucky enough to grow up somewhere with very interesting bird life (next to a river, out in the countryside).

During lockdown but especially since leaving London I've got much more into putting food out for garden birds, and there's a spot within a ten-minute walk of my house now with an above 80% chance of spotting a kingfisher in the morning.

I've bought the RSPB book and I'm getting much more interested in what's around me now.

This is the kingfisher's regular haunt this morning.

No kingfisher in shot, but a nice trinity of fairly basic but nice to see water birds: heron, egret and cormorant.

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We were treated to some fine sights and sounds from the birds of France over the last two weeks but perhaps the best was this black stork that flew into the field opposite the house where we spent a couple of nights in the hills of the Beaujolais.

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^think there are a couple kicking around Kent and Lincolnshire at the moment

Good start to the day, night heron before breakfast

(Not my photo but a random I bumped in to by the river as forgot my camera)

Assume these have passed through rather than taking up residency?!

Afraid so, the Bittern is still around though. Probably of less interest to those of an Owly persuasion...

I'm not averse to a bit of booming, but long eared owls they aint.

Bitterns are aspirational, they share the same colour scheme as long eared owls.