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P&B Bird Watch


RedRob72

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On 29/04/2022 at 19:57, Billy Jean King said:

Anyone seen swallows yet ? Not one around Ayrshire (in my usual spots anyway) which is very odd.

I'm a bit late on this, but yes Swallows have started to appear over the weekend, Not many but hopefully more should as they have over the years. They seem to enjoy looking around from the phone wire to the house.

Fairly convinced these are Swallows and not Swifts/House Martins, but I'm no expert..

Yes I know (in PnB tradition) pic's or GTF..🤥

 

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1 hour ago, broon-loon said:

I'm a bit late on this, but yes Swallows have started to appear over the weekend, Not many but hopefully more should as they have over the years. They seem to enjoy looking around from the phone wire to the house.

Fairly convinced these are Swallows and not Swifts/House Martins, but I'm no expert..

Yes I know (in PnB tradition) pic's or GTF..🤥

 

Swifts will not land. They stay airborne unless coming into the nest. You tend to see them way up higher in the sky too.

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A quick update. Did a long circuit of the Shewalton reserve at Irvine yesterday. Umpteen species but no swallows although I did see a couple of Swifts flying over St John's tower in Ayr today. Highlight yesterday was a stoat trying to climb a reed bed to get at Reed Warblers nest but they were too high (just) and the reeds that high up wouldn't support it's weight. Warblers were going mad. Plenty of Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Long Tailed tits about and a couple of Blackcaps.

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Anyone able to recommend a pair of binoculars for circa £100? I know that is a low budget but I can't really justify spending more right now and according to the RSPB website there are plenty around that price range that are excellent value for money.

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Anyone able to recommend a pair of binoculars for circa £100? I know that is a low budget but I can't really justify spending more right now and according to the RSPB website there are plenty around that price range that are excellent value for money.
Couple in your price range recommended here.

https://ligo.co.uk/buying-guide/top-10-best-binoculars-for-bird-watching?gclid=Cj0KCQjwpcOTBhCZARIsAEAYLuXyljvJnss0tdqcQTOKx9-gCz3usdkymcPJGEOrgD5MSduk9buIe3YaAv-dEALw_wcB
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Had a wee wander down by the River Kelvin, through the Glasgow Uni Science Park then through Cairhill Woods at Westerton.

Loads of birds about. Heard and just saw a woodpecker in the woods. Never managed a photo.

Some blurry photos of a grey heron preening itself at a weir, a robin and a shag/ cormorant just up from the weir on an old bridge support. I could have got a better picture from the canal but couldn't be arsed 

 

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On 03/05/2022 at 21:52, afca32 said:

Anyone able to recommend a pair of binoculars for circa £100? I know that is a low budget but I can't really justify spending more right now and according to the RSPB website there are plenty around that price range that are excellent value for money.

I would have no hesitation in recommending Bushnell H2O 10x42. You can get them with the roof prism for... nearly within your budget; or with Porro prism for well within budget (and Porro would be fine!).

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Had a wee wander down by the River Kelvin, through the Glasgow Uni Science Park then through Cairhill Woods at Westerton.
Loads of birds about. Heard and just saw a woodpecker in the woods. Never managed a photo.
Some blurry photos of a grey heron preening itself at a weir, a robin and a shag/ cormorant just up from the weir on an old bridge support. I could have got a better picture from the canal but couldn't be arsed 
 
20220507_102351.thumb.jpg.3d56c4589539cc290fca16a524107876.jpg
20220507_093637.thumb.jpg.4cc97d0f559f92b5f4f574b195afef3c.jpg
20220507_093655.thumb.jpg.b798b892d7d3aa21ed1dbfaee4c22465.jpg
Did you manage to see the parakeets that hang about Garscube Estate? I've heard them but never actually managed to see them.
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1 hour ago, Archie McSquackle said:
12 hours ago, jagfox said:
Had a wee wander down by the River Kelvin, through the Glasgow Uni Science Park then through Cairhill Woods at Westerton.
Loads of birds about. Heard and just saw a woodpecker in the woods. Never managed a photo.
Some blurry photos of a grey heron preening itself at a weir, a robin and a shag/ cormorant just up from the weir on an old bridge support. I could have got a better picture from the canal but couldn't be arsed 
 
20220507_102351.thumb.jpg.3d56c4589539cc290fca16a524107876.jpg
20220507_093637.thumb.jpg.4cc97d0f559f92b5f4f574b195afef3c.jpg
20220507_093655.thumb.jpg.b798b892d7d3aa21ed1dbfaee4c22465.jpg

Did you manage to see the parakeets that hang about Garscube Estate? I've heard them but never actually managed to see them.

Not today. I have seen them on a tree at the bottom of Xleveden Road a while back.

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I would have no hesitation in recommending Bushnell H2O 10x42. You can get them with the roof prism for... nearly within your budget; or with Porro prism for well within budget (and Porro would be fine!).
Yip that's my boys, excellent binoculars.
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I was working in the garden yesterday and we could hear the weirdest bird call from the field beyond the house. Never heard anything like it. Was almost like a kids toy whistle or something.

Put it into BirdNet which immediately came back as a Northern Lapwing. Have seen it flutter about but not been fast enough to get a pic. 

Here's what it sounds like.

 

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My garden is surrounded on 3 sides by mature privet hedges. I once counted 60 house sparrows sitting on top of it.

Once a sparrow hawk flew right into the hedge when I was sitting in the garden, it missed it's prey, jumped on to the grass looked at me and took off.

I'd get blue tits nesting in my birdbox every year.

I used to put out a bird feeder and it would be empty within the hour.

My neighbour got two cats, there's no house sparrows anymore, no sparrow hawk and the feed in the feeder isn't touched. Not seen a blue tit in my garden for years.

If you're going to let your cat out to shit all over other peoples gardens and decimate the bird life get them a collar with a bell.

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On 01/05/2022 at 17:17, sugna said:

Saw half-a-dozen at Harestanes (near Jedburgh) today.

I've only now got round to looking through the photos I took that day. I quite like this one, and I think I'll be returning to Harestanes for more outings.

118A2142_1.thumb.JPG.f95b172d6a3080330006af7c7f59152e.JPG

 

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