RMweb Premium dhjgreen Posted June 17, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 17, 2016 New visitors to the black sunflower seed today: bullfinches 2.jpg At the same time there were two Goldfinches on the Niger seed together with a juvenile and a Greenfinch waiting for their turn. What's the collective noun for lots of finches? Keith I know goldfinches, a charm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Budgie Posted June 17, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 17, 2016 What's the collective noun for lots of finches? Keith Surely 12 finches = 1 ffoot and 36 finches = 1 fyard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted June 18, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 18, 2016 I like a Fyard of Finches. Very Welsh? Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium dhjgreen Posted June 18, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 18, 2016 I like a Fyard of Finches. Very Welsh? Phil Only problem with that is ff pronounced f in English, f pronounced v in English Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted June 19, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 19, 2016 Oh f ! Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Tim Dubya Posted June 19, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 19, 2016 Bloody French! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Tim Dubya Posted June 19, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 19, 2016 We've had a Wren constantly 'gobbing off' for the last couple of hours - no idea why, it has been posing on top of the bean canes long enough for us not to be able to get the camera in time! Bless 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted June 19, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 19, 2016 We've had a Wren constantly 'gobbing off' for the last couple of hours - no idea why, it has been posing on top of the bean canes long enough for us not to be able to get the camera in time! Bless Could be it has chicks and is concerned by another bird nearby (e.g. Magpie or Crow)? Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Tim Dubya Posted June 19, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 19, 2016 (edited) Could be it has chicks and is concerned by another bird nearby (e.g. Magpie or Crow)? Phil Good point Phil, we have lots of Mags and Crows about this year. Unbeknown to us (until we checked the box in the autumn) we had Wrens nest in the box closest to the house last year - we only knew it was a wren as we found a desiccated chick in the box when we checked it - beautifully preserved, beautiful bird, shame. Edit: Mrs has just found a dead Wren chick on the garden path, enough said... Edited June 19, 2016 by Tim Dubya Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium dhjgreen Posted June 20, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 20, 2016 *OT* Goosander giving diving lessons to 6 chicks on Buttermere yesterday *OT* Update: Pictures by Mrs dhj 4 chicks and 2 stragglers 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Tim Dubya Posted June 20, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 20, 2016 Update: Pictures by Mrs dhj 4 chicks and 2 stragglers What are those beauties? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium dhjgreen Posted June 20, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 20, 2016 What are those beauties? Goosander, as in my link from 2 weeks ago when we were at Buttermere. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted June 24, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 24, 2016 So........that's the end of migrant birds in the garden then...........................................well, in two years anyway. P Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted June 25, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 25, 2016 Bit of natural predation in the garden this evening: Shortly after making a "kill" of a Starling, except the Starling is still very much alive About 5 mims later and it's not making much progress. The Starling is amazingly still alive: The Starling is protesting loudly: After about 15 minutes and the Starling is still not giving up: Shortly after that the Starling breathed it's last and the Hawk started to pluck it but it had taken about 20 minutes to actually finish it off. Then it flew away with it's prize. Not a very clean kill. Keith 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
runs as required Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Wow! Amazing (but very gruesome) pictures ...and now for something completely different We have a grossly fat Ring Dove thriving off our vegetable plot that coos 'Milord' endlessly:. da da da da di da da da da da di da... I've got to find that catapault dh Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted June 26, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 26, 2016 Bit of natural predation in the garden this evening: Shortly after making a "kill" of a Starling, except the Starling is still very much alive SH1.jpg SH1A.jpg About 5 mims later and it's not making much progress. The Starling is amazingly still alive: SH2.jpg The Starling is protesting loudly: SH2A.jpg After about 15 minutes and the Starling is still not giving up: SH3.jpg Shortly after that the Starling breathed it's last and the Hawk started to pluck it but it had taken about 20 minutes to actually finish it off. Then it flew away with it's prize. Not a very clean kill. Keith Wow, there are a couple of prize winning shots in there Keith. Truly a moment in time not to be missed. However I never like to see any creature meeting its end but that is life in the raw. Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Yes, superb photos. I have often tried to photograph similar events on my lawn, but find that the slightest movement will frighten the hawk off. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted June 26, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 26, 2016 Wow, there are a couple of prize winning shots in there Keith. Truly a moment in time not to be missed. However I never like to see any creature meeting its end but that is life in the raw. Phil I once saw a fox with a rat it had captured, the screams from the rat were chilling. It took at least five minutes for the rat to die. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted June 26, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 26, 2016 Yes, superb photos. I have often tried to photograph similar events on my lawn, but find that the slightest movement will frighten the hawk off. Thanks for the complement. I was well back inside the lounge so as not to be seen and took the photos through the french doors with some zoom. I wonder wether the Sparrowhawk was a youngster that had not yet mastered the art of a swift kill. It had one talon gripping the Starling whilst attempting to stay upright, but each time it tried to bite the Starling it got a bit of a pecking. Keith 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted June 26, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 26, 2016 I once saw a fox with a rat it had captured, the screams from the rat were chilling. It took at least five minutes for the rat to die. I've seen the same with a hedgehog being slaughtered, the shrieks were spine chilling. Fot a creature that normally only "snuffles" it was very loud! Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Damn, another 'wish I had the camera handy' moment yesterday evening, a Buzzard flew low over our garden with a small rabbit dangling from it's talons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Yes Keith, from the photos and your description I think you are probably right. An experienced bird would surely have dispatched the starling quickly? The ones I witnessed here were of about 20 seconds of screeching from the prey and then silence. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 (edited) I've seen the same with a hedgehog being slaughtered, the shrieks were spine chilling. Fot a creature that normally only "snuffles" it was very loud! Keith You obviously have not woken up at night to the sounds and sight of about 20+ hedgehogs running around in a circle after each other in pursuit of. shall we say,..... bodily contact. to keep it clean. Snuffling they are not!! , full on rampage is more the purpose and they are incredibly noisy whilst at it, and It does sound like a Pig squeals on heat, which of course is why we call them Hedgehogs. Stephen. Edited June 26, 2016 by bertiedog Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted June 26, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 26, 2016 You obviously have not woken up at night to the sounds and sight of about 20+ hedgehogs running around in a circle after each other in pursuit of. shall we say,..... bodily contact. to keep it clean. Snuffling they are not!! , full on rampage is more the purpose and they are incredibly noisy whilst at it, and It does sound like a Pig squeals on heat, which of course is why we call them Hedgehogs. Stephen. Is the squealing because of the spines? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 They don't care about the spines, they have to live with them!! The quantities around vary from year to year, and have slowly gone down, but seem to be rising again. On birds in North Kent we seemed to have lost an awful lot of Sparrows since the 1980's, but they are now more common around the Medway area. Few flocks though, which were a common sight over the local gardens. Many more Magpies than before, and a few Jays cross the area near Rochester, keeping to the edge of the built up areas. Fewer Crows on local playing fields than before, but more Seagulls. Stephen. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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