Atlas listing (1 Viewer)

[Surreybirder]

A question: I saw a blackbird with a beak-ful of insects and had no hesitation in putting it down as FF (carrying food to young) because it's something you don't see when they are not feeding young. But then I saw a jay carrying something in its beak (possibly an acorn?) but I didn't feel that it qualified as an FF. I had a worry that it might just be taking the food somewhere quiet to eat it. Jays seem to be a particularly hard species to prove breeding for. I see parties in my garden (4 together the other day) but they all looked like adults. I've never found a nest. Do others have difficulties with jays?
Ken

 

[joannec]

But then I saw a jay carrying something in its beak (possibly an acorn?) but I didn't feel that it qualified as an FF................. Do others have difficulties with jays?
Ken

Exactly what I saw last week Ken but don't know what the food was.....I put it down as FF because it's very likely that they have youngsters now; early nesters that jays are. But maybe I shouldn't have been so hasty in recording it as confirmed breeding. It will be interesting to see what others think. Perhaps date is all important in this instance.

 

[simon1930]

Ken,
I agree - Jays are very diffcult to prove. I've only even seen one nest and that was in Poland! There was a photo in the papers a few weeks ago of one nest-building in Downing Street - sitting out in the open with a twig in its beak! Pretty untypical behaviour, I'd say (but I hope someone noted it as probable breeding in central London!!). And I think you're right about the bird with the acorn - more likely either to have been going to eat it itself or cache it for eating at a future date. I doubt whether it wouldn't feed an acorn to a young bird in the nest, anyway - I'd have thought soft stuff like caterpillars was more likely.
Simon

 

[GarethW]

Like Surrey Birder and Joanne I am also not finding Goldcrest. In my 3 Tetrads I have only located 1 singing bird. Im also yet to locate a Goldcrest in the woods near to where I live.

Gareth

 

[Capercaillie71]

I've never managed to confirm breeding for Jays either. I quite often see Jays carrying food like this in the autumn, so I don't think it can be used as confirmation of breeding.

Still finding Goldcrests here - not in massive numbers, but not noticeably scarce either.

 

[teamsaint]

Did one of my squares yesterday where most of the birds were warblers, Cetti's, Sedge, Reed, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Willow Warbler were all singing in suitable habitat or holding territory.
This evening I recorded my first Kingfisher for another square which I visit all the time, also got Reed, Sedge and Cetti's down as holding territory and Wren visiting nest site.

 

[s. james]

Two squares in Co. Tyrone this morning...

1 grasshopper warbler
loads of willow warblers
1 sparrowhawk
1 redpoll

 

[Mike Cook]

Still finding Goldcrests here - not in massive numbers, but not noticeably scarce either.

I'm sitting on the fence on this one. I'm getting a reasonable number of Goldcrests on my local patch, a wooded valley about 2 miles from the centre of Newcastle. On the other hand, after finishing four breeding tetrads out in rural Northumberland, I've yet to hear or see a Goldcrest.

Maybe the cold snap was enough to kill a lot of rural Goldcrests but the waste heat from towns and cities allowed more suburban Goldcrests to survive.

Concerning Jays, they've been around my local patch in spring for a few years but I've yet to confirm breeding.

 

[Stewart J.]

I'm sitting on the fence on this one. I'm getting a reasonable number of Goldcrests on my local patch, a wooded valley about 2 miles from the centre of Newcastle. On the other hand, after finishing four breeding tetrads out in rural Northumberland, I've yet to hear or see a Goldcrest.

Maybe the cold snap was enough to kill a lot of rural Goldcrests but the waste heat from towns and cities allowed more suburban Goldcrests to survive.

Concerning Jays, they've been around my local patch in spring for a few years but I've yet to confirm breeding.

Yo Mike, numbers do appear to be down out here to your west. On the 3 woodland TTV's I managed to complete this week they were present but in smaller numbers than on previous visits.

House Martins are also still very scarce hopefully just held up by the weather, unusual to see my first Swifts before the martins.

Stewart

 

[simon1930]

I did one of my Derbyshire Peak District squares this morning - lovely day for it! Pretty productive in terms of number of species - 51 and then another 6 extras after the end of the 2 hours. And very pleasing to get confirmed breeding for 14 species. Garden Warblers now well in - 5 singing - and my first Spotted Fly of the year. Canada Goose's attempt at world domination continues - 2 broods plus another 2 pairs. Is nowhere safe?

 

[Stewart J.]

Out on a favoured drive earlier this evening in the East Allen Valley, South Northumberland. Checked out several sites Black Grouse showing well at several, Snipe, Redshank and Golden Plover displaying, but Lapwing chicks made our day, they are everywhere and in good numbers, from size most have been hatching over last few days despite the wet windy and cold weather we've been experiencing this last week.

Lot of roving records to submit.

Good birding all

Stewart

 

[Clive Watson]

Slightly more mundane stuff in suburban Woking. Definitely a lot more lively and enjoyable than the winter visits and I did record confirmed breeding for Nuthatch, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Starling, Blackbird and Robin, and probable breeding for several others. Best bird was probably a Garden Warbler. And no parakeets!

 

[joannec]

I've just noticed on the Atlas website there is now a 'Tip of the Week' on the home page. Is this something new or have I just missed it before? Seems a good idea; this weeks tip is to look for chiffchaffs and blackcaps with food.

Joanne

 

[Mike Cook]

I've just noticed on the Atlas website there is now a 'Tip of the Week' on the home page. Is this something new or have I just missed it before?

I haven't noticed it before but nine times out of ten, I'd be on autopilot and go straight to the green Log In button at the bottom of the page without reading what's above. Doh.

 

[scodger]

I'm told that in BirdTrack you can download the records you've entered as an Excel list, is this correct as I can't find an option to do that?

Thanks

 

[Surreybirder]

You can certainly download year and life lists but I am not aware that they can be done in Excel format.
Aha, I've just noticed the 'search and download facility'. You can choose all your entries and all years and then download them as a .csv file. This can, of course, be opened in Excel (as well as Open Office which is what i use).
Ken

 

[joannec]

I did my Late Breeding TTV this morning in Sussex. Fourty four species in the two hours including confirmed breeding for 13 common species, most of the rest were probables. The best was a family of recently fledged nuthatches. Also saw a hobby and my first spotted flycatcher of the year.

Joanne

 

[s. james]

I'm told that in BirdTrack you can download the records you've entered as an Excel list, is this correct as I can't find an option to do that?

Yes at the homepage under "Your Options" go to "Search and Download Facility" and choose what dates/records you want to download to excel.

It's a great system, I put all my records into birdtrack now then add personal notes on behaviour etc. on excel and print them off- excellent way of record keeping.

 

[Stephen Dunstan]

I did a TTV in a rural part of the Fylde yesterday, with Tree Sparrows and Yellowhammers the highlights. I saw a young Coot on a pond with restricted viewing and tried to input it without no count as 'FL'. You may guess where this is going, it wouldn't let me and I had to pretend to have seen an adult.

Stephen.

 

[Capercaillie71]

I did a TTV in a rural part of the Fylde yesterday, with Tree Sparrows and Yellowhammers the highlights. I saw a young Coot on a pond with restricted viewing and tried to input it without no count as 'FL'. You may guess where this is going, it wouldn't let me and I had to pretend to have seen an adult.

I seem to remember having had that sort of problem before. I think I left it out of the TTV and entered the fledgling as a roving record.