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Another hello.... from Surrey UK (1 Viewer)

Surreybirder

Surreybirder

Ken Noble
I only came across this site after reading the April issue of Birdwatch, my favourite birding magazine.
Glad to have found it!!
My main interest is watching birds around my home county of Surrey, UK, where I started a yahoo email discussion group (with about 95 members now).
I like dragonflies, butterflies and amphibians and have become interested in other forms of wildlife (but I'm not too knowledgeable). I've begun to take a few photos too.
I learned only very recently that jays (Eurasian) are brilliant mimics. I have been hearing tawny owl 'hoots' in daylight, always associated with jay calls. So I'm now wondering whether some of my 'tawny owl' reports are erroneous. Anyone else come across this? [Tawny owls definitely occur in the area]
Ken:t:
 
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Ken

I can't answer your Tawny Owl question as I must admit that I haven't head a Jay sound like that. I once had a bit of a shock in a wood in Norfolk where I heard what I thought was a budgie chattering to itself further back in the trees. When I found it it was a Jay, seemingly talking to himself as there were no other birds around.

May I take this opportunity, on behalf of the entire forum Moderators, to give you a warm welcome to this friendly forum. If there are any questions you feel like asking then please ask away, as you have done on your opening post, as there are plenty of people in this forum only too willing to share their knowledge.

We have enough knowledge in this forum to cover virtually any subject on birding / photography plus many other subjects.

Take a good look at the gallery (if you haven't done so already) and you will be amazed at the quality of most of the images contained in there.

Finally, I speak for everyone I would think, we are looking forward to the many birding day out reports you can put into the forum and also any photos you can put into the gallery.

I hope you enjoy being a member of the fastest growing bird forum in the world.
 
Hi Ken

Good to have you on board, Im a surreybirders subscriber too, but live just over the border in NE Hants.

I’m sure you won’t regret signing up.

King regards

Rich
 
Steve said:
April issue of Birdwatch? are you sure? I dont think we advertise in Birdwatch!
Click to expand...

Try the green box on p45.
Nothing like a free plug!o:)

PS Why is there a red thing saying BF flashing at me at the bottom of my message?
 
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Hi Ken, welcome to bird forum.

I had a look at my book Crows of the World by Derek Goodwin and one informative passage has this to say on their undoubted talent for mimickry....
...."Copied sounds are frequently uttered in situations that seem appropriate. Thus a Jay will often imitate the call of a grey Heron or a Carrion Crow when it sees one of these birds flying over (in silence) When mobbing a Tawny Owl it may intersperse it's screeching with the Owl's hooting or it's `kerwick' call. When mobbing a human who is at their nest (usually this only happens if the nest contains young) Jays often mimic the calls of nest predators, such as the Carrion Crow and Tawny Owl or the alarm call of other birds.
Besides such sounds as the calls of Crows and Herons, and the hooting of Owls, Jays can also imitate the calls of some smaller passerines, often so well that one would never suspect the singers identity if one did not see the Jay.
Jays often defy conspecifics with imitations of their own display phrases. A wild Jay defied a captive with an imitation of one of the latter's display phrases, which consisted entirely of whistling that the captive had learned from me"....

As you may gather, quite a scope for mimicry. The book also remarks elsewhere that Jays make a popping sound like a distant gun as an alarm call if they see a man carrying a gun or something like it. They stay hidden for obvious reasons when giving this call.
 
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Hi Ken,

I have just read your article about Tawny Owls and was surprised at how similar it seems to the passage extract from the Crows of the World book!
You are right, it is fascinating behaviour, but then of course all crows exhibit fascinating behaviour from the tiny lark like Hume's Ground Jay that excavates burrows 1.8m deep to the huge Ravens!
 
Hi Ken

You're probably feeling at home already with all these responses -we do like to make people feel welcome! It's a great site, as I'm sure you're discovering.

Don't forget to tell your other Yahoo group members about BF.

Look forward to hearing from you.
 
No need to sue

Steve said:
What does this entry in Birdwatch say? does anybody know?
Do we need a Lawyer?
Click to expand...

No, nothing to worry about. It's in a box attached to an article called 'publishing your work' on digital photography.

www.BirdForum.net this UK-based website allows each member to have up to 20mb of space to display images. There is a 100kb maximum for each photograph, and there will probably be feedback about your efforts.
Click to expand...

Then it mentions other places which accept digital photos.
Ken
 
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Hello Ken, I'm a few miles up the road in Sutton. I read about the Owls on your site and am a bit envious having never seen a little Owl.

Hope you're enjoying the forums :)
 
Hi Dylan
Thanks for your message. I had a quick look at your site. Some lovely photos... especially the goldfinches and kingfishers and common darters.
I think your second dunnock's a wren!
If you want some tips on seeing little owls round my area, send me a pm.
cheers
Ken
 
In my neck of the woods I often hear Jays imitating Buzzards. Not sure if it’s their idea of a practical joke but it sure makes all the other birds shut up and hide. Perhaps a tactic to hog available food supplies? PS Hello Ken.
 
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