shortliner Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 (edited) Mr Sparrowhawk has just visited - spent 5 minutes sitting on top of the bird-table in the classic "posing- for-my-portrait, three-quarter front view" pose, having a really good peer about - and departed to find lunch elsewhere! Spadgers, dunnocks, tits and blackbirds are all hiding away quietly. Weather is why it is called that - it doesn't know weather to rain, shower, shine or blow - currently clouding over again, and a chucking philly wind out of the north! EDIT - Barely had I posted that than we are having a really viscious hail-storm! Edited April 11, 2015 by shortliner 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted April 11, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 11, 2015 Saw a Swallow this morning in Ordsall near Retford. Been looking out for them since Springwatch told me to!!!!! Quackers. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Up to a few years ago it was the Finches ( Chaf/Gold/Green ) that predominated this area, but this year the population of Yellow Hammers, Skylarks, and Wrens had lept very noticeably. The Chif-chafs have also increased, the Red-Kites have returned, along with sightings of the rarer Black-Kite, but the Swallows have arrived a couple of weeks late, and fewer of them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted April 14, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 14, 2015 Up to a few years ago it was the Finches ( Chaf/Gold/Green ) that predominated this area, but this year the population of Yellow Hammers, Skylarks, and Wrens had lept very noticeably. The Chif-chafs have also increased, the Red-Kites have returned, along with sightings of the rarer Black-Kite, but the Swallows have arrived a couple of weeks late, and fewer of them. They were probably waiting for the northerly winds to drop and were hanging around the Algarve where the weather was also a bit iffy a few weeks back. Just down our road today I heard loads of Chiff Chaffs and a single Willow Warbler ( we get a lot round here but not in gardens AFAIK). I've noticed that there are more Chaffies so far this year but less Great Tits! Do you find that 'your' Martins, Swifts and Swallows arrive at almost the exact same time every year? Phil 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) I've noticed that there are more Chaffies so far this year but less Great Tits! Do you find that 'your' Martins, Swifts and Swallows arrive at almost the exact same time every year? Phil This was never a Tit area (?), since the demise of the Finches some have turned up, but they remain very few. And yes the Swifts, and Swallows normally turn up at the beginning of April, but Martins are also few, and far between. edit;- Just looked back at last April, and I have it as the 9th, Post #635, that makes it progressively later over 2 years ?? . Edited April 14, 2015 by bike2steam 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I saw one swallow this afternoon in North Somerset, and that is the only one that I have seen this year so far. I wonder if the slow effect of agricultural insecticides is finally starving the birds? They say that every generation assumes the levels of wildlife seen in their early adult years to be the norm; but UK insect numbers have decline by about 80% in the last 60 years. Many people will be delighted to see no flies in their houses on hot days, but as is often the case, what is convenient for humans is environmental disaster for wildlife. What depresses me is the effect that a kind of one-upmanship seems to have in masking the situation. For years people have written to the broadsheet newspapers bemoaning the lack of certain species in their area compared with the past. As if by magic, about three days later the stereotypical replies appear saying "Mr/Mrs 'H' need not worry about their lack of ******* (insert a species of your choice here), because they are all in our garden; we have hundreds (insert exaggerated numbers here) of them", which brings the whole correspondence to a shuddering halt. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 'Our' swallow population seemed to collapse last year with only a few about. None of their local well used nest locations were utilised. They used to arrive in numbers but so far only two seen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 ....haven't seen a swallow so far this year....fluctuations in numbers are regular but complete absence isn't good. Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold teaky Posted April 15, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 15, 2015 I noticed yesterday that the Maltese have voted to keep their spring slaughter of migrants. No doubt that is continuing to play its part in reducing our bird population. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Yes, that is a very sad piece of news. It is not just Malta I gather, although they may be the worst offenders. Most southern Mediterranean countries and islands seem to have a penchant for shooting small migratory birds. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold teaky Posted April 15, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 15, 2015 Sadly, I too have that impression. Many years ago I had a holiday in Malta and took a brief walk one day to the top of the nearest hill where I was shocked to discover the path was covered in empty blue and red shotgun cartridges. I'm not kidding. They were more than one layer thick and extended over the whole hilltop. Some of these "traditions" only date from the last couple of centuries and are often the result of post war shortages. All very understandable. Others are much older. There are some things that must change though. One aspect that is particularly distasteful is that there are many occasions where birds are shot for the sake of it and not even eaten. Malta again has some bad examples of this where "hunters" sit in boats and shoot birds that then fall into the sea. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted April 15, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 15, 2015 I dare not post what I think of these 'hunters', wherever they may blast away like ****. Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapford34102 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 When there's none left to shoot maybe they'll start on each other. Stu 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyID Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 (edited) Some pigeon-like escort drones with frikin' lasers might not be a bad idea. Edited April 15, 2015 by AndyID 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 There is an article on our local news, about the dramatic decline of bees this season also. I think the same insecticides which poison crop pests are also harming the friendly insects. Apparently, they are going to do more research into the reasons for the decline; but if they do too many research projects, by the time they reach a conclusion it will be too late. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share Posted April 16, 2015 Still no swallows in numbers here. I suppose there is still time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyID Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Saw one tree swallow today, and one ruffed grouse. No sign of the ospreys yet, but they should show up soon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted April 18, 2015 Author Share Posted April 18, 2015 Lesser exotica here include a pair of goldfinches, nuthatches, grey wagtails, numerous assorted tits, wood pigeon (Dyson), wrens, blackbirds, sparrowhawk, jackdaws, carrion crows, jay, rooks - all in the garden this morning. Still no swallows in any numbers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted April 18, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 18, 2015 Saw one swallow on Exemoor this morning but where have the Stone Chats gone? Skylarks and Meadow Pipets were present. Don 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 (edited) ....loads of stonechats on the Pembrokeshire coast last week. Dave Edited April 18, 2015 by Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Hughes Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I hope my garden birds have gone now. A pair of crows trying to make a nest in the chimney pot of my bedroom chimney. 6 o'clock every morning they turned up, on the dot, and then for the next hour or more tried to build a nest which seemed to achieve nothing more than dropping sticks down the chimney. I have enough sticks in the fireplace, as well as a, thankfully disused, wasps nest they dislodged to have a fire for the evening. The effort they have put in collecting sticks and bringing them all the way from the wood just to have them all fall down the chimney is incredible but they were getting nowhere with the nest, unless they planned to fly down the chimney and lay their eggs on the pile at the bottom. This morning saw half an hour spent up a ladder fitting a cap to the chimney, so they are in for a surprise when they turn up at first light tomorrow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 You realise that because you did that, yesterday was the day they decided they were wasting their time, and went and found a suitable site elsewhere? - now you will put up with raindrops echoing down the flue every time there is a shower, just like we do! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 (edited) Aft'noon all, First Swallow that I've seen this year.....and over The Moorlands too, nr Tittesworth this morning. Dave Edited April 19, 2015 by Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted April 19, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 19, 2015 You realise that because you did that, yesterday was the day they decided they were wasting their time, and went and found a suitable site elsewhere? - now you will put up with raindrops echoing down the flue every time there is a shower, just like we do! We had a Tawney owl would choose to sit on ours now and then. With the bedhead against the rear of the chimney we would hear ghostly scrabbling and hoots in the night. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 You realise that because you did that, yesterday was the day they decided they were wasting their time, and went and found a suitable site elsewhere? - now you will put up with raindrops echoing down the flue every time there is a shower, just like we do! As far as rain down the chimney is conerned, I can cope with that. What I hate is hailstones that bounce onto the hearth, then melt and leave little circles of soot everywhere. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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