Dozens on the golf courses I played there this week.........................also saw a Purple HeronOne of my favourite bulirds. I've only ever seen them in Portugal. I might venture over to Newhaven!
Dozens on the golf courses I played there this week.........................also saw a Purple HeronOne of my favourite bulirds. I've only ever seen them in Portugal. I might venture over to Newhaven!
Nice. Did you play any in Lagos or west of there? I'm not a golfer (my main reason for going is for the surf), but the courses I've seen look very hilly. I saw a purple heron when we were there in April.Dozens on the golf courses I played there this week.........................also saw a Purple Heron
We played 4 - Silves, La Pinta, Gramacho and then Vila Sol yesterday as it’s on the way to the airport (we usually stay in Alvor). A few hills but not too dramatic really - just enough to have some lovely elevated tees.Nice. Did you play any in Lagos or west of there? I'm not a golfer (my main reason for going is for the surf), but the courses I've seen look very hilly. I saw a purple heron when we were there in April.
I forgot the tame Cattle Egret that lives on clubhouse chipsNice. Did you play any in Lagos or west of there? I'm not a golfer (my main reason for going is for the surf), but the courses I've seen look very hilly. I saw a purple heron when we were there in April.
Nice selection but I’m very surprised that you saw a Siskin which would be a very interesting record - they are Winter Visitors to most of UK and back on their breeding grounds by now - there is a breeding population in UK but in the far north of Scotland.It has been a good day for birding so far today, totally as a by-product of other things.
First the dog walk and woodpeckers. I then had to walk home across fields after dropping my car off for a service...
I can't claim to have seen/verified the siskin, which was picked up by Merlin. Not quite as whacky as the nightjar it suggested the other day, which was actually a lawnmower in the distanceNice selection but I’m very surprised that you saw a Siskin which would be a very interesting record - they are Winter Visitors to most of UK and back on their breeding grounds by now - there is a breeding population in UK but in the far north of Scotland.
You do need to treat Merlin with a little caution even though it's a good app. Why not add BirdNET app too? Here you actually record the bird song. Then you send it to the BirdNET servers in Germany who will analyze your recordings. Generally it is more accurate.I can't claim to have seen/verified the siskin, which was picked up by Merlin. Not quite as whacky as the nightjar it suggested the other day, which was actually a lawnmower in the distance
Nice. Did you play any in Lagos or west of there? I'm not a golfer (my main reason for going is for the surf), but the courses I've seen look very hilly. I saw a purple heron when we were there in AprilDozens on the golf courses I played there this week.........................also saw a Purple Heron
That's an outrageous list for a lunchtime. I heard (but didn't see) some Blackcaps up at Hollingbury Hill Fort on Wednesday- one of my favourite birdsong. I use Birdnet to id them.I’m really fortunate to live and work in a rural area which means if I have time to take an hour’s lunch break at work, I get to do some birding. I also get to do it all on private land so no dogs or runners/cyclists, just the whole area to myself and very quiet and peaceful. Fish are spawning so no fisherman on the lakes today either.
View attachment 182475
View attachment 182476
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My lunchtime walk today included:
Kestrel
Common Buzzard
Reed Bunting
Cuckoo
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Marsh Tit
Lesser Whitethroat
Common WhiteThroat
Black-tailed Godwit
Lesser Black Backed Gull
Mute swan
Mallard
Sedge warbler
Wood pigeon
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Chiffchaff
Teal
Tufted Duck
Great crested Grebe
Cettis warbler
Moorhen
Wren
Reed Warbler
Stock Dove
Shelduck
Blackbird
Robin
Starling
Coot
Greylag goose
Canada Goose
Egyptian Goose
Oyster Catcher
Jay
Long-tailed Tit
Skylark
Pheasant
Swift
Robin
Magpie
Song Thrush
Dunnock
Nuthatch
Pied Wagtail
Collared Dove
That’s a really good birding spot - I found a male Red-Backed Shrike up there one summer. Also good for Nightingale and both species of WhitethroatThat's an outrageous list for a lunchtime. I heard (but didn't see) some Blackcaps up at Hollingbury Hill Fort on Wednesday- one of my favourite birdsong. I use Birdnet to id them.
There's a lot of GSW near me. In fact, one widened the opening on our bird box and cleaned out a brood of blue tit chicks a few years ago. I have since put a metal ring over the aperture, but somehow the tits know and haven't been back.
There's a telegraph pole about 5m from our bedroom window and we are often woken by the sound of a woodpecker tapping away at metal. I used to think it was just a really stupid woodpecker, but apparently they are males showing off with the sound it makes rather than looking for food.
They are too smart to go into the nest when they can see me, but I could hear the chicks, so waited by this tree with the obvious nest holes to get a shot of sorts (and now I'll be late for work ):
View attachment 182416
Solo Swift spotted over BN3 this evening..hooray!
Very sad..I love these birds and to date this year have still only seen the one swiftSwallow, swift and house martin populations have nearly halved, finds UK bird survey
Reduction in insect numbers contributes to drop, and there are declines across more than a third of bird species surveyedwww.theguardian.com
You saw all of these in a lunchtime stroll ?I’m really fortunate to live and work in a rural area which means if I have time to take an hour’s lunch break at work, I get to do some birding. I also get to do it all on private land so no dogs or runners/cyclists, just the whole area to myself and very quiet and peaceful. Fish are spawning so no fisherman on the lakes today either.
View attachment 182475
View attachment 182476
View attachment 182477
My lunchtime walk today included:
Kestrel
Common Buzzard
Reed Bunting
Cuckoo
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Marsh Tit
Lesser Whitethroat
Common WhiteThroat
Black-tailed Godwit
Lesser Black Backed Gull
Mute swan
Mallard
Sedge warbler
Wood pigeon
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Chiffchaff
Teal
Tufted Duck
Great crested Grebe
Cettis warbler
Moorhen
Wren
Reed Warbler
Stock Dove
Shelduck
Blackbird
Robin
Starling
Coot
Greylag goose
Canada Goose
Egyptian Goose
Oyster Catcher
Jay
Long-tailed Tit
Skylark
Pheasant
Swift
Robin
Magpie
Song Thrush
Dunnock
Nuthatch
Pied Wagtail
Collared Dove
That is impressive.I’m really fortunate to live and work in a rural area which means if I have time to take an hour’s lunch break at work, I get to do some birding. I also get to do it all on private land so no dogs or runners/cyclists, just the whole area to myself and very quiet and peaceful. Fish are spawning so no fisherman on the lakes today either.
View attachment 182475
View attachment 182476
View attachment 182477
My lunchtime walk today included:
Kestrel
Common Buzzard
Reed Bunting
Cuckoo
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Marsh Tit
Lesser Whitethroat
Common WhiteThroat
Black-tailed Godwit
Lesser Black Backed Gull
Mute swan
Mallard
Sedge warbler
Wood pigeon
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Chiffchaff
Teal
Tufted Duck
Great crested Grebe
Cettis warbler
Moorhen
Wren
Reed Warbler
Stock Dove
Shelduck
Blackbird
Robin
Starling
Coot
Greylag goose
Canada Goose
Egyptian Goose
Oyster Catcher
Jay
Long-tailed Tit
Skylark
Pheasant
Swift
Robin
Magpie
Song Thrush
Dunnock
Nuthatch
Pied Wagtail
Collared Dove
Norfolk.That is impressive.
Where was this, if I may ask?
Beautiful colour bird - It is possibly an escape (from captivity ) so would have been condemned to a life in a cage - there was one in Holland too this week.An Indigo Bunting was spotted in the North-East recently. A friend of mine has a picture.
I feel sorry for the poor thing. Condemned to a life in a colder climate and never having nookie. No wonder it looks looked so miserable.
Most likely carried across the pond in poor weather conditions and lost its co-ordination. Off to Florida for a sex tour and ends up wandering aimlessly around Sunderland.
The plumage of the bird suggests that it is very young. So it may well be wild. What I didn't know was that it navigates by the stars. Poor thing. Feel really sorry for it.Beautiful colour bird - It is possibly an escape (from captivity ) so would have been condemned to a life in a cage - there was one in Holland too this week.
Unfortunately hundreds of wild birds overshoot migration or get blown off course by weather or even piggy bag legitimate migrating species by ‘accident’ - a few might get absorbed by the local gene pool, most succumb to predators (because they look ‘different’ ) or as you say, eventually die from hunger or exhaustion. It’s the one aspect of birding I always felt quite sad about and never enjoyed that aspect of twitching despite the excitement of seeing a rare bird.