The Bird Thread

Yeah I'm thinking Kite. Lots of the Surrey way.

And "big fucker" fits the bill

I did think kite but it was a bit “reallly???”

They are huge and not easy to mistake but often in the woods you only get a second or 2 to before they are gone but as you know we do get kites and buzzards come and visit.
I think I spotted a snipe last week but it was flying away and probably only visible for less than a second, has a fairly distinctive flight.
I did used to shoot many years ago so have seen (and missed) a fair few along with their bigger brother the woodcock.
Didn’t think they made it this far into town.

Went to Boundary Bay this morning to look for Short-Eared Owls. Lovely to watch them float over the reeds.

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Mega Owl. The focus.

What is the first bird? It’s very fine looking whatever it is.

It's a White-Crowned Sparrow. They are very fine, yes!

a gloomy boxing day duck, more parakeets on the Lea, some squabbling moorhens and an actual bat!

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Found this little one lifeless on a path near our house - in danish it’s called a tree runner.
Impressive beek and claws

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Poor little fellow

Lovely twitching companion for the year ahead...

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Watched these turnstones for a couple of minutes Messing around on the rocks on Waxham beach.

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Nice shot.

I love the last couple of pages' pictures, great work everyone.

I have a feeder I bought for Niger seeds in the hope of attracting some goldfinches, but no one seems interested in them. Is there anything else that I might be able to use it for with more luck? Its holes are slightly too small for sunflower seeds so it would have to be something tiny.

Couple of picks from Holkam Beach.

Surely Black headed gulls are the second best gulls, after Kittiwakes. This one in it's winter outfit. Loads of buzzards and was hoping to see a marsh harrier, but wasn't expecting kites here.

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wonderful pictures - Holkam is a magical place, too.

Pochard I think? Maybe something else?

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Love the Black-headed gull pic.

We went to Reifel Bird Sanctuary in the rain and saw a Saw-whet owl snoozing in a tree. Very exciting. Also lots of ducks and some nuthatches which were too quick for my camera.

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wasn't expecting kites here

I was riding somewhere where I'd expect to see kites yesterday morning, but was still amazed to see at least twelve of them catching thermals. Their comeback from near extinction in the UK is quite something.

Might be time for a peanut feeder? I find the birds go nuts for peanuts this time of year.

Their comeback from near extinction in the UK is quite something.

A couple of years ago I was sat on Mill Meadows in Henley, and there were so many Red Kites floating around it was almost as if they were Gulls, right down to them landing to pick up peoples left over lunches!

It's great isn't it? I still get excited every time I see one as if it's a new thing.

I also don't get it when some people see a bird of prey in the distance and then go "it's only a buzzard". Yes they're common, but buzzards are cool! Same with kestrels.

Like an aviary outside our window with a peanut feeder right now
We’ve half a dozen Nuthatch amid the throng, Great, March, Coal, Bluetits, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Thrush, Blackbird, pair of Greater Spotted Woodpecker plus more Kite, Rook, Crow than you could shake a stick at, warming up on the trees tops in the wood :)
Not far from Henley, up in the hills