UKC

Loads of bird call this morning and ‘pairings’, including lesser black backed gulls on neighbours roof. Two Sparrowhawks and a kestrel, gs woodpecker and plenty yellowhammer. 100s redwing chattering in trees on field edges, and a raven. Bullfinch from last week, great birds. Feeding on buds. Very flighty so good to get a reasonable photo. 

Great photo! Did you know that bullfinches actually are air hamsters? *

The bull necked appearnce is because they have cheek/neck pouches to store the buds they pick, before flying off to a safer place to grind them up and swallow?

CB

* I am sure you know, but I posted anyway so that the rest of the forum does not have to die stupid...

Bird facts are always worth sharing.

This morning heard an almost buzzard like ‘mew’ coming from the top of a tree (bit rougher sounding). It was a jay, calling to its mate which I also heard. Never heard this sound before. 

Aside: how does this forum know I’m smoking opium?  

We had a jay singing very quietly in front of the bedroom windows at our former house every spring. Very melodious, quiet, warbling, and not at all like the racket the resulting family of five or six jays would make when raiding the garden later in the year!

CB

Does anyone else also get an error message when posting? The content of the message has changed, first it was cannot be posted for some bizzare reason, now the new post cannot be found.

Posting works, but the current upgrades are not yet working. Marking the OP is a good idea, though.

BC

Yes

Your birding week encouraged me to get back out on my infrequent bird photography outings! Managed to see a Red-breasted Merganser; last time was two years ago! Also saw Goldeneye, Tufted ducks and geese.

Saw my first ever brambling in the last few days. I have never seen one before unless perhaps I mistook casual sightings of them for chaffinches but once you know, there is no mistaking them.

Had a few more around the feeders today but didn't mange to get a photo. I was working and was dashing to the windows everytime the light was glorious in the hope of catching one just right but no joy.

I'm hearing a bird right now. Very loud outside. One second long every couple of minutes. Consisting of 3 bleeps. I thought it was a low battery alarm at first. Any ideas ?

Sadly, there is little hope for some of us. Including me!

These are fab!

I'd guess Great Tit.

The goldeneye photo is great - displaying to each other? And think that’s a female Goosander. Still great. 

And the greylag is proud - the neck feathers standing out well. 

Probably right. They have loads of calls. If in doubt, it’s a great tit (or a Dunnock if it’s a brown job or).  Or some rarity!

I hope you took the phrase in the tongue in cheek way it was intended!

CB

Thanks. Still at it.  300ms 2KHz, 50ms space, 300ms 2KHz, 50ms space, 300ms 2KHz.

Ofcourse! 

Never take the internet too seriously  

Hmm. Robins like a night time sing. And starlings love a good mimicking. 

Seems I'm a Great Tit.  A carbon monoxide alarm in an upstairs room signalling detector failure. Thought I'd not heard that bird before.

Brilliant!  

Brilliant!  
Edit: last year spent twenty minutes listening to a rare bird, a strange beeping noise, slightly harsh, in some wheat fields. Isolated the noise and got The Big Lens out.
 

It was a digger reversing on nearby farm. 

Nearly as bad as the rare shrike that I’d spotted last winter. After much stalking turned out to be a dog poop bag glinting in the wind…

My memory for bird’s ID has got worse! With the two years since I last saw one, I’ve forgotten so much. Thanks for the correction.

I was assuming that the Goldeneyes were displaying having no knowledge on this. Just before the male pulled his head back they was a loud deep call. They had been happily diving together for quite a while beforehand.

Starlings can be great mimics. We’ve had builders around for a while (far too long according to my wife) and now we have a starling that does a perfect imitation of their squeaky wheelbarrow!

funny thing is nature

Bramblings are known in our house as mozzie birds.  There is usually one singing when you are getting attacked in a Scandinavian forest. For a while we did not know what the songster was so a nickname was required.

Last year I made a special trip up the hill to remove an animal shaped weed from a field, after it had caught my attention a hundred times.

Saw a new bird for me yesterday......a reed bunting. Quite handsome.

Goldeneyes' wings make a whistling/whirring sound when they fly, somehow quite cute - beautiful looking ducks

Yesterday came across this by the side of a Bury reservoir "access" road. Didn't appear to be injured but it couldn't/wouldn't fly, maybe stunned by something although cars there would be doing only about 10mph. It gradually became more mobile, I thought it had flown off but it was still there when I got back to the car a couple of hours later so I don't hold out much hope of it ultimately surviving.

Edit: I must learn how to focus my phone more accurately - the twig behind is "perfect"

Yesterday I saw my first Black Winged Kite. In Germany, of all places, after chasing it in Spain several times over the last 30 years.

Lifer of the year, I did not even bother driving a few km further South to try and find an Oriental Turtle Dove supposedly wintering in garden in Freiburg.

CB

After years of trying, my 8 year old is suddenly into bird spotting. I think it started when she was the first one of us to see the siskin had come back into the garden. Then this morning the first greenfinches we have seen for months, a pair. We had a female blackcap in the middle of winter but she's disappeared, now the male just waits around chasing off other birds, I think he's still waiting for her.

The female blackcap, especially if you are in South of England, has probably moved back to the continent. A large fraction of the German etc. populations as "learned" that it is quicker and safe enough to migrate NW rather than S for winter. Less energy expended, back earlier, etc.. Some birds always have been doing this, but climated change helps them outcompete the traditional soutehrly migrants.

The male probably returned from having migrated S himself and is now establishing a territory. AFAIK there are no pair bonds for longer than the season in warblers.

CB

Avocets from yesterday.

Nice !

What camera setup do you use?

CB

Basic nikon dslr with 600 mm sigma telephoto.  Still learning, and many photographs taken whilst out dog walking.

Black tailed godwit, from a hide and very close.

Reed bunting yesterday.  Lovely birds.

Whooper Swan.  Again, from a hide.  

Carrion Crows

Ok, this is good to know. Because for the last couple of years we have seen both a male and female blackcap hanging about at the same time, and I assumed they migrated & returned together. But this year they were here at different times. 

We are in Cheshire, by the way.

Yes, that's it!

Think it was yourself that mentioned Treecreeper - I was lucky to see one yesterday. It was sticking mainly to the shady side of a tree, up at height, and always on the move looking for it’s food. 

Other photos from yesterday’s hour of bird watching.

Excellent. My grandparents lived in a house in Grasmere that had a massive giant redwood tree near to it. A treecreeper made its nest in the bark. They would land very close and I was mesmerised by them. I’d never even seen one before.  I’d be about 11 at the time. They also had spotted flycatchers and all the usual stuff. Their garden has access to the river and dipped nested. Their garden was like a mini bird reserve.