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Seen this?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/gloucestershire/7859989.stm

x

Still getting our regular feedersin the garden.
The fat ball nearest the house has attracted blue tits.
Putting out brown bread, raw oats(porridge) the nut feeders and sunflowerseed in feeders too.
If I have already put out food early ..................they hang around waitng for my husband to see them and hopefully get another top up !!!!

Snow forecast even for the south by Monday................ so no neglecting them.

Linda :o)

Hi Helen
Lucky you to see three Red Kites; we get them very occasionally but usually have to head into Wales before we see them more often.
Your bird of prey in the field was probably a buzzard and I imagine the rabbits were pretty safe. Although buzzards will take small mammals, it was probably hunting for worms or beetles. It might pick at a dead bunny but live ones are not usual prey :)

Red Kites!! You lucky people, we don't get them here in darkest Essex. I've only seen the odd sparrow hawk, kestrel & someone flying a kite. lol

I understand the Red Kites were persecuted to near extinction. Now making a come back in Wales & west country.

Steve

The Red Kites in wales are a fantastic sight:o)

Go to this site:
http://www.gigrin.co.uk/

We've been there about 3 times, fantastic work they do. We've seen approx 300, (when weather is bad, you'll see loads more than that!!)plus the crows and buzzards all feeding together. Its a feeding station and the farmer drives a tractor into the field loaded with meat, he feeds them twice a day (l think), and birds from all directions, infact loads are hovering whilst he is scattering the meat. Sadly his dad died a few years ago, he was the instigater of the station.
Not much going on in out backgarden today, very quiet:o(((

jude :o)

They are definitely all feeding madly. Im buying 13kg sacks now as I was getting through the bags in a couple of days. Wonder if we are in for a tough February.

Just spoken to my sister and she had a Yellow wagtail feeding all morning, don't think l have seen one of those before.

Heather .........crumps your birds eat alot:o)

jude:~)

Heather have got ostriches in your garden!? ;o))

Hi Jude I think your sister probably saw a Yellowhammer. As Yellow Wagtails according to my hand book never winters in europe.

And for some strange reason the Yellowhammer isn't even in my book. Had to google to make sure I'm not going mad......then realised it's too late! lol

Steve

Hi Folks,
Been a brought extra for the birds today as weather looks as if it might be bad.
Jude you would love this my big Mr Pheseant was chased by the Robin this morning it was so funny watching as he tried to get away great lump. but we have had the sparrow hawk here most of today which is very unusual.
Got a big tub of mealy worms today for £5.99 .
Tescos have got a special on peanuts and seed at the moment £8.00 for 12.50 k and £9.99 for the seed.

Bell......did you take any photo's?? wouldlove to have seen that:o))

Stephen......mmm not sure,she's usually wellup on her birds and wouldknow a yellow hammer,she says they are rarely seen and like to be near water. Will ask her again tomorrow. She said he had a black head and bright yellow body . Perhaps she needs to tell RSPB!!

Will have a look in mybooks.

jude:o)

Hi Jude...From your discription, you're right, not a Yellowhammer. Had another look in my book. It could be a Grey Wagtail, yellow body & blue-grey upperparts. The male has a black bib & brighter in appearance.

Regards,
Steve.

Morning:o)
Brrr blinky freezing here. Quite a few birds flitting aorund out back this morning, even saw one Longtailedtit:o)) thing is everytime l get excited because l've seen another type of bird....the bloomin dogs gets excited aswell and rushes to the patio doors and FRIGHTENS them all off't!!

Just rung sister, she says he had a brilliant yellow chest, black head, greenish back, she pretty sure its a Yellow Waggie. If she gets a chance she'll take a photo.

jude:o)

Very cold here again this morning, but did my duty and all points of feeding are topped up.
Blackbirds eating the oats this morning.
I have seen may Kites over the most recent years. Firstly in Buckinghamshire, then in Hampshire at Stockbridge, more recently as close as Twyford in Berkshire(between Maidenhead and Reading off the A4)
Seeing small flurries of snow already. so no tydying up the garden today.

take care everyone and keep feeding those lovely birds we all see.

Linda :o)

"Heather .........crumps your birds eat alot:o)"

Well, our garden is about a quarter of an acre, so I guess our bird population is quite high :)

Long tailed tits in groups on the fat balls, a lot of different finches this year, very large number of blackbirds, higher than normal, blue tits, great tits, sparrows, wrens, robins, doves (who stuff themselves), occasional pheasent, jay, green woodpecker, dunnocks. Hence the need for sacks of food :) (13kg is £7 - so a good buy really). We use an icecream box of mixed seeds a day for them - put in 4 separate feeding locations - different heights etc. and then we add things like sultanas and bread aswell.

I read that the robin population will be poor this year due to the bad summer. I love robins, I think they are the Jack Russells of the bird world :) I also love wrens, such tiny, delicate birds and their little nests in our ivy are works of art. One year we were SO lucky - I put some of OH's old boots in the hedges and the very first season we had Robins nesting in one. It was wonderful.

Morning...ooop....afternoon all. Made sure feeder was topped up last night, still plenty there. But'llput some more out for them this afternoon.

Heather...sounds like your feathered friends live in bird paradise.

Hi Jude...still think its a Grey Wagtail. You can see images of the two birds Yellow Wagtail at;
http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=yellow+wagtail&cr=countryUK%7CcountryGB&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title

& Grey Wagtail at;
http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=grey+wagtail+images&cr=countryUK%7CcountryGB&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title

If it does turn out to be a Yellow Wagtail, than as you said earkier, best to phone RSPB as it should be wintering in Africa.

Steve

Did anybody have a look at the link I mentioned? Either way, and slightly digressing, I've noticed some of the smaller birds in our garden landing under our hydrangea bush, looking for food. I remember that bit on my food list about cheese (that it can be scattered under shrubbery and the small birds don't feel intimidated by the larger ones), so I scattered some seed under there.

I know I'd have to make a habit of it during the winter, so I'll keep an eye on the area to see if they're eating it.

Yesterday, one of the starlings had a McBirdie. It started out as a chip from McDonalds, but I dropped it on the carpet on Friday evening. Hey, waste not, want not! lol

Oh - by the way - hi, everybody! :-))

Me again. On our local news recently (south-west England) there were photos of a rare bird from, I think, much further north of the globe. It had flown here and was minding its own business, being observed by a bird-watcher, when a bird of prey suddenly swooped down and caught it. :-((

According to the bird-watcher, it was a fascinating sight, but at the same time it was a shame it ended like that. Mr Birdwatcher had photos of the capture, too.
x

Hello Stephen

From sis is saying l would say its the one on the right(3rd pic) with black head ....dunno though, but from the grey pics they are'nt what she discribing,but then she's sometimes wrong and l love it then!!!! lol


Yellow Wagtail
362 x 307 - 58k - jpg
www.hull.ac.uk Yellow Wagtail
550 x 407 - 41k - jpg
www.nyctea.co.uk
[ More from www.nyctea.co.uk ] Yellow Wagtail
550 x 411 - 40k - jpg
www.nyctea.co.uk Yellow Wagtail (thunbergi) ...
350 x 289 - 55k - gif
www.birder.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk


Glenys....what was the rare bird?? No looked yet, will do in a mo:o)

Heather.......your garden sounds great:o) we're all so lucky to have all this space for our birds,, so many people don't have gardens, so its great that we can have this thread....THANKS ANN:o))

jude :o)

Sorry Jude no pic this time, we have now got 5 pairs of yellowhammers, and must be about about 6 or more long tailed tits they are on the fat balls and peanut feeders.
Have seen the weather for the week I hope that all down south keep safe and warm, it looks as if we are going to miss the worst of the weather here.
take care.

Jude, I think the rare bird taken by the bird of prey was some sort of small wader.

Your sister's bird sounds like a grey wagtail that,despite its name has a lot of yellow on it. There are quite a few up here in the Lake District.

Ann
Glos