Hey Laurence: I'll see your squirrel and raise you a goat!

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and this is him on the pull...

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OP
OP
C

Crackle

..
Is that him on the right?
 

longers

Legendary Member
Very good pics laurence :becool:.

I was pleased to see the pair of grebes on a reservoir near me haven't relocated.
They built their nest in a reed bed, but unfortunately the reservoir had finished being repaired and the water level was allowed to rise 10 ft to it's normal level :sad:.
It had been at the previous level for around 5 years or so.
 
nice that you have a pair of grebes... they're great to watch, especially when courting. have you seen them exchanging nest material? it's very touching - honestly!

grebe nests aren't the most stable of things. last year several pairs lost theirs, along with the eggs when high winds caused waves. they tend to build a flimsy nest out of weeds right on the water's edge. sometimes they build floating nests. they're very good parents, both take it in turns to incubate the eggs and constantly rebuild the nest as they sit on the eggs. try to watch the changing of the guard... it's great as they're clumsy as hell out of the water.

when they have young they will ride on the parent's back as the other goes fishing to feed them. grebelets are very cute.
 

Speicher

Vice Admiral
Moderator
Could I have some advice please. I am lucky in this garden that we get a lot of birds. However, some, or one, bird seems quite determined to try and knock itself out on a window. Fortunately after half a dozen frenzied attempts to damage itself, it stops. It is the same window that it/they attack each time. Is there anything I can do to prevent this very small bird from doing this? I do not think it is going to damage the window, but it could easily hurt itself.

I have a cat. But he is completely white, and this hinders him from catching birds. If a small bird stuns itself on the window and falls to the ground, it will be found by Leo the cat.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
You can get stickers to put on windows, shaped like hawks, so the birds avoid them.. Not sure where...

Try googling hawk window stickers, I guess, or try the RSPB site?

Otherwise, maybe hanging something reflective in the window to catch the light, and scare it off that way?
 
speicher... you need to put something on the window... the rspb (and others) do stickers that birds can see better than humans. basically the bird is either not seeing the window because it's clear or is seeing a reflection of itself in it.

if it's the latter then a territorial male might attack the 'intruder' and smack into the glass.

usually they hit windows as they can't see them, so putting those butterfly or bird 'stickers' on them lets them know there's something there.

if you put stickers on and it still does it, then it's too stupid to even think of escaping from a white cat and might be best if it was removed from the birdy gene pool.

meanwhile... yesterday i spotted a grebe nest with a parent sitting on eggs. it's well hidden, but now i know where it is i can check for grebelets.
 
OP
OP
C

Crackle

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Whilst out cycling yesterday I saw several Herons fishing and some excellent buzzards sitting on poles. I bet if I go back with my camera today, there'll be none.

.....I'm gonna go and look.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Crackle said:
Whilst out cycling yesterday I saw several Herons fishing and some excellent buzzards sitting on poles. I bet if I go back with my camera today, there'll be none.

.....I'm gonna go and look.

Well, doesn't it depend if the Poles are stil there, or have gone to work?
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Speicher said:
Regarding the birds and my windows, there is a row of five pot plants on the window sill. It seems to be that part of the window that it attacks, is it trying to get at the plants?

I wonder if it just sees vegetation and it trying to land in it.
 

tdr1nka

Taking the biscuit
I'd imagine it can see it's reflection and is being territorial 'tis the time of year for showing off and seeing off potential rivals.

When I lived on a boat we had plenty of mute swans and GC Grebes, who loved nothing better than to come and show off their youngsters. A good sign that 'Summer' is not so far off now!
 
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