Twitchers, Ornithologists & Feathered Friend Fanciers #5

[AB Editor]

Hello, and welcome to the fifth edition of "Twitchers, Ornithologists & Feathered Friend Fanciers".

As usual the previous issues of this illustrious thread are located below.

Do any of you go on regular bird-watching trips? If so, what do you normally take along with you? I understand that you'd need binoculars and a flask of tea, but are there any other bird-watching "essentials" that you just cannot do without?

Issue 1

Issue 2

Issue 3

Issue 4

[seadogg]

Yorkshire coast 10 miles north of Bempton RSPB.. North Wales is my spiritual home though part of the family who lived in Holyhead died out a few years ago. Would swap North Sea for Irish Sea but too many ties here. Thanks for having a try Redman

[redman41]

Regular Up-dates regarding the Ospreys will appear here.

http://www.rspb.org.u...46948-glaslyn-ospreys

[Prudie]

I heard a cuckoo this morning which is early I think. Called several times so I'm sure. Dorset.

[Chaffinch]

It is early Purdie, lucky you!

[seadogg]

No cuckoos but things are moving on the Yorkshire coast including an early whinchat and assorted finches ,buntings and pippits along the Cleveland Way. Off for a walk round Flamborough Head tomorrow to see what's about

[redman41]

Red Kite at RSPB Conwy, they are becoming more common in North Wales now.
Signs that Spring is here :-
Sand Martins and Swallows, SkyLark, Twites (Mountain Linnets ) ChiffChaffs, Willow Warblers and first Greenshank of the Year......all at conwy RSPB.
Pair of Ravens as well.
Waiting to see my first swallows of the Year but they will be around shortly.

[redman41]

Nice to hear the Cuckoo Prudie, haven't heard one for awhile. They are not as common now as they used to be.

[rowanwitch]

RED KITES

Trip to london this weekend M40 loads of them...gets inspiring when you see more kites than magpies amazing views at Oxford services. flying really low around the back of the restaurant area... could see every feather a bit wow....also quite a few Buzzards but didn't see a single kestrel which was odd as there is normally one hovering every few miles....

[redman41]

WOW !
I am envious of these Red Kite sightings as I am yet to see my first one, one day I will get the chance and I look forward to it.
Would love to see the Ospreys and Golden Eagles as well as that would be a massive big TICK !!
So many other Birds I would love to see for the first time so something to look forward to.

[Chaffinch]

Red Kites do seem to stick to an area once they have moved in, I live in the (new) Southdowns National Park, and we get loads, yet just a few miles away in the New Forest not a one!!

Lots of Buzzard around at the moment, but no sign of the swift that live in my eves!

[redman41]

Beautiful Pics of Waxwings feeding on Berries around Deeside North Wales yesterday Mon 28th March. Pics are on the North Wales Birding Forum so they are still around for a short while longer. They will probably return to Scandinavia next Month.
Beautiful Birds so hopefully there will be a chance to see them when they return next Autumn.

[wendilla]

2 ospreys in the nest right now at rutland water . Leics ospreys.org.uk

[redman41]

http://www.ospreys.org.uk/webcam/

[ladybirder]

Chaffinch I remember going to a talk by a chap who had taken part in the introduction of Red Kites to North Yorkshire. They were released at Harewood House on the outskirts of Leeds round about 2002? I think and have done very very well. This chap told us about one tagged RK which upon release flew straight down to the Chilterns for the day, probably to see the M4 mob and then flew back again. If I remember correctly the released birds had been bred from the Red Kite population in Wales. I was at HH to watch the kites one day when one rose up from behind a wall and almost hit me in the face with its wing. I was bowled over in more ways than one. What a fantastic bird. They are so curious as well. One day at HH a kite was flying low overhead looking down at us and it followed us for quite some way. Unfortunately whenever one strayed into our dale (where I used to live) it got poisoned, intentionally or not I don't know, probably by a local game keeper. And yet they raised grouse chicks at HH and the Red Kites never touched them. You could see RKs every morning taking road kill as they are carrion eaters but that doesn't seem to have got through to some game keepers yet. I think they are such charismatic birds and will go to Rhayader soon to see them again.

[Chaffinch]

Ladybirder, what a fantastic story, I love them too, and find the quite nosey. I go often up to Old Winshester Hill, to walk the dogs, and seem to get followed by the same chap, who seems more interested in the dogs than me, I always get the feeling he knows they'll catch a rabbit (there Jacks) and he'll get the remains!!

I had to go the Somerset today and saw a Snipe wondering at the side of the A303, amazing what you see if you keep your eyes open.

Am visiting North wales for a couple of days over Easter, cant wait!!!!!!!!!!

[ladybirder]

Ooh how lovely, the RK following you - and the Snipe. Haven't seen one of those since I left North Yorkshire. I once came across a curlew leading her chicks along the side of a b road in the Dales. I was so worried about them that I stopped the traffic (2 cars and a biker) until I had ushered them to safety. And I remember one freezing snowy Sunday morning seeing a Tawny Owl just sitting in the middle of the road with the traffic going round it and nobody stopping. I approached it and it didn't move so I quickly put a cloth over it and put it into the back seat of my car. It was frozen so I put the heater on full blast and drove to a friend's place. I left it in the car while I went in and told my friends and to phone the vet but when we came back to the car it was flying around and looked OK. My friend's husband checked it over and we let it go and it flew into a tree, looked back at us, then flew away in the direction we had come from. My good deed for the day. Sorry I'm off again rambling. You are so lucky to be able to see the RK near you, I'm not sure how near they are to Hove - maybe up on the South Downs somewhere soon if not already???

[seekeerz]

thanks for the osprey link, redman, it's a great picture - even less housework will be done now !!

[Chaffinch]

ladyb, there definatly on the South Downs, it's where I see them all the time, though I'm at the Hampshire end. Do have a drive out its well worth it.

[ttfn]

Weekend before last I was at Big Sis's in the countryside. As we came back from shopping I saw one of the 4 nesting buzzards flying just over her roof and it suddenly dropped like a stone behind the bungalow. I quickly went through the side gate to see it in the field beyond her garden, some 30 feet away from me. Unfortunately, I startled the bird and it clumsily took off from the ground. We watched all 4 of the buzzards for some 15 minutes as they just went from thermal to thermal. At times they were so close we could hear them calling. I went into the field to see what had attracted the bird and found it had killed a rat! I was surprised it hadn't carried it off in its ample claws. The rooks were grateful though. Sis had never seen a buzzard land in the field before - lucky me ☺