The Bird Thread

Today is a special one as the swifts just reappeared. I really can't explain how much of a mood lift it was to look out and see the screaming devil birds stealth fightering about overhead this morning. Magical.

Went out at lunchtime and could sit on a bench that's buried in a hedge and had swifts zooming only a few feet above my head, incredible

Juat saddled up the Brompton and pedalled out to Oare Marshes for an after-work decompress. Avocet, mute swans, curlew, little grebe, marsh harrier and loads of other lovely stuff. Plus plenty of flying ants in the hair and mouth. Bleh.

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Oh and fish… of some sort.

I was trying to record some audio by filming whatever was in the bush right in front of me when the field of rooks behind me suddenly all started making a racket, I thought it was due to a fairly distant passing peregrine, but then everything went quiet and I saw the harrier coming straight towards me. Very cool. Did film some with my phone but possibly not worth sharing.

Let’s see…

A first for me today on my lunch hour. Two white storks circling lazily overhead. Glad I chose to sit outside today!

Nope.

Wow man. What part of the world are you in?

Bit of local urban birding, these units are on the platform of a massive industrial chimney

Yeah, swifts are amazing. We don't get them where I am, but we were in mid-Wales a couple of years ago, went to Strata Florida and there was a gang of them flying around the ruins screaming.

Saw my first swifts of the year this morning. Proper cheered me up.

Norwich. Not the usual kind of bird I see locally I must admit!!

Just remembered I had some slo-mo swifty footage on my phone. Hadn’t clocked how amazing the audio was till just now! https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6rirNYN3Id/?igsh=MTJnMTM3OWNxcnk0OA==

Went for a walk after tea, oystercatcher, common sandpiper (first of the year), little egret and three lapwing, love thier sound

This shows the chimney the raven are nesting on

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Sample that! Also I had no idea faversham looked so much like an Italian hillside village

I love what slo-mo does to bird noises. The rest of my family is less impressed

Went out to check for otters and had to make do with a barn owl
https://photos.app.goo.gl/DpLdReaVP1RYJowG8
Also met Cetti’s warbler and sedge warbler and reed warbler and treecreeper and snipe down by the river.

You're right, it looks amazing in this picture.

Still waiting for a reed warbler this year

Disclaimer in the text! Castagneto Carducci I think? The food was certainly better than in Swale.

haha oh shit - i think i opened it on mobile browser or something so I only got a tiny bit of the caption. Or I just didnt read beyond the word Fav...

i feel like I should clarify that I wsnt being sarcastic before either, never been to faversham and was quite willing to believe that was it

Was feeling jealous of everyone’s newly arrived swifts chat, but got some top quality shrieking in my ears while doing the school run this morning.

Your children?

Are you near Knepp?