Topic: Winter Bird Watching, what have you seen today?

[hopalong]

Hopalong I always struggle to tell apart the mistle and the song thrush, I know the mistle thrush is plumper but they could at least do me a favour and stand side by side so that I can tell them apart   ::)

My garden is in North London, with the Northern Line going past the back fence, so we don't usually see thrushes at all.  I just assumed this was a mistle because it was big and plump with very strong markings. Could be wrong though.  :-\

[Carol]

I haven't seen a Mistle Thrush in my garden for a while.  It is a bit larger than the Song Thrush but the markings on its chest is pronounced and it stands upright quite a bit. 

I have 2 Robins which sit about 10ft apart outside my kitchen end.  One goes to feed the other comes down chases it away and so on, they don't seem to talk!!!  just fight.  I have another at the bedroom end of the house and it seems to argue with the dunnocks.  He She is a dab hand at hanging off the feeders.

The birds seem to be ravenous today must be a sign that the bad weather is on its way again.

 ;D ;D

[hopalong]

I haven't seen a Mistle Thrush in my garden for a while.  It is a bit larger than the Song Thrush but the markings on its chest is pronounced and it stands upright quite a bit. 

Mine was definitely the Mistle Thrush in that case. It stood upright and looked around a lot.  Haven't seen it again today though.

[thifasmom]

Well this past few days, I have seen a rare sight too, Mr Robin has gone and got himself a wife  ;D
Hes a right cantankerous old thing and is certainly king of the garden chasing off all and sundry, so it actually seem quite funny to see him and his new ladyfriend sat happily side by side snuggling up in the magnolia tree  :)

looked out my window this morn and my Mr robin (aka small yard bully ;)) has gone and done the same thing :).

[tonybloke]

three herons close together, where a digger was clearing a drainage d**e!

[Robert_Brenchley]

Two goldcrests, on the sycamores outside the window, a couple of days ago.

[shirlton]

If this is what the snow brings then bring on the snow

[thifasmom]

oh nice shot Shirl. i have noticed as well that the birds are thick by me too, lots of tits, no longtails though had them come by Saturday. the robin, chaffinches, house sparrows, starlings, wood pigeons, great spotted woodpecker, collard doves and green finches all stopped by so far today.

[shirlton]

We do have 6 wood pigeons in the big sycamore at the back and this is where the long tails were before they came down. Always have loads of sparrows. Fell awful really cos the hawk comes about twice a week :( and helps himself. My daughter who lives in Redditch has had a blackcap and several females. She saw them around him and when she looked on the net turns out thats what they were.

[SamLouise]

Nice picture, Shirlton :)

Lovely sight outside our kitchen window this morning.  Tree branches covered in snow and a little robin came and sat right in the middle of it.  I couldn't get my camera quick enough before he flew onto the food table and up into the tree.  Made my morning.

Got to work and a blackbird and a thrush were sitting under a conifer bush, sheltering (I call it a bush because the landlords have chopped all the trees down to bush height :() so I rolled some fat balls under and added some mixed fruit, nuts and seed  ;D ;D

[thespade08]

I finished work early today,(d**n snow)so decided to walk up to the town centre and spotted the following:
1 Red Kite  ;D
4 Redwings
1 Moorhen by the brook
Returned home to find the usual culprits in the garden
2 Male Blackbirds chasing each other
8 House Sparrows
10 Starlings
2 Blue tits
2 Hedge Sparrows

[tonybloke]

we had a small flock of greenfinches  (7) in the garden this morning, and all the usual suspects  ;)

[cambourne7]

seen lots of big black birds not sure what types could be rooks....

[valmarg]

I haven't seen a Mistle Thrush in my garden for a while.  It is a bit larger than the Song Thrush but the markings on its chest is pronounced and it stands upright quite a bit. 

Mine was definitely the Mistle Thrush in that case. It stood upright and looked around a lot.  Haven't seen it again today though.

We've had an unusual member of the blackbird family in the garden recently. Looked a bit like a thrush, but looking on the RSPB bird identifier section we've decided it is a Fieldfare.

valmarg

[Robert_Brenchley]

Several redwings today. We always get them moving into the city in cold weather.

[Carol]

I am quite tired tonight with my continuous clearing of snow for the birds.  Like the rest of you we had one snow shower after another right up to dinnertime so I was kept busy.   Were they bovvered, no no no.   I don't know why they dither about and sit in trees watching when there is food there for them to eat.  Did have the usual selection with my large amount of blackbirds feeding.  I feed 12.  There was an increase in the goldfinches again about 6 compared to 12 last year.  I had the blue,coal,great and long tailed tits.  No sparrows, tree or house but a few dunnocks.  Had a return of the chaffinches and greenfinches but not in great numbers like previous years.  Also, I usually have a few siskins,  none up to now.  where are they???   I have seen a brambling this year but none today.  No doubt I shall be up in the morning with my white fluffy dressing gown and hood with a pair of boots on.   ;D ;D ;D

[lorna]

Carol I only seem to get the one pair of blackbirds but they certainly made short work of the apples I cut up for them today :) (I cleared the snow for them) They did spend some time chasing the starlings away!!!

[hopalong]

Lots of activity today and yesterday, probably because of the cold, and also the snow making ground feeding difficult.  The blue tits, great tits and chaffinches have been hard at work on the feeders and I've also seen sparrows, blackbirds and robins.  The mistle thrush also appeared again.  Woodpigeons and magpies don't usually bother with the feeders. but they have today.

[flossy]

  Not sure why, but my garden seems to be Blackbird heaven !

  Today I counted 7 males and 3 females !   I am ground feeding them twice a day - anything
  I can lay my hands on at the moment.     They wait in the big apple tree at the end of the garden
  - It's like Hichcocks  'Birds ',    There is one male who ' chits ' at us if we are a bit late , and is a bit
  bossy.   One will always sit on the fence where there is a cat next door, and others wait in the
  tree when the food goes out.   Did worry as they landed in the snow yesterday and sunk up to
  their axles !  They then did a jump style butterfly stroke that got them to the ' tray '.
  Cleared some ground after that .

  Last Summer they safely fledged their young in our shrubs - so reckon they think we're OK.

   floss xxx

   

[wilko]

out with the dogs this morning, I saw a flash of white wings heading towards me, at first i thought it was a gull, but no , a barn owl, it flew overhead really low, brill.......wasn't it a lovely morning  :)