What's buzzing or flying near you 2024 ?

The tree swallow is a migratory bird of the family Hirundinidae. Found in the Americas, the tree swallow was first described in 1807 by French ornithologist Louis Vieillot as Hirundo bicolor. It has since been moved to its current genus, Tachycineta. I find them difficult to photograph as their plumage shines like metal in the sunlight, it is very difficult to bring up the detail.

 

Lovely pic again @hydrogardener .
I loaded a couple of snow bunting pix for you, from my old laptop. I have the first one in a frame in my back hall so I pass it regularly. They're well used to walkers near them.
Near the summit of one of our Munros, Cruach Ardrain, early May 2016

This one at the summit of Ben Macdui, late June 2021


Hope you like those

Dave Mark2 was enjoying a bath yesterday

 

Oh that's so sweet. All our pigeons are Simon.
We had one with a gammy leg who was visiting when we first moved in 12 years ago, we called her Gimpy and we grew very fond of her too. She got harrassed by younger birds but she visited every day. Last year we had a sparrowhawk, and one morning I found pigeon feathers all over the garden and by the back door, and I knew. I was so upset about it.

 

My lovely neighbours took these of my feeder out the front.

 

When Mr Robin took his mealworm away the other day I thought he must have chicks. However I’ve since seen him feeding Mrs Robin and recall this is what happened last year (and previous). So today she has had several mealworms and I suspect she is sitting on eggs and coming out for food from him only when hungry. What I find fascinating by it all is the fact he will chase her off if she tries to come near the feeder or if I am nearby. He seems to get angry at her for daring to try to feed herself - as it’s his job! Even worse is the fact he chases her out of the garden once winter arrives.

I have one of those feeders you can stick on the window right beside me. At first even Mr Robin wouldn’t come near it even if I pointed at it (something he does know and nearly aways comes to). It took 2-3 weeks to get him to use it, but now I’ve got him, coal tit, blue tit and great tit all visiting. The little coal tit is by far the bravest and will even visit when my nose is almost on the window!

 

I love watching the robins in my garden too @DiggersJo they really are fascinating birds. I’ve been watching my Mr and Mrs Robin over the past couple of weeks and saw them doing a lovely little dance, they were facing each other and bowing up and down and then one (I presume the male) flew to our bird feeder and took some food back to the other one. I presume part of the courtship routine.
Last year, during an extremely cold spell where the ground was frozen, we met a very friendly Robin in the middle of Dartmoor. He started following us, I felt so sorry for him as it was bitterly cold so I broke up a dog treat I had and held out my hand and he flew onto it. He flew back and forward and ate the whole treat. They are such clever, resourceful birds and I think he’d worked out that humans could provide a valuable food source in the cold spell. It was such a lovely moment as he was a really ‘wild’ Robin in the middle of nowhere and yet he trusted me

 

@fairygirl a few overwinter here on the South coast and as you say very confiding.
I have only seen them in Winter plumage. This was from last year.

 

Great photo and event! Rain just stopped before so went out to hand out more live mealworms (won't eat dried) and heard what I'm sure was a Kestrel. The birds disappear from the feeders, not too sure why it tells them it is there! We have Hawks that hunt here in the garden, but never seen a Kestrel do so, guess it was just passing through.

 

I've only ever seen them in their winter plumage @strongylodon, although it may be that I simply don't notice them with that colouring in your pic, if it isn't winter. Their winter colour blends in well with the terrain though - same as the ptarmigans.
Many of our hills up here carry snow all year round though, so they tend to keep that colouring too. With B. Macdui, it's the Cairngorms, and the 2nd highest hill in the UK, so having snow at those heights isn't unusual, although I think there was only a few patches that day. That is unfortunately changing as everything warms up.
The mountain hares have a problem when they still have winter coats, but the weather suddenly takes a turn and the snow starts to disappear, making them vulnerable to predators.

 

This is a song sparrow, and yes they do sing. Their colouring makes them difficult to see in their natural environment.

 

As mentioned before I downloaded Merlin to identify all th ebirds I could hear but not see but the stupid thing doesn't give names beyongd listing 5 top birds and then saying +nn more.

Today I was being shrilled at by something I didn't know so went out with Merlin and a pencil and paper. It seems we have goldfinches, a short-toed lark, golden oriole, blackcap, long-tailed tits, chiff-chaffs and garden warblers all hiding in the trees, shrubs and hedgerows along with the usual suspects - sparrows, blackbirds, chaffinch, robin, blue and great tits, wood pigeon and barn swallows.

That was just in 10 minutes mid afternoon. Cuckoos, hoopoes, woodpeckers etc visit earlier and later in the day. Haven't tried Merlin at night yet.

 

This very confiding Snow Bunting turned up one November on a moorland path on the Derbyshire/Cheshire border. I tried to feed it little bits of my Frusli bar but it seemed happy just scavenging for seeds.

 

Just spotted our first House Martin back from its holidays.

 

Always a great event for us too, so much so we started some years ago to note down the "fliers" arrival. x3 Swallows for us 6Apr24, but just passing over I suspect, not see anything since then. We have noticed over the years they tend to come in on a warm wind. Not surprising I guess.

 

A beautiful brimstone this morning quickly followed by a red admiral. Still no martins or swallows.