Hobbies and Crafts

Hello Twitchers :-D

I have a bird question which google doesn't seem to know, so was hoping any member of this thread could help me.

I often see lone herons along the river banks but never with a mate. Why is this and what does the mate look like? I have no idea if the Herons I see are male or female but they all look alike. It has been driving me crackers so I hope the answer can be found here :-D

Hi Susan with Nos~~

I'm no' twitcher,' but can tell a Heron from the blackbird family lol and can only identify common birds.
I have a RSPB reference book 'The Complete Book of British Birds ', smashing pics and full of so much detail.

I quote from it :-
The male and female herons are indistinguishable , young birds lack the striking black and white markings of the adults.

Sandie.

Susan I have only ever seen a single Heron at a time.We have one that comes across over the garden most days.

I am loving watching all the Baby Birds coming out now with their little fluffy feathers.Greedy little devils there are too lol.So much bigger than the parents.
It is just coming over sooo dark here right now.I think we are in for a massive downpour :-SI better shut the doors and windows.Oh here it comes!!!!!!!

Hello Everybody.
Jude's asked me to put this on here for Susan, sorry I'm late Jude.
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Was just reading the bird thread on GR and Susan with numbers was asking about the Heron, can you add this link ..... http://www.pbase.com/nicolebouglouan/grey_heron&view=slideshow ..... to the Bird thread and tell her that its difficult to tell the difference between male & female, the female has a shorter aigrets, which is the black line on the top of its head.....another link.......
http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-grey-heron.html

The first link show (slide show of pics in Regents Park) female with young and about 5 in a tree, but don't think the male is there, so presumably they mate and he's gone!!
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Have any of you seen the Owl photo yet, very chuffed with it , would of been better if I took the try-pod with me. Photo is a little grainy because of camera shake but you can still see the Owls which is great.

Hope you are all okay.
Take care.
Shaun

Herons breed and roost in colonies (heronries) but they hunt alone and spread out more in the winter.

I do wish people who know little or nothing about birds wouldn't use the term 'twitcher' when refering to bird watchers. Bird watchers - which I think most are on this thread - enjoy watching the birds behaviour. Twitchers prefer to race off anywhere at a moments notice to tick another bird off the list.
I enjoy spending hours just watching, if I see something new, great, if I don't I'm just as happy.

Love those owls :-D :-D :-D
Well spotted Shaun :-D

What a smashing photo Shaun.Well done for getting that one. :-D :-D Brilliant!

Oh dear Island....sorry to have upset you so much.....I consider my wrists well slapped and my ignorance shown up for what it is.

Thank you for the information about the Herons and thank you Jude for the links.

I have taken a few photos and when I get them sorted will see if I can tell the difference.

The baby birds on the river are soooooo sweet :-D

Our young swifts left the nest yesterday. This morning they were practicing approaches to the nest.

Susan, now you're exaggerating ;-) . The term 'twitcher' is often used in a derisery manner to belittle bird watching. I didn't think you were using it in that way, I was just making a general comment, sorry if I didn't come across that way :-D

Just giving us a BIG nudge.We are disappearing down the pages :-S :-S
Not much going on bird wise really in the garden but still plenty of activity on the coconut.Often a queue for it lol.The tits row up along the branch taking it turns to feed .
Come on Jude do come back.We need you here !

Not much bird activity at all in the garden except Mr and Mrs Blackbird keep wooshing into a bush in our garden, surely they are not nesting again, I know they do nest more than one but surely not in July.

Susan welcome to the bird thread, always good to see new people on here. And thatw as a good question (thanks for the answers Jude and whoever else answered.) You are right though Susan, you don't ever see Herons in pairs, only singly.

Ann I think the most activity we have here is just after 4am .I think it the Magpies that start off now.Not quite as pleasant as the usual bird song :-S.In fact it is a flipping nuisance .I hate to say that ,but it is so raucous and not good on the ears at that time of the morning.OH never hears it.(typical man ) lol.They must roost somewhere very close to our bedroom :-S :-S

As I take my hearing aids out at night Jane, I don't hear much either. So I am thankful for small mercies. Magpies make an awful racket. :-)

But Ann, herons are seen in pairs at heronries.
They hunt alone but will roost colonially.

Only once have I seen 2 Herons flying together.It was quite a sight.Shame I didn't have the camera :-|

We see quite a number adorning the trees at our local patch along with cormorants. They look so incongruous. The trees suffer badly from the mass droppings.
We also have some little egrets at the same place (another heron)

You are lucky Island. I have never visited a heronry.

Good afternoon everyone:)

l have been having emails from a man in Radnorshire, he rings birds. He was given my address via the Bird sighting thingie that l do, l sent details of Shauns Owls. Must find out more from Shaun (when he's home) as to where the birds are.

Vic has just boght 2 LARGE TUBS OF FAT BALLS and another nut feeder. The birds are going mad here. 2 dz f/balls gone in about 2 weeks, so theis lot won't last long. They've never eaten this amount before...ooo err.
The Spotted woodpecker eats more f/balls at the moment not allowing the others near them.

Ok must go have to meet sister.

Take care
jude

;-) :-P

As far as I can make out it is only the pigeons eating the seed here. Fat balls don't go at all. :-S