Birding Year List

[Walker570]

I read today where one has nested in the barrel of a gun on a mock up Spitfire. I can't remember but where they 303 calibre must be 50 cal.  Blue tits are fantastic little birds and I have seen them with wads of buidling material in their beaks as big as themselves..  Still just the cock bullfinches feeding on the tables in the wood so the hens must be sitting. Sightings of cock birds all over the village so hope the young from last year are also breeding.  One young lady thought they where exotics escapees, she had never seen one before.

[ninjaferret]

I've seen pied wagtails nest on a D6 and a Komatsu  470, and both machines were working and they never left till the young fledged.

[Whitebridges]

We seem to have an influx of Golden Orioles in Norfolk at the moment. Yesterdays sighting:     

West Runton - 5
Muckleburgh - 3 
Cley - 2 
Titchwell - 2

 

[Walker570]

You chaps are so lucky down that east coast. Hope they push inland a bit like the bramblings we saw here this year.

[twenty]

Watched a Barn owl hunting the grass banks on a Cotswold valley yesterday evening, a lovely sight, so agile, and silent, it returned to the nest box several times with its prey, so lucky to be able to watch this every evening.

3 Pied Flycatchers, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, reported in the Forest of Dean (Nagshead) yesterday, 21/5/22.

Edited May 22, 2022 by twenty
Addition

[twenty]

First  QUAIL of the year heard yesterday (26/5/22), at Duntisbourne, nr Cirencester.

[Whitebridges]

On 21/05/2022 at 13:19, Walker570 said:

You chaps are so lucky down that east coast. Hope they push inland a bit like the bramblings we saw here this year.

Yes we are very fortunate in Norfolk with the birds, especially in the spring.

The Golden Orioles are still here plus a few other interesting birds.

Some of yesterdays sightings:

Hickling - Caspian tern, Bee-eater , Little Gull
Snettisham - Great Reed Warbler, 2 Little Gull, 3 Turtle Doves
Sculthorpe Moor - Golden Oriole, 3 Cattle Egrets 

[twenty]

10 hours ago, Whitebridges said:

Yes we are very fortunate in Norfolk with the birds, especially in the spring.

The Golden Orioles are still here plus a few other interesting birds.

Some of yesterdays sightings:

Hickling - Caspian tern, Bee-eater , Little Gull
Snettisham - Great Reed Warbler, 2 Little Gull, 3 Turtle Doves
Sculthorpe Moor - Golden Oriole, 3 Cattle Egrets 

That's a stunning array of sightings.............had a cock greenfinch on the sunflower feeder today, first I've seen in the garden for over a year.

[NatureBoy]

On 19/05/2022 at 09:46, Mice! said:

I was told that Thrushes and wrens are very susceptible to predation because of where they nest, but we get plenty of wrens.

The thrush to blackbird count in our garden must be ten 2 one, similar sizes but different diets, so it has to be more than just predators,  because the squirrels have been hammered. 

We've been out of our house for 4 months, sitting here now watching the birds is fantastic,  we've had Gold and Green finches again on the sunflower and nyger seed, 6mtrs from the doors, then it's the usual busy little birds, blue, great and long tail tits, blackbirds and pigeons everywhere,  Dunnock and wren.

@NatureBoy @twenty so what do you make of this then, you can find sizes for different bird boxes, but I don't think she's read them.

It must have taken her ages to fill that upthem going to put up a camera to see if she's using the feed point to get in and out, if so I'll strap down the lid.

That's a lot of nest material. I wonder if they built it up so much to make the space smaller, easier to protect and regulate nest temperature. They do nest in some strange places. A customer has them nest in and half fill her post box on her drive like this every year. So that's got to be a generational learnt connection. A pair have nested in the top of a metal give way road sign pole opposite mine the last few years. Only about 1m from traffic and a bus stop. Gaining access through broken top cap, adding more nesting material until is suits or will hold up. That's got to be well snug for brooding and come fledging time, which is any day now. But it works every year.      NB   

[NatureBoy]

On 21/05/2022 at 12:45, Whitebridges said:

We seem to have an influx of Golden Orioles in Norfolk at the moment. Yesterdays sighting:     

West Runton - 5
Muckleburgh - 3 
Cley - 2 
Titchwell - 2

 

Interesting there were 2 in Mid Suffolk last week to. We kept it quiet. Male calling for a long time one evening, sounded amazing. I thought the female was a juvenile green woodpecker at first and dismissed it until it called.    NB

[Walker570]

6 hours ago, NatureBoy said:

That's a lot of nest material. I wonder if they built it up so much to make the space smaller, easier to protect and regulate nest temperature. They do nest in some strange places. A customer has them nest in and half fill her post box on her drive like this every year. So that's got to be a generational learnt connection. A pair have nested in the top of a metal give way road sign pole opposite mine the last few years. Only about 1m from traffic and a bus stop. Gaining access through broken top cap, adding more nesting material until is suits or will hold up. That's got to be well snug for brooding and come fledging time, which is any day now. But it works every year.      NB   

That is what makes me laugh at the so called 'Experts' who instruct that a hole must only be so big. 

[Mice!]

On 27/05/2022 at 20:29, twenty said:

That's a stunning array of sightings.............had a cock greenfinch on the sunflower feeder today, first I've seen in the garden for over a year.

We've had the Green and Goldfinches regularly now, but not seen a bull finch yet.

8 hours ago, NatureBoy said:

That's a lot of nest material. I wonder if they built it up so much to make the space smaller, easier to protect and regulate nest temperature

I wouldn't have thought they'd use it simply because of its size, they must have spent ages filling it.

I took another identical feeder down from a different wood last week, that didn't have a single thing in it.

Same feeder but different wood again,  little mouse in there when I turned up to fill it.

[NatureBoy]

Seeing that mouse and they way the nest has been built, i wonder if mice started filling the other box and blue tits took it over and just built on top. Mice can also predate eggs and young. Blue tits are nesting in the thatch of a job i am on at mo. just shows hole size ain't as important as location. Same with tree sparrows. they been doing well. Got them nesting in adapted food catering tins on one site. just another experiment to deter predators using what you can to try and get them to expand on site i can't control so much. Can't keep up with them. 🙂

Fella my way opened his swift boxes (quite big) up at start of May when he saw they had returned. Great tits immediately decided to build a nest just in one corner and started laying. This week swifts have just come in and kicked them out and started using/sitting/roosting on great tits nest. He can't see on his cam if the eggs are still in the nest or if the swift has started laying. Just this smug looking swift sitting on nest. So the drama continues. Will the great tits return?

Turtle doves are back settled and paired up on 9 sites i know and poss a few others. 3 pairs on two sites. Rains came just in time for growth spirt on tree cover and weeds etc they feed on. Still supp feeding on some sites. They been taking lot of small water snails to. Back on track keeping corvids and squirrels in check on what sites i can. So hopefully they'l have a good year. Still loosing to much safe breeding habitat though! Never tire of watching and listening to them. Same with English partridges (or have we got to be PC and call them grey now?). Watched as hen came off nest the other night and proud cock bird keeping guard over her as she fed and dust bathed along farm track. Turtle dove was purrrring, nightingales, yellow hammers and whitethroats were singing in hedge beside my truck. The sun was warm and a spotted flycatcher was having a go at a massive hatch of insects from a nearby perch. Was like a proper bit of old England and i was a boy again. 

Rarities my way as well as turtle doves and English have been/are, adders, water voles, golden oriole, hoopoe, nightjar, osprey (local lake), purple heron, kite, garganey, hobby, bee eater and sedge warbler. Last one used to be very common.

Like we seem to of had a brambling Winter, has anyone else noticed we seem to be having a blackbird Spring? They  seem to be everywhere, singing all hours. Song thrushes to. Don't think the long dry spell helped them. Not seeing many young'uns. Big yellow hammer year to. Great to see loads more insects about! Been some massive hatches.

 Been having a bit of a push back at so called experts/boffins and others in conservation and shooting lately! Those that are trying to reinvent the wheel when it come to wildlife, conservation and shooting undermining our way of life. Especially those that seem doubtful/questioning/dismissive of reported local siting's and knowledge cos it nowt they seen, involved in or fits their blinkered agender! I tell them it comes from knowing your local ground, more time in the field on ground they don't have access to and never will. From hunters fieldcraft, a life long heightened awareness knowledge and passion of all things nature that they well probably never have or understand. Above all be willing to listen to and share information with others and admit when you are wrong! I have used just turtle dove survey's to prove that their science is flawed! Like only 2 short site visits a year by folk with limited knowledge, access and refusing to acknowledge targeted pest control or that works. Even though they use it themselves! Strange.

Now is the time for real change!

Little bit of cooperation from all sides and we could really make a difference and achieve so much more.

Didn't mean it to turn into a rant!  😉       NB 

 

 

 

[Mice!]

3 hours ago, NatureBoy said:

Seeing that mouse and they way the nest has been built, i wonder if mice started filling the other box and blue tits took it over and just built on top

Quite possibly,  but the pictured mouse was definitely after food, I was quite surprised when I found the other feeder totally empty. 

Where ever I put a feeder the numbers of mice and voles, plus digging shoots up.

3 hours ago, NatureBoy said:

Mice can also predate eggs and youn

I saw that on an episode of County file I think, it took every chick out the nest.

3 hours ago, NatureBoy said:

Didn't mean it to turn into a rant

More of an educated heartfelt speech. 

3 hours ago, NatureBoy said:

has anyone else noticed we seem to be having a blackbird Spring? They  seem to be everywhere, singing all hours. Song thrushes to

Plenty around us, but we have a river at the end of the garden so plenty of water.

And I've certainly noticed a lot of bugs on my car this year.

[Whitebridges]

This morning (Sunday) Four European Bee-Eater on wires at top of Gimingham Road, Trimingham, Norfolk.

[twenty]

A pair of Common Cranes have produced two chicks on the South Lake at WWT Slimbridge, Glos.(31/5/22).

[Mice!]

Constant stream of Goldfinches on the Nyger seed and sunflower hearts, very messy eaters, dropping bits everywhere which the Dunnock and sparrows are happy to clean up.

They've emptied the Nyger seed in 3 days 

[London Best]

2 hours ago, Mice! said:

Constant stream of Goldfinches on the Nyger seed and sunflower hearts, very messy eaters, dropping bits everywhere which the Dunnock and sparrows are happy to clean up.

They've emptied the Nyger seed in 3 days 

Constant stream of Goldfinches and Tits trying to feed here but they can’t get a look in because of the greedy wood pigeons clearing all the food.

[Mice!]

49 minutes ago, London Best said:

Constant stream of Goldfinches and Tits trying to feed here but they can’t get a look in because of the greedy wood pigeons clearing all the food.

Pigeons can't get on my hanging feeders, so they make do with eating the fat balls.

[Walker570]

4 hours ago, London Best said:

Constant stream of Goldfinches and Tits trying to feed here but they can’t get a look in because of the greedy wood pigeons clearing all the food.

Yes, same problem solved. Did away with the tables and now only use hanging feeeders. The fat woodies have to fend for themselves on the dropped seed on the ground.    Have a pair of goldfinch now regularly coming and a pair of woodpeckers . Good to see an increase in house sparrows compared to lasst year .

[Mice!]

Get in there!!

First Bull finch, I've been sat in the kitchen for 30 mins, making a brew and there he is bold as brass, perched on the feeder,  took a sunflower and flew off to the silver birch, then returned and nervously fed, taking a seed but looking around all the time, the Golds and Greens look like pigs in a trough in comparison.

[Walker570]

Reallly great to hear you have seen a bullfince. Ours have returend/stayed and not seeing the hen/s so assume they are sitting.  Hopefully that terrible disesse will not return and once again we have the joy of seeing the various finches in our countryside again.   A source of water close by and moving water is even better.  I don't have a ready source of electricty near to our bird bath or I would introduce a simple supply of moving water.

Also saw a hen pheasant with some day olds right in the middle of the dairy farm yard this morning. We have had about 30 hens feeding around the buildings all winter and spring so knew the hens which had vanished must be sitting.  We whack the foxes hard and no cats so they have a chance.

[Walker570]

Wow am I pleased and my wife smiled so much her head almost fell off.  The two goldfinches which have been visiting our feeders arrived this evening with three very healthy very active youngsters.

[Mice!]

13 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Wow am I pleased and my wife smiled so much her head almost fell off.  The two goldfinches which have been visiting our feeders arrived this evening with three very healthy very active youngsters.

Brilliant,  but here's a question,  birds are usually a particular colour for a reason and often it's camouflage,  so what happened with the Goldfinches they look an artist just decided to make them stand out, and the male Bullfinch??

[chrisjpainter]

Bee-eater alert! Seven individuals have turned up in a quarry in Norfolk and it looks like they're settling in to breed. A viewing platform will be created for the public to see them from a safe distance so as to avoid disturbance

Bee-eaters nest in Norfolk for first time - BirdGuides