Got bitten by a dog whilst trying to find these early one morning in Suffolk. Didn’t find any but went back and saw them another time. They were almost extinct in the UK in the 60s and developed a bit of a mythical status as a result.
This is where everyone says 'ooh ooh ptarmigan!' but it's actually a white-phase Willow Grouse EDIT no it IS a (rock) ptarmigan, viz. the following extract: the male willow ptarmigan lacks the rock ptarmigan's black stripe between the eyes and bill.
Yep, Dartford Warbler. Great birds. Good chance of seeing them in the New Forest on heathland. In spring, most commonly seen perched on top of gorse. If you go looking for them, you may also see Stonechats.. another great bird. Re Goldfinches, I always wanted to see them in my garden. Never did.... bought nijer seed, the works, but no joy. Then I started using sunflower hearts and in they came. Definately a favourite food of many garden visitors.
Sadly, the same cannot be said of Greenfinches. Used to see loads in DA1 but not seen in my garden for a good 4 years or so. Numbers in decline nationally due to a virus, often spread by dirty feeders, so we all need to keep 'em clean. Chaffinch also reducing in numbers in my garden.
This is where everyone says 'ooh ooh ptarmigan!' but it's actually a white-phase Willow Grouse EDIT no it IS a (rock) ptarmigan, viz. the following extract: the male willow ptarmigan lacks the rock ptarmigan's black stripe between the eyes and bill.
Very good
I currently have Gold Finches in my garden - lovely little things - re-filled our feeders this morning, and they were watching me and twittering away - I imagined them saying to each ‘about bloody time, you lazy git, should have done that yesterday’ !!
Goldfinches can flock to over 100 in NZ. Quite the sight.
interested to know how far south do people see parakeets? Couldnt move for them in south east London but never seen a single one down here in deepest darkest Sussex.
This is where everyone says 'ooh ooh ptarmigan!' but it's actually a white-phase Willow Grouse EDIT no it IS a (rock) ptarmigan, viz. the following extract: the male willow ptarmigan lacks the rock ptarmigan's black stripe between the eyes and bill.
Very good
I currently have Gold Finches in my garden - lovely little things - re-filled our feeders this morning, and they were watching me and twittering away - I imagined them saying to each ‘about bloody time, you lazy git, should have done that yesterday’ !!
Goldfinches can flock to over 100 in NZ. Quite the sight.
you’ll have to take my word for it but there are are about 20 goldfinches in and just out of frame … plus a few starlings which the French call the rather lovely Etourneau Sansonnet
You're right guys it's a spoonbill. Here's a better angle of it (and better lighting):
I saw it yesterday at Wallasea Island. When I say 'at' I mean it just flew over. Interestingly is seemed to be being followed by two little egrets. Couldn't get a good shot of them all together though.
I live in Chatham and every now and again someone will get really excited that they have seen someone's escaped parrots in a fruit tree and its parakeets. Ive never seen any down here personally and used to work in South London where they thrive so am very familiar with them.
We had a noisy garden this morning with Jays, Magpies, Doves, Wood Pigeons, a few crows or corvids, Chatham pigeons, a flock of insane starlings, a couple of blue tits and a Robin. The sparrows usually visit in the afternoon
I live in Chatham and every now and again someone will get really excited that they have seen someone's escaped parrots in a fruit tree and its parakeets. Ive never seen any down here personally and used to work in South London where they thrive so am very familiar with them.
We had a noisy garden this morning with Jays, Magpies, Doves, Wood Pigeons, a few crows or corvids, Chatham pigeons, a flock of insane starlings, a couple of blue tits and a Robin. The sparrows usually visit in the afternoon
I live in Chatham and every now and again someone will get really excited that they have seen someone's escaped parrots in a fruit tree and its parakeets. Ive never seen any down here personally and used to work in South London where they thrive so am very familiar with them.
We had a noisy garden this morning with Jays, Magpies, Doves, Wood Pigeons, a few crows or corvids, Chatham pigeons, a flock of insane starlings, a couple of blue tits and a Robin. The sparrows usually visit in the afternoon
Wekas are good fun. They’re about the size of a chicken, can’t fly and like to steal thing from people like magpies. One minute you’re having a sandwich enjoying the view . Next minute you’re running through the undergrowth after a weka that’s swiped your Swiss Army knife. Keas are also cool. They’re alpine parrots that are devilish clever and like to rip the rubber of the windows of skiers’ cars. Birds are pretty much the only native animal we have. We have one native mammal only ( excluding seals) take a guess …
What really amazes me these days is the amount of change I have witnessed over my own lifetime. I grew up in Woolwich and Abbey Wood and when we moved lock, stock and barrel to Dorset in 1987 I had never seen a Buzzard in my 33 years. The bird books showed no resident Buzzards east of Dorset. Now they are common and present in every county in the UK. On a visit to Shaftesbury in 1989 my wife and I witnessed a Red Kite gliding majestically over the town pursued by a dozen corvids. There were precisely zero nesting Red Kites in England at that time and our specimen must have been either a stray from the 50 nesting pairs in Wales or more likely and wanderer from the continent. Now since the successful re-introduction they are abundant in many areas. Saw my first Little Egret also in 1989, not listed as a UK species, now we have 3 types of Egret resident. Saw a migrating Osprey in the early 90's, now they are nesting in Poole Harbour. We have Dartford Warbler present and Nightjar visiting the heath next to where we live. In addition to birds, we have Otters returned to our local rivers spotted by various friends and family (though sadly not yet by myself) Although not uncommon, we have had Roe Deer in our front and back garden. On the downside, I don't seem to see anything like the numbers of Sparrows and Song Thrushes that I used to see as a boy on Erith Marshes and over the Royal Arsenal back in the days when Abbey Wood was the last outpost before Kent and Thamesmead was just a pipedream. The Sparrows used to build their untidy nests in the top of the Hawthorn trees and in the crook of the drainpipes on the tops of the 2-storey maisonette blocks. These days they wouldn't stand a chance against Magpie predation. Hard to believe Magpies were once considered a bird of the countryside.
About 10 years ago we were sitting in our lounge and happened to be looking out of the window when a bird we believe to be a golden oriole landed on a hanging basket bracket. It was between a blackbird and magpie in size but most striking was it's stunning bright yellow body and black wings. It stayed for only a few seconds but 3 of us were lucky enough to see it.
What really amazes me these days is the amount of change I have witnessed over my own lifetime. I grew up in Woolwich and Abbey Wood and when we moved lock, stock and barrel to Dorset in 1987 I had never seen a Buzzard in my 33 years. The bird books showed no resident Buzzards east of Dorset. Now they are common and present in every county in the UK. On a visit to Shaftesbury in 1989 my wife and I witnessed a Red Kite gliding majestically over the town pursued by a dozen corvids. There were precisely zero nesting Red Kites in England at that time and our specimen must have been either a stray from the 50 nesting pairs in Wales or more likely and wanderer from the continent. Now since the successful re-introduction they are abundant in many areas. Saw my first Little Egret also in 1989, not listed as a UK species, now we have 3 types of Egret resident. Saw a migrating Osprey in the early 90's, now they are nesting in Poole Harbour. We have Dartford Warbler present and Nightjar visiting the heath next to where we live. In addition to birds, we have Otters returned to our local rivers spotted by various friends and family (though sadly not yet by myself) Although not uncommon, we have had Roe Deer in our front and back garden. On the downside, I don't seem to see anything like the numbers of Sparrows and Song Thrushes that I used to see as a boy on Erith Marshes and over the Royal Arsenal back in the days when Abbey Wood was the last outpost before Kent and Thamesmead was just a pipedream. The Sparrows used to build their untidy nests in the top of the Hawthorn trees and in the crook of the drainpipes on the tops of the 2-storey maisonette blocks. These days they wouldn't stand a chance against Magpie predation. Hard to believe Magpies were once considered a bird of the countryside.
Thamesmead and the marshesused to be home to :
Farmsteads, Skylarks, Lapwings, Partridges, Green Shanks, Red Shanks, Countless species of duck, Various plovers, Some Pheasants, Reed and Marsh Warblers and many other birds.
Sadly it is now not so.
The winter of 62-63 even brought Dotterels to the area instead of Cumbria
Skylarks , oh such pretty songs they sing. They make me intensely happy when I hear them. I’m not even joking. I get totally blissed out when I hear their ‘profuse strains of unpremeditated art’ … (Shelley)
Comments
Re Goldfinches, I always wanted to see them in my garden. Never did.... bought nijer seed, the works, but no joy. Then I started using sunflower hearts and in they came. Definately a favourite food of many garden visitors.
Sadly, the same cannot be said of Greenfinches. Used to see loads in DA1 but not seen in my garden for a good 4 years or so. Numbers in decline nationally due to a virus, often spread by dirty feeders, so we all need to keep 'em clean. Chaffinch also reducing in numbers in my garden.
What about this one? Was well chuffed to see this today (oops, yesterday now).
I saw it yesterday at Wallasea Island. When I say 'at' I mean it just flew over. Interestingly is seemed to be being followed by two little egrets. Couldn't get a good shot of them all together though.
We had a noisy garden this morning with Jays, Magpies, Doves, Wood Pigeons, a few crows or corvids, Chatham pigeons, a flock of insane starlings, a couple of blue tits and a Robin. The sparrows usually visit in the afternoon
I grew up in Woolwich and Abbey Wood and when we moved lock, stock and barrel to Dorset in 1987 I had never seen a Buzzard in my 33 years.
The bird books showed no resident Buzzards east of Dorset.
Now they are common and present in every county in the UK.
On a visit to Shaftesbury in 1989 my wife and I witnessed a Red Kite gliding majestically over the town pursued by a dozen corvids.
There were precisely zero nesting Red Kites in England at that time and our specimen must have been either a stray from the 50 nesting pairs in Wales or more likely and wanderer from the continent.
Now since the successful re-introduction they are abundant in many areas.
Saw my first Little Egret also in 1989, not listed as a UK species, now we have 3 types of Egret resident.
Saw a migrating Osprey in the early 90's, now they are nesting in Poole Harbour.
We have Dartford Warbler present and Nightjar visiting the heath next to where we live.
In addition to birds, we have Otters returned to our local rivers spotted by various friends and family (though sadly not yet by myself)
Although not uncommon, we have had Roe Deer in our front and back garden.
On the downside, I don't seem to see anything like the numbers of Sparrows and Song Thrushes that I used to see as a boy on Erith Marshes and over the Royal Arsenal back in the days when Abbey Wood was the last outpost before Kent and Thamesmead was just a pipedream.
The Sparrows used to build their untidy nests in the top of the Hawthorn trees and in the crook of the drainpipes on the tops of the 2-storey maisonette blocks.
These days they wouldn't stand a chance against Magpie predation.
Hard to believe Magpies were once considered a bird of the countryside.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/11/consternation-in-new-zealand-as-native-bat-included-in-bird-of-the-year-poll