spuggies and jackdaws and hedgehogs and frogs

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

10 hours ago, gittinsfan said:

My other half loves the robins which visit regularly.She wants to try and get them to nest in the garden.Are they likely to be encouraged by nesting boxes? Any thoughts on type of nesting box or positioning of such would be greatly appreciated.Thank You.

RSPB info here

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

1 hour ago, ivans82 said:

On the subject of Magpies , they don`t do much damage now , but in breeding season round our way i have watched them take all the Starling young out from the house gutters/roofs where they nest as soon as they are big enough to be seen .People also say if they have nests in their garden hedges they do the same there as well .

I have seen one raid a blackbird's nest in our garden hedge in the breeding season.  I tend to be quite sanguine about this.  In a sense it is distressing, but so is the thought of magpie chicks starving to death.  One is in danger of disliking all birds of prey.

I keep my bird-feeders well filled, especially in winter, in the knowledge that I will almost certainly help more small birds to survive comparatively easily than will be lost to the local sparrowhawks who know to drop by with a good chance of picking up something tasty for lunch or tea.

By human standards, nature can seem a bit brutal.

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

15 hours ago, gittinsfan said:

My other half loves the robins which visit regularly.She wants to try and get them to nest in the garden.Are they likely to be encouraged by nesting boxes? Any thoughts on type of nesting box or positioning of such would be greatly appreciated.Thank You.

it's worth getting a bird box up well before the breeding season, so that birds get used to it.  Some may even use it as a winter roost.

That said, a couple of years ago, I was, I thought, woefully late in putting up a bird box, with the breeding season well under way.  I was resigned to the idea that it would not be used until about eleven months later.  However, to my delight and surprise, a pair of great titmice moved in within five days and raised a brood successfully.

It's not been used since!

Edited October 21, 2020 by Wiltshire Warrior Dragon
to overcome absurd prudery of automatic editor

[Ullman]

Saw my first flock of fieldfares of the autumn yesterday.

There have also been numerous skeins of greylag geese descending on the fields of the Yorkshire Wolds around High Hunsley in the past week.  

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

1 hour ago, Ullman said:

Saw my first flock of fieldfares of the autumn yesterday.

There have also been numerous skeins of greylag geese descending on the fields of the Yorkshire Wolds around High Hunsley in the past week.  

A true sign that winter is on the way, Ullman.

I mentioned in an earlier post the merits of being able to identify at least a few bird species by their call.  Fieldfares are a case in point.  That soft, chattering 'chuck-chuck-chuck-chuck' as they fly overhead is very distinctive and easy to recognise once you have it imprinted in your brain.

here's a good link:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b03k279n

[Ullman]

11 minutes ago, Wiltshire Warrior Dragon said:

A true sign that winter is on the way, Ullman.

I mentioned in an earlier post the merits of being able to identify at least a few bird species by their call.  Fieldfares are a case in point.  That soft, chattering 'chuck-chuck-chuck-chuck' as they fly overhead is very distinctive and easy to recognise once you have it imprinted in your brain.

here's a good link:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b03k279n

Flew overhead as I was heading home towards the Humber Bridge on the Lincolnshire side. That was exactly the sound they were making.

Interesting comment by Chris Packham about them not being faithful to specific wintering grounds. Matches my sightings of them. Some years I'll see scores of them in a certain location then never see them there again.

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

12 minutes ago, Ullman said:

Flew overhead as I was heading home towards the Humber Bridge on the Lincolnshire side. That was exactly the sound they were making.

Interesting comment by Chris Packham about them not being faithful to specific wintering grounds. Matches my sightings of them. Some years I'll see scores of them in a certain location then never see them there again.

Same down here in the New Forest.  I didn't see very many at all last year, but in previous winters have seen some massive flocks.

The biggest flock I ever saw was in my days working in Skipton.  I had been to a meeting in North Lancashire and was going home to Long Preston, the village south of Settle.  From Gisburn, I headed up the A682 and, for the entire seven mile journey to Long Preston, a flock of fieldfares, no doubt with redwing amongst them too, was moving at right-angles across the road I was on.  There must have been thousands and thousands!

[Red Willow]

My bird feeders have gone quiet in the last week. It might be because of the Sparrowhawk picking up a sparrow lunch the other day.

We have Bluetits nesting for many years, the robins have a box but they just seem to like the ivy.

[Padge]

Out for a lunchtime stroll today and as we crossed the road a squirrel crossed in the opposite direction  we turned to watch it from the pavement as it casually wandered to the other side. It got to the white lines of a parking bay and made a move to the line and then carefully walked right along the line as if it was a tree branch.

It was as if it was doing the old inebriation test of walking the white line.

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

I am intrigued to be reminded of how long the southbound migration 'season' for swallows and house martins seems to last.  There are still penny numbers of swallows being reported on most days passing through Hampshire, usually seen at points on the Solent coastline.

[Padge]

On 21/10/2020 at 09:56, ivans82 said:

On the subject of Magpies , they don`t do much damage now , but in breeding season round our way i have watched them take all the Starling young out from the house gutters/roofs where they nest as soon as they are big enough to be seen .People also say if they have nests in their garden hedges they do the same there as well .

We watched a magpie follow a dunnuck into her nest in our garden and come out with the eggs. Just watched where the dunnock went flew in dunnock flew out, magpie followed with egg then came back for the second egg.

 

[ivans82]

Doubled up on Kingfisher sitings the other day , saw one under the bridge outside the Town ground , and then went for a walk where they have been lifting the plastic lining out from the stream where the local open cast mine was , only completed the job this last week and already a Kingfisher has appeared , can`t be bad .

[longboard]

12 hours ago, ivans82 said:

Doubled up on Kingfisher sitings the other day , saw one under the bridge outside the Town ground , and then went for a walk where they have been lifting the plastic lining out from the stream where the local open cast mine was , only completed the job this last week and already a Kingfisher has appeared , can`t be bad .

Halcyon days.

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

On 05/11/2020 at 19:16, Wiltshire Warrior Dragon said:

I am intrigued to be reminded of how long the southbound migration 'season' for swallows and house martins seems to last.  There are still penny numbers of swallows being reported on most days passing through Hampshire, usually seen at points on the Solent coastline.

One swallow spotted today down on the Solent.  I hope it makes safely to its destination.

[voteronniegibbs]

.

Edited August 7, 2023 by voteronniegibbs

[Ullman]

Seen plenty flocks of fieldfares over the last week, many of them several hundred strong. Looked fantastic a couple of days ago when a flock turned en masse in flight and the sun caught their pale feathers underneath. 

[Ullman]

Very sad story:

Withernsea: Whales stranded on beach die

[Mumby Magic]

Saw the Geese flying v the other day. Surreal site.

[Red Willow]

Saw a kingfisher on the brook behind my house this week. Yes i live in Salford but have such a variety of wildlife nearby. The cold hs also brought jays into the garden

[Padge]

Ignore repeat story

 

Edited December 31, 2020 by Padge

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

Chaffinch just after visiting the feeder

 

[Leeds Wire]

I've no idea where all the birds have gone. I bought two new feeders and I've been defrosting their bath, but all we've had is a pair of bullfinches. 

No sign of the wrens, dunnocks, #### or any other finches. It's weird. 

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

12 minutes ago, Leeds Wire said:

I've no idea where all the birds have gone. I bought two new feeders and I've been defrosting their bath, but all we've had is a pair of bullfinches. 

No sign of the wrens, dunnocks, #### or any other finches. It's weird. 

We're still getting regular visits from spoggies, goldfinches, robins and blackbirds. The pigeons have been less frequent visitors lately and I saw a collard dove for the first time in a while today too. We also regularly see greenfinches (less than 2 or 3 years ago), a coal and a blue ######. Other visitors are a wren, thrush and sparrowhawk - I was going to say infrequent but they likely usually visit when I'm not around. Not often we see a chaffinch. Given we've had a fair bit of snow today I'm expecting the fieldfares to turn up and strip the berries off the tree in the garden behind us in the next day or so,

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

Incidentally, folks.  The '#' sign can be avoided by using the old-fashioned name for this family of birds, namely 'titmice' (singular 'titmouse')

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

1 minute ago, Wiltshire Warrior Dragon said:

Incidentally, folks.  The '#' sign can be avoided by using the old-fashioned name for this family of birds, namely 'titmice' (singular 'titmouse')

Hadn't even noticed the 'censor' had done that!