Birding

[burnhal]

Seems to be a few of us ornithological types on here. Where do we do our birding? Any interesting trips of late- any rarities?

[FP]

I live near the North Norfolk Coast with it's wonderful bird life and consider myself priviledged.  Binoculars permanently sit on my window sill at home.  Our garden is home to and visited by so many species of birds I have lost count. 

[burnhal]

wonderful birding up there- particularly the winter wader flocks! I live in Beds but do a lot of my birding elsewhere- I am a vol warden at Otmoor reserve near Oxford- reclaimed wetland that is coming good.

[gen2]

I don't go out birding as such, but wherever I see birds I am interested in knowing what I am seeing.  I regularly feed the garden birds with wild bird seed, peanuts and fatballs (it costs a fortune).  I normally see just the usual common or garden birds! The rarest garden visitors have been redwings after holly berries, long tailed tits about once a year on the feeders, and waxwings about 12 years ago.  This winter I saw waxwings in our local pedestrianised high street.  Last year a young buzzard got lost and landed on our next-door neighbour's shed roof where it was dive-bombed by seagulls.  I can't really count that as a garden visitor since it was about 5 metres outside our boundary.

BTW I find The Bird Forum to be a very useful site for information and identification, not just for birds, but for all aspects of nature.

[shaneystar]

We have got little terns here on the North beach in Great Yarmouth.The U.K,largest colony.RSPB protected.Also the Berney marshes,lots of wildfowl and waders.You can only get there by train.There is a lovely windmill there out on the marshes.We sometimes go up to Cley-next-the-sea which is good .Don't go and sit in hides or anything but like to gaze around with the binos and see what I can spot.Lots of birds in our garden which I feed.Robins,sparrows,blackbirds ,thrushes etc.We had a jackdaw the other day.Here is a link to bird watching in Norfolk if you are interested
http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/reserves/norfolk.htm

[shaneystar]

Thanks. by the way, gen2 for the link which I have bookmarked.

[FP]

Burnhal, it must be great being a voluntary warden.  On our doorstep we have a wetland preservation area which has over recent years been taken over by the Birds of Prey Trust and improved tremendously.  We are able to walk our dogs along the area and often see Marsh Harriers amongst other birds. 

Shaneystar,  Cley is lovely - perhaps we have met each other and don't know it!

At the moment the most common garden bird visitors we have are young ducks who keep wandering over from the pond over the road.  We also seem to attrack partridges who love to nest under our front window.  Our garden is kept relatively wild just for the birds (well that's my excuse for an untidy garden!!)

Cetti, Robinia and Smudge should be along to this thread shortly!!

[FP]

Thanks for the links gen2 and shaneystar.  I have bookmarked them both.

[Brinjal]

I live in Zimbabwe and am privileged to have a wide variety of birds in my garden.  Sun birds, louries, hoopoes, shrikes, weaver birds are regular visitors.   I also get European rollers in summer..   Last year i had the wonderful experience of raising a white faced owl.  They tend to leave the nests early.   As i have dogs I couldnt leave it in the garden for the mother to tend to as the dogs had already killed the sibling.   I often hear the white faced owls at night and wonder if my baby is one of them  

[Kilala]

I am an attempting ornithological type, and bizarrely, the first bird I recognised- other than robin, magpie etc- was a Hoopoe in Uckfield, Eats Sussex!

[Robinia]

I do most of my birding from where I am as I type this which is by the window in my dining room.(Derbyshire)  Over the past 15 years I have planted 3 trees & many shrubs to attract the wildlife & I've certainly been rewarded.  Regular feeding has attracted so many different birds that visit on a regular basis including blue,great & coal tits, chaffinches, blackbirds etc.  At the moment I'm inundated by lots of young greenfinches, they're so pretty.  And I've noticed a rather bossy looking young robin who is obviously intending to make this his winter residence.

In the spring I had a little group of reed buntings (which I'm told is an honour!) & I'm hoping they return again.

Like you FP my garden isn't too tidy either!!   Well I can't go disturbing the frogs & toads!

[Cetti]

Hello everyone. I hesitated in posting as you all seem to attract such a wonderful array of garden birds � and because of continual uprooting of trees and bushes for housing my garden visitors are few and far between. I do have moments of 'WOW!' though. A Spoonbill flew over the house in February and Buzzards harassed by crows and gulls are a regular sight.
The Poole Harbour inlets are good for Avocets, Mergansers, Little Egrets in abundance, migrating Osprey - and every wader in between! Radipole is the stronghold of Cetti�s, whilst Bearded Tits and Bittern make regular appearances. All around Chesil Bank are nesting Terns under the watchful eye of Wardens. A couple of weeks ago I saw a solitary Brent Goose at Stanpit Marsh. Obviously didn't want to go with the others as apparently it had been around since January. Now rarities would be Tawny Pipit, Corn Bunting, Honey Buzzard and of course the Spoonbill. There is a Great White Egret around but I don't chase after birds just for 'the tick' preferring to just go out for a country walk keeping my eyes and ears open - not only for birds, but for butterflies, bugs and anything else interesting.
Hubby drags me to a disused airfield regularly for exercise (bike, don't laugh!) and this year we've noticed the increase in Skylarks and Hen Harriers. So things are looking good for some of our birds on the red/amber list.
This is my favourite bird site as it gives a BirdMap to pinpoint exactly where the rarities are, sends emails for your area or the UK if you wish, and everything to help in ID.
 
http://www.birdguides.com/default.asp

I shall stop now......;-)

[Robinia]

Yes Cetti get off!  I want to see Osprey too.

[Cetti]

Thanks for shutting me up Robby, lol!!! 

  I want to live in Norfolk - or have Reed Buntings in my garden. Yet to see a Red Kite although they have been seen around my area, so one day.......

[burnhal]

Ah- now Red Kites are something we have in abundance in the Chilterns. Take a drive near Stokenchurch and you are guaranteed to see at least a dozen.