Birding Year List

[twenty]

A Merlin at WWT Slimbridge, 20/01/22.

[Walker570]

On 13/01/2022 at 12:11, Whitebridges said:

18 Hawfinches at Lynford arboretum yesterday. 

Bet they where worth seing. Never ever seen one personally. Handsome bird.

[JDog]

22 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Bet they where worth seing. Never ever seen one personally. Handsome bird.

Me neither. I would love to see one.

[Old Boggy]

On 13/01/2022 at 20:11, JDog said:

A White tailed Sea Eagle in Lincolnshire for two days.

I had a phone call from a duck shooting pal last week to say that he had seen a white tailed eagle over his cottage. The very next day I was pigeon shooting in a small wood about a quarter of a mile away from his house when I also saw one (presumably the same one) but was not quick enough to get a photo. There was also a buzzard nearby and by comparison, the sea eagle looked massive. No doubt Old Farrier sees them every day on the IOW, but a first for me in Kent. The twitchers spotted it on Stodmarsh reserve so no doubt scared it the mile or so  over to my way.

OB

[NatureBoy]

Ring tail Hen Harrier still about despite disturbance. Seeing lot more lapwing about this winter. Roosting on fields at back of mine tonight with a few goldies. Looking good for tree sparrows my way.  . . . . Anyone else notice/hear pheasants kicking off/calling last Saturday night? We were out, it a very still clear night and about 7.30 they suddenly started calling from the wood we were near and for miles around. Several other peps reported the same. Folk recon it down to seismic activity after volcano erupting? Very strange.    NB

[Mice!]

I saw this earlier and thought I'd share it, not something you see very often a Sparrow hawk killing another Sparrow hawk. 

[Walker570]

I suppose like two blackbirds or two robins they have their days. Cock robins in particular are evil little birds and will fight to the death.  Was this a cock bird or hen bird ...small or large from the picyure it looks like a cock bird to me. Great photos anyway.

[London Best]

Wouldn’t it be nice if most of the sparrow hawks ate each other.

[Smokersmith]

On 22/01/2022 at 00:36, NatureBoy said:

Seeing lot more lapwing about this winter. Roosting on fields at back of mine tonight with a few goldies.

Yep ... It seems like there are FAR more Lapwing about this year than I can remember seeing recently. Don't know if there's anything behind it?

[Walker570]

Have not seen one for ages. In the 50s they where almost a pest species and I used to shoot a few for my Grandmother to prepare and roast like partridge. My grandfather used to collect the eggs and marked the nest with small sticks. He never took all the eggs and would only take recently alid ones then leave the nest alone after he had harvested half a dozen. He would put a cross on the first and second egg so he always harvested the fresh ones.  How times change and we all think we live in a better world.

[old man]

On 21/01/2022 at 12:13, Walker570 said:

Bet they where worth seing. Never ever seen one personally. Handsome bird.

Usually show on Cannock Chase each autumn so fairly close?

[old man]

On 04/01/2022 at 07:42, twenty said:

A Glossy Ibis yesterday at WWT Slimbridge.

Possibly down from the residents in Derbyshire?

[twenty]

1 hour ago, old man said:

Possibly down from the residents in Derbyshire?

Could well be, it has been on and around WWT Slimbridge for the past two or three weeks.

Greater Scaup at Cotswold water park 23/01/22.

[marsh man]

3 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Have not seen one for ages. In the 50s they where almost a pest species and I used to shoot a few for my Grandmother to prepare and roast like partridge. My grandfather used to collect the eggs and marked the nest with small sticks. He never took all the eggs and would only take recently alid ones then leave the nest alone after he had harvested half a dozen. He would put a cross on the first and second egg so he always harvested the fresh ones.  How times change and we all think we live in a better world.

One bird we are never short of Walker , in fact this time of the year we have got 1000s , as an example our local bird watcher who do the bird counts on the estuary reported 14,000 Lapwing on the 15th December , along with 30,000 Golden Plover ,26,000 Wideon , 1,400 Curlew , 2,500 Bar Tailed Godwit and 3,050 Pink Footed Geese ( Roosting ) , must have took a fair bit of counting .

[Walker570]

59 minutes ago, marsh man said:

One bird we are never short of Walker , in fact this time of the year we have got 1000s , as an example our local bird watcher who do the bird counts on the estuary reported 14,000 Lapwing on the 15th December , along with 30,000 Golden Plover ,26,000 Wideon , 1,400 Curlew , 2,500 Bar Tailed Godwit and 3,050 Pink Footed Geese ( Roosting ) , must have took a fair bit of counting .

That is good to hear. Lapwing are always good to see around the place beautiful to look at and one of probably few who have tasted they are good on the plate as well.

[NatureBoy]

 My grandads who worked on the land and with horses/livestock all his life used to shoot them to. Dozen plus at times to the single shot of his old 12 bore if he did it right as such big flocks. He also used to collect the eggs. Times were hard and there was so many he used to send some up to the London markets. Everything had it's season/use and helped feed and clothe folk one way or another back then. . . . I had an injured  lapwing as a boy. Proper character called rusty (rump) for obvious reasons. It never really seemed interested in flying or leaving/escaping. Used to take it to school sometimes like my other critters, for talks and art class's etc.         NB

[twenty]

7 hours ago, NatureBoy said:

 My grandads who worked on the land and with horses/livestock all his life used to shoot them to. Dozen plus at times to the single shot of his old 12 bore if he did it right as such big flocks. He also used to collect the eggs. Times were hard and there was so many he used to send some up to the London markets. Everything had it's season/use and helped feed and clothe folk one way or another back then. . . . I had an injured  lapwing as a boy. Proper character called rusty (rump) for obvious reasons. It never really seemed interested in flying or leaving/escaping. Used to take it to school sometimes like my other critters, for talks and art class's etc.         NB

Nice to hear about the Lapwing you had as a lad, I had a Carrion crow, I called him Caesar, used to sit on my shoulder as I walked around our neighbourhood, never attempted to fly away, but was never stopped from doing so..........the locals always stopped for a chat when I was out with him.......happy days.

[Morkin]

Yes I can remember my grandfather taking the lapwings eggs and marking one with pencil Walker 570 and are they what where called Peawits ?.

[twenty]

6 Crossbills and 3 Hawfinch at New Fancy in the Forest of Dean (10/2/22).

Long-Tailed Duck (Drake), at Barrow Gurney ,Somerset (10/2/22).

[Walker570]

On 25/01/2022 at 22:36, Morkin said:

Yes I can remember my grandfather taking the lapwings eggs and marking one with pencil Walker 570 and are they what where called Peawits ?.

Yep.  Did you also remember when cooked the whites did not go white like a normal egg but stayed clear.

 

Would have loved to see those crossbills twenty. Never seen one or a hawfinch.

[scolopax]

On 23/01/2022 at 10:09, London Best said:

Wouldn’t it be nice if most of the sparrow hawks ate each other.

+1

Short dog walk on a new to me footpath took me into a dale which was access land.  One of the thick thorn hedges held a good flock of tree sparrow, 50+, adjacent to which was a topped maize strip.

[Morkin]

On 11/02/2022 at 08:26, Walker570 said:

Yep.  Did you also remember when cooked the whites did not go white like a normal egg but stayed clear.

 

Would have loved to see those crossbills twenty. Never seen one or a hawfinch.

Hello mate, I have never cooked or seen one cooked to see the white but my grandfather used to tell me story's , he also used to tell me when they where hungry they used to have sparrow pie , he would Chuck some corn on the garden and see how many he could get with his folding 4/10 .

[marsh man]

Red Breasted Goose on the Cley marshes in Norfolk mixing with a flock of Brent Geese, been there for a few days .

[6.5x55SE]

11 minutes ago, marsh man said:

Red Breasted Goose on the Cley marshes in Norfolk mixing with a flock of Brent Geese, been there for a few days .

John I'd imagine it's the same one that was other side of the wash frampton wainfleet area as it's not been since the one turned up at Blakeney Cley area. Also 14000 Pink's dropped in Cley from the east then flew west my guess came from Norwich/Yarmouth on their route back to Scotland

[Walker570]

2 hours ago, Morkin said:

Hello mate, I have never cooked or seen one cooked to see the white but my grandfather used to tell me story's , he also used to tell me when they where hungry they used to have sparrow pie , he would Chuck some corn on the garden and see how many he could get with his folding 4/10 .

Sounds like we had a similar upbringing but I may have actually lived it. Sparrow pie, yep, delicious finger food.