Today's birds

[Splatcher]

Working from home today, & I'm going out for a run when I can spot a gap in the heavy showers. I keep looking out into the garden, & so far this morning I've seen:

House sparrows, dunnocks, chaffinches, a nuthatch, blue tits, great tits, a greater spotted woodpecker (making a racket on the nut feeder stuck on the living room window), a collared dove, a buzzard, mallards, moorhens, goldfinches, a wood pigeon, magpies, a blackbird & a coal tit.

[southernsoftie]

Working from home today, & I'm going out for a run when I can spot a gap in the heavy showers. I keep looking out into the garden, & so far this morning I've seen:

House sparrows, dunnocks, chaffinches, a nuthatch, blue tits, great tits, a greater spotted woodpecker (making a racket on the nut feeder stuck on the living room window), a collared dove, a buzzard, mallards, moorhens, goldfinches, a wood pigeon, magpies, a blackbird & a coal tit.

Oh. Wrong sort of birds. I'm off.

[noel]

I was entertained yesterday to see a wood pigeon eating cherries from the cherry tree outside my office window. Sometimes it took them from the branch it was sat on, which meant almost falling off each time.

No wonder these birds are so fat-looking, he must have eaten about ten of them.

This is making me hungry. Wood pigeon in cherry sauce, anyone? MMMMmmmmm

[Anorak]

Just watching the jays argue over some mouldy bread....no sign of our buzzards....yet

[N-dubya]

Saw a grey squirrel fall in the canal the other day whist it was showing off. Even the ducks were laughing.

[noel]

NEWS UPDATE (yes I am shouting).

The wood pigeon has been back again today - eating more cherries. I assume it's the same one - maybe I should flick some tipex on it next time. That way I'll be sure when it returns.

Perhaps I should check first with CL to see whether pigeons have rights on not (see fox hunting thread).

I'm going to assume it is the same one and also assume it's a girl. That way I can call it Cherry. I've become quite fond of naming wild animals - I'm not sur why. This is after the spider who lives on our loft hatch as is now called Lofty.

I know it would be easier with a species that display sexual dimorphism (I don't think wood pigeons do??), but then I can't think of any cherry-tree-related male names. Anybody?

[marty mcfly]

I can't think of any cherry-tree-related male names. Anybody?

Chesney? Nearly.

I saw a pair of sparrowhawks hunting between Digley and Bilberry reservoirs near Holmfirth.

[Splatcher]

Chesney? Nearly.

I saw a pair of sparrowhawks hunting between Digley and Bilberry reservoirs near Holmfirth.

Had a sparrowhawk through the garden this afternoon, but it didn't catch anything. 2 or 3 years ago we had one knock itself out flying into the living room windows. We had 5 mins very close birdwatching a sparrowhawk on its back until it woke up, opened one eye & flew off again. It looked very surprised & a bit p*ssed off when it woke up - I was glad there was a pane of glass between me & it.

[Hes]

Had a sparrowhawk through the garden this afternoon, but it didn't catch anything. 2 or 3 years ago we had one knock itself out flying into the living room windows. We had 5 mins very close birdwatching a sparrowhawk on its back until it woke up, opened one eye & flew off again. It looked very surprised & a bit p*ssed off when it woke up - I was glad there was a pane of glass between me & it.

Sparrowhawks are amazing birds to watch. When I lived at home my mum kept a dead sparrowhawk in the freezer. When I was at college, I once phoned up and dad said "I'll get your mother, she is just dragging a dead badger in from the car". Maybe I should point out that she is a zoologist.

[noel]

I'm trying to think what you can learn from them when frozen??