Back yard birding thread... (Corona virus restrictions)

[Bush dog]

@offshorebirderThanks!  Beautiful pictures of the american goldfinch.  I like birds with a yellow dominant color like golden oriole,...

[Bush dog]

Hawfinch special featuring greenfinch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Zim Girl]

Beautiful Hawfinch pictures @Bush dog.

[Bush dog]

Thank you very much ! @Zim Girl

[Caracal]

Gang-Gangs in the garden.

Yesterday I was delighted to have Gang-Gang Cockatoos visit for a feed on Acacia seeds. Unfortunately the wind meant there was a lot of swaying branches making photos difficult (I'm no photographer at the best of times!)

 

 

[Bush dog]

Two weeks ago, I was very happy to see two couples of eurasian jays.  I haven't seen them for over a year.  I hope they will stay around but haven't seen them since.  I saw the magpies mobbing them.  So, fingers crossed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bush dog]

Last pictures

 

Blue tit

 

 

Dunnock

 

 

Chaffinch

 

 

Greenfinch

 

 

European robin

 

[Towlersonsafari]

So spring has definetly sprung, and we are now up to 5 species of buterfly includin this male orange tip from the garden

[Towlersonsafari]

and as well as seeing blackcaps everywhere we have heard  whitethroat ands sedge warbler and today the first Willow Warbler of the year.sadly we have missed out on the Ring ouzels and Redstarts  travelling through , and the Blue Headed Wagtail that was at our local nature reserve but not the 4 times we went there! We have  ventured a whole 25 mintes further afield to a small Wildlife trust reserve and seen the first-nearly- Bluebell and something that we have never come across before.Ladies and gentleman, We give you King Alfred's cakes!

[Towlersonsafari]

I wonder what they would be called now? I apoloise for the rubbish photo, but I noticed-lookin at the photos in the vain hope one might be in foccus, that this red Kite was holding what looks like a crisp packet or tin can-apparently they do decorate their nests with rubbish!.And walking back from the local reserve to our ouse we were treated to, in the words of that fine band Public Service Broadcasting, (quoting from the film) a "spitfire Bird"

[Athene]

Here's a blue tit looking into our basement window

 

 

Our neighbour has a decoy raven to try to keep wood pidgeons off her balcony. This young buzzard (?) sheltering from the rain was not too impressed.

 

 

 

[ForWildlife]

That's a common kestrel Because of the yellow cere I would think it's not one born this year, but at least a 2-nd year bird.

[Athene]

Thanks a lot @ForWildlifeAs you can see, I am not a birder.

[LarsS]

Nice photo of the kestrel! 

[ForWildlife]

19 hours ago, Athene said:

Thanks a lot @ForWildlifeAs you can see, I am not a birder.

 

Everybody who enjoys watching birds is a birder! Some just know the names of a few more species than others

 

And indeed, very nice picture!

[Athene]

That's very kind of you, thank you 😊@ForWildlife

[KiwiGran]

Hi from New Plymouth New Zealand. Today hanging out the washing was such a treat. A gorgeous sunny, still day after lots of rain and some cold weather, very spring like and Im sure the birds felt it too. I watched a pair of grey warbler chasing each other for ages, they are so fast and agile.

Grey Warbler

Other native birds I saw were Kereru, Tui, Wax Eyes, Fantails, Pukeko, Harrier Hawk overhead. Introduced birds - House sparrow, Eastern Rosella, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Mynah, Blackbird and Song Thrush all in our garden.

I videoed the Tui singing but am not sure how to embed it directly from the computer. Here are the links from U Tube (hope they work)

 

https://youtu.be/fIR85_0Vl94

https://youtu.be/zw5GkHSzRTM

 

Edited July 28, 2021 by KiwiGran

[KiwiGran]

On our walk today I spotted a bird I have only seen in this area once before several years ago - a Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia. It was on a rock in the river along with shags. A poor photo as I only had my cell phone. It was really good to see.

 

[Kalaharikind]

We had a lot of rain last night - and it's still raining. Saw this Malachite Sunbird on a giant protea during a slight window between showers.

 

 

Edited October 23, 2021 by Kalaharikind

[JohnR]

I have had visits from sparrow hawks in the past but fairly rarely. In the last month one has been coming back regularly. These images were all taken on different days in the last month through my dirty kitchen window. As Hanne has been visiting her mother in California I have spent almost all my time in the kitchen and occasionally glancing out of the window but not sitting waiting so I have to suppose that the bird has been around more often than the 5 times I managed to photograph it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taken with my EOS 1DX2 + EF 100-400 mark 2 and processed in Camera Raw + PS 2022.

 

[Zim Girl]

Lovely pictures @JohnR

[Towlersonsafari]

what a beautiful bird! @JohnR

[TonyQ]

@JohnRwhat brilliant sighting, and great photos . Those claws look lethal!

[JohnR]

@TonyQI have yet to find more than the odd feather so I don't think it has successfully made a kills in my garden.

[Kitsafari]

@JohnRwow brilliant showing by the sparrowhawk and posed so well for you.