Where have all the birds gone? (1 Viewer)

[aligraham]

Although i have been generally interested in birds all my life, this year is the first where i have actively saught them out to photagraph them. All was going well from March until July. I went off on holiday for a few weeks and now they seem to have disappeared. On Saturday I walked 12 miles of the West Highland Way and hardly saw a bird. Just the occaisional meadow pipit and Tit. Then i went to Bemersyde Moss reserve in the Scottish borders and only saw a few ducks a Wren and a Buzzard. Then i went to the Pentland hills today and only saw the occaissional Tit, Pigeon, Crow, Pied Wagtail and Swallow. I stood still by a small coppice and there was not a sound. :C The birds just seem to have vanished and its only August. Have they begun migrating this early or are they hiding from me?

 

[Richard D]

Although i have been generally interested in birds all my life, this year is the first where i have actively saught them out to photagraph them. All was going well from March until July. I went off on holiday for a few weeks and now they seem to have disappeared. On Saturday I walked 12 miles of the West Highland Way and hardly saw a bird. Just the occaisional meadow pipit and Tit. Then i went to Bemersyde Moss reserve in the Scottish borders and only saw a few ducks a Wren and a Buzzard. Then i went to the Pentland hills today and only saw the occaissional Tit, Pigeon, Crow, Pied Wagtail and Swallow. I stood still by a small coppice and there was not a sound. :C The birds just seem to have vanished and its only August. Have they begun migrating this early or are they hiding from me?

It is a quiet time of year. Post-breeding a lot of birds hide up for a while, sometimes to moult. Some birds are migrating away - Swifts are just about gone, but the winter arrivals will soon be here.

 

[Docmartin]

Have they begun migrating this early or are they hiding from me?

They're hiding. Lot of post-breeding adults moulting etc. Must itch like h*ll - Feeling grumpy. Nothing to sing about. Give em a couple more weeks and they'll be cheeping in the sueva.

 

[Woodchatshrike]

Seems like the most of the vocal Sedge and Willow Warblers have moved through and even the Reed Buntings are quiet now. There are some noisy young tit flocks about.

 

[Tero]

I would go the the sea shore to see lots of birds this time of year.