[Misc] The Official NSC Bird Spotting Thread.

[Cordwainer]

What beautiful feisty birds they are..right from the get go.

‘I’ve known some of these peregrines for 15 years’: protecting Scotland’s raptors – in pictures

The fastest birds in the world, peregrine falcons are sought after for racing and can sell for up to £250,000 in the Middle East. Poaching is a constant threat, with eggs and chicks stolen to supply the hidden market. Now, there are nationwide efforts under way to ring and take DNA from wild...

www.theguardian.com

 

[FamilyGuy]

Not a very exciting bird, but we have a pair of pigeons apparently nesting in our garden. Don’t believe there’s any eggs in there right now, but one of the pair rarely leaves the nest. View attachment 184611

They really are crap at nest construction aren't they?
If thats the best they can do its amazing that there are so many of them around.

 

[WATFORD zero]

I was driving from Hurstpierpoint to Ansty today and just outside Ansty a beautiful Buzzard took off from the side of the road and flew up the road (which is covered by trees) for about 100 metres in front of me until the trees opened up and it rose up and off to the left.

Really impressive and obviously a sign as the Romans used to say

 

[mikeyjh]

I was driving from Hurstpierpoint to Ansty today and just outside Ansty a beautiful Buzzard took off from the side of the road and flew up the road (which is covered by trees) for about 100 metres in front of me until the trees opened up and it rose up and off to the left.

Really impressive and obviously a sign as the Romans used to say

Underrated bird, Kites get all the attention but the buzzard is a beauty...

 

[WATFORD zero]

Underrated bird, Kites get all the attention but the buzzard is a beauty...

Buzzards are the business, Kites are just pussies. Although, being based in Brighton, I do get quite excited spotting a Kite as they've only been down here for a couple of years and I don't go to High Wycombe as much since I retired. Same with Buzzards when I used to go to Swindon a lot, but they've been around these parts 15 years now and I normally see a few every week.

Still haven't seen a White tailed Eagle yet although I understand a couple of the IOW ones have been spotted around here so i'm keeping 'em peeled

 

[Diablo]

Couple of Barn Owl boxes near me. One has been taken over by Kestrels that have now flown the other has a couple of Stock Dove chicks in it.

Picture shows two of the four young Kestrels venturing out. One on top of box and one on Beam above.

 

[Zeberdi]

Couple of Barn Owl boxes near me. One has been taken over by Kestrels that have now flown the other has a couple of Stock Dove chicks in it.

Picture shows two of the four young Kestrels venturing out. One on top of box and one on Beam above.

Fantastic- so jealous - great news that the Kestrel chicks all fledged safely - the two there look very close to fledging at that point.

Our reserve Barn Owl box was predated by corvids earlier in the Spring and all the Barn Owl chicks were lost sadly.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Buzzards are the business, Kites are just pussies. Although, being based in Brighton, I do get quite excited spotting a Kite as they've only been down here for a couple of years and I don't go to High Wycombe as much since I retired. Same with Buzzards when I used to go to Swindon a lot, but they've been around these parts 15 years now and I normally see a few every week.

Still haven't seen a White tailed Eagle yet although I understand a couple of the IOW ones have been spotted around here so i'm keeping 'em peeled

One of the White tailed Eagles flies to Kent and back fairly regularly. They are all tracked.
I've seen a Buzzard over by Tarring Neville a couple of times.

 

[BrightonCottager]

I've just got back from Croatia and loved the swift action especially in the afternoon and evening. In Split there were flocks murmurating (if that's the technical term for what swifts do in a bunch) through the Roman Diocletian's Palace and - best of all - I could sit out on our 4th floor balcony and watch and listen to them dive bombing around my head. I filmed some of it but it's too large a file to upload here.

Apart from that, I only really saw a few gulls, a tern, some swallows and a jay. Wrong part of Croatia for birdlife

 

[Cordwainer]

I've just got back from Croatia and loved the swift action especially in the afternoon and evening. In Split there were flocks murmurating (if that's the technical term for what swifts do in a bunch) through the Roman Diocletian's Palace and - best of all - I could sit out on our 4th floor balcony and watch and listen to them dive bombing around my head. I filmed some of it but it's too large a file to upload here.

Apart from that, I only really saw a few gulls, a tern, some swallows and a jay. Wrong part of Croatia for birdlife

Sounds great..love Swifts. Any tips for Split please..am there and Zadar in early August..dm if you like to prevent thread derailing. Cheers.

 

[Sirnormangall]

One of the White tailed Eagles flies to Kent and back fairly regularly. They are all tracked.
I've seen a Buzzard over by Tarring Neville a couple of times.

Couple of white tailed eagles spotted at Pulborough Brooks last year I’m told

 

[maresfield seagull]

One of the White tailed Eagles flies to Kent and back fairly regularly. They are all tracked.
I've seen a Buzzard over by Tarring Neville a couple of times.

Saw a kite at piddinghoe pond a few weeks back Came swooping in over the water impersonating an Osprey

 

[dazzer6666]

I've just got back from Croatia and loved the swift action especially in the afternoon and evening. In Split there were flocks murmurating (if that's the technical term for what swifts do in a bunch) through the Roman Diocletian's Palace and - best of all - I could sit out on our 4th floor balcony and watch and listen to them dive bombing around my head. I filmed some of it but it's too large a file to upload here.

Apart from that, I only really saw a few gulls, a tern, some swallows and a jay. Wrong part of Croatia for birdlife

I was there last week too………amazing to watch them when we went to the Old Town, particularly towards dusk. Only other notable bird life we saw were the dozens of Peacocks on Lokrum, many with young.

 

[Nobby]

Driving from Petworth to Midhurst last week, close by we spotted a huge brown bird of prey resting on sign, many times the size of a Kestral or Sparrowhawk. Looked like a White Tailed or Golden Eagle. But I assume there've been no West Sussex sightings for a long time? If not, I assume it can only be a Buzzard.

White Tailed Eagles now in Sussex - released on the Isle of Wight.

 

[dazzer6666]

White Tailed Eagles now in Sussex - released on the Isle of Wight.

Very regularly seen at Pulborough Brooks.

 

[Zeberdi]

White Tailed Eagles now in Sussex - released on the Isle of Wight.

It is exciting that people can see these amazing birds without travelling to Scotland. They are not ‘now’ in Sussex tbh but they can be seen wandering through Sussex from time to time. There was one or two birds for a while at Pulborough Brooks in August 2022 which were the same birds seen at Arundel WWT.

White-tailed eagles at Arundel

A wildlife reintroduction project miles away on the Isle of Wight has led to sightings of white-tailed eagles at Arundel Wetland Centre for the first time.The white-tailed eagles, also known as sea eagles, began appearing here in October and are still being spotted every week by staff and...

www.wwt.org.uk

The last WTE reported by the public in the South afaia was seen on 24/6 /2024 in Somerset which was probably G818 from the IoW.

One of the ones you might see in Sussex is that same G818 who made an extraordinary journey in March this year along to South Coast from Dorset over Brighton and then from Kent over to France and back again along the same route in April. She flew 2065 km in 22 days and it took her 27 minutes to make the channel crossing which is a pretty impressive glide speed. G818 is now probably around the Avon vally area but keep your eyes to the skies, she may fly back to France. Up in Norfolk we had a young male in January that hung around for a few months with a colour ringed Dutch WTE. That was G625 the first wild offspring from the IoW project.

Young eagles are highly nomadic so unless they are at a breeding site, they tend not to hand around and most of the birds found outside known breeding territories are immature birds dispersing from their natal areas which makes them a little harder to identify because they don’t acquire the completely white tail for a few years but it has a black tip and is paler than it’s body.

The IoW eagles can be followed (after the event) here on Roy Dennis’ website

Isle of Wight Sea Eagles Archives - Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation

www.roydennis.org

You can also report any sighting to him (and the colour ring details/which leg/letters if you can see them).

 

[MJsGhost]

I've just got back from Croatia and loved the swift action especially in the afternoon and evening. In Split there were flocks murmurating (if that's the technical term for what swifts do in a bunch) through the Roman Diocletian's Palace and - best of all - I could sit out on our 4th floor balcony and watch and listen to them dive bombing around my head. I filmed some of it but it's too large a file to upload here.

Apart from that, I only really saw a few gulls, a tern, some swallows and a jay. Wrong part of Croatia for birdlife

I'm not long back from Crete and the screaming of swifts in Rethymno Old Town & castle was an unexpected treat

 

[Diablo]

Many Egrets now seen on Brooks and have seen different similar Bird which I believe is "Cattle Egret". anyone else seen Cattle Egret in Ouse Valley below Lewes or anywhere else

 

[Zeberdi]

Many Egrets now seen on Brooks and have seen different similar Bird which I believe is "Cattle Egret". anyone else seen Cattle Egret in Ouse Valley below Lewes or anywhere else

Cattle Egrets turn up from time to time but this summer there is quite an influx. There’s reports today of multiple sightings in Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Essex and Nottinghamshire - just to name a few. I always check sheep/cow fields and heronies for Cattle Egrets. I find them quite easy to separate from Little Egrets when they are in breeding plumage - with juvenile/non-breeding birds it certainly gets a bit trickier.

ML621175573 - Western Cattle Egret - Macaulay Library

Macaulay Library ML621175573; © Rachel Lennard; Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom

macaulaylibrary.org

I used to see one regularly near Ivy Lakes in Chichester and occasionally one would turn up in the cow fields in the Arun Valley.

Last time I saw a Cattle Egret (non-breeding) was on the work Reserve back in March flying overhead then landing in a tree for an hour before disappearing.

Try and get a photo

 

[Diablo]

Couple of Barn Owl boxes near me. One has been taken over by Kestrels that have now flown the other has a couple of Stock Dove chicks in it.

Picture shows two of the four young Kestrels venturing out. One on top of box and one on Beam above.




View attachment 185451

Update on fledglings. Yesterday afternoon after torrential rain one kestrel youngster was struggling to fly and very bedraggled(a Fox probably would have had it ). We are lucky here to have "East Sussex Wildlife rescue". They were out within the hour thought it was just wet and hungry and needed a couple of days in their centre and will then bring it back.