johnphilip Posted October 6, 2019 Report Share Posted October 6, 2019 We have some amazing flocks of sparrows around here there must be over 30 hide in one if the bushes in my garden . Next door kept hens , but now there is only one left . The sparrows all line up around her feeding dish , fun to watch. Till the gready starlings take over. Just noticed the other day , the housemartins have left us . Does not seem 5 minute since the arrived , an amazing bird , to think they are only a few months old , and the travel all that distance to places like Northern Africa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinj Posted October 10, 2019 Report Share Posted October 10, 2019 On 04/10/2019 at 19:58, JDog said: MM There is one tit that is even rarer than the Bearded and that is the Crested. I have never seen one. That's because they live in Scotland. The rarest I have seen apart from Beardies, was a Marsh or Willow Tit - it was up a willow tree in a marsh - (willow and marsh tits look very similar) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Townie Posted October 10, 2019 Report Share Posted October 10, 2019 Completely with you on this. I’m not a twitcher, but I’m always on the lookout for interesting birds. The best spot was a pair of tree creepers in Sussex. Also delighted to see a pair of great crested grebes doing that thing with their necks in London docklands recently and a pair of hoopoes in France this year. I’m gradually winning Mrs T over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinj Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 Oh Hoopoes! I once spent a week fishing on the river Ebro in Spain, there were Hoopoes everywhere, their call was quite haunting. Also fairly common were Storks, Golden Orioles and Little bitterns, they made my week because the catfish weren't coming out to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickyh Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 You have to be a brave man to say you can tell the difference between a Willow Tit and a Marsh Tit. They nest in different places. They have different song. But I cant tell them apart ! Anyone know how? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FOXHUNTER1 Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 On 03/10/2019 at 13:21, hawkeye said: Thats a real bearded tit 😄😄😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 1 hour ago, mickyh said: You have to be a brave man to say you can tell the difference between a Willow Tit and a Marsh Tit. They nest in different places. They have different song. But I cant tell them apart ! Anyone know how? I believe one has a glossy black cap and t’other is more Matt black, but I can never remember which is which. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 2 hours ago, mickyh said: You have to be a brave man to say you can tell the difference between a Willow Tit and a Marsh Tit. They nest in different places. They have different song. But I cant tell them apart ! Anyone know how? I've joined a Facebook group Willow tits north west, I get Marsh tits at the back of my house, or possibly Willow tits, there are a few places near me, seem to be where coal mining used to be that the Willow tits breed. https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10216349361391545&id=1380084024&set=gm.912157855824757&refid=18&_ft_=qid.6751446968822884447%3Amf_story_key.912157855824757%3Agroup_id.167649310275619%3Atop_level_post_id.912157855824757%3Atl_objid.912157855824757%3Acontent_owner_id_new.1380084024%3Asrc.22%3Aphoto_id.10216349361391545%3Astory_location.6%3Astory_attachment_style.photo%3Afilter.GroupStoriesByActivityEntQuery&__tn__=EH-R Not sure if it's a closed group. Willow Tit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 On 04/10/2019 at 20:45, marsh man said: I have just looked it up and there is no mention of the Crested Tit in my local book although it was written in 1990 and there would have been a possibility of one been sighted over the last 30 years . Whilst looking them up there were two Norfolk bird watchers that went up to Scotland for a bird watchers holiday and they saw two pairs of Crested Tits in the Caledonian Forest , there are two photos and the little birds looks stunning with there crests on there heads , the scientific name is Lophophanes Cristatus Just noticed this thread, sorry for the delayed post ! The only time I've seen crested tits was up in the Highlands too, in the large forest East of Aviemore, by Nethy Bridge / Boat of Garten. We stayed in a remote little cottage, and regularly got them on the bird feeders, along with plenty of red squirrels, and even deer in the garden one evening. My wife was fortunate enough to see a proper Scottish wildcat one morning too ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK421 Posted October 25, 2019 Report Share Posted October 25, 2019 (edited) Do these count? 😂 Edited October 25, 2019 by TK421 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted October 25, 2019 Report Share Posted October 25, 2019 Most certainly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old man Posted October 25, 2019 Report Share Posted October 25, 2019 19 hours ago, mickyh said: You have to be a brave man to say you can tell the difference between a Willow Tit and a Marsh Tit. They nest in different places. They have different song. But I cant tell them apart ! Anyone know how? No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted October 25, 2019 Report Share Posted October 25, 2019 On 24/10/2019 at 12:11, martinj said: Oh Hoopoes! I once spent a week fishing on the river Ebro in Spain, there were Hoopoes everywhere, their call was quite haunting. Also fairly common were Storks, Golden Orioles and Little bitterns, they made my week because the catfish weren't coming out to play. Plenty of vultures, too, when I was out there. The slugs didn't play well for us either, although I had a few of them to 110lb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinj Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 On 25/10/2019 at 13:18, Penelope said: Plenty of vultures, too, when I was out there. The slugs didn't play well for us either, although I had a few of them to 110lb. Lucky you for the Vultures AND slugs (cats,) the Carp were spawning when we went and the cats were just chomping on them - easy prey. I caught a small one, hooked and lost two or three biggies because of the razor mussels and caught quite a few common carp. My mate caught a 99 pounder and that was our lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 8 minutes ago, martinj said: Lucky you for the Vultures AND slugs (cats,) the Carp were spawning when we went and the cats were just chomping on them - easy prey. I caught a small one, hooked and lost two or three biggies because of the razor mussels and caught quite a few common carp. My mate caught a 99 pounder and that was our lot. I went in July, 2005 I think. Spain was have a bad heatwave and drought at the time (42 degrees + on the bank - brutal!!) and the Ebro back into it's original channel above the dam at Mequinenza, with all the old dead trees that had been flooded on show. I think I had 6 or 7 for the 5 days and 30 odd for the 4 of us, when parties that had been out before the heatwave had caught nearly that in a day, every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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