Here are two things to cheer you! Take part in the Big Garden Bird Watch this weekend. This is a joyous thing to do, knowing you will be part of a much-needed citizen science project by RSPB. The second is amazing behavour of a farmyard cow, using tools. Enjoy!
I might do another one later in the year - but too expensive to feed the huge flock that murmurates across the sky most evenings [the video is not mine but very like].
Sounds amazing.
I'm not a member currently, used to be a member of a wildlife trust down south, and it was cool as there were some more secluded reserves that weren't open to the public, but members could access the hides.
Yes, the females of a lot of species are brown, is can be really hard to tell them apart!
Sometimes there are features you can learn to look out for to help. Female house sparrows have a distinctive pale supercilla ( eye stripe). Once you can tell these features, it really helps. One turned up at the end of our birdwatching hour amongst the Chaffinchs. Soon a male turned up with the grey cap, then later the rest of the flock turned up too!
Female ducks are really tough too, most are brown. I also struggle with warblers and small waders! I don't have to opportunity to really watch them in the field to learn the differences!
Thanks for the book recommendation, I've just added it to Spotify library.
Very sad to know about the golden eagle.
I was considering joining the RSPB, I've recently had an email from them with a list of all the coach trips they have for members. I keep putting it off, I must get organised and make myself a member.
Ours are house sparrows then as they have grey caps. But the others can be really hard to tell apart, esepcially when they're all hopping around the feeder.
That sounds an interesting selection. I find that often the usual ones don't come, or only one and two.
I do 2 or 3 hours on different days and then submit the best one. One hour hardly any came, one had 2 robins and 3 blue.... But I submitted the one that had less of more birds and included 2 greenfinches, as I haven't seen any for years and saw that the numbers had diminished due to disease. It is good to see that you also saw greenfinch, so hopefully their numbers might be increasing again.
It is very hard to get your eye in unless you see several birds together. House sparrows are the most likely, though we do get tree sparrows here too. Tree sparrows have a slightly different body size and shape, but the most telling sign is that house sparrow males have a grey cap (like a stone house), while a tree sparrow male has a brown cap like a tree!
I'm amazed that I seem to have assimilated a lot of knowledge from the hours I spent looking at my little pocket bird book and a child. Names just seem to come to mind, not always right but it's wonderful when it's right!
I can't recognise enough of the SBB's (small brown birds) we get in the garden, I'm not even sure if we have tree or house sparrows, we do have starlings, collared doves, robbins, blue *** and jackdaws come to the feeders and black birds hang out with the chickens, but thats about it.
Have you read Chris Packham's, Fingers in the sparkle jar, and his relationship to his kestrel? Will have to check it that film.
There were golden eagle released in our region but one's already been killed. (There is an article about it going to roost then mysteriously disappearing tag and all). Really sad what the landed rich do to our native wildlife to support their blood sports.
We've been to Islay and Mull, decades ago, such a multitude of birds of prey. Got soaked to the skin on an rspb walk on the 'O' on Islay to see Eagles but it was worth it. Mull was better for white tails but Islay was were we saw hen harriers.
We did enjoy lots of passerines we hadn't seen before too on both! Would love to go again and to the islands and places like Skye and the Cairngorms. Crested tit and crossbill are high on my list of wanting to see, along with wild goshawk and marsh harrier.
We enjoyed doing the bird watch today, though as usual you do it, make your count, then an hour later there seems to be twice the amount in the garden!
A small Chaffinch flock was the greatest numbers, but only then 1 or 2 of the rest- green finch, blue tit, dunnock, blackbird, robin, coal tit, siskin, house sparrow.
Now there are more numbers of the rest and bullfinch too! But my numbers are submitted so no fudging the results. I think the wind was a bit strong earlier and it's improved now as the red squirrel is about now too.
It is a lovely sight.
How wonderful!!
When I was on Skye I used to see lots of golden eagles, I once saw a pair teaching their young how to ride the air currents. One parent was high above and demonstrating what to do for the youngsters, whilst the other parent was lower down, below the youngsters, probably to help if they made a mistake
Imagining this scence brought tears to my eyes. In a good way.
You are lucky to have so many birds of prey. I have only seen buzzards and kestrels. I know I'm lucky too. I do not take it for granted, to share nature with such wonderful creatures gives me such joy and it takes me out of this world and into theirs temporarily.
When I lived in Lampeter I could watch the red kites in winter riding the thermals coming out of peoples chimney pots on a cold morning.
That is an impressive number of birds of prey. I think we have enough red kites to make up for your lack. We often see around 8 at a time, they are one of the successes after being listed as being on the endangered list years ago.
I’ve been reading up on Aberffraw and the surrounding area. It has masses of diverse and interesting elements, particularly the archaeology and history. The royal history has reminded me of the recent David Dimbleby series on the royals. I can’t remember what it was called but it was enlightening and seemed factual so people could make up their own minds.
We're lucky with the numbers of birds of prey round here, we have buzzards, kestrels, sparrow hawks, peregrine falcons and I think marsh harriers. We don't have Red Kites, I'm not sure if theres a lack of suitable nest sites on the island in general or if they've just not come over here yet? Some terrible people, killed the two golden eagles that were introduced to Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), if I ever meet those people they will die a horrible death like the one they inflicted on the eagles.
When I was on Skye I used to see lots of golden eagles, I once saw a pair teaching their young how to ride the air currents. One parent was high above and demonstrating what to do for the youngsters, whilst the other parent was lower down, below the youngsters, probably to help if they made a mistake?
Nice post Marianne!!
I love birds, especially birds of prey. I've had some amazing encounters with buzzards. I have a wood and fields on the edge of our housing estate.
I'm going to watch the film H is for Hawk tomorrow too. It's about a Goshawk. I'm not sure I agree with falconry though. It's a true story about dealing with grief.
I've seen an elephant orphanage where they play football, the baby elephants love it.
