fb
Contributor
Posts: 727
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Post by fb on Mar 31, 2024 20:11:28 GMT
Bats are back. Actually, I do not think they have been away, just been too cold to sit out and watch them flit about, of an evening. Fecking amazing little buggers and agile as f*ck. They seem to be about to hit you on the noggin until the very last minute and then they shoot off at breakneck speed over the shed.
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Post by orkneyhatter on Mar 31, 2024 20:49:46 GMT
Bats are back. Actually, I do not think they have been away, just been too cold to sit out and watch them flit about, of an evening. Fecking amazing little buggers and agile as f*ck. They seem to be about to hit you on the noggin until the very last minute and then they shoot off at breakneck speed over the shed. They roost up over winter in somewhere like a cave or outhouse where the air temperature stays fairly constant. Did a batwatch at Lyme Park and found this out
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Fez
Frequenter
Posts: 478
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Post by Fez on Apr 1, 2024 17:00:55 GMT
Bats will take a little while longer to appear around our neighbourhood here in Indiana. But spring has suddenly accelerated - temperatures reaching the 20s C and most things starting to bud and bloom (although we'll be getting cold again second half of this week, below freezing at night). Late March to May is my favourite part of the year. The first butterflies and a lot of bees are busy already. And the bird population is subtly changing. When the red-winged blackbirds start to sing is a great moment - worth a look:
And we've already had the return of the sandhill cranes. A fantastic sight and sound in large flocks overhead:
This will be an interesting year for bugs: there are various broods of cicadas, which live in larval sate for many years underground before emerging for a brief life above ground. This year, the emergence of the 13 year cycle of Brood XIX and the 17-year cycle of Brood XIII will coincide for the first time in 221 years. Some places could be in for a noisy summer, although I'm not sure how much their ranges overlap. I love that sound, though.
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Post by rj on Apr 1, 2024 17:51:14 GMT
The Merlin Bird ID app is great for identifying any bird song. Im addicted to now on any walk through my local woods.
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Post by orkneyhatter on Apr 1, 2024 19:45:53 GMT
Bats will take a little while longer to appear around our neighbourhood here in Indiana. But spring has suddenly accelerated - temperatures reaching the 20s C and most things starting to bud and bloom (although we'll be getting cold again second half of this week, below freezing at night). Late March to May is my favourite part of the year. The first butterflies and a lot of bees are busy already. And the bird population is subtly changing. When the red-winged blackbirds start to sing is a great moment - worth a look: And we've already had the return of the sandhill cranes: This will be an interesting year for bugs: there are various broods of cicadas, which live in larval sate for many years underground before emerging for a brief life above ground. This year, the emergence of the 13 year cycle of Brood XIX and the 17-year cycle of Brood XIII will coincide for the first time in 221 years. Some places could be in for a noisy summer, although I'm not sure how much their ranges overlap. I love that sound, though. that is one stunning looking blackbird, makes ours look very plain
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Post by oldroader on Apr 1, 2024 21:15:55 GMT
The Merlin Bird ID app is great for identifying any bird song. Im addicted to now on any walk through my local woods. I'm not that impressed with it to be honest. It was telling me that two common sandpipers were kildeer refently. Not a bad siggting for Leek! ๐
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Post by hedleyverity on Apr 2, 2024 4:10:10 GMT
The Merlin Bird ID app is great for identifying any bird song. Im addicted to now on any walk through my local woods. I'm not that impressed with it to be honest. It was telling me that two common sandpipers were kildeer refently. Not a bad siggting for Leek! ๐ It reckoned we were listening to a Hoopoe at Teggs Nose on Saturday!
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Post by nelly on Apr 2, 2024 4:17:20 GMT
I'm not that impressed with it to be honest. It was telling me that two common sandpipers were kildeer refently. Not a bad siggting for Leek! ๐ It reckoned we were listening to a Hoopoe at Teggs Nose on Saturday! I've had a green sandpiper on the peak forest canal and woodcock a couple of times. Woodcock maybe, but not the Green sandpiper.
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Fez
Frequenter
Posts: 478
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Post by Fez on Apr 2, 2024 6:14:50 GMT
that is one stunning looking blackbird, makes ours look very plain I've always loved the European blackbird's looks - all black with that orange eye-ring and bill, and one of the most beautiful songs. It still makes me nostalgic for an English spring or summer evening when I hear it on a TV show or The Beatles' 'Blackbird' or whatever. We have basically the same bird over here, misnomered as the American Robin ( turdus migratorius) in the early colonial period - because of its orange-red breast. Its behaviour and some of its calls are almost identical to the European blackbird. The song, however, doesn't come close - it always sounds like its heard a blackbird singing and it's making a bad attempt at copying.
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Fez
Frequenter
Posts: 478
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Post by Fez on Apr 2, 2024 6:18:16 GMT
The Merlin Bird ID app is great for identifying any bird song. Im addicted to now on any walk through my local woods. I'm not that impressed with it to be honest. It was telling me that two common sandpipers were kildeer refently. Not a bad siggting for Leek! ๐ I find it to be very good in the US, with very few weird suggestions where I am. I wonder if that might be because it was developed initially in and for North America, and there's still some learning to come for Europe? Just speculating.
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Post by oldroader on Apr 2, 2024 6:26:51 GMT
I'm not that impressed with it to be honest. It was telling me that two common sandpipers were kildeer refently. Not a bad siggting for Leek! ๐ I find it to be very good in the US, with very few weird suggestions where I am. I wonder if that might be because it was developed initially in and for North America, and there's still some learning to come for Europe? Just speculating. I would guess that's probably the case. And it's still very useful, so long as you are aware of some of the more unlikely suggestions. I've also found that it gets caught out by mimics, such as Song Thrush and Starling.
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fb
Contributor
Posts: 727
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Post by fb on Apr 9, 2024 10:27:00 GMT
Spring has, kind of, come to a halt in Bredders today. However was impressed with the amount of bumble bees, songbirds, garden birds, fast-flying ducks(including possible Cormorant), tits, thrushes, blackbirds, heron, a singular parakeet and corvids doing there thing in the environs of late. Nothing particularly rare, but nevertheless abundant and good to see.
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Post by orkneyhatter on Apr 9, 2024 12:33:40 GMT
Spring has, kind of, come to a halt in Bredders today. However was impressed with the amount of bumble bees, songbirds, garden birds, fast-flying ducks(including possible Cormorant), tits, thrushes, blackbirds, heron, a singular parakeet and corvids doing there thing in the environs of late. Nothing particularly rare, but nevertheless abundant and good to see. the migrants are making their way up here. I had a blackcap in the garden. Here they are on passage rather than breeding. Saw my first wheatear as well. A sea Eagle flew over but I didn't manage to see it. The downside of spring here is the starlings who love to nest under your car bonnet. You have to check and remove daily- once the eggs are there you can't use the car until they've fledged. It's a cause of engine fires here.
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popeye
Contributor
Posts: 1,476
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Post by popeye on Apr 9, 2024 21:49:54 GMT
Had a sparrow Hawk in the garden this morning.
Sat on my gate watching the bird feeder ready to attack
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fb
Contributor
Posts: 727
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Post by fb on Apr 23, 2024 17:07:34 GMT
Spring continues to be a bird bonanza, in gods own, "champions" town. Yellow Wagtails and Song Thrushes battling it out for ownership of the highest branch of the apple tree in the back garden. Buzzards galore riding the thermals, more Jackdaws than you can wave a very big stick at. Kestrels and Sparrowhawks knocking about. Ducks steaming over at high speed and squadrons of Geese. More Blackbirds than I have seen in many a year. Not sure what that was, a bit ago, some kind of finch. Parakeets, wrens, tits, wood pidgeons, collared doves. A lazy Heron, shouting at "Frank" and many other winged characters. Lovely stuff, who needs Netflix with this on your doorstep.
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