The Bird Thread

I got peanuts so on a winner. I got a standard mix in one and peanuts in the other. In our other houses we’ve experimented with feed and niger got goldfinch every time. We had so many birds at one of our old places, from wrens to woodpeckers, nuthatch, black cap, bullfinch, and sparrowhawks aplenty. Now I’m glad of a blue tit!

Today I had a volery* of Long-tailed Tits on my feeders. Sunflower hearts and fat balls.
*A gaggle (who knew?).

Saw TONS of kits on my MTB ramble this morning

Please remeber to stay away from other MTB riders at the unusual time... :)

Ha, oops, meant Kites!

Garden spots this afternoon, Coal Tits and Blue Tits. There was a starling too but he was in the tree behind the branches. Oh, and a Jackdaw on the chimney pots.

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fat balls

you rang?

Nice photos. I'm old enough to remember when starlings were 2 a penny. Currently a lot of magpies in my garden.

Starlings tend to mob up at huge sainos....

This morning
Blue tit
Wood pigeon
Magpies
Parakeet
Jay
Woodpecker
Goldfinch
Rabbit poo

Jay?

Get a photo

Amazing flights by the IOW reintroduced White Tailed Eagles, plus sighting nr Kingston of one from the continent; http://www.roydennis.org/2020/04/16/eagle-wanderlust/

Fuck off....

Really interesting - thanks. Hope they're feeding well.

Just seen five(!) buzzards to the south over Crystal Palace (think they were buzzards rather than red kites). One plucky crow had a good bash at mobbing.

You can tell by the tail. Buzzards tails 'Fan out', whilst Kites tails are more of a V.

Woodpecker

Green, or Greater or Lesser Spotted?

Buzzards tend to be solitary, whereas kites tend to gather in small groups.

Starlings tend to mob up at huge sainos....

As a declining species they get special tweetment with an early bird deal from 4 - 4.30 am.

Greater or lesser spotted (I think). Not green.

They were at quite a distance and more horizontal to my level, so couldn't see the fanned tail. Guessed at buzzard because they weren't doing the flap-flap-flap-glide that kites do and seemed more 'blocky' rather than 'angular', plus I'd seen three buzzards (definite!) together overhead at the weekend.

Was curious about about so many together on a wandering flight. They were in a thermal for a bit, but didn't hang around, just drifted along the ridge and further south. Was great seeing the crow just cruise up and give it some - without any mates to back it up.

Got me more curious now, so took a look - RSPB forum has a thread on buzzards grouping https://community.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/f/wildlife-questions/36287/a-flock-of-buzzards

OKR Tescos carpark full of Starlings

The male blackbird that had chicks in our garden last year has come back today, awaiting the arrival of a mrs blackbird.

Starlings mob between the McDonald's and the Lidl on Catford (gyratory) island. Not in my garden.

There's a robin nesting somewhere in my garden that is putting in the hours catching caterpillars and grubs, it sits on my washing line for a minute each time with a fat grub in its beak to check the coast is clear before heading to the nest. Proper cheers me up.

I wish for magpies in the garden. One of my favourite looking birds. They're never around when i have my camera.

Just got back from an early evening bimble. Birds spotted:
Buzzard
Robin
Sparrow
Crow
Mallard (with offspring)
Magpie
Bluetit
Pigeon (too many)
And none bird related wildlife (using that in a descriptive sense, as there certainly wasn't any life going on):

Female Marsh Harrier currently overhead, lovely!

We did have a considerable rarity nearby last year, a juvenile Black Stork, at least 600 miles from its migration route. I told nobody as we would have been inundated with twitchers. I got within 10m, they sound like somewhat mournful squeaky toys.

Black Stork

Had it delivered the baby?