LJ you need to rank the finches, buntings, sparrows, tits and larks.
― seminal fuiud (NickB), Thursday, 13 January 2011 16:25 (2 years ago) Permalink
imo
― seminal fuiud (NickB), Thursday, 13 January 2011 16:26 (2 years ago) Permalink
broadly,
pipits > buntings > tits > finches > larks > sparrows, and I *like* sparrows
will rank individual birds at some point
― legerndrymayne (acoleuthic), Thursday, 13 January 2011 16:30 (2 years ago) Permalink
that'll take some time.
― nanoflymo (ledge), Thursday, 13 January 2011 16:32 (2 years ago) Permalink
Audible chuckles
― seminal fuiud (NickB), Thursday, 13 January 2011 16:43 (2 years ago) Permalink
I do love Otmoor but see more starlings over Kidlington Sainsburys ...
― djh, Thursday, 27 January 2011 19:25 (2 years ago) Permalink
My wife took this one through her office window today. It's a red-tailed hawk eating a pigeon.
― Mr. Fart Pop Bass (Phil D.), Thursday, 27 January 2011 19:47 (2 years ago) Permalink
That hawk looks so sad, like he feels bad for the pigeon or something.
― seminal fuiud (NickB), Thursday, 27 January 2011 23:43 (2 years ago) Permalink
Now I like gulls most of the time, but all morning there's been one herring gull who has been hanging around a rabbit hole on the grassy bank outside my window, and every time a baby rabbit pops up to have their first nibble of fresh spring grass, this fat fucking gull chases them and tries to eat them.
― ka£ka (NickB), Monday, 28 February 2011 11:21 (2 years ago) Permalink
fucking awesome
― acoleuthic, Monday, 28 February 2011 11:28 (2 years ago) Permalink
the birds in NZ are rad btw and I am going to buy a book and identify them all. there is a sort of blackbirdy one that is everywhere but it has gaudy white patches all over its wings and a very haughty supercilium. I think if I were a NZ bird I would much rather be it than a kiwi.
― acoleuthic, Monday, 28 February 2011 11:32 (2 years ago) Permalink
I'd never witnessed this behaviour before but it seems like it's definitely a thing...
picture linkified cos it's sad and gross
xp yeah, I would be a total noob with nz birds
― ka£ka (NickB), Monday, 28 February 2011 11:35 (2 years ago) Permalink
herring gulls bring out the Princess TamTam in me more than probably anything else in the world. that picture ownes.
― acoleuthic, Monday, 28 February 2011 11:38 (2 years ago) Permalink
Talking of NZ, I always remember seeing kea on Attenborough's Life Of Birds staking out shearwater burrows, listening intently for movement and then digging the chicks out with their bills once they knew they were inside. Evil bastards.
― ka£ka (NickB), Monday, 28 February 2011 11:40 (2 years ago) Permalink
Might not have been shearwater btw, but some burrowing bird anyway.
― ka£ka (NickB), Monday, 28 February 2011 11:41 (2 years ago) Permalink
Ooh, not sure I've seen a kea! I did see a fucken kickass hawk from the car tho. Gonna investigate our birds of prey pronto -
― acoleuthic, Monday, 28 February 2011 11:47 (2 years ago) Permalink
― ka£ka (NickB), Monday, 28 February 2011 11:59 (2 years ago) Permalink
Evil bastards, I tell you.
― ka£ka (NickB), Monday, 28 February 2011 12:00 (2 years ago) Permalink
― acoleuthic, Monday, 28 February 2011 11:32 (5 days ago)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_world%27s_100_worst_invasive_species
third one
:D
― acoleuthic, Saturday, 5 March 2011 23:03 (2 years ago) Permalink
The starlings over Kidlington are incredible at the moment, around 1730 in an evening.
― djh, Sunday, 6 March 2011 20:38 (2 years ago) Permalink
ninetieth one
― acoleuthic, Sunday, 6 March 2011 23:12 (2 years ago) Permalink
Birds Youtube Song
― it's so cool man because it's so hardcore (CaptainLorax), Sunday, 6 March 2011 23:26 (2 years ago) Permalink
I saw a pyrrhuloxia today!!
― if I hate the headline, I'll make up a headline (Abbbottt), Thursday, 17 March 2011 22:22 (2 years ago) Permalink
I did not take this pic but look at this dude
― if I hate the headline, I'll make up a headline (Abbbottt), Thursday, 17 March 2011 22:25 (2 years ago) Permalink
phyroloxia if I'm not mistaken...I've always wanted to see one.
― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Thursday, 17 March 2011 22:35 (2 years ago) Permalink
I saw one in Cruces, once, too.
― if I hate the headline, I'll make up a headline (Abbbottt), Thursday, 17 March 2011 22:52 (2 years ago) Permalink
swifts are back over W12, have been a week or so. which makes them nearly 3 weeks earlier than last year, i think.
saw a budgie in the park this morning, fighting with the blackbirds. and winning.
― koogs, Friday, 13 May 2011 09:33 (2 years ago) Permalink
Why is there so little sexual dimorphism in doves & pigeons compared to other types of birds?
― free inappropriate education (Abbbottt), Saturday, 28 May 2011 14:49 (1 year ago) Permalink
There is some, but mostly in what I think of as exotic species (like the jambu fruit dove above). Don't think any UK residents show it, so from that POV, that's a good question!
― immer wieder, ralf & günther (NickB), Saturday, 28 May 2011 17:24 (1 year ago) Permalink
I was thinking about it yesterday – how come these doves don't have much sexual dimporphism? The dove in question btw is the white-wing dove, which is all over the Southwest:
I thought, maybe I am just unobservant. But today I saw two doves have sex in a tree and I thought, nope, no way I could tell those two apart.
― free inappropriate education (Abbbottt), Saturday, 28 May 2011 17:27 (1 year ago) Permalink
Swifts are back here too btw koogs, and every year their screams make me wish I'd got round to fixing up some nest boxes for them. Maybe next time! xxxp
― immer wieder, ralf & günther (NickB), Saturday, 28 May 2011 17:28 (1 year ago) Permalink
whenever i see this thread title i think of this:
― a thong of ice and fire (Princess TamTam), Saturday, 28 May 2011 17:30 (1 year ago) Permalink
I'm guessing that any sexual dimorphism in pigeons and doves would be for sexual display or competition. Thinking about the species I'm familiar with that aren't obviously dimorphic, during courtship the males do tend to do a lot of that puffed-up neck, strutting about stuff instead, and that probably serves the same purpose without the evolutionary effort? Wondering too if bright colours might make them more obvious to predators, all our native species are really drab earth and rock colours (albeit with subtle flashes of irridescence).
― immer wieder, ralf & günther (NickB), Saturday, 28 May 2011 17:46 (1 year ago) Permalink
Not an expert, but some poking around in Google suggests that the lack of strong dimorphism is related to the fact that most pigeon species share parenting duties--kind of makes sense, any heavy-duty male plumage or w/e would probably attract too much attention to the nest?
PS would like to cosign pyrrhuloxia love upthread.
― bentelec, Saturday, 28 May 2011 17:53 (1 year ago) Permalink
Did read the recommendation somewhere that upturned bin lids are left in the garden with wet mud in them, as swifts/martins are struggling to make nests.
― djh, Saturday, 28 May 2011 19:47 (1 year ago) Permalink
omg this morning at 7am there was a bird cycling through about 6 different calls... like a car alarm that cycles through different sounds. it was CRAZY. i have no idea how to figure out what it was.
― tehresa, Thursday, 9 June 2011 20:11 (1 year ago) Permalink
shazam for birdcalls can't come fast enough
― brotherlovesdub, Thursday, 9 June 2011 20:16 (1 year ago) Permalink
If it was all clicks and whistles and crazy things, it might have been a starling:
― NickB, Thursday, 9 June 2011 20:31 (1 year ago) Permalink
it was much more lyrical than that
― tehresa, Thursday, 9 June 2011 20:33 (1 year ago) Permalink
Probably some sort of thrush then - American robin?
― NickB, Thursday, 9 June 2011 20:39 (1 year ago) Permalink
i am starting to think it was maybe a mocking bird singing through several different calls/sounds?
http://www.birdjam.com/birdsong.php?id=4&osCsid=ddunch423ggjr7q0ei58jcmia7
― tehresa, Saturday, 11 June 2011 15:53 (1 year ago) Permalink
I have a robin friend
― owenf, Saturday, 25 February 2012 12:51 (1 year ago) Permalink
> swifts are back over W12, have been a week or so.> koogs, Friday, 13 May 2011 09:33 (11 months ago)
saw one, friday 27th april. although now he's probably flying around soaking wet wondering why he bothered.
― koogs, Sunday, 29 April 2012 14:08 (1 year ago) Permalink
Seeing Gambel's quails – always a treat! They're so charming. I saw three today.
― Dale, dale, dale (Abbbottt), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 01:44 (1 year ago) Permalink
Photo and caption by Mark Bridger/National Geographic Photo Contest. This is Gandalf the Great Grey Owl and he gets scared flying out in the open so his owners have built his aviary inside a brick shed. He now loves spending his days watching the world go by out of his window.
― koogs, Friday, 30 November 2012 09:42 (5 months ago) Permalink
That's a sad state for an owl to be in. Come out and play, big feller!
― Albert Crampus (NickB), Friday, 30 November 2012 09:48 (5 months ago) Permalink
How Does An Owl Hide?
― Zen Jet Era (doo dah), Friday, 30 November 2012 12:24 (5 months ago) Permalink
Is it a good time of year to go to Slimbridge Wetlands Centre?
― djh, Saturday, 29 December 2012 18:45 (4 months ago) Permalink
nice weather for ducks. (don't know)
we had 10 (count them) goldfinches on our tiny tree over christmas.
― koogs, Saturday, 29 December 2012 20:04 (4 months ago) Permalink
Niger seed?
― djh, Saturday, 29 December 2012 20:05 (4 months ago) Permalink