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[Misc] The Official NSC Bird Spotting Thread.



1066familyman

1066familyman

Radio User
Jan 15, 2008
15,185
Feel free to merge, but not seen anything similar on a thread search.

I was over Rye Harbour Nature Reserve yesterday evening and got my first ever sighting of a Marsh Harrier. Was very big, so possibly a female? She was hunting over the reed beds. Unfortunately, a bit far away for me to get any decent shots with my bang average phone.

In modern day parlance...I was 'super' excited to see one. I'm still buzzing now in fact, hence the thread :lol:

Anything tickled your fancy lately?

I've seen some cracking bird shots on the photography thread, so I know there should be some real gems turn up here. Hopefully.
 




WATFORD zero

WATFORD zero

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 10, 2003
25,796
Saw a Red Kite between Ditchling Beacon and Coldean Lane on Monday

d74cba714d8e2b680439416bc78066a1b5a94698.jpg

Seen about half a dozen round sussex in the last year or so. I remember 10-15 years ago when Buzzards started arriving in Sussex, and they now seem to outnumber the Kestrels. Just keeping my eyes peeled for a White tailed Eagle from the IOW :thumbsup:
 


1066familyman

1066familyman

Radio User
Jan 15, 2008
15,185
WATFORD zero said:
Saw a Red Kite between Ditchling Beacon and Coldean Lane on Monday

View attachment 137590

Seen about half a dozen round sussex in the last year or so. I remember 10-15 years ago when Buzzards started arriving in Sussex, and they now seem to outnumber the Kestrels. Just keeping my eyes peeled for a White tailed Eagle from the IOW :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Lovely! We had one come down really low at work the other week. I think it's only the second one I've seen in Sussex, the other one being about 2 years ago over Herstmonceux.

Yep, Buzzards as common as muck nowadays round these parts, and everywhere else it seems. Which is brilliant from where they were!


I was getting really excited when I saw the Marsh Harrier yesterday. It looked nothing like the other birds of prey that sort of size I've seen....i.e. Buzzard, Red Kite and Goshawk.

At one point, in my over excitement, I was declaring Sea Eagle! :lolol:. In my defence, I've never seen one and knew that one had been seen not far away in Kent the other year.
 




Madafwo

Madafwo

I'm probably being facetious.
Nov 11, 2013
1,591
WATFORD zero said:
Saw a Red Kite between Ditchling Beacon and Coldean Lane on Monday

View attachment 137590

Seen about half a dozen round sussex in the last year or so. I remember 10-15 years ago when Buzzards started arriving in Sussex, and they now seem to outnumber the Kestrels. Just keeping my eyes peeled for a White tailed Eagle from the IOW :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

I was lucky enough to catch sight of one in the Highlands a couple of years ago, we were on a RIB tour and the tour guide caught sight of it and just shot off the normal tour route to follow it. Wonderful things.
 




dazzer6666

dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 27, 2013
52,385
Burgess Hill
WATFORD zero said:
Saw a Red Kite between Ditchling Beacon and Coldean Lane on Monday

View attachment 137590

Seen about half a dozen round sussex in the last year or so. I remember 10-15 years ago when Buzzards started arriving in Sussex, and they now seem to outnumber the Kestrels. Just keeping my eyes peeled for a White tailed Eagle from the IOW :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Red Kites definitely becoming more common....quite often see them now when out running (very rare for me until the last 3-4 years) particulalry on the North side of the Downs escarpment it seems, and we've got one quite close to home that I've seen several times (Nr Wivelsfield Village for those local). There are dozens a bit further West though - my mother lives near Basingstoke and they are all over the place. Waiting for the green parakeet invasion to start next - they are getting closer. Buzzards are everywhere around here. We're lucky to get quite a selection of birds in the garden as we back on to a nature reserve

woody.jpg
 


WATFORD zero

WATFORD zero

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 10, 2003
25,796
dazzer6666 said:
Red Kites definitely becoming more common....quite often see them now when out running (very rare for me until the last 3-4 years) particulalry on the North side of the Downs escarpment it seems, and we've got one quite close to home that I've seen several times (Nr Wivelsfield Village for those local). There are dozens a bit further West though - my mother lives near Basingstoke and they are all over the place. Waiting for the green parakeet invasion to start next - they are getting closer. Buzzards are everywhere around here. We're lucky to get quite a selection of birds in the garden as we back on to a nature reserve

View attachment 137593
Click to expand...

We sometimes get those in the Garden. They hang upside down on the bird feeders to get at the seed.

Reminds me of many years ago Mrs Wz phoned me at work to say we had a parrot with a green body and red head in the garden. A couple of weeks later she saw it again and I was in the house so took a look. It sat on the lawn eating ants :facepalm:

wtr_green_woodpecker2.jpg
 


Guinness Boy

Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patron
Jul 23, 2003
34,119
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
Apparently there were a pair of Great Tits on Crouch's show last night.











(Sorry, someone had to. Carry on.)
 




1066familyman

1066familyman

Radio User
Jan 15, 2008
15,185
I think I also saw a couple of bearded tits yesterday evening too. Couldn't see their moustaches as my eye aren't that great and they didn't settle long enough. But looking up possibilities when I got home, I'm pretty sure that's what they were. They have been seen over there before, although I haven't seen them. I did see a Cuckoo, bold as brass one year over there really close up. I'm still referring to Rye Nature Reserve btw.
 




1066familyman

1066familyman

Radio User
Jan 15, 2008
15,185
WATFORD zero said:
We sometimes get those in the Garden. They hang upside down on the bird feeders to get at the seed.

Reminds me of many years ago Mrs Wz phoned me at work to say we had a parrot with a green body and red head in the garden. A couple of weeks later she saw it again and I was in the house so took a look. It sat on the lawn eating ants :facepalm:

View attachment 137595
Click to expand...

I'm not a very good bird spotter tbh, but the green woodpecker is one of the easiest ones I can identify. It's that laughing call and that very distinctive rise and fall low flight they have, usually around wood/field margins. Lovely bird!
 






1066familyman

1066familyman

Radio User
Jan 15, 2008
15,185
Guinness Boy said:
Apparently there were a pair of Great Tits on Crouch's show last night.











(Sorry, someone had to. Carry on.)
Click to expand...

The Bearded Tits I saw last night was not me and my mate. Neither of us had a mirror with us :wink:
 






Westdene Seagull

Westdene Seagull

aka Cap'n Carl Firecrotch
NSC Patron
Oct 27, 2003
21,003
The arse end of Hangleton
We regularly get Greenfinches and Blue Tits in our garden. I've told Mrs WS to stop taking her top off as is distracts the Greenfinches.
 




1066familyman

1066familyman

Radio User
Jan 15, 2008
15,185






KZNSeagull

KZNSeagull

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2007
19,799
Wolsingham, County Durham
There is a Grey Heron that we see regularly fishing in the river Wear here. About 6 weeks ago I was out walking the dog following a mother duck and about 12 ducklings up the pavement (as you do), when suddenly the mother duck started quacking very urgently and the ducklings all shot under a parked car - 10 seconds later the Heron appeared obviously trying to vary it's diet. A combination of the dog barking and me clapping scared it off again, but I did not know that they ate ducklings too.
 




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