Penny Clarke
Well-known member
Three jays flew over Holme Marsh Reserve this evening (never seen three here together before), along with barn owl and marsh harrier seen.
Penny:girl:
Penny:girl:
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Norfolk birding (23 Viewers)
- Thread starter Edward woodwood
- Start date
What are folk thinking regarding this Jay movement? Gs Woodpecker also being picked up in unusual circumstances and numbers. Presumably a food source proving abundant and birds stocking up before the weather hits. Thank-you to all for posting sightings here, but perhaps someone more knowledgeable than I can suggest a reason/theory.
A much earlier post mentioned many long-tailed Tits; this too I can echo from my wanderings. Have they done rather well this year?
Cheers,
Jim.
A much earlier post mentioned many long-tailed Tits; this too I can echo from my wanderings. Have they done rather well this year?
Cheers,
Jim.
Redbridge
Well-known member
Don't often comment but feel the need to here. I have seen so many Jays lately (Norwich area). Just a suggestion, could it be that 'Knopper galls' are causing Jays to search for areas where there are gall free acorns? Obviously you would need to work out where there a large numbers of Jays and where there aren't and if this correlates to acorn availability. As I said - Just a suggestion!
Article here http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/wi...jays-and-squirrels-go-hungry-this-autumn.aspx
steve_zodiac
Well-known member
I seem to recall back in the early eighties there was a huge influx of Jays along the Norfolk coast, referred to as the Great Jay Invasion. No doubt older Norfolk birders will probably recall it.
The usual reason for an influx of jays is a failure in the acorn crop in central\northern Europe. Mind you from what I have seen the acorns are not good in Norfolk this year. Last yearwas a bumper crop and its common following a good acorn year for most trees to fail.
The strange thing is I am not seeing many jays on the coast( working at Stiffkey and Warham over the last 2 days and have not seen a single one ) , yet last week there was a steady movement west over Fakenham , though numbers were low , perhaps a dozen a day. Still odd ones going over this week.
There are still plenty of spoonbills about and had the most unineresting group of 8 yesterday. For the whole 4 hours I was watching them they were all fast asleep and no once did they untuck their heads or make any movement. It was a bit like watching paint dry. Thank god there were plenty of wigeon and pintail to distract me.
The strange thing is I am not seeing many jays on the coast( working at Stiffkey and Warham over the last 2 days and have not seen a single one ) , yet last week there was a steady movement west over Fakenham , though numbers were low , perhaps a dozen a day. Still odd ones going over this week.
There are still plenty of spoonbills about and had the most unineresting group of 8 yesterday. For the whole 4 hours I was watching them they were all fast asleep and no once did they untuck their heads or make any movement. It was a bit like watching paint dry. Thank god there were plenty of wigeon and pintail to distract me.
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Songkhran
Well-known member
I've read quite a few articles recently about Acute Oak Decline, there seem to be many threats from foreign invaders to our native tree at the moment and as a consequence our woodland birds. Sure its not the main reason but might be having an effect.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19167307
also interesting one about Jay behaviour
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/19660267
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19167307
also interesting one about Jay behaviour
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/19660267
sacha
Well-known member
Only a Pec indeed (and I did find one last year) but still a good bird.
It was not there when I checked Kelling WM at around 10.30 so must have arrived just as I was leaving. That is why it was a tad annoying.
Nice to meet some of the local birders on the beach today. Can't imagine much gets past the area with the few but 'quality' birders there.
As for Jays .... Plenty seen moving inland nearer Norwich in last few days but none seen over Blakeney Point or on coast today.. So not sure where they are originating from. But they do appear to be on the move in strange locations!
sacha
Well-known member
I can confirm the 'clever' behaviour mentioned in the above article. I had tame Jay on my balcony in Battersea (London) that was so smart it worked out where the ham I would sometimes feed it was kept (in the fridge!). It started pecking on the window to be let in and would sit on the fridge waiting.
It even brought me a plastic bead once and dropped it at my feet.
Sounds made up.. But there is a photo of the Jay sitting on my shoulders on my blog for those that don't believe it
firstreesjohn
Well-known member
Garrulous Garrulus ?
I don’t know what this means (!), but I 'asked' Trektellen to tellen me about the numbers of migrating Jays in Europe in the last month. The following is the result: http://www.trektellen.nl/doortrekpa...bd=4&bm=9&bj=2012&ed=4&em=10&ej=2012&schaal=7
Changing the scaling gives this:http://www.trektellen.nl/doortrekpa...bd=4&bm=9&bj=2012&ed=4&em=10&ej=2012&schaal=1
Does someone on here understand these things. Help !
An afterthought: Shirley, if there is an acorn crop failure, this’ll have an adverse effect on the squirrel population.
I don’t know what this means (!), but I 'asked' Trektellen to tellen me about the numbers of migrating Jays in Europe in the last month. The following is the result: http://www.trektellen.nl/doortrekpa...bd=4&bm=9&bj=2012&ed=4&em=10&ej=2012&schaal=7
Changing the scaling gives this:http://www.trektellen.nl/doortrekpa...bd=4&bm=9&bj=2012&ed=4&em=10&ej=2012&schaal=1
Does someone on here understand these things. Help !
An afterthought: Shirley, if there is an acorn crop failure, this’ll have an adverse effect on the squirrel population.
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firstreesjohn
Well-known member
“We were told on the course today, to go home and practice”
See her blog: http://pennyshotbirdingandlife.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/holme-marsh-reserve.html
I fear Penny has been too enthusiastic ! She may still be able to take photographs, though. Let’s just hope she doesn’t get plastered, similarly.
Sunday is showing the possibility of EASTERLIES !
See her blog: http://pennyshotbirdingandlife.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/holme-marsh-reserve.html
I fear Penny has been too enthusiastic ! She may still be able to take photographs, though. Let’s just hope she doesn’t get plastered, similarly.
Sunday is showing the possibility of EASTERLIES !
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sacha
Well-known member
Would the acorn failure theory also explain why I see one blog in Norfolk mentioning a viz mig Nuthatch and the fact that I've had a Nuthatch on my feeder for the first time?
The Nuthatch in my garden has also been feeding on seed on the concrete ground, something I have never seen before!
Has anyone else seen a spread of Nuthatches or birds in unusual places this Autumn?
The Nuthatch in my garden has also been feeding on seed on the concrete ground, something I have never seen before!
Has anyone else seen a spread of Nuthatches or birds in unusual places this Autumn?
john miller
Well-known member
Third record in my garden in 15 years, also third record in 20 years in a Weybourne garden.
John
Geof Douglas
Member
Nuthatches: There has been a nuthatch in The Dell area at Wells woods for several weeks now and I heard three different ones along Holkham meals last week. They do breed very close in Holkham park so could have made the move at last. A well known holkham birder told me that he averaged one record a year from Hokham Pines, so something is going on. There have also been possibly 2 Nuthatches on thefeeders at Titchwell.
Nick Moran
Well-known member
There's plenty of talk on Twitter etc about the Jay 'influx'.
One or two other stats from Trektellen: 11 of the top 25 highest ever Jay counts (in Trek) from British viz-mig sites have occurred since 20/09/2012, including the record count of 63 from Sandwich Bay yesterday (03/10/2012).
12 of the top 25 highest counts in Belgium were in September this year, though by comparison, only 2/25 of top counts in Netherlands have been this autumn (so far). Trektellen is Dutch-based, so I guess there's more data in there from Netherlands than anywhere else. I can't explain/understand why the Jay movement doesn't seem so obvious there than it does here / Belgium.
There have been instances of groups seen coming 'in off' ('in-off', in/off?) in SE England in the last few days, e.g. 34 at Bockhill, Kent 29/09/2012.
Having said that, it would surely be wrong to assume that Jays in odd locations are of continental origin (not that anyone is) because 'our' Jays are a) always more detectable at this time of year anyway, and b) the poor acorn crop is presumably causing them to have to move further in search of food.
There's interesting reading on the subject of the 'big Jay autumn' of 1983 (which featured 896 passing over St. Margaret's 02/10/1983, part of a guestimated movement of 1,500 on that date) in the Kent Bird Report 1983 and in BB: Vol 78, 611-637 (Dec 1985).
Anecdotal reports of loads more Grey Squirrels around - and dead on the roads! - at the moment. Are they struggling to find / cache enough food and therefore having to move around more??
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Nick Moran
Well-known member
A couple of graphs that might be of interest: Nuthatch reporting rates across Britain and Norfolk from BirdTrack this year, compared to the 7 year average. Numbers along the bottom are weeks of the year - we're part way through week 40, hence I left that week out.
The Norfolk data is pretty 'noisy'... something I'm sure local readers of this thread will be keen to address!
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O.Reville1989
I started off with nothing and I've still got some
We have noticed a real increase in jay numbers around Swaffham in the last week, then this morning I had a flock of nine mixed in with seven magpies. My parents (again near Swaffham) have had nuthatch coming to the feeders this week which is the first time in the 10+ years they have lived there. Also seeing a lot more squirrels locally in the last three weeks, including loads of dead ones.
Next a question... I've got a friend visiting on Saturday and we are hoping to get out and see some birds and get some nice photos. Torn between heading towards Titchwell or Cley, any advice on which might provide more photo opportunities?
Next a question... I've got a friend visiting on Saturday and we are hoping to get out and see some birds and get some nice photos. Torn between heading towards Titchwell or Cley, any advice on which might provide more photo opportunities?
john miller
Well-known member
O.Reville1989
I started off with nothing and I've still got some
Beauty! Just has to hang on until tomorrow....
