LinMM Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 It's suddenly got very noisy in the garden as all the local starling chicks seemed to have fledged in the last few days!! We counted 22 birds in our tallest tree this morning!! Not all were starlings but they are non stop squawk machines at the moment!! Usually when they've been fledged about a week they are perfectly capable of feeding themselves and we watch them doing this but as soon as an adult arrives the beaks open up and the feed me feed me squawk begins!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beryl H Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 Those baby starlings, my garden is also full of them today, I had to go shopping today to buy more bread to feed all the birds, also have a baby blackbird who is a real star and is becoming a pet bird, although in the end the adults get their territory back and it's bye, bye, blackbird. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 Other people get cute fluffy chicks, I get these hideous crow squatters in my owl box... Mind you, every parent will recognise the behaviour! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anon2 Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 Good job their parents love them Quintus! Shame no owls making use of box. We have a barn owl that flies through the garden early evening at the moment. Always on same route at roughly same time. Have heard the tawny but not seen him recently but do find his deposits under the willow. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 I took Chunkydog out for an evening constitutional when I got home from my fab day out at The Hepworth. We spent some happy minutes watching swifts and martins swooping over the smaller lake at Crosby Lakeside. Happy days... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunrise Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 We've been holidaying in Skye and the Outer Hebrides and it feels like the same one has been following us around the islands because we can hear the call wherever we go :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Oh Quintus they are gorgeous ......what a great photo!! I love crows anyway....even these weirdo looking babies. At last a welcome sight over the alottment tonight .....lots of swirling singing swifts.....thought they'd never arrive this year. Alls well with the world.....well until tomorrow! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 By the way how did you manage to post that Piccie of the crows to Balletco forum site? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 By the way how did you manage to post that Piccie of the crows to Balletco forum site? You simply click on the little icon of a picture in the message box lower row tool bar, and paste in the url of your picture. The picture needs to be hosted somewhere on the 'net; I happen to use Photobucket. The pic itself is not stored on balletcoforum - just the link to it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted May 26, 2016 Author Share Posted May 26, 2016 I love crows anyway....even these weirdo looking babies. You think they're weird - have you ever seen pigeon chicks?! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anon2 Posted May 26, 2016 Share Posted May 26, 2016 You think they're weird - have you ever seen pigeon chicks?! No and I've often wondered why not when we have masses of wood pigeons in our garden! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted May 27, 2016 Share Posted May 27, 2016 Me neither.....they're always pretty mature before we see them here Though one year one daft one tried to build a nest on top of the local bus stop!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 Progress on the beasts... Given that this is an owl box rather than an open nest, the usual had happened when I just look, and they had grown to a size where they could not get out, and one was dead. Given the other one, let's call it Crowbart, would have gone the same way, I had to take it out and set it at the bottom of a tree to take its chances. It is well feathered so can't be far off fledging age. There are currently lots of crows buzzing round the tree, so they are aware of Crowbart's situation.... In other news, this morning we had three buzzards overhead and behind them someone doing aeronautics in a small plane - busy skies in Suffolk! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 Aah fingers crossed for little Crowbart!! Hopefully the parents will find him/her and lead him up into a tree and keep feeding for a while...they are so vulnerable on the ground as well. Especially round here as apart from the usual cats etc the seagulls could take a very young crow like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted May 29, 2016 Author Share Posted May 29, 2016 Well we saw what could have developed into a rather dramatic aerial dogfight today... We were at an agricultural show standing watching the show jumping and from nowhere, a very large hawk appeared, flew around the arena, and then swooped back round the grandstand to where it was (presumably) being flown in a falconry display. We then noticed that it had been aggressively dive-bombed and chased out of the sky by one of the local resident red kites, which had taken extreme exception to another raptor on its patch. The red kite flew back and forth over the arena for a good 5 minutes looking very determined and treating us all to a free, wild aerial display - we think that the falconer took the rather wise decision to retire his bird from the fray! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacqueline Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Many years ago, I worked at a Sussex country house as a sort of meet and greeter. In the spring, they held a fair with various displays and demonstrations of rural amusements. I remember the guy who turned up with his birds of prey, perhaps unwisely started by telling us what had happened at the previous show, when his prized bird decided it didn't want to play and flew off into the tree tops, where it remained for several hours. The man said, rather tempting fate, that he hoped the bird would co - operate this time. The bird was released and off it went into the tree tops, where it remained for several hours. We could see it up there, looking down at us. He tried so hard to get it to come back but it wouldn't budge. If a bird could 'flip the bird' that bird did! In the end, night fell and we went home, leaving him to it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 I've often thought that there must be the odd occasion when they do fly off and not come back. Though not sure whether the birds from these shows can survive in the wild. A bit like budgies who talk and those who won't!! Back in the 50's when it was thought okay to have a budgie we had several over the years that never talked no matter how much we tried to talk to them ....not one " I'm a pretty boy" Where's my nan had one in particular which never stopped and used to tell people to "bu---r off will you" " where's my cup of tea" and the lot! The interesting thing is ours were blue and hers were green( for whatever reason) don't know whether there's anything in this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anon2 Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Well after a couple of fraught days at work I came home late tonight to find two little owls on the drive. They are so comical when when they take flight it did raise my spirits. Lin we used to be frequent visitors to the local birds of prey centre. Occasionally a raptor would fly off as either spooked, air currents or being wilful. The handlers said they normally managed to bring them back in within a few days as hunger got the better of them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 I've often thought that there must be the odd occasion when they do fly off and not come back. Though not sure whether the birds from these shows can survive in the wild. A bit like budgies who talk and those who won't!! Back in the 50's when it was thought okay to have a budgie we had several over the years that never talked no matter how much we tried to talk to them ....not one " I'm a pretty boy" Where's my nan had one in particular which never stopped and used to tell people to "bu---r off will you" " where's my cup of tea" and the lot! The interesting thing is ours were blue and hers were green( for whatever reason) don't know whether there's anything in this. Someone told me that male budgies are the better talkers so maybe yours were all female? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anon2 Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Greater spotted woodpecker currently feeding from half coconut in garden. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 http://parrotfeather.com/budgie/talking/ Well here is Charlie talking ......and he's blue!! Apparently females do talk too but males do tend to be better talkers because of their naturally courting females and so are much clearer apparently. It's important to get a very young bird apparently as if they have mixed with other budgies too much they lose that interest to communicate with humans. And you must talk to them every day ...a lot...and have only ONE bird. My uncle used to breed budgies and had a huge aviary....hence the supply but I'll never forget my nans bird who also used to sit on her shoulder a lot and would come to your hand ....he was so tame and a very clear speaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anon2 Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Had to stop the car on way home from work this morning whilst mother duck wandered down a busy village road followed by her 9 ducklings. She caused quite a traffic jam as she found the perfect place for herself to get onto the pavement and safety. Seven of the ducklings, with a lot of effort managed to join her but the last two had to run down the road until they found the lowered kerb. Hopefully she will keep them on that side of the road (gardens) until they can fly and not take them back into the vast field opposite. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted June 6, 2016 Author Share Posted June 6, 2016 I was sitting the lounge this afternoon, and had the patio door open. I heard an odd noise - a sort of scuffling - so I went out side and was showered with grit. I looked up, and there were two sparrows having a dustbath in my guttering (note to self - must get dh out there with a ladder to clear the gutters out) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Yesterday evening there was a terrible racquet from some crows it was so loud and urgent I thought one must be trapped or something so I rushed outside and over my roof they were yelling and swooping. I thought at first they were having a fight ....some territorial thing though these cries are quite specific and I should have known as have heard on the alottment before. I realised they weren't fighting each other but acting in unison and diving down the front of my roof( I was out the back) I was just about to go round to,the front when I saw what all the fuss was about. There was a fox on my roof just about to jump onto the neighbours! The crows were really dive bombing it. Luckily it jumped off the neighbours roof into their garden and started making off down the hill taking the crow noise with it!! Talk about tenacious. Some very good news today was a nest of sparrows in one of our boxes has finally fledged. We have a holly tree at the front and they were all in there chirping around. I counted at least five but there may have been a couple more. The parents you'd think would now like to have a bit of a rest .....but no. They were out there this afternoon "at it" like no tomorrow ....so can probably expect another noisy brood very soon! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 The first of the four peregrine chicks at Norwich cathedral fledged this morning. The article in the link http://hawkandowl.org/norwich-cathedral-peregrines-update-first-chick-fledge-expect/ includes a beautiful video of the moment she takes to the air ... and of the reaction of her three sisters. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 I missed it by about half an hour! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 I missed it by about half an hour! Three more opportunities over the coming days to see them fledge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 I know it's life but I am devastated to report that the chick that fledged yesterday at Norwich Cathedral has been found dead in the grounds this morning.. I'm crying my eyes out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anon2 Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Sad news. I hope it's siblings fair better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anon2 Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Report on BBC Norwich news about the circumstances that lead up to this event. Maybe centre of Norwich didn't give enough open space for the new chicks plus established population. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 I swear birds have personalities sometimes! Yesterday there was a group of about six starlings around our bird box. One was poking its head inside whilst the other sat on the nearby fences watching, all in a cluster. No idea what it was trying to get at, but after a few minutes it swapped places with one of the spectators and a 2nd bird began the frantic pecking towards the inside of the bird box. I shifted position in the house and one of the birds turned its head and looked at me. The birdbox bird stopped pecking and at exactly the same time all six birds looked at me, then each other, then flew off. It really was as if I had caught them doing something they shouldn't. They looked so sheepish. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Starlings are totally hilarious! We've watched on many occasions now .... one gives a false alarm call so they all fly off but that one who then has free range of food supplies! Sometimes they all sit along a rather over long young fig tree trunk we have and if an alarm call is given the poor bird on the end nearly gets catapulted over the roof as they all fly off! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 (edited) We've put the hummingbird feeder out, and after a slow start we seem to have a couple of clients. It's amazing how they can hover in place while feeding, even in a fairly strong wind. Edited June 10, 2016 by Melody 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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