Seagull's Return
Active member
Magpies, certainly; also terrestrial predators such as rats, foxes, badgers, cats, dogs (more of a threat in terms of nesting disturbance really, but still)
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[Misc] The Official NSC Bird Spotting Thread.
- Thread starter 1066familyman
- Start date
- Oct 20, 2022
- 6,946
I can’t help with the ID apps as I don’t use them - I learnt the old fashioned way with binoculars and field notes!
Yes, your image is a Common Buzzard - one of the most variable species there is in terms of plumage. Note the broad wings ( Sparrowhawks and Kestrel have more pointed wings especially Kestrel ( ie falcons). Note also the dark carpel patches ( under the bend of the wing and the very dark trailing edge to the wing - pretty much diagnostic plumage features for Buzzards.
Buzzards often hover and also tend to hang in the thermal so it looks like a hover- some sub species of Buzzards really hover as this is their preferred hunting technique ( ie Rough legged Buzzard a scarce visitor to the UK which we see up here in the Norfolk coast in autumn and winter)
Nice pic
Good news ... two must have been hiding yesterday. All four with Mum this morning !!!
Cordwainer
Well-known member
- Jul 30, 2023
- 540
Solo Swift spotted over BN3 this evening..hooray!
Still three and see how much they`v grown in six days since we first saw them. Amazed they are still around Cormorants,Herons, Crows all about.
Boroseagull
Well-known member
I'm sure a few fellow NSC's partook in Global Birding Day last Saturday. I did as part of the Andaguiri team and produced 8 lists and a total of 97 species. But the highlight for me was finding this Long-eared Owl hiding in a mulberry tree.
BrightonCottager
Well-known member
One of my favourite bulirds. I've only ever seen them in Portugal. I might venture over to Newhaven!There’s a Hoopoe behind 3 Ponds Holiday Park in Denton which is just outside Newhaven )if anyone fancies a twitch.). They are usually very confiding when feeding so a good photo op if you can find it.
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We pulled open the curtains one morning, to find a hoopoe sat there in our front garden.There’s a Hoopoe behind 3 Ponds Holiday Park in Denton which is just outside Newhaven )if anyone fancies a twitch.
View attachment 182051
(We were living in Dubai at the time, mind).
- Oct 20, 2022
- 6,946
There’s been no reports of any sightings since the 9th - one turned up in Hampshire on Sunday so could be that same one that’s moved on.
BrightonCottager
Well-known member
Thanks
Weststander
Well-known member
A great sight for us this morning, directly outside our home a Greater Spotted Woodpecker was feeding on the trunk of a small Rowan tree sited on the verge. I managed to get some pics and videos, but all too poor a definition to post here. Last time I saw this species was in our back garden about 10 years ago.
Although nearby @WATFORD zero sees them more frequently.
Although nearby @WATFORD zero sees them more frequently.
There's a lot of GSW near me. In fact, one widened the opening on our bird box and cleaned out a brood of blue tit chicks a few years ago. I have since put a metal ring over the aperture, but somehow the tits know and haven't been back.
There's a telegraph pole about 5m from our bedroom window and we are often woken by the sound of a woodpecker tapping away at metal. I used to think it was just a really stupid woodpecker, but apparently they are males showing off with the sound it makes rather than looking for food.
They are too smart to go into the nest when they can see me, but I could hear the chicks, so waited by this tree with the obvious nest holes to get a shot of sorts (and now I'll be late for work
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Marty McFly
Seagulls Over Canada
I’m doing some biology work for Canada’s capital region this summer. Looking forward to upping my birding game and sharing some of the sights/sounds with you all! 
Lots of reports and pictures online of a (very rare for here) Citrine Wagtail at Widewater Lagoon yesterday...................
Dozens on the golf courses I played there this week.........................also saw a Purple Heron
BrightonCottager
Well-known member
Nice. Did you play any in Lagos or west of there? I'm not a golfer (my main reason for going is for the surf), but the courses I've seen look very hilly. I saw a purple heron when we were there in April.
We played 4 - Silves, La Pinta, Gramacho and then Vila Sol yesterday as it’s on the way to the airport (we usually stay in Alvor). A few hills but not too dramatic really - just enough to have some lovely elevated tees.