What's buzzing or flying near you 2024 ?

Hi I know I live in Wales but the first red kite I ever saw was travelling on the M4 towards Surrey .

but during the summer I had 1 single bird flying over my house and yesterday I had two floating around… I live in south Wales.. this is the only ones I have seen in this area and I have been here 15 years ..

Amazing looking birds

spruce

 

The Sparrowhawk was back again and took another Goldfinch, not surprising as there were around 50 again. Looked odd with the breeze lifting it's feathers and on one leg.

 

Blue jay enjoying the late autumn sun, beautiful, but loud and noisy.

 

Going out through the garden room to pick some kale for tonight heard the twittering. Looked up into the ash trees near our house and hundreds if not thousands of starlings in the trees. All facing the same way and all talking to each other....how was your journey, did you get enough to eat, have you met up with any family...???? They then came down into the field which has short grass and started pecking away but always alert and flying up and down. Then more of them came into the orchard.....dear birds we are so happy for you to eat the fallen apples but why do you insist on going into the trees and pecking at the apples that are still on the trees? Back to the ash trees and more chatter...then absolute silence for about a minute (did one of them give an alarm call?) then back to chattering and then WHOOSH all gone.
Back in 2010 we volunteered with RSPB staff for the winter starling murmurations. Hundreds of people coming each night full of chatter themselves but absolute silence when the first birds flew in. One lady had come with her family from the London area having been told that to understand behaviour (for her PhD) she should look at starlings and their behaviour when they come in their millions to roost. Incredible.

 

@On the Levels, I guess that was Ham Wall.

Common Gull, only seen here in Winter and not that common.
The green/yellow bill and legs and dark eye distinguishing features.

 

Delighted to see a coal tit on the feeder this morning. First time for some years. Female blackbird was having a bath in our pond near to where I was weeding. Lovely to watch.

 

They're common visitors here @On the Levels [coal tits]. Do you think there's a general decline in the population where you are?
It seems to be the case with many birds in various areas, which is sad.

 

I noticed a coal tit yesterday on our feeder. They're quite common here too.

Also saw a jay fly over the garden. These often come and are usually heard before being seen. Quite noisy.

 

We have Hen Harriers that migrate down here from northern climes. Saw a male a couple of days ago flying low over our field and neighbouring farmland. There seems to be an abundance of great tits this year and a warbler which is difficult to identify because it won't keep still!

 

Our Sparrowhawk is becoming more regular and sometimes with two or three visits a day.

 

Over the week around 100 starlings met on a tree two gardens down the road. Just that one day.
Over the weekend, a tiny tit found my lilac tree as resting place.
Looks like many of the birds are now back again. There is always something flying out when I come into the garden.

 

Fred and Mabel stamping for worms

 

Having lunch in the sunny (yes the sun did come out) garden room, noticed some field fares in the orchard on the apple trees. We had collected more apples yesterday so we are quite happy for the birds to have the rest. The blackbirds this time stayed on the ground with the fallen apples. Field fares are not very friendly to each other! If one is on a branch and another comes near it is beaks and wings all round. Then 1 lonely red wing came onto one of the plum trees and stayed still for a long time and then gone. About 3.30pm a flock of field fares (about 100) flew over the garden going to roost somewhere. Noticed interesting behaviour by the male gs woodpecker. He goes to the feeder and takes a peanut out and then flies up onto the post that holds our weather vane. The peckers have used this post as their drumming post for years and have made holes. The pecker puts the peanut in one of the holes and then quietly eats it. Clever bird.
Also saw a red admiral butterfly today and still bees about.