Show us ya birds !

[Baldbloke]

Been doing a harl removal and repoint on the back wall of our house over the last 3 weeks or so. Yesterday when up on the cherry picker I realised blue tits were constantly visiting the end of the lower boom, even when I was using it and the boom was 180 degrees off from its parked position. On finishing for the day I could hear chicks inside.

Last year when I got my digger out of the shed I noticed a wren had nested in the loops of a strop I’d wrapped around the open roof of it. I carefully removed the nest with eggs and repositioned it within a site light that was missing its lens. The wren successfully fledged her chicks, and I got to use the digger. Amazingly adaptable.

 

 

[Billhook]

Canada gosling sees mum take off and tries to pluck up courage for a first flight.  Seems to be encouraged by siblings.

Bit if an untidy crash landing and seems to be mocked by siblings 

 

 

Next time does a water landing which went well and seemed to gain applause from family

 

 

[aspenarb]

Winched a willow out of a stream yesterday , site inspectors turned afterwards up to check things out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2021 by aspenarb

[ABtrees]

So here's the story .......

This young lady decides to learn to fly by chasing grasshoppers and young great tits around our garden

 

She gets bored and so after a quick rest on the side of our house sets off up the hill into our bit of wood - and that's when it all kicks off !

 

There's one bird that we often hear but very, very rarely see and for over a decade have never been able to photograph.  Anyway turns out he doesn't like Kestrels (can't imagine why !) so he chases her into the wood and then just sits there shouting at her until she gets fed up and leaves - never to be seen again - so far.  And that bird is ......

 

 

 

 

 

Wife took the pics - well chuffed !

 

[openspaceman]

10 minutes ago, ABtrees said:

And that bird is

golden oriole I guess, never seen one myself.

[daveatdave]

only seen one once at a distance could not get close enough followed it up a farm hedge for about 200 yds it just keep moving further up had to look up what it might be eventley quite rare in the uk 

[Anno]

Yeah, lovely male Golden Oriole, stunning bird and increasingly rare.

[ABtrees]

1 hour ago, Anno said:

Yeah, lovely male Golden Oriole, stunning bird and increasingly rare.

So I believe but I'm pleased to report not around here (don't forget I'm in deepest darkest France).  We have them back every summer (for us they are a fancy version of returning swallows - "heard my first Oriole today") - and they do seem to be increasing in numbers.  Seeing them and trying to get a picture has become something of an obsession for my whole family.  We've been on many walks (armed with binoculars and big lens on the camera), got really close and (if we're lucky) just catch a fleeting glimpse of the bird diving deeper into the forest.  As Dave says (above), they are oh so secretive.  The picture above was heavily cropped (original below) and taken at around 100 m  on a 300mm lens (extended to 420mm) and he was sat there for less than 90 seconds albeit shouting (a completely raucous alarm call rather than the usual melodious tune)!  

I'm just going to have to improve my bushcraft and /or get lucky and find a nest site !  Oh to have the time - eh !

 

[nepia]

On my mate's farm in Caithness last week

[Stubby]

Just now, nepia said:

On my mate's farm in Caithness last week

I remember looking up at a sight just like that in our stable . Was mucking out and looking up at the house martins when a rat chewed through the fiber board and dragged a chick out . Fcuking fuming I was .