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Garden / Yard List 2015 (5 Viewers)
- Thread starter halftwo
- Start date
Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
Well I'm looking forward to you wax(w)ing lyrical about this sighting H (groans all round).
Here, it's been those mid-summer doldrums, when I'm in the garden I'm not sure whether to put the deckchair facing south (for exotic mediterranean overshoots borne on the hot southerly air) or facing north (for the first young southbound migrants). Either way, I'd resigned myself to not adding to the one garden list June addition (which was on the 1st for heaven's sake!), when this morning as I opened the balcony window in order to water the geraniums, my ears were assailed by the unmistakeable 'little bit of bread' (but without the cheese) song coming from atop next door's overgrown Christmas tree! I dropped the water bottle and grabbed the camera- result attached:
79 Cirl Bunting
Only the second I've seen in our 9 years up here.
Attachments
KenM
Well-known member
Agreed!....a species I've only ever encountered ''thrice!''
KenM
Well-known member
Certainly a bird of the year Brenda...presumably you have seen this bird with the adults? Here's a couple I had in the garden a few years back now.
Cheers
Attachments
Hi Ken , yes I've seen it being fed by its mum on the grass in my garden and being fed in my neighbours tree several times Three trees directly beyond the right side hedge are a haven for many birds .
Good photo of the couple you had
Good photo of the couple you had
Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
Although we've not reached 40°C plus as Brenda has 'down south', the current heatwave saw us have our highest-ever temperature yesterday, 30.5° (remember we're up at 3,600ft!), so it was a case of deckchairs in the shade, facing south, and bingo, early afternoon that unmistakeable 'prrrit' call overhead in the very bright sky:
80 Bee-eater :t:
Unfortunately we couldn't see it/them and the calls faded away to the west - but a good one for here, only the third record for the garden (others were spring and autumn flocks, perhaps from the Swiss population, which is increasing it seems).
80 Bee-eater :t:
Unfortunately we couldn't see it/them and the calls faded away to the west - but a good one for here, only the third record for the garden (others were spring and autumn flocks, perhaps from the Swiss population, which is increasing it seems).
Nice one, I saw seven Bee-eaters today, unfortunately not on my land.
Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
Crikey, that must be a good record for Lithuania Jos, or do they breed up there nowadays?
KenM
Well-known member
Bee-eaters at 3600'....enough to have scrambled a few Spitfires yesteryear!
I reckon a severe case of altitude sickness, coupled with temperatures of 30.5 degrees...acute hallucination if you ask me.
Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
Bee-eaters at 3600'....enough to have scrambled a few Spitfires yesteryear!
I reckon a severe case of altitude sickness, coupled with temperatures of 30.5 degrees...acute hallucination if you ask me.
Well, the 'prrit' noise could have been down to the lentils we had for lunch I suppose
. And never mind Spitfires, what's that slow-flying fat-front-ended thing I keep seeing Ken, reminds me of a mini Bristol 170 of fond memory is it carrying Airbus parts or something?
Started to breed in recent years, several localities now. Had one over my land many eons ago.
halftwo
Wird Batcher
5am today and an unknown song woke me.
Went out to try to find it without seeing it.
Still no idea.
It was a single note like a Yellowhammer call followed by a c.1.5 second slowish trill somewhat like a Grey Wagtail's quality of "sti sti sti.." type notes.
No Bee-eaters here though!
Went out to try to find it without seeing it.
Still no idea.
It was a single note like a Yellowhammer call followed by a c.1.5 second slowish trill somewhat like a Grey Wagtail's quality of "sti sti sti.." type notes.
No Bee-eaters here though!
joannec
Well-known member
:t: Excellent, Richard!
Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
I wish I'd seen it/them though (but Ken thinks I was hallucinating in the heat anyway...).
H, I wonder if your bird is indeed a Yellowhammer, there was a male doing a half-hearted subdued 'song' similar to what you describe, at dawn and again at dusk at my Mother in law's place at the weekend, perhaps it's the song they do as they're winding down for the summer?
H, I wonder if your bird is indeed a Yellowhammer, there was a male doing a half-hearted subdued 'song' similar to what you describe, at dawn and again at dusk at my Mother in law's place at the weekend, perhaps it's the song they do as they're winding down for the summer?
joannec
Well-known member
"My" Yellowhammers are still in full voice......pretty sure they are on at least their second brood, maybe third! Still singing all day long and no sign of a let up or winding down for the summer yet.
