Wildlife in the garden - Spring and what is this bird?

steve50

steve50

Western Thunderer
Love that, I'm feeding foxes but they never appear during daylight, I only get to see them on my trail cam.
 
Dog Star

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
We had the first visit from a Rook just over a year ago, see here. There has been a regular "Rook" visitor for the last few months and the visitor has become adept at accessing the fat balls, often one complete ball goes in a day when the Rook visits. Here are a couple of photos from the past few days.
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Although I have yet to have a camera ready at an appropriate moment, this Rook has been seen to lift the feeder with a claw to make feeding easier.

The first starling fledglings arrived last week, not sure if just one family because the number of young birds varies between five and eight at a time. Irrespective of how many appear the noise is loud and raucous.009.JPG

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regards, Graham
 
Rob Pulham

Rob Pulham

Western Thunderer
Chris and I went out for a walk this morning and our route took us out of the village and up through a small plantation (it was planted with the view that it is to grow into a small wood for the benefit of the village and wildlife) and onto open farmland which is planted with crops. Just prior to leaving the plantation we followed one of the paths towards the railway. As we approached the field which was sown with cereal crops I noticed the tail end of a female pheasant sticking out of the crops and a second glance revealed a few chicks. Chris had hr phone with her so she managed to get a couple of photos.

There were 7 or 8 but they are remarkably well camouflaged and it took quite a bit of cropping to get to see any of them

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Focalplane

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
We had a crop of starling young on our feeder last week. They’ve moved on now, perhaps to a nearby city. I distinctly remember the dusk chorus, if it can be called that, in St. Philips Square, Birmingham back when I was young. Thousands of them about to roost for the night. Later in life I found this same phenomenon in the tree lined boulevards of Houston, except they weren’t starlings but grackles, a larger black bird with similar coloured sheen to the starling but even noisier. Eating out on Montrose Boulevard was a risky business.

The gold finches of last year have disappeared, replaced by less attractive species, including a pair of voracious magpies which will not be encouraged.
 
Dog Star

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
Yorkshire Dave said:
We had goldfinches last year and am surprised to see a greenfinch - if I've identified it correctly!
Click to expand...
I believe that you have a greenfinch in the garden. The most likely alternative to Greenfinch is a Siskin and that does flock with the Greenfinch. We have had a visit from a solitary Siskin and this photo shows that bird.

regards, Graham
 
Max M

Max M

Western Thunderer
Dog Star said:
I believe that you have a greenfinch in the garden. The most likely alternative to Greenfinch is a Siskin and that does flock with the Greenfinch. We have had a visit from a solitary Siskin and this photo shows that bird.

regards, Graham
Click to expand...
It is a male Greenfinch
 
Ressaldar

Ressaldar

Western Thunderer
Hi Steve,

we visited our daughter in Glazebrook near Warrington on Sunday and by coincidence, there was a Great Spotted woodpecker on her peanut feeder, a regular visitor by all accounts.

regards

Mike
 
simond

simond

Western Thunderer
We had one digging our grass (it’s too small to call a field and too rough to call a lawn) a few years back.

We also had a regular green one, which to my great surprise, I discovered making a noise behind our bedroom curtains one night. Presumably our cat had brought it in, I released it apparently unharmed.
 
Eastsidepilot

Eastsidepilot

Western Thunderer
A pair of Red Kites today, here's one of them that checked out the garden.

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Something in the field behind us grabbed the attention of quite a few birds today, a pair of Kites, a Sparrow Hawk, half a dozen Crows and two Gulls. Checked the field out but couldn't find a carcass or anything that would give them a meal.

But a possible Sunday lunch was about............

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Col.
 
simond

simond

Western Thunderer
Strange thing today. A corvid of some description, likely young, certainly small, sitting on a kerbstone. I thought it might have got a foot stuck in the gap between the kebstones, it allowed me approach to within maybe three feet before shuffling away, slowly, and rather self consciously (if that’s not too anthropomorphic).

Once it moved, it didn’t appear injured, so I left it and walked off. Quite curious. I wonder if it was just fledged, not quite ready to take off from the ground, and hoping I’d not notice it if it sat still.

Didn’t think to take a photo. D’oh.
 
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