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Nov 2020
7:29pm, 9 Nov 2020
3,210 posts
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J2R
Red Squirrel, as DT says, in common with other arctic breeders, they're not shy birds. We get little flocks of them in winter on the North Norfolk coast and I've often been able to get quite close to them.
I have to say I'm a little puzzled by this phenomenon about arctic breeding birds and I haven't seen a clear explanation of it (although I haven't researched it). Yes, in their arctic breeding grounds they will not come across humans (nor indeed many land-based predators at all, I imagine - the threat will come mainly from the air). But they spend winter further south, often in areas with humans, so I don't understand why they have not developed wariness there. In Sheringham up on the coast there are always turnstones in winter and they will come up and peck around your feet there.
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Nov 2020
1:26am, 10 Nov 2020
19,550 posts
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flanker
Not researched it either, but I'd have thought they would have a few predators up in their breeding grounds, at least arctic foxes on the ground and skuas in the air. Great skuas will take birds the size of a gull or puffin, so I'd have thought a smaller bird would be easy meat, and all the skuas are an aggressive, predatory lot.
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Nov 2020
9:35am, 10 Nov 2020
1,439 posts
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Roberto
Think I saw a weasel on my walk this morning but not 100% sure. Thought it was a rat at first until it ran off (as my cocker spaniel puppy saw it and set chase).
Colour didnt seem right, as was a grey/brown colour but was definitely a mustelid. Not big enough to be a mink, and no black tip on tail so not a stoat.
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Nov 2020
9:40am, 10 Nov 2020
73 posts
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riggys99
Hello everyone
Thought I would join in on this thread
Don’t really go birding any more but do keep a look out on my dog walks and runs.
Mist was just clearing on my dog walk this morning/ Quite a few pied wagtails on a farmers field where it had been churned up by work on the overhead power cables. A few thrushes feeding in the mud but didn’t look like any of our winter visitors. Nice mixed flock of tits in the woods.
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Nov 2020
9:44am, 10 Nov 2020
47,653 posts
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Derby Tup
Good to have you posting riggsy
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Nov 2020
10:17am, 10 Nov 2020
75 posts
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riggys99
Thanks Derby Tup
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Nov 2020
12:07pm, 10 Nov 2020
4,230 posts
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steve45
Complete list of local park--which I usually run through but can't stop to count birds!
Just nineteen species, commonest was Blackbird (19); Nuthatch and Stonechat were good for the locality.
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Nov 2020
12:51pm, 10 Nov 2020
3,212 posts
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J2R
steve45, that's a really interesting thing to do. Your local park must be rather different from mine if you get stonechats there! I must give it a go some time. It adjoins a pitch and putt course (effectively part of the same area), which is a more likely place for interesting birds, so I think I'll include that as well.
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Nov 2020
2:04pm, 11 Nov 2020
4,232 posts
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steve45
It's the Bird Track recording thing J2R..you record either "casual" individual sightings or a complete list of a locality.
As for it being a "park" well it's kind of stretching it a bit but the local authority designated it as such after building houses nearby to what was originally a "Moor"! A few swings and playground give it its official name but essentially bushes, trees and a load of grassy areas with trails along a river. That's councils for you!
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Nov 2020
3:55pm, 11 Nov 2020
2,325 posts
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flyingfinn
I was down Derby way this morning so I popped in to see the Red Throated Diver that has been hanging around a few miles to the east. A beautiful bird even in winter plummage and very obliging. For the hour I was there it just swam up and down 50 yards off the car park at a smallish fishing lake only diving a couple of times. It's quite rare for them to turn up so far inland during the winter but apparently it has been feeding well and it seems ok.
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Bird song watch
Jul 2024