... on a dog walk yesterday,
It flew in, with a bird of prey type flight, looks to me like a woodpecker but the colours were a bit muted. Couldnt get within 30 yards of it so this is a telephoto shot.
s606.photobucket.com/albums/tt148/know_wun/bird/
|
Looks like a green woodpecker to me, possibly a juvenile that hasn't yet got the red cap. Woodpeckers, especially green ones, don't just peck wood; they're at least as keen on picking worms and leatherjackets out of the soil. I've watched one do just that in our lawn, and the hole it made is still there.
Most birds are a bit muted anyway at this end of the summer - 'in eclipse' as their mating season splendour fades.
|
|
Looks even more like autumn there than it does here. I think it's a green woodpecker too. We have a family here high in a lime tree. They make a lot of racket sometimes and the tree really needs the top 50ft taken off it but I'm reluctant to evict them.
|
|
Woodpecker. they visit us from the neighbouing woods..
|
|
Certainly a Woodie albeit maybe a Special Forces one :-) There was an identical one in the tree by my kitchen window earlier in the summer...
|
|
You can always identify a woodpecker in flight. They all use a distinctive three flaps and glide, three flaps and glide method.
|
|
I think I see a red cap in one of the pictures = woodpecker
|
Pictures 1, 2 and 4 all show some red on the head. I just happened to look at 3 first.
}8---)
Still think it may be a juvenile.
|
|
Just your luck! We get them on our bird feeder and it isn't easy to spot the juveniles, by size anyway; by the time they fly they are close to adult size, or so it seems to me.
|
Of course it's a green woodpecker. The red cap is perfectly visible.
Do any of you chaps have trouble with traffic lights?
|
Yes to all of the above regarding it being a green woodpecker.
Most likely eating ants in the grass.
Flight is a good identifier, as is the distinctive call:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAdy_5yhWHY
|
|
Picus viridis if im not mistaken
|
Had some enjoyment here - had to move the bird-table to the lee side of the conservatory because of the re-build of the retaining wall at the west end of the house where the table was before. It now sits by one of the kitchen windows.
Charged it up when the cold weather came - and waited - seems it takes time for the local birds to spot it and finally to trust it. Had some interesting visitors - we have a Woodpecker in the trees at the east side of the house - I can actually hear him now - caught a glimpse of him, the usual blue tits and blackbirds and a whole fleet of Thrushes - they arrive by the dozen, ten or so feed on the lawn and the others come to the table to eat.
The dogs can watch them in safety from the conservatory now and we can watch them from two grandstand seats. Amazing how "brave" the birds have become - the Tits are particularly fearless and don't flinch as we peer at them..
|
What's THIS one, then?
i115.photobucket.com/albums/n297/penfro/Bird.jpg
(I do know the answer - clue: picture taken on our urbanisation when we lived in Spain.)
|
What's THIS one, then?
I do not know what it is, but I am sure that I would not go to sleep on a lounger next to the pool if that was eyeing me up!
|
|
Nah a Merlin (aircraft anorak joke) :-)
|
>>Griffon vulture I think<<
+1
|
Correct! A Griffon Vulture it was!
It hung about on the roof of the block opposite to ours, for some time.
We thought it might have been unwell as these superb flyers are usually to be found a few kilometres inland from our then (coastal) location, soaring around the white village of Casares.
|
>>re-build of the retaining wall
New house falling down already?
|
|
Nah. The builder identified a possible "issue" with the wall between us and next door - no risk to the house - meant removing a section of railing, demolishing a section of wall where there was insufficient supporting pillars - rebuild the wall with double coursing of blocks filled with concrete and re-infroced with steel and then backfilled with 12 cubic meters of "dry lining" and re-blocking the footpaths - would have been monstrously expensive if we'd had to pay. All back to normal now though !
|
>>and a whole fleet of Thrushes - they arrive by the dozen, <<
Are you sure they are Thrushes? - Thrushes are quite terrotorial and loners, so dont often flock. I think you are being visited by a herd of Fieldfares! is there any grey on the neck and rump? if there is they`re FF`s, very common especially this time of year as they are Winter visitors.
|
|
Mmm good theory will go to the RSPB site again...
|
I usually have a large number of fieldfares - but none this year. I think it is my own fault. This year two chaps came and picked my apples and windfalls for cider making (delicious it is) but normally there are apples left for the birds
Strangely I have only had one visit from a pair of long tailed tits this winter but have been overrun with a new bird, dozens of goldfinches after the sunflower kernels together with a few bullfinches. The normal supply of chaffinches, wagtails, robins, blackbirds, thrush and tits plus a few sparrows, pigeons and a pair of starlings. Once a day a solitary crow feeds on the debris under the feeders - while all the other birds scarper! The spotted woodpeckers visit the peanut feeder as does the nuthatch, while the green woodpecker feeds on the green area which I call a lawn...
It gives me much pleasure as I have the feeders hanging outside the sitting room window and they can be observed either directly or reflected in a large mirror opposite the window.
|
>This year two chaps came and picked my apples and windfalls
We have a tame blackbird in our garden who gets fed on apples, cheese, mealie worms and raisins (his favourite). He sits in 'his' tree every morning looking through the kitchen window until he gets fed. We've nicknamed him "Bonkers" because if we are sat out during the summer he'll come and eat and then do a low level fly-by a couple of feet over our heads and squawk as he goes over.
Oddly, he'll share his food with the Robin and Chiswick, listen to a Wagtail and you'll understand, but harries any Thrushes or pigeons that might appear.
>Strangely I have only had one visit from a pair of long tailed tits this winter
Do you have fat blocks out for them (not the fat balls in plastic netting please, they can get their beaks caught in the netting), there are about eight long tailed tits feeding on our fat block at this very moment. They arrive every afternoon at this time.
|
Kevin, I have fat balls, minus green netting, in a tube holder, peanuts, fat blocks in variety of flavours, sunflower kernels (lots!), nigella and a special mixed feed for the robins and any other small birds.
Previously I have had lots of long tailed tits but few gold finches - although lots of green and yellow ones. I suspect the dearth of these particular tits may be down to the total destruction of a nearby farm which is being quarried for shingle as of the summer.
|
>> >>and a whole fleet of Thrushes - they arrive by the dozen, <<
>>
>> Are you sure they are Thrushes? -
>>
Or are they Red Wings ?
www.rspb.org.uk/youth/learn/migration/stories/redwings.aspx
We have had then in our area for a few days. They tend to move in a flock.
I counted 50 in a not too big tree in the next garden to us.
|
Unfortunately birds have almost totally deserted out garden. I am about to remove our totally ignored three bird feeders and give the seeds to friends.
One robin is still around, a blackbird and a couple of blue tits are the only regulars.
Son bought me a bird box cam but I think they are camera shy.
I put a lid on an old branch stump of our apple tree (but thats now almost dead) and Great Tits used that last year.
The number of birds we had 30 years ago was a joy but now virtually nowt.
We buy apples and cut them for the Blackbirds but they do not get used so we are giving up.
We just see so few birds.
|
|
That's quite sad henry, I've fed the birds since we moved to Cornwall 15 years ago and its part of my routine to put the cee'd on the 2 tables every morning and hide the hanging peanut feeders every night in case Mr Squirrel has a raiding party, got quite a large community of birds here - they are my dependants :)
|
|
I'm surprised on the size of the bird population here - "Billy" the Buzzard has been about today - hope he has the Mole in his sights...
|
We are dreading a certain bird here. The nasty noisy Ring Neck parakeets are getting closer and closer to this location.
news.bbc.co.uk/local/surrey/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_8286000/8286707.stm
|
>> We are dreading a certain bird here. The nasty noisy Ring Neck parakeets are getting
>> closer and closer to this location.
>>
They are sometimes in my garden and around most days.
They tend to stay up in the tops of trees but are agile enought to land on suspended seed holders.
We note them imostly in the mormings en route to ? and passing through again in the evening.
They are a menace to apple trees and other fruit.
We have an ancient apple tree that is now nearly dead but in the last couple of years while it was fruiting it was raided by these pests.
We would wake to find what looked like white confetti under the tree.
Thes birds peck lumps out of the apples and leave bits all over our lawn so the whole crop of apples is ruined.
Cutting down the poplar trees roost at Esher Rugby club seems to have displaced them.
They are certainly in Richmond Park and speading fast.
They appear to have no natural predators so it looks like culling may start.
I guess the tree huggers will want to protect these "pretty " addition to our gardens.
Me- I would cull them all.
|
We have Mr Buzzard here too, plus Collared Doves, Woodpecker (daily!) Jays, Magpie (Grrr) Blackbird, a few Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Yellowhammer, Owls, Nuthatch, Blue tit, Great tit, Kahunas.
:)
Last edited by: Dog on Sun 19 Feb 12 at 21:54
|
|
Plenty of owls here as well - heard them but not seen any.
|
Did you know that the "T'wit" is the male and the "T'woo" is the female answering? Or the other way round. Or something like that anyway.
I think.
|
|
Except the screech owl, that's just the female nagging.
|
|
I reckon there was one of those around on Friday night here - proper spooked the Springer but fired the Cocker up no-end - he went into hunter-killer mode in the blink of an eye.
|
>>the "T'wit" is the male<<
Yeah, I'll go along with that.
|
>> >>the "T'wit" is the male<<
>>
>> Yeah, I'll go along with that.
>>
To who??
|
>Unfortunately birds have almost totally deserted out garden.
Sorry to hear that Henry.
Is there a Sparrowhawk around? Do the birds have cover?
A feeder out in the open is a buffet table for sparrowhawks.
We get lots of birds in the garden but they ALL fly into an old Bird Cherry tree and check that it's safe before venturing onto the feeder which is just a few feet away. If the hawk appears, it's just a short hop into the tree for safety although some still haven't been quick enough.
Also, we just put sunflower hearts in the feeders, clean them frequently and never let them go empty.
>We buy apples and cut them for the Blackbirds but they do not get used so we are giving up.
Bonkers and Mrs Bonkers get through half an apple and a handful of raisins every day. When they've finished the apple he drags the peel into the centre of the lawn to let us know.
The Blue tits have already started checking out the box at the back of the house recently which is a bit earlier than usual. The box is mounted on the wall amongst the branches of a vicious climbing rose that covers about half the rear of the house and you can hear the critters pecking inside the box to assess it's structural integrity.
It must have passed the test again this year because I could hear him using a hammer drill to put up bookshelves yesterday morning.
|
When we moved here 30 years ago there were plenty of birds.
Two sorts of thrush and loads of blackbirds that would sing in the night- delightfull!.
Until a few years ago we had loads of swifts, swallows and house martins but they went due to the vast filter beds at Surbiton being destoyed (built on) and with them the vast clouds of midges.
Until recently we had lots of blue tits, great tits ( including the different marked ones in this area) long tailed tits, chaffinches, gold fiches, green finches. They would gather on our feeders.
These days we see a wood pidgeon or two and they are less frequent, a magpie or two.
No crows in the garden and I have only ever seen two sparrow hawk kills happen in the garden ( I have stills of one feast) but never otherwise seen any in the sky.
Although lots of gardens in the area have been landscaped ( large lawns, no trees, hedge out wall in etc) plus lots of garden grabbing, there are plenty of woods a stones throw away.
So there has been a steady decline in birds but in has really accelerated in the last few years.
I suspect reduction in trees around us is a probable contributing factor.
We have tried various food offerings, high quality small bird seed, niger seeds, fat balls and so on. Results - clean out the old untouched seed, wash expensive feeders and refill but no change. We have one peanut holder that gets a lonely blue tit on it.
The feeders are still hanging in the same big mock orange where they have always been.
A few years ago mr & mrs robin made a nest in my shed and then abandoned it for a more hidden site further inside but at the back. Much to SWMBOs amusement I cobbled up a wedge for the top of the door ( including a perch so they could land and still have access bypassing the padlocked door. I can tell you that during limited gardening the five little ones really did mess everywhere on tools etc. I have photos of the brood perched on a fan shaped rake ( that was suspended under the roof ).
I cannot even blame the parakeets !!!
|
They used to say that Trill makes Budgies bounce with health, but it was actually the hemp cee'd it contained,
So, what you could try henry, as a last resort, like, is make up one of these www.bing.com/images/search?q=bird+tables&view=detail&id=232384B4A25D081332E7285438ADE7591A96502D&first=0
about 5ft orf the ground, hang 2 peanut feeders from it, and use a cee'd containing hemp.
That should attract em alright, and keep em coming back again, and again, and again!
|
We are a bit short of "Dickies" down the Allotments as well! - however there are quite a lot of Pigeon Racers on them, and I know that they blame Green Falcons!
I`ve never seen them, but i`ve heard them (Pigeon -men) shouting to each other
"Them pair o Greens from the quarry av bin at mi birds again"
|
What is this bird I found... - WillDeBeest
