Show us ya birds !

[Billhook]

On 14/06/2020 at 20:10, timbernut said:

Gold crest crashed into my daughters window, luckily only stunned and went on its way after 20 mins

Firecrest?

[Billhook]

Not going to put a picture of a Starling up, just to say that at one time we had Starlings everywhere on the farm, following the plough, swarming in vast flocks and even regulars at our bird table. Have not seen one here for ages.

I was waiting outside the bank yesterday in a long covid queue and there were at least a dozen Starlings pecking around a bench in the High Street.  Have they left the countryside for an urban life?

Another article claimed that Blue Tits and Great Tits were suffering because Spring weather had  not allowed insects to develop at the right stage for breeding birds.  Judging by at least thirty birds on our table with maybe fifty more waiting in the hedge, as they definitely have a pecking order, I would suggest that this story is not true, at least where we are.

[timbernut]

Firecrest?

Goldcrest, I believe only difference is firecrest has orange Mohawk!

[timbernut]

Not going to put a picture of a Starling up, just to say that at one time we had Starlings everywhere on the farm, following the plough, swarming in vast flocks and even regulars at our bird table. Have not seen one here for ages.
I was waiting outside the bank yesterday in a long covid queue and there were at least a dozen Starlings pecking around a bench in the High Street.  Have they left the countryside for an urban life?
Another article claimed that Blue Tits and Great Tits were suffering because Spring weather had  not allowed insects to develop at the right stage for breeding birds.  Judging by at least thirty birds on our table with maybe fifty more waiting in the hedge, as they definitely have a pecking order, I would suggest that this story is not true, at least where we are.

Starlings all but disappeared from round here (Norfolk) but they seem to be on the rise again though I doubt they’ll ever reach the huge flocks that were almost locust like in the 70s, when I was a kid.
Our Wood was coniferised in the early 50s and a neighbour said huge flocks used to roost in the young conifers to the point where every local man with a shotgun was asked to come to the Wood to blast into the flocks as they converged on the Wood in the evening in winter to deter them as they were killing thousands of trees with their guano!

[Billhook]

3 hours ago, timbernut said:

Goldcrest, I believe only difference is firecrest has orange Mohawk!

You are of course absolutely correct and I as usual was confused!

[S10 WRM]

3 hours ago, timbernut said:

Goldcrest, I believe only difference is firecrest has orange Mohawk!

Firecrest has a white supercilium (eyebrow stripe). Still quite sparsely distributed in the UK  - common in  New Forest (mostly Bolderwood), Forest of Dean - but like all birds it can fly and could turn up anywhere. I 've seen them on Berry Head near Brixham and at Upton Warren in Worcestershire.

Edited November 29, 2020 by S10 WRM

[Billhook]

3 hours ago, timbernut said:

Starlings all but disappeared from round here (Norfolk) but they seem to be on the rise again though I doubt they’ll ever reach the huge flocks that were almost locust like in the 70s, when I was a kid.
Our Wood was coniferised in the early 50s and a neighbour said huge flocks used to roost in the young conifers to the point where every local man with a shotgun was asked to come to the Wood to blast into the flocks as they converged on the Wood in the evening in winter to deter them as they were killing thousands of trees with their guano!

I used to live near Lynn and there were massive flocks roosting in the conifers at Magdalen in the 1960s and I remember my father taking me there just for the spectacle.  I also remember the trees being white with excrement.

[timbernut]

Firecrest has a white supercilium (eyebrow stripe). Still quite sparsely distributed in the UK  - common in  New Forest (mostly Bolderwood), Forest of Dean - but like all birds it can fly and could turn up anywhere. I 've seen them on Berry Head near Brixham and at Upton Warren in Worcestershire.

About 10 yes ago we were clearing blackthorn scrub on the edge of the Broads by the river Chet and there were four fire crests foraging on the ground where we’d winched stuff out, they were there for 2 or 3 days and then vanished (we were there another week or so), it’s the only time I’ve seen them.

[Stubby]

6 hours ago, S10 WRM said:

Firecrest has a white supercilium (eyebrow stripe). Still quite sparsely distributed in the UK  - common in  New Forest (mostly Bolderwood), Forest of Dean - but like all birds it can fly and could turn up anywhere. I 've seen them on Berry Head near Brixham and at Upton Warren in Worcestershire.

I see one , or the other about every 10 years or so . I am not specifically looking for them though .  South downs .

[Stubby]

9 hours ago, timbernut said:

Starlings all but disappeared from round here (Norfolk) but they seem to be on the rise again though I doubt they’ll ever reach the huge flocks that were almost locust like in the 70s, when I was a kid.
Our Wood was coniferised in the early 50s and a neighbour said huge flocks used to roost in the young conifers to the point where every local man with a shotgun was asked to come to the Wood to blast into the flocks as they converged on the Wood in the evening in winter to deter them as they were killing thousands of trees with their guano!

Love to see a " murmeration " of starlings coming in for evening roost .