Bird Identification Please

[openspaceman]

21 minutes ago, Saw-sick Steve said:

Depends entirely on the habitat frequented by the Cuckoo., eg Meadow Pipit is the commonest host by far on uplands whereas in reedbeds it's Reed warbler - don't recall Willow warbler as being a common host?

Yes I was confusing reed warbler so not willow warbler and hence no likely link. Mind I'm sure I cannot discriminate any of the warblers though I can recognise meadow pipits and dunnocks

[Billhook]

I was able to do a slightly different survey on the farm thanks to my dear old father.  Back in maybe 1978 we had a very cold Winter with difficult conditions for the birds

Father sat outside in the cold on a shooting stick and held out his hand with peanuts.  It took ages but once he managed to have one blue tit land there he had the lot!

It was interesting that although Robins come close to where you are working, it was impossible to make them take it out of your hand.

The postman had to be given a pocket full of nuts to fend off the swarm that descended on him each morning and it was priceless to see the expression on a Tractor reps face when he was earnestly discussing the features when I stuck out my hand and a bird landed on it while I kept a poker face!

But going back to the survey, the farm is a single unit and a couple of miles across and I was surprised to find that these birds had followed me wherever I went, in the woods or fields and would demand nuts.  I never thought that they had that kind of range

Unfortunately a series of mild Winters meant that we lost the memory in the new generations .