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Had a lovely 30 minutes watching the birds in the front garden

300 replies

SheWhoDaresGins · 22/04/2016 09:43

Firstly Mr Pheasant came calling quite literally, so I threw some feed out on the grass for him then in the 30 minutes I was standing at the kitchen window watching him hoover it up I saw...

1 daddy black bird feeding his chick in our conifer trees. The mammy hasn't been seen for nearly a week now so has probably been nabbed by a cat or a sparrow hawk.

Chaffinches having a nosey, having a bit to eat then buggering off.

Every now and then a lesser redpoll turns up then disappears.

A black cap.

Sparrows that have taken up nesting in the swift box we have in the eves.

Several blue tits coming and going.

2 coal tits pulling the fibres off the underlay on top of the guinea pigs hutch. There are little bald patches emerging and now know the culprits.

There have been 6 or so Goldfinches on the sun flower hearts.

There are great tits fighting over the sunflower seeds.

The resident Robin is perched on the edge of the bucket waiting.

Nut hatches swooping in between the great tits and nabbing the seed of its choice and dropping the ones it doesn't want. I think there was a fledgeling on at one point because it didn't seem to know what to do at first but then awkwardly got the gist of it and left happy.

There's a pair of wood pigeons on the ground getting what ever is dropped.

Then there is a pair of Dunnocks scratting around in the grass and a little Wren shows it's face every now and then.

Then the Jack Daws casing the joint to figure out how to get at the seeds but they are too big to fit between the bars on the feeders.

Then to top it off and I love these a pair of long tail tits. Little fluff balls with tails.

I could stand here all day just watching them. Shame I have house work to do really.

Grin
OP posts:
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Mummylin · 17/05/2016 10:37

You may be lucky and end up with hoglets ! How lovely.
Camera view has changed for birds today.

GerundTheBehemoth · 17/05/2016 11:37

The peregrine chicks are doing really well :)

Just back from fab wildlifey week in Scotland, thousands of photos to sort out. One of the highlights was finding this gorgeous tawny owl in the woods at Glenborrodale.

Had a lovely 30 minutes watching the birds in the front garden
SheWhoDaresGins · 17/05/2016 12:52

Amazing photo Gerund wow so much detail to take in.

I popped in to look at the peregrine chicks before. They were all asleep apart from mum who was sat by the entrance looking down.

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GerundTheBehemoth · 18/05/2016 10:15

Thanks SheWhoDares :)

One of the osprey eggs at Loch Garten has hatched, second should hatch today.

Something else from Scotland - my first ever UK sighting of Bottlenose Dolphin.

Had a lovely 30 minutes watching the birds in the front garden
Mummylin · 19/05/2016 16:38

I have no idea why, but there is only one chick in the nest at the moment. They can't fly, indeed they don't even walk very well !

Mummylin · 19/05/2016 16:39

Here

Had a lovely 30 minutes watching the birds in the front garden
Mummylin · 19/05/2016 16:41

Oh here is one of them walking back !

Had a lovely 30 minutes watching the birds in the front garden
SheWhoDaresGins · 19/05/2016 17:29

So they like a game of hide and seek now Grin

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StinkyMcgrinky · 19/05/2016 17:38

Ahh how lovely. I could watch the birds all day, DH reckons I'm a closet twitcher and I'm not sure he's wrong. Sadly, we seem to have lost a few of our nesting birds this year Sad but the tree sparrows have been back to our bird house and winding up the cats (indoor cats, no risk to the feathered ones!). We usually have hundreds of starlings (or sparklings as DS calls them) but hardly any this year.

We have lapwings nesting in the fields across from our garden that we regularly see chasing off the kestrel, they are very noisy at night but love hearing them when we get into bed. Our neighbour has spotted a little owl in the area but we've not managed to see it ourselves yet.

SheWhoDaresGins · 19/05/2016 17:54

I love hearing the curlew Stinky we have favourite camping spots where all we hear are curlews and sheep baa-ing. It's heavenly.

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GerundTheBehemoth · 20/05/2016 16:31

The ospreys at Loch Garten have two chicks now. The gap between hatching suggests it's eggs 1 and 3, and egg 2 is probably not viable. The female (EJ) is getting on a bit - she's 19 this year - which might be why one egg didn't hatch.

Last year they had none, though, after the regular male (Odin) was temporarily driven off by a different male. Odin came back but not before the intruder male had destroyed the eggs. So two chicks would be a fab result - hopefully all will go well.

SheWhoDaresGins · 20/05/2016 19:59

19 I had no idea they lived that long.

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GerundTheBehemoth · 20/05/2016 20:48

I've heard of a few ospreys in their 20s. All the more amazing as they make a pretty dangerous migration to west Africa and back each year.

The female at Loch of the Lowes was reckoned to be 29 when she was last seen in 2014 - she wasn't ringed so could have been older, but they recognised her each year she returned because she had a couple of dark spots in one of her eyes. She nested at Loch of the Lowes for 24 years and had 50 chicks in her life!

GerundTheBehemoth · 20/05/2016 20:52

The new pair at Loch of the Lowes have two babies now. Video of a feeding session .

Mummylin · 23/05/2016 19:11

Is anyone still watching the peregrines ? They are coming along beautifully and are out of the nest most of the time. They seem to be nearly as big as the mum now. When they stretch their wings out they look huge. I have studied them and there are two with more black than the biggest one which must be the female. Haven't got much longer to watch them now. I have enjoyed it immensely.

Mummylin · 24/05/2016 15:19

I'm not sure but it may be that the peregrines have fledged already. Not a sign of any of them.

GerundTheBehemoth · 24/05/2016 16:12

They're back in view now, or at least two of them are. They look a while off fledging to me - they won't normally fly til nearly all the white down is gone.

Mummylin · 24/05/2016 16:28

I can see one now, first time I've seen it all day. On the newspaper article it says they fledge about 40 days which is about 5 th June

GerundTheBehemoth · 26/05/2016 13:57

The two Loch Garten osprey-lets are doing well, and the Dyfi nest has its first chick.

I sorted through some photos from my Scotland week last night. Rather a lot of pics of puffins!

Had a lovely 30 minutes watching the birds in the front garden
Had a lovely 30 minutes watching the birds in the front garden
Had a lovely 30 minutes watching the birds in the front garden
Weedingday · 28/05/2016 09:49

I currently have a garden full of baby robins, god they are adorable. Think I'm going to spend all weekend sat out here in my comfy chair with my binoculars watching them and keeping cats away.

N

Mummylin · 28/05/2016 19:17

Sadly I found a baby bird dead in my garden this afternoon It had no feathers and there is no nest above it so probably another bird took it from its nest.
Peregrines look as big as their mother now, only a few more days and they will probably be off. I will miss watching them daily !
I too like little robins.

Mummylin · 01/06/2016 16:32

Three big chicks. This may be the last time I am able to take the screen shot as they are all constantly now flapping their wings getting ready to fledge. I have seen them trying to fly from the top of their nesting box and their feathers when extended are magnificent

Had a lovely 30 minutes watching the birds in the front garden
GerundTheBehemoth · 02/06/2016 12:58

They're looking great and about ready to try out those wings for real. Good luck to them all.

Mummylin · 02/06/2016 18:25

Still here ! First time I have seen them all day.

Had a lovely 30 minutes watching the birds in the front garden
Mummylin · 03/06/2016 10:05

According to our local paper today the peregrines are fully fledged !

HERE

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