ChrisKten
It's true, I quite like Pigeons
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My Back Garden (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter ChrisKten
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ChrisKten
It's true, I quite like Pigeons
Pleasant surprise today, the female Great Spotted Woodpecker paid a visit. I saw her a while ago, but the magpie scared her off, so this is the first proper visit from her this year.
I've attached some blurry (through grubby windows) pictures of her at the fat feeder, and at the nut feeder.
I've attached some blurry (through grubby windows) pictures of her at the fat feeder, and at the nut feeder.
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ChrisKten
It's true, I quite like Pigeons
I've mentioned before about how clever the Crows are, and how determined they are to kill a Magpie, but I've seen something new develop before my eyes.
This morning a Crow swooped from the left of my garden to try and get a Magpie that was on the ground. The Magpie escaped by flying into the tree at the right of my garden and out the other side, where there's a roof close by.
Later in the day I saw the Crow close to the roof that's behind the tree, waiting for the Magpie. Sure enough a while later the crow swooped from the right, but missed.
So he tried and failed from the left, and tried and failed from the Magpie's escape route, to the right. What do you think came next?
Later in the day I saw one Crow waiting by the roof where the Magpie escapes through, and a Magpie was on my garden fence on the left. Then a Crow swooped in from the left, the Magpie flew to it's usual escape route, straight into the other Crow waiting for it on the roof. The Magpie was lucky and just lost a feather or two.
So the Crows tried two methods, then combined them by working as a team. That was quite an amazing thing for me to witness from start to finish, very clever Corvids.
This morning a Crow swooped from the left of my garden to try and get a Magpie that was on the ground. The Magpie escaped by flying into the tree at the right of my garden and out the other side, where there's a roof close by.
Later in the day I saw the Crow close to the roof that's behind the tree, waiting for the Magpie. Sure enough a while later the crow swooped from the right, but missed.
So he tried and failed from the left, and tried and failed from the Magpie's escape route, to the right. What do you think came next?
Later in the day I saw one Crow waiting by the roof where the Magpie escapes through, and a Magpie was on my garden fence on the left. Then a Crow swooped in from the left, the Magpie flew to it's usual escape route, straight into the other Crow waiting for it on the roof. The Magpie was lucky and just lost a feather or two.
So the Crows tried two methods, then combined them by working as a team. That was quite an amazing thing for me to witness from start to finish, very clever Corvids.
Interesting. But scientists would say that it could have been a coincidence. Usually if you see something like this tho you know exactly what's happening, it's just difficult to get proper proof.
On the subject of crows there was a gathering of well over 100 hoodies (at a distance from me and didn't have scope with me so difficult to count) at Portmore Lough RSPB, Antrim yesterday evening. They were in trees and in flight above them. Quite a bit of aerobatics with birds doing tumbling dives in pairs and threes. Some of it looked more aggressive than playful or display-like, but again I was at some distance. Looked like a roost or pre-roost gathering.
Thought such a large gathering was strange for this time of year- shouldn't most of them be nesting and territorial? Way too early in year for them all to have been immatures. Of course there might have been a food source out of sight that was attracting them, but this was late on, bout 9pm.
Any possible explanations? Would they have been non-breeders? (Def hooded crows by the way, not rooks or jackdaws).
ChrisKten
It's true, I quite like Pigeons
I really don't know, I thought that flocking was a Winter event. It does seem odd behaviour for this time of year. You've mentioned all the possibilities, I can't think of any to add.
Maybe someone more knowledgeable can offer a possible explanation.
Whatever the reason for it, I envy you witnessing it.
It was at quite a distance so not overly spectacular, would've been better with scope. Nice tho.
Might post on the Birds and Birding thread and see if there's any ideas.
ChrisKten
It's true, I quite like Pigeons
Yeah, good idea, it will play on your mind otherwise.|=)|
ChrisKten
It's true, I quite like Pigeons
It seems that it's later in London than elsewhere, but the fledgling Starlings have finally started to appear. I heard the first one yesterday evening, and saw it a while later.
I had at least a dozen last year, so let's hope this is the first of many to appear.
I had at least a dozen last year, so let's hope this is the first of many to appear.
ChrisKten
It's true, I quite like Pigeons
Just got a few pictures of the new arrivals, through the window as usual.
A few seconds after I took the second picture a Magpie got the juvenile by the scruff of the neck. It escaped just before a second Magpie arrived. So it's not looking good for the Starlings again this year.
A few seconds after I took the second picture a Magpie got the juvenile by the scruff of the neck. It escaped just before a second Magpie arrived. So it's not looking good for the Starlings again this year.
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ChrisKten
It's true, I quite like Pigeons
Well, one of the fledgling Starlings met, what I'm pretty sure is, a new Sparrowhawk. It pinned the Starling down until it wasn't struggling as much, then flew onto the fence under the trees. About a minute later it flew off with the barely struggling Starling.
I got some pictures through the window, but rather than attach them, I'll post the links. I already posted the pictures in the ID section, as I wanted to check if it was a juvenile.
Picture 1
Picture 2
I got some pictures through the window, but rather than attach them, I'll post the links. I already posted the pictures in the ID section, as I wanted to check if it was a juvenile.
Picture 1
Picture 2
ChrisKten
It's true, I quite like Pigeons
I knew the Magpies were feeding young, well today the whole family visited my garden (or maybe not the whole family). I've attached some pictures taken through grubby windows (it's not because I'm lazy, it's the Pigeons rubbing against them, and also muddy fledgling Starlings flying into them).
I won't point out which are the fledglings, see if you can tell from the pictures.|=)|
I won't point out which are the fledglings, see if you can tell from the pictures.|=)|
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James Bean
Well-known member
Funny you should mention birds flying into windows... In the last few weeks it's been a daily occurrence (almost) for various birds, but usually pigeons, to 'thump' the french window of my lounge, leaving a 'dusty' outline on the glass, rather like an impressionist painting. One poor pigeon broke its neck; fortunately this was the only casualty, so far. I've refrained from cleaning the window, in the hope this will make it less transparent to the birds. There's a newly-fledged family of Sparrows in the dense hedge and it's quite amusing to watch the three youngsters lined up on a branch, neat as a line of soldiers on parade, waiting to be fed in turn by their parents. Regular visits by a Jay and Magpie relieve the monotony of numerous pigeons, although the latter do display a wide variety of colours in their plumage. One Blackbird has become a very tame little friend, bold and cheeky, even following me round the lawn as I was mowing the grass with a Flymo, not bothered by the noisy machine. The Greenfinches are back on the feeders too, plus a couple of very attractive speckled Thrushes, but Starlings are conspicuous by their total absence...
ChrisKten
It's true, I quite like Pigeons
Hi James,
Sounds like a good mix of birds in your garden. It's worth watching the Pigeons, and testing their intelligence. I think you'll find it entertaining, and perhaps quite surprising. They really are very intelligent, it's also a case of, "if one learns a new task they all learn it".
I'd love to get Greenfinches, but there are too many other birds in my garden, so it's noisy and hectic. I did see 2 at the feeders last year, or the year before, but the Starlings and Sparrows scared them off.
If you find window collisions a problem you might want to put up a Raptor Silhouette, here's a link for a .pdf you can download. You just print it out and cut round it, and stick it on the window:
http://www.northnorthumberlandbirdclub.co.uk/Raptor Silhouette.pdf
TheSeagull
Well-known member
Residents (As in, impossible to not see in a day):
Wrens
Blackbirds
Herring Gull
Carrion Crow
House Sparrow
Frequent:
Woodpigeon
Starling
Common Gull
One-Timers:
Great Tit
Blackcap
Greater Black-Backed Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Wrens
Blackbirds
Herring Gull
Carrion Crow
House Sparrow
Frequent:
Woodpigeon
Starling
Common Gull
One-Timers:
Great Tit
Blackcap
Greater Black-Backed Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
ChrisKten
It's true, I quite like Pigeons
That's a lot of Gulls, you don't happen to live near the Sea do you? Or are they flyovers?
ChrisKten
It's true, I quite like Pigeons
Lost another young Starling today, thanks to the Sparrowhawk.
I posted some pictures in the ID sub-forum to see if it's the same individual as 2 weeks ago (it's still undecided).
To save posting them twice, the pictures are in this thread. Be aware that there's a little blood in one of the pictures.
I posted some pictures in the ID sub-forum to see if it's the same individual as 2 weeks ago (it's still undecided).
To save posting them twice, the pictures are in this thread. Be aware that there's a little blood in one of the pictures.
TheSeagull
Well-known member
Aberdeen is full of gulls, all shapes, sizes, colours and cholesterol levels.
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