Your day's wildlife

[Tail End Charlie]

I'm learning lots from this thread. @User9609 is Jenny another name for a wren?

Now I have my bird song app, when a bird is mentioned I look up to see what its call is like and then listen out for it. Slowly getting better at it.

Heard my first woodpecker of the year yesterday, which my book says was likely to have been a greater spotted one.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Heard my first woodpecker of the year yesterday, which my book says was likely to have been a greater spotted one.

If it was a drumming noise on dead wood, then use it is most likely a greater spotted woodpecker.

 

[summerdays]

I'm learning lots from this thread. @User9609 is Jenny another name for a wren?

Now I have my bird song app, when a bird is mentioned I look up to see what its call is like and then listen out for it. Slowly getting better at it.

Heard my first woodpecker of the year yesterday, which my book says was likely to have been a greater spotted one.

Little jenny Wren but no idea where it is from!

 

[summerdays]

I saw something in a field that I'm not sure what it was. Smaller than a pigeon, maybe blackbird sized. Flew up and down in shortish bursts, not a flight pattern that I recognised from my garden birds. I think the tail flared slightly and wasn't long but I couldn't see any colours against the sky. With so little to go on, any suggestions?

 

[Flying_Monkey]

And the first sign of spring approaching in southern Ontario - the Snowy Owls are gone because it's getting too warm for them at around 0 degrees C.

However, we did have an errant Tundra Swan in the ferry channel for a few days last week. Clearly it had got tired on its migration and felt the need for a rest. Since it didn't appear to understand the ferry and wouldn't move out of the way, the ferrry operators had to slow down and carefully go around it, using a lookout to make sure - which they did every time, to their credit.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

the first sign of spring here is another hailstorm and the lesser celandine are starting to flower!

 

[Mireystock]

A Red Kite over the A449 out of Ledbury, Herefordshire earlier this afternoon.

 

[summerdays]

[QUOTE 3592277, member: 9609"]was there lots of them, a hint of whiteness when in flight ? I'm thinking Fieldfares.[/QUOTE]
Just the one but I'll watch that field again as I pass incase I get a better sight.

 

[slowmotion]

We live on a street in west London. For the first time in 27 years, I saw a heron flying over the garden at rooftop level heading towards Notting Hill. The nearest reasonable expanse of water is in Hyde Park, quite a way away. Maybe he knew of a goldfish pond nearby.

The blue tits have started bringing in feathers and fluff. They push it into the hollow of twigs to make their nest more comfortable. They seem to be about a month ahead of the usual timetable.

[media]

View: https://vimeo.com/122437425
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[BlueDog]

This is from Sunday: We set off to visit one of the Somerset nature reserves for a Mother's Day walk. On the way there I had to slow the car down as a Little Egret was in the road ahead (that's a first), successfully moving on there were around a 100 swans in a field not too far from the reserve (although not uncommon, it's always quite a sight to see so many together). Once we arrived at the reserve there were the usual herons, buzzards and a sparrow hawk to be seen.

As it was blowing a cold easterly wind, we headed for some shelter in one of the remote hides. We opened up the shutters to take in the view across the fields, but there wasn't too much else to see really, so we opened the log book where visitors were asked to record their sightings. This wasn't quite what we were expecting but made us laugh as we turned each page to find random entries such as "buffalos", "zebras", "giraffes" and no doubt from some excited teenage lad who'd just seen "a pair of great tits ".

 

[Mireystock]

Two fallow deer and a boar of wildness. There were about 15 or so photographers/ birders observing the Shrike. Maybe it's time they left the thing alone...

 

[Fnaar]

Swans, seagulls... but these seem so mundane!

 

[slowmotion]

[QUOTE 3596679, member: 9609"]yesterday was the first day we have noticed tits looking at the boxes, they don't appear to be taking anything in so I doubt they are build yet, but this is the first interest I have seen - 300 mile further north and spring is notably a little later in starting.[/QUOTE]
They first started taking twigs in about three and a bit weeks ago. This morning there were quite a few more feathers so it looks like they are getting busier.

 

[annedonnelly]

Song thrush at the station this morning. Someone puts bird food out on the station wall. They seem to appreciate it - and I enjoy watching them feed.

 

[Soltydog]

22 miles today & just over half way round heard a bird squawk, looked over & couldn't really id it, looked the size of a buzzard, but lighter under the wings then in the last couple of miles disturbed a pair of buzzards that were in the hedgerow, they flew in opposite directions & the one that flew over the road was within 20 feet of me, amazing , then at the end of the lane there was a barn owl in the distance.
Must try taking a camera out sometime