Birds

[Hiya]

Thankyou or your reply It crossed my mind but was unsure. didnt know they had groups o them-the crows were giving them all hell!!

thank you again

Birds of prey are often seem in small groups, although sometimes the group can be quite dispersed, at this time of year. Buzzards are good for it, two weeks ago I was lucky enough to see 5 playfighting, good to watch.

Good photo btw, pretty good to get within a metre of one!

Edited September 27, 2007 by Hiya

[Drew]

Apparently we are to expect a large number of waxwings this year including the more colourful bohemia waxwing as the rowan berry harvest in finland where they usually winter has been very poor (many trees don't have fruit) . Birders over there have already noted that many waxwings have already left for further afield than usual.

Edited October 1, 2007 by Drew

[James M]

Apparently we are to expect a large number of waxwings this year including the more colourful bohemia waxwing as the rowan berry harvest in finland where they usually winter has been very poor (many trees don't have fruit) . Birders over there have already noted that many waxwings have already left for further afield than usual.

Isn't the Bohemian Waxwing the same as the Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus? I thought it was just what the americans called it.

Edited October 13, 2007 by James M

[earsnow]

Up to 49 bird species so far. the latest last week was a Firecrest!

Have an ancient wood next-to my house and a farm behind. It all comes down to watching and feeding, with

lots of wild birdfood to bring them in.

[LadyPakal]

Waxwings (a group of about 30 or so) were spotted in Aberdeen last week. They always seem to land here first and strip the Rowans before spreading around the country. I've seen a whole huge treefull some years - what a wonderful noise they make. Didn't see any last year.

Birds seen regularly: House Sparrow, Dunnock, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Great, Blue & Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon (yuk, flying rats, eating the tables bare), Magpie, Crow, Rook, Robin, Lapwing, Herring Gull (stole a steak of the bbq-not happy), Bullfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Pied Wagtail, Starling, Wren (nesting-babies so cute and dad so noisy and brave)

Seen occasionally/rarely: Sparrowhawk (caught a pigeon - yey!), Long Tailed Tit, Hawfinch (I think he/she was lost, certainly looked as shocked to see me as I was to see him/her), Tawny Owl, Waxwing, Redwing, Fieldfare (the last 2 only when there is snow on the ground), Treecreeper, Greater Spotted Woodpecker.

Ospreys have been seen flying over the local streets by some, and fishing in one of the 2 rivers Aberdeen was built on. We have resident Peregrines in the City center - had a brood of 3 this year and are sheltering in the old steeple they used as a nest spot currently). Red Kites were released this summer, there are feeding stations for the winter for them which I plan on visiting).

I'm sure there are others I've forgotten but not a bad haul for Aberdeen city center.

Edited November 12, 2007 by LadyPakal

[Beverley Lass]

I'm enjoying hearing of peoples' bird sightings

I get a decent variety being in a village location and providing

nest sites, food and a pond.

A couple of days ago I had a first for here though ..

A Great Spotted Woodpecker. :lol:

Cheeky boy was feasting on my fat balls, the Blue Tits looked

most surprised, lol.

Looking forward to more 'spots' of the winter birds soon.

Cheers,

BL x

[dogs32]

every year..all year round we have blue tits here..about 6 of them....I regularly put seed out for them...frequent visitors to the garden.

In summer I had a large barn howl on the fence in the late evening....creamy white in colour....never seen him again

Edited November 12, 2007 by dogs32

[Michael Fishermans Friend]

Apparantly alot of Siskins (light grey green finch) and Pink footed geese have been seen this autumn, it is meant to be a sign of a cold winter to come or very cold conditions in eastern Europe and Russia as they migrate westwards (I known we've heard this one before). You never know!

[disco-barry]

Well so far in Slaithwaite i've seen a heck of a lot of pied wagtails, in my garden i have had a Kestrel cleaning itself much to the annoyance of all the magpies and alot of t1ts and a Jay lives in the trees at the top i think, it seems to be about a lot i'm well chuffed with that!

[Bobby]

Seen a few more Sparrowhawks about lately - certainly on the increase. Also increasing amounts of Ravens - also seen a few Red Kites - very common in parts of here, especially towards Brecon way.

[Zenarcher]

I saw a heron this morning on the rocks

[Crepuscular Ray]

Isn't the Bohemian Waxwing the same as the Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus? I thought it was just what the americans called it.

Sorry, only just spotted this: yes, the Boho Waxwing is what the Americans (e.e., Clements) call Waxwings in order to differentiate between that and the Japanese and Cedar Waxwings, like they do Eurasian Robins, etc. Bah!

[Turnedoutniceagain]

A couple of days ago I had a first for here though ..

A Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Cheeky boy was feasting on my fat balls, the Blue Tits looked

most surprised, lol.

A GSW totally wrecked 1 of my birdfeeders this afternoon. Tried to drill thru the wooden sides to get to the nuts. Great fun to watch though !!

[Andy Bown]

I'm hoping this morning's hard frost is a sign of things to come, especially after watching a group of around 20 (!!) Long Tailed Tits in the hedgerow that adjoins our garden. They are fun to watch and sweet to listen to .

[Turnedoutniceagain]

I'm hoping this morning's hard frost is a sign of things to come, especially after watching a group of around 20 (!!) Long Tailed Tits in the hedgerow that adjoins our garden. They are fun to watch and sweet to listen to .

20 , can't remember the last time I saw even one !! Got dozens of Great Tits here though, they're almost as cocky as the robins.

[Potent Gust]

We get lots of wood pigeons. They sit on our tree all day and come down to feed a couple of times a day. We also get blackbirds, robins, collared doves, dunnocks, magpies, carrion crows and blue tits.

We have also got about 3 or 4 squirrels who are usually present in the garden!

Edited November 20, 2007 by Potent Gust

[Sharkbait]

Unfortunately I had an ill looking Goldfinch by my pond last weekend, he went eventually but he was all fluffed up, I hope he wasn't suffering from the Trichomonas parasite

[OZNikki]

We have a flock of about 40 sulphur crested cockatoos that have taken up residence in the pine trees in the park across the road from our house. They make an absolute racket when there is a storm approaching! I think one of them may have been a pet at one stage and escaped because it really sounds like it's trying to say "hello cocky".

We also have some gorgeous bright crimson rosellas that come for breakfast in our back yard.

Galahs, currawongs, mynah birds (pests) and magpies are common as muck around here too.

There are several hundred black swans that live by the lake about 10 minutes drive from my home.

[Louby]

Wow you lucking thing! would love to have that sort of birdlife in my garden to photograph

[Beverley Lass]

Wow, that would seem amazing to me to see such birds

wild in the gardens and countryside.

Cheers.

Btw has everyone seen that poppet of a dancing Cockatoo called

'Snowball' rocking his body on YouTube ?

(If I tried a link I'd cock it up I know ..)

His high kicks in time to the music and the final bow in

particular had me giggling

BL x

[Andy Bown]

Unfortunately I had an ill looking Goldfinch by my pond last weekend, he went eventually but he was all fluffed up, I hope he wasn't suffering from the Trichomonas parasite

Unfortunately it sounds like he was suffering from that parasite B) .

[Crepuscular Ray]

Even in my west London hell-hole, we get a mixed flock of great, blue and long-tailed tits pass through a couple of times a day. The last-mentioned are such good value! At least they're not put off by the horde of rose-ringed parakeets.

Currawongs have to have the most gorgeous happy call there is (for those who've never been lucky enough, they say exactly what it says on the tin): arriving at Brisbane at 5 am after about 25 hours flight (e.g., 48 hours with no sleep) from London that beautiful flutey call really lifted my spirits.

I don't envy you the Ozzie magpies, though. Scary things, they are if you get too near their nests (speaks from bitter experience).

CR

[Sharkbait]

Here's the poor little fella...

[OZNikki]

I don't envy you the Ozzie magpies, though. Scary things, they are if you get too near their nests (speaks from bitter experience).

Yeah there are definitely some nasty ones around but they can be tamed. There is a flock living in the park that I walk past every lunchtime with some colleagues. One of my colleagues has become so friendly with them that they approach us now and they eat right out of his hand! Mum used to feed the maggies in our yard when we were kids too and they never bothered us.

My sister used to have a kookaburra that lived near her house in the Dandenongs (Victoria) that used to sit on her porch railing and eat from her hand too.

Trying to attach a piccie I took at Phillip Island last year... hope this works...

Edited November 21, 2007 by OZNikki

[OZNikki]

OK, that worked... here's a couple more I took locally. I forgot about the emus!

Hmm... maybe I should've joined a bird watching forum... :lol: