the jay

thanks walnut intresting pages i put binocs and bird books on the xmas list . think it does make me a apprentice twitcher now but who cares its just nice to sit back relax with a brew and see what is visiting the garden

 

You're not a twitcher imp,

twitchers travel around to 'tick' birds off a list. you are a bird watcher - you enjoy watching birds. eventually you may become an amature ornithologist (if there can be such a thing) :D

i got into birding by seeing a greenfinch from my bedroom window (near the new forest, hants.) only about 10 miles from where we previously lived but so different.

then, my ex got into birding & that was that. was too much for me though. taking our 10month old out in the winter by the sea was not my idea of a good time!!

actually enjoyed it, & still do albeit in a very small way.

it's a great hobby. so you'll have to let us all know what you got for Xmas & where you have been to try them out, & what other birds you have spotted.

cheers
sandra

 

Hi Sandra we used to do a bit of twitching when we were younger and petrol wasn't as expensive as gold :eek: We spent a week down on the Isles Of Scilly way back and it was most enjoyable being able to tick off Yellow Billed Cuckoo,Sardinian Warbler, Red Eyed Virio and Parula Warbler and a Night Heron...

Our best ticks to date have been a Snowy Owl at Wainfleet in Lincolnshire and a Nutcracker in a garden in Stafford.Those were the days though now we are getting too old to stand for hours in the freezing cold just to catch a glimpse of those elusive birds.

 

I know the feeling Kandy. I couldn't justify the fuel use now to go long distance for a rarity.

 

There are still a lot of birding widows who have to sit at home with the kids while their men fly literally all over the country to get the ticks.In the old days they used to have pagers and when they went off they would drop everything and was gone.I think they rely on their mobile phones now.

I remember once hearing of some birders racing to see a rare Swallow I think it was when a raptor swooped down and carried it off.They were right gripped off I can tell you :D

 

well im gutted im not a twitcher any more i liked the sound of that it fells like you took my sweets off me :D :D oh well ill go back to being a birdie watcher. oh well whatever i am its a brilliant past time im getting into it now. im having a go at making some of my own fat balls wkend anyone got any good tips

 

Stick some sultanas in the mix

 

I visit our two RSPB reserves regularly as they are so close and don't mind seeing the same birds, it's nice to see something unusual but I won't go out of my way for one.

 

I visit my local reserve and my local park now and then,like Strongy, I too don`t mind seeing the same thing and although it is nice to see something unusual I wouldn`t go out of my way to see it.

I am more than happy to sit at my patio door,or watch from my kitchen window,and see the birds at the feeders and on the table. It isn`t long before you start to recognise the regulars and get to know their habits.

I get a wide variety of birds in my garden and recently I have had regular visits from a song thrush.

I am trying to attract the local bullfinches and gold finches but no luck as of yet.

I remember hearing about that a good while ago.

 

I think it was a Red Rumped swallow but they are not such a rare visitor to the UK now.

 

Rather than spotting rarities I like to watch birds going about their daily lives, its their habits that I enjoy watching. I love being able to watch buzzards which are so common now as they glide over the countryside here hunting or watching peregrines displaying - they are also more common. It is such a difference to when i was a kid in Manchester and could only read of the countryside and this sort of wildlife.

 

sorry for the delay in replying to this - hope you are not all bored with it, but reading your replies reminded me of quite a few things.

i remember that bird (rare) that came here & then got swiped! must have been in about the 80's or early 90's wasn't it?

as i said, we used to do a bit of twitching. remember going to places and sitting for ages to get a glimpse of something! Did my head in. Think that proves i'm not a birder. have bad eyesight too, & i have had good binoculars but that won't make a difference if you can't tell one from the other :D

We don't get alot of birds in our garden (different species) but i love looking at the sparrows, lovely different plumage colours i think, & even the starlings now coming in to drink & try & get the fat balls we have.

you are lucky to see different things, i know they are around here but don't think i can introduce them to my garden - much to urban.

i love all birds, animals actually, & would love to see any more pics you can all show on here.

cheers

 

It is good to see some birds making a comeback after decades of decline, Buzzards ,Peregrines ( as Geoff mentioned) Kites and some newer colonists, Little Egret, Cettis Warbler and Spoonbill for example but very alarming that the more commoner ones are disappearing. As more of our land is turned into concrete and tarmac(3 million homes needed now!) there will be less diverse habitats for them. :(

 

you are so right strongy not been birdwatchin long but ive learnt im lucky to have a jay visiting my garden most days. but it seems strange that im seeing a jay more than a sparrow that tells you how much some birds are struggling to survive

 

I think with the sparrows it might be changing agriculturaol practises. I think it might be that with greater efficiency there is less spilled grain for them to eat, so get out those bird tables and feed. I think our feeding is becoming more and more important. We are still getting quite a few sparrows here but they are certainly not the commonest. I think our most common are tits of various kinds.