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Jan 2018
5:31pm, 18 Jan 2018
24,607 posts
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Derby Tup
In winter you can discount hobby, because they are summer visitors. Merlin are small and very quick fliers across typically low Moor or heathland. Kestrel are the classic hovering birds with long slim tails; often seen perched on lamp posts etc by main roads / motorways. Sparrowhawk are low-level dashing birds. Look out for them around hedgerows, ambushing songbirds. Buzzards? Well they glide like vultures but can also hover. When gliding their wings curve upward at the tips. Red kite have V-shaped tails and are bigger than buzzard
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Jan 2018
7:14pm, 18 Jan 2018
21,900 posts
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Dave A
I’ve been volunteering at my local Dogs Trust branch for a couple of months. Today we took some dogs off site for a woodland walk. I managed to see my 1st ever Woodcock. Unfortunately it was on the ground and dead!
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Jan 2018
7:18pm, 18 Jan 2018
24,611 posts
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Derby Tup
Get yourself by some mature woodland around dusk Dave in springtime and look (and listen) out for the male woodcock roding. The males basically tour round above the canopy trying to ‘pull up’ females from below
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Jan 2018
7:54pm, 18 Jan 2018
1,447 posts
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Winniefree
A gorgeous heron startled up from the river this morning, and a pied wagtail in the town centre which cheered me up on the way to a grim meeting.
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Jan 2018
8:23pm, 18 Jan 2018
2,317 posts
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phal
Echo the shout for the beautiful bird colours about - the robins around here are looking amazing - we currently have three corkers visiting the garden.
There was a male goldeneye at Brandon the last time we went, agree, beautiful birds.
We've had to look Very Carefully at some of the Goldcrests on the wedge as they are showing a lovely firey-orange crest at the minute. Definitely no eye stripe though - when the little so and sos actually stand still enough to look!
White Tailed Eagles have become a very firm favourite of mine.
Flanker I know I put it on facebook, but your pictures were gorgeous. Of the birds that is 
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Jan 2018
12:55am, 19 Jan 2018
17,398 posts
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flanker
Thank you. My other pictures aren't bad either. Pictures of me are a different kettle of fish entirely!
Who knows, maybe sometime soon I'll get around to finishing the Arctic ones too. 1000 pictures of puffins and guillemots (or were they penguins? ;-)) anyone?
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Jan 2018
12:57am, 19 Jan 2018
902 posts
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flyingfinn
My morning run Goldeneye has been back on it's regular patch this last week or so. Love seeing it.
My local reed bed has some Woodcocks that regularly come in around dawn but I've not managed to spit them yet.
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Jan 2018
8:44am, 19 Jan 2018
28,116 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Thanks DT, yes, seen sea eagles up in north west highlands and islands. They introduced some pairs up the east coast too (secret location!) but def not those. Might be red kite? I need to look those up. Prob all just buzzards though. The smaller ones harassing the wee birds at the feeder are sparrow hawks. And yes, we get the kestrels doing the hover and bomb thing.
So, back on my robin sized birds on the feeder - we have blue tits or great tits, gold finch, but these ones with yellow striped head, either yellow hammer or bunting? Very striking, whatevs. As Kinky says, plumage is very bright at the moment. Poor things in the snow. They must be struggling. G
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Jan 2018
9:30am, 19 Jan 2018
7,579 posts
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becca7
I don't think red kites have made it to Fife yet HappyG. The yellow stripes on the heads of Goldcrests can be very striking at the moment and they might be the ones at the feeders. Smaller than robins though.
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Jan 2018
9:37am, 19 Jan 2018
28,117 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Oh, it shows Red Kites in Fife in the RSPB thing. There's a green blob up by us. Not as big as the green blob down by Oxfordy type way though.
Def bigger than that. Robin, or slightly bigger like tit, finch sized. Thanks becca. G
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