TonyQ Big Year 2022 - We go again

[pedro maia]

Congrats on the century Tony!!

[Kitsafari]

congrats on the century @TonyQ with one of your fav warblers. 

[Tdgraves]

Well done on the century- I like the photo but didn’t realise the milestone!

[Zim Girl]

Congratulations on the 100!

Lovely picture of the Reed warbler, I don't think I have ever seen one.

[TonyQ]

@Galana@pedro maia@Kitsafari@Tdgravesthank you

@Zim Girlthank you. I am sure you would get a lot of Reed Warblers at Leighton Moss at this time of year with all those reed beds.

I think you need to be familiar with their sound first of all (I use the free Merlin app). When you hear it a few times it is very distinctive. When you find a patch of reeds with that sound it then involves a lot of staring and a bit of luck!

[lmSA84]

Congrats on the ton. Lovely photo to end it with

[xelas]

Congratulations! Excellent pick for #100.

[michael-ibk]

Congrats on #100 Tony, good stuff there! I remember you are fond of the Reed Warblers, I am as well. Lovely photos, it´s not a particularly easy bird.

[Dave Williams]

Congrats on the ton and bigger congrats on the Cetti's !

[PeterHG]

Congratulations on reaching # 100, @TonyQ!. Lovely photos, too.

On 5/5/2022 at 6:17 PM, TonyQ said:

using colours from a very limited pallette

I must remember this phrase when confronted with yet another LBJ 

[Soukous]

On 4/18/2022 at 2:54 PM, TonyQ said:

Water Rail - because it is always nice to see them

 

always ???? I've yet to see one 

[TonyQ]

@lmSA84@xelas@michael-ibk@Dave Williams@PeterHGthank you

@Soukouskeep trying!

A few more from a visit to a forest

 

101.UK.101. Redstart  Phoenicurus phoenicurus     

Wyre Forest, Worcestershire  07.05.22

Very high at the top of a tree almost directly above us.

 

At this point I must tell you about a new bit of witchcraft.

We are really poor at remembering birdsong, and obviously in a forest knowing song is really helpful.

I have mentioned the Merlin Bird App before. It is free ().

https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/

You download "Bird Packs" for the country or region you are in (also free, and now expanded to cover most African, South American, Central and North American Countries, Europe,Parts of Asia, Australia). Each pack has loads of photos by species which are helpful (wouldn't replace a feild guide but quite useful). They also have sounds for each species.

However the latest magic is Sound ID. Use your phone to record the sounds and within a second or two, it suggests what birds it can "hear". In the forestat this time of year there might be 3 or 4 and it lists them almost instantly and displays a sonogram. It helped us track down this Redstart (it still took a lot of looking, but we knew what we were looking for.) I have only tried the Sound ID in the UK so can't confirm it is available in all countries - but it may be worth giving it a try if you have similar Bird Song memory problems as me! (It does say that it works for around 250 European species - I imagine they will expand this tou other areas in the future)

I know other Apps will do similar tasks but I haven't tried any others

 

Edited May 17, 2022 by TonyQ

[Tdgraves]

On 5/15/2022 at 8:42 AM, Soukous said:

 

always ???? I've yet to see one 

Me neither!

[TonyQ]

102.UK.102. Tree Pipit  Anthus trivialis         

Wyre Forest, Worcestershire  07.05.22

We used old and new technology to find this bird. We talked to a Warden about what was around, and he mentioned Tree Pipit, and pointed us to the area of the forest where might see one. We used the Sound ID to indicate that there was indeed one in that are and were able to track it down.

[TonyQ]

103.UK.103. Pied Flycatcher  Ficedula hypoleuca   

Wyre Forest, Worcestershire  07.05.22

Wyre Forest, Worcestershire  07.05.22

The Sound ID also helped is track this down. We saw one in the same area a few years ago so new they were possible. The call is very distinctive once you know what it is!

The warden I mentioned earlier was monitoring nest boxes. From the number of eggs in a box, he could tell when the female would finish laying (one egg per day), when they would hatch and when they would fledge. It is amazing meeting people who know stuff!

[TonyQ]

104.UK.104. Dipper  Cinclus cinclus 

Wyre Forest, Worcestershire  07.05.22

No sound needed, just wlking along a river where we have seen Dippers in previous years. Always a pleasure to see them

[TonyQ]

This next sighting should not be in this thread, but we were very excited to see it. A lifer for me!

Slow Worm

 

The Slow Worm is a legless Lizard. It was basking on a path, soaking up the sun. We had to stop two cyclists who were travelling along the path (shouldn't have been).

We used a stick and eased the Slow Worm off the path so it wouldn't get run over.

So forgive me for posting a non Bird (notice I didn't count it)

 

[Dave Williams]

We have Slow Worms in the garden Tony. They are protected I believe and you are not supposed to handle them but I do now and again to put them out of harms way. Always pick them up near to their head , if you go too near their tail it will fall off and wriggle around on the ground . It's a distraction to predators. You can always tell a Slow Worm that has used this safety tactic as they have a stubby tail not a pointed one.

 

[michael-ibk]

Thanks for the Slow Worm. They used to be very common when I was a child (at least that´s how I remember it) but I think it must be more than 20 years that I last saw one. Very cool sighting. :-)

 

I also use the Sound ID "magic". Haven´t tried that feature on Merlin (although I really like that app for ID, especially abroad). I use BirdNET which is also free and does a good job. It´s not always correct but most of the time.

[Galana]

How good to find Slow worms. Neither Slow nor a Worm. Never dared pick one up and pleased it is not allowed.

All that techy stuff is mind blowing. Will it work on my dial phone?

You should do well with it on your Scottish trip. "Crek Crek!"

[Kitsafari]

wow on the slow worm! never seen nor heard of it before. 

[Soukous]

20 hours ago, TonyQ said:

Sound ID. Use your phone to record the sounds and within a second or two, it suggests what birds it can "hear".

 

presumably this requires internet access

[TonyQ]

@Soukousa good question and one I hadn’t thought about!

So I’m sitting in the garden and have turned my phone to airplane mode, so no internet access (as far as I understand )

Trying the Sound ID I’d identifies Blackbird, Robin, Goldfinch and Dunnock, all of which I can hear. It also identifies a Goldcrest which I cannot hear, but we do get them in the garden.

This suggests it works without internet access

I will try this again when we are out sometime 

[TonyQ]

@Kitsafariwe had never seen on before either!

Thanks @michael-ibk I will have a look at  BirdNET

@GalanaI think they are still working on the version for dial phone...

A few additions

105.UK.105. Common Whitethroat  Sylvia communis          

Distant, Coney Meadow, Worcestershire        30.04.22

         

Earlswood, nr Birmingham     12.05.22

[TonyQ]

106.UK.106. Swift  Apus apus          

Upton Warren, Worcestershire           09.05.22     

    

Earlswood, nr Birmingham     12.05.22