Your day's wildlife

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geocycle

Legendary Member
For someone who is clueless and double clueless about which noises the different species make about birds the Merlin app is brilliant.

Yes! We used it a lot for a few years as a sort of learning tool. We have gradually learned a dozen or so species Robin, Wren, Great Tit, woodpecker, oyster catcher, long tailed tits, Cetti’s warbler, willow warbler etc. etc. which creates a really interesting soundscape for our walks. Merlin still comes with us but more for ‘what was that?’ moments. We are not good enough to judge its accuracy but it is still quite good fun.
 

gbb

Squire
Location
Peterborough
Up early, three hours of meandering around on the ebike (most of that time sat in hides or viewing points, maybe 5 miles cycled)
Two Jays. One flew right across the vista in front of me.
Kingfisher sat in bushes some distance off but resplendent in electric blue and equally vibrant terraccota red cgest
Couple crows seemed annoyed with something in the treeline...aha, a rather large buzzard was sat nearby.
Grey Wagtail at distance
Muntjac deer on the way home on the verges of a heavily popumated urban sprawl
Blackcap, female and male
Whitethroats
Blue Tits
Cettis Warbler, the usual harsh explosive song nearby, unable to get a photo, they never sit still for more than a couple seconds.
Reed Bunting in heages on far side of the scrapes
Cuckoo (heard not seen as usual)
Ring Necked Parakeet
a couple really nice sightings at distance so excuse the poor photos
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Female Whinchat apparently, the local birders were quite excited to see it, male and female using the same vantage point
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Common Sandpiper, rear end incessantly bobbing
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Just a few Gadwall left, i assume most have flown north now

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Long Tail Tit


Busy morning, probably forgot some :smile:
 

gbb

Squire
Location
Peterborough
Talking to a birder yesterday while out, I reminisced of hearing what sounded like a bird flying round local fields barking like a dog...in the pitch black of night time.
It always bugged me...this was 25 years ago and i still remember it clearly.
He didnt.know but among other subjects discussed was owls locally.
This morning that memory kicked off again and I googled night flying bird barking sound...and its a Short Eared Owl...almost certainly. Seen one some miles away and there are populations of them locally.
Finally, after 25 years at least...I can let it go now:smile:
 
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biggs682

Itching to get back on my bike's
Location
Northamptonshire
This juvenile robin has just flown in to our patio window, so I put my finger out and it hopped on and sat there really comfortably and we decided the best place for it was on our bird table with some water and food as the amount of cats that come under our back gate is amazing.

Quick update decided to go and set the trail camera up on the bird table and in front of my eyes the little robin hopped off into the surrounding pyracantha bush , so all seems ok

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Dave7

Legendary Member
Location
Cheshire
Hard to believe but weve just had a pair of Goldcrests in the garden..... this is Warrington :eek:
 

nogoodnamesleft

Well-Known Member
Note recent RSPB advice on feeding birds
Our Conservation Scientists have worked with other expert partners to find a solution. We now recommend that you pause feeding garden birds seeds and peanuts between 1 May and 31 October. You can continue to offer small amounts of mealworms, fatballs or suet.
(from https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/how-to-help-garden-birds)

Trichomonosis is actually quite difficult to spot as you have to see the infected birds (normally dying). Quite a few years back birds around me were affected and back then there was a ZSL research project on the disease and they asked me to send in a dead bird which I did and their post-mortem confirmed it was trichomonosis.
 

gbb

Squire
Location
Peterborough
quick ride and look out today...luck would have it i actually found my lens cap i must have dropped in woodland last week..yay.

Song Thrush
Cettis Warbler
Robin
I heard a deep RAAAK RAAAK to see a Heron evading a Buzzard, both looping side to side, then the Buzzard broke off and away.
Blackbirds aplenty
Wren
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A tiny Common Sandpiper.
I say tiny, maybe about the size of a small blackbird but the one i saw last week was considerably bigger, this one a youngster perhaps
 

Poacher

Gravitationally challenged member
Location
Nottingham
quick ride and look out today...luck would have it i actually found my lens cap i must have dropped in woodland last week..yay.

Song Thrush
Cettis Warbler
Robin
I heard a deep RAAAK RAAAK to see a Heron evading a Buzzard, both looping side to side, then the Buzzard broke off and away.
Blackbirds aplenty
Wren
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A tiny Common Sandpiper.
I say tiny, maybe about the size of a small blackbird but the one i saw last week was considerably bigger, this one a youngster perhaps

Certainly looks like a Common Sandpiper, but a youngster would be pretty much the same size as an adult.
(Why do we never see baby pigeons?!)
If it really is that much smaller, and not just a trick of memory / perspective, it just might be something different, e.g. Temminck's Stint.
Not saying it is, just raising the slight possibility - I am definitely not an expert in bird ID!
 
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