Birmingham City Centre (1 Viewer)

[treetop]

Pick the county thread list you want it in and near the top of the page click the red button "New Thread." :t:

Thanks SJ you're a star. I'm just old and senile really.

 

[treetop]

Disinfected the nest box today, found one dead chick inside, riddled with maggots. I hope we get some more next year. (Not maggots, blue tits) Having said that do they have more than one clutch in a year?
Also do they use the same nest box again?

 

[Ste-gull]

Disinfected the nest box today, found one dead chick inside, riddled with maggots. I hope we get some more next year. (Not maggots, blue tits) Having said that do they have more than one clutch in a year?
Also do they use the same nest box again?

It's faily uncommon in Britain for Blue Tits to have a second brood, unless the first fails (as far as I'm aware). Given that some of your brood have fledged, I'd say you've done the right thing clearing the box out. If they did so happen to have a second brood or another bird fancied the box, I'm sure they'd be grateful for the house keeping you've done! :t: No one likes a dead corpse in their living room...

 

[Ste-gull]

Top of the bill this morning on the branch... LBBG regurgitating a rat! LOVELY!
Plus the Great Tits seem to have fledged sometime between yesterday morning and today.

 

[Phil Andrews]

A recently fledged Peregrine over the "city centre" today :t::t:

 

[Ste-gull]

Not a bird...soz

Been a bit quiet on my commuting wanders lately but saw this Swallow Tailed Moth at lunch (I wont embarrass myself by saying where I ate) - first for me, pretty fancy.

 

[Phil Andrews]

Two recently fledged Kestrels over Aston University campus this week. Two Goldfinch chicks fallen out of a nest along Jennens Road were quickly gobbled up by the ever vigilent Carrion Crows.

 

[baggie_dave]

Two recently fledged Kestrels over Aston University campus this week. Two Goldfinch chicks fallen out of a nest along Jennens Road were quickly gobbled up by the ever vigilent Carrion Crows.

I had a Kestrel around 10:30 this morning over Smallbrook Queensway, flying near the Radisson heading in the direction of the Bristol Rd. May have been one of these two. Certainly livened up a boring meeting anyway!!

Cheers :t:

 

[Claudy Banks]

Crappy phone pic, but great to see this Peregrine, University of Birmingham last week, it had been feeding on a feral pigeon, oblivious to passers by.

 

[rollingthunder]

I would be very pleased with that as a phone pic but that's just me You must have been reasonably close?

Laurie:t:

 

[Mr G.Finch]

Great pic, there are two lurking about seen them both a few times but nothing that close!

 

[keithr]

I would be very pleased with that as a phone pic but that's just me You must have been reasonably close?

Laurie:t:

Yes looks close..cant believe it didn't fly off sooner..
Great spot and capture.
Keith :t:

 

[Claudy Banks]

As regards Peregrine pic,I work on the Grounds Dept. at the Uni and was alerted to the presence of the bird by one of our gardeners. It fed on the pigeon for a good hour whilst many people were walking past and/or taking photos. (As it happens it was graduation ceremony week so everyone had a camera on this day!)People were going as close as 10 feet which was a bit disconcerting to watch but as I said, the bird didn't seem bothered. After feeding it flew up onto a ground floor window (pictured) for about 10mins before flying off.

 

[Mr G.Finch]

Thanks for the info Claudy. I work in Catering at the uni, managed to get good views of at least two birds today with a possible third circling below the tower mid morning a lot closer than I have usually seen them.

One of which I presume is the juvenile calling very loudly intermittently throughout the day up until 5pm

Also had the bonus of 3 Goldcrests which is a first for me at the uni!

 

[Ste-gull]

Digbeth Branch Canal

Around eastside lots of juv pied wagtail and mistle thrush action at the minute. Tonnes of gulls around too, will be keeping an eye out for YLGs more now...

The branch itself is a bit dead bird wise lately though. Another brood of Moorhens has hatched this week so there's 2 adults, 3 juv's and at least 1 new chick knocking around the banana warehouse; but other than these it's very quiet.

Other than the very lacking birds today I had an Emperor Dragonfly and an absolute shed load of minnows surface feeding.

 

[Phil Andrews]

Kestrel hovering over the grassland adjoining Witton Lakes as I came down the Expressway yesterday morning

 

[rollingthunder]

'Tonnes of Gulls' that shows your age Ste, i would have said 'Tons' but if it's Metric you want then it should include continental Yellow Legs

The original prototype Metric Bar and the measure for all others is still kept in France, indeed during the War the Germans treated the building as if it was an Embassy and was never entered or interfered with. I am conjuring with the image of the place being guarded by blokes with 'Oozee 9mm's' (You have to imagine an Arnie-type voice).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metre

Laurie:t:

Been for the PGP yet?

 

[Ste-gull]

Haha, interesting info Laurie - it's all about SI units for me.
And yes been for the PGP! Great little bird!

Talking of Gulls though, had an exciting LBBG experience this morning. Massive splash next to me on the Digbeth branch, turned out to be a LBBG surface fishing and taking a rudd/roach off! I was quite impressed!

 

[Phil Andrews]

Looks like a successful breeding season for Mistle Thrush with a minimum of eight and possibly as many as a dozen on the freshly mowed central reservation on Jennens Road.

 

[Pjbird1973]

Peregrines

Two birds around BT tower 7.30am this morning
Seen very regularly over last few months