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twenty

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Posts posted by twenty

  4. Birding Year List

    in Country Sports

    Posted

    3 hours ago, JDog said:

    I stood in a ditch yesterday with a 25mph howling wind and a temperature of 4 degrees. Those birds wouldn't have found many insects in that.

    Must be finding insects above the various bodies of water in the Frampton area, loads of pools,lakes and canals in this vicinity.

    Another Swallow reported from the FOD yesterday too.

     

  7. Birding Year List

    in Country Sports

    Posted

    8 hours ago, Mice! said:

    Great news 👏 

    I stopped yesterday when I was out shooting,  two large birds on a grazed field,  no binoculars and I couldn't get the rifle out, then someone posted a picture of the same birds later, they were Mistle Thrush,  I couldn't get over how big they were.

    Lots of birds at my squirrel feeders and on my garden feeders.

    Had a flock of 20 Goldfinch visit the sunflower/nyger feeders yesterday

  8. Birding Year List

    in Country Sports

    Posted

    23 minutes ago, JDog said:

    I could never be considered to be a 'twitcher' or 'birder'. I am just interested in a lexicon of country matters, birds being just a part.

    However having seen Waxwings ten days ago I was determined to look for a Hawfinch, my Holy Grail.

    Twenty on this forum pinpointed where I should go in the Forest of Dean. Today was the day. 

    Traffic! Where does it all come from? Getting round Cheltenham and Gloucester was a nightmare but two hours later we were there. One bloke was already there, he too had never seen one.

    A steady stream of others arrived, some noisily clunking car doors, others chatting loudly. Don't they know how shy these birds can be?

    After an hour watching I saw one, a female. I told myself it was a Chaffinch until a male confirmed the species. I was so excited. My wife continued to do scrabble on her phone.

    So that was that. Fifty five years of wanting to see one was concluded in an hour.

    Just before we left and no more than 20m from me six Hawfinches came down from the Yew trees to feed on the ground.

    Thank you Twenty.

    You're welcome, fine looking birds are they not, I used to be a member of a syndicate in the FOD and Hawfinch were always around and about.

    All the best.

  11. Birding Year List

    in Country Sports

    Posted

    12 hours ago, JDog said:

    Yes I feared I would never see or hear about another irruption of Waxwings in my lifetime so it was good to see them.

    Five or six years ago there was an irruption of Hawfinches into the UK though on a much smaller scale than these Waxwings. Some birders on the Lincolnshire coast saw them coming off the sea. I spent days on that coast but never did see one. The Hawfinch remains top of my wanted list.

    Near daily sightings of 5-8 Hawfinch at Parkend, Forest of Dean (try the Cricket pitch, Crown Lane.)

  13. Female Teal

    in Gamekeeping and Shoot Management

    Posted

    1 hour ago, mgsontour said:

    Afternoon all

    After shooting last week, I brought home the teal to breast out and noticed all the females were far more fatty than the males. Is this in preperation for breeding season or are the girls just more greedy?

    I can't say I've ever noticed before but thought someone on here may already know the answer.

    Cheers

    Ducks tend to put on more fat than Drakes, this is to prepare for the breeding season and for their migration back to their breeding grounds in North East Europe, ( Teal,Pintail,Wigeon and migrant Mallard )

    This tends to happen as the day length increases, and they sense the need to prepare by eating larger quantities of high energy foods (plants and seeds, invertebrates, and agricultural grains).

    Most hen pheasant carry a lot more fat than cock birds as the season closes as well.

  14. Birding Year List

    in Country Sports

    Posted

    10 hours ago, Mice! said:

    There were some being photographed in Ulverston a few weeks back, and just double checking on Google they've shown up in Manchester and Lincolnshire as well. 

    I had two male Chaffinches in my garden today,  not normally anything to get excited about but there haven't been any in the garden for a long time.

    I get the occasional Chaffinch in the garden, but have a regular daily visit from between 5-10 Goldfinch to the sunflower hearts feeder, also a Pied Wagtail dropped in the other day.

    All the best for the New Year.

  15. Birding Year List

    in Country Sports

    Posted

    10 hours ago, JDog said:

    Never seen one but would love to. Still haven’t seen a Hawfinch.

     6 Hawfinch reported at Cannop Ponds (FOD)on 17/12/23.

    2 Hawfinch at Soudley ponds (FOD) 15/12/23

       12 Crossbills drinking from a ditch at Crabtree Hill (FOD) 21/12/23

  25. White headed sparrow

    in Country Sports

    Posted

    14 hours ago, snow white said:

    Hi lads has anyone ever seen a white headed sparrow I have checked on internet they are saying crested but this one is nothing like they are showing me I have tried taking photos but he doesn’t keep still I think he/she is camera shy 

    Probably a Leucistic headed House Sparrow.

    Can occur as a genetic form, (unable to lay down melanin or pigment for feather colour).

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