27 Aug
10:35pm, 27 Aug 2024
9,357 posts
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Pothunter
Swallow on an overhead cable in East Sussex this morning.
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28 Aug
9:14am, 28 Aug 2024
5,590 posts
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J2R
Nothing new to report bird-wise from the Bulgarian mountains yesterday apart from a bird very high up (2800m) on a scree slope which looked and behaved like a wheatear except seemed to be predominantly grey, without the distinctive wheatear markings. Not sure what that might be. On the way down we got good views of a little group of chamois. Singing chiffchaff up by the tree line, loads of willow tits and coal tits and once again a few tantalising glimpses of what were probably serins.
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28 Aug
9:34am, 28 Aug 2024
67,724 posts
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Derby Tup
I saw two wheatear in Cave Dale up above Castleton at the weekend. They appeared to be in moult and both looked proper scruffy. They did have ‘white arses’ and behaved like wheatear. Adult males take on a ‘biscuity’ orange/beige colour in autumn
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28 Aug
12:14pm, 28 Aug 2024
5,591 posts
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J2R
Yes, DT, maybe the off-season plumage is the thing. Definitely noticeable here with other birds - male chaffinches very dull, and the collared flycatchers which are numerous here are far from their handsome summer best.
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28 Aug
2:55pm, 28 Aug 2024
24,253 posts
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Red Squirrel
Took my neighbours’ dog for a walk this afternoon around their farmland. Saw a little grebe in one of their big ponds.
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28 Aug
5:41pm, 28 Aug 2024
5,592 posts
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J2R
Marsh tit just now. Makes this a knockout holiday for tit species - marsh, willow, coal, great, blue, long-tailed, crested, sombre so far.
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28 Aug
6:15pm, 28 Aug 2024
24,256 posts
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Red Squirrel
Just saw a female blackbird on my lawn from the window through binoculars. It was so still, not even blinking. I thought it had died of shock while stood up; either that or it was in a trance. I had to get out to mow the lawn, so walked carefully past it a couple of metres away. It still didn’t move. When I returned from the bottom of the garden, minutes later, it had gone. Is that common behaviour?
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28 Aug
7:02pm, 28 Aug 2024
24,258 posts
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Red Squirrel
Maybe answered my own question. I think it’s the ants thing where they let ants run over their feathers and squirt antibacterial juice.
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29 Aug
12:01pm, 29 Aug 2024
5,593 posts
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J2R
Definite grey-headed woodpecker today, another first for me. Also, another mystery bird where I'm looking for suggestions because I've not yet got a good enough view despite seeing them a few times - a generally brown bird, sort of mistle thrush to collared dove size, with what seems to be a longish tail, which moves around between light woodland and scrub in small groups of maybe 3-5. No ideas at the moment.
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29 Aug
1:05pm, 29 Aug 2024
6,298 posts
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paulcook
Different day. Different venue. Different heron.
Not quite as close today but given it’s a busy park I’m surprised how unphased it was today.
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