Hi, I was wondering if we could share a couple of birds we've taken for granted. Ones we thought were common until we moved somewhere else, ones we thought weren't really that special, or maybe just ones we miss seeing on a daily basis.
For me, the one of the first three that come to mind since moving from Derry in Northern Ireland to Manchester are ravens. Ravens were just about as regularly seen as grey herons, maybe. (Sorry, I'm struggling to think of a bird that not only has a similar population, but is seen at the same frequency, like wrens are very common but hard to get a good look at) They are huge perched, and amazingly ginormous flying. One was there every morning when I walked to school, in winter to around March-ish if there weren't alot of cars and it was quiet.
Great black-backed gulls are about as common where I live as... well... lesser black-backed in England? I had the privilege of watching two gulls supposedly build a nest somewhere in June, otherwise they wouldn't be hanging around every day (you might see them once every week from my kitchen window, and you were guaranteed at least ten if you went to my local patch which is twenty minutes away and just at the coast).
And then there's hooded crows. About as commonly seen as chaffinches. Not really very numerous, but a familiar sight. Lovely dusky pink body (so pink I've mistaken one for a jay) and rather shy.
As an aside, is there any information on which variations of hooded crows can be described as having a dusky pink-grey body, and which are grey? I've been searching online, but haven't found anything yet. The difference appears quite clear cut- warm pinkish grey and cold grey, I haven't found a photo in between yet
So which birds did you take for granted?
For me, the one of the first three that come to mind since moving from Derry in Northern Ireland to Manchester are ravens. Ravens were just about as regularly seen as grey herons, maybe. (Sorry, I'm struggling to think of a bird that not only has a similar population, but is seen at the same frequency, like wrens are very common but hard to get a good look at) They are huge perched, and amazingly ginormous flying. One was there every morning when I walked to school, in winter to around March-ish if there weren't alot of cars and it was quiet.
Great black-backed gulls are about as common where I live as... well... lesser black-backed in England? I had the privilege of watching two gulls supposedly build a nest somewhere in June, otherwise they wouldn't be hanging around every day (you might see them once every week from my kitchen window, and you were guaranteed at least ten if you went to my local patch which is twenty minutes away and just at the coast).
And then there's hooded crows. About as commonly seen as chaffinches. Not really very numerous, but a familiar sight. Lovely dusky pink body (so pink I've mistaken one for a jay) and rather shy.
As an aside, is there any information on which variations of hooded crows can be described as having a dusky pink-grey body, and which are grey? I've been searching online, but haven't found anything yet. The difference appears quite clear cut- warm pinkish grey and cold grey, I haven't found a photo in between yet
So which birds did you take for granted?