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    I'd love one, but I'm happy that these were ospreys, and particularly chuffed that my sighting of a dozen was an unusual treat. It struck me that way at the time.
    Ospreys hadn't occurred to me because there aren't any large bodies of water nearby, though the Rivers Trent and Tame are only three or four miles away. There are any number of small pools in the area. However, the first time I saw these birds was last year, near Staunton Harold reservoir, a few miles from here, which I dare say makes more sense.

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      Originally posted by 1974ddr View Post
      I'd love one, but I'm happy that these were ospreys, and particularly chuffed that my sighting of a dozen was an unusual treat. It struck me that way at the time.
      Ospreys hadn't occurred to me because there aren't any large bodies of water nearby, though the Rivers Trent and Tame are only three or four miles away. There are any number of small pools in the area. However, the first time I saw these birds was last year, near Staunton Harold reservoir, a few miles from here, which I dare say makes more sense.

      There certainly seem to be some in the vicinity: https://www.lrwt.org.uk/wildlife/rut...utland-ospreys

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        Common Whitethroat

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          Stobart great photo. Those greenish Warblers, or Warblers in general, were always a challenge to identify. Your Chiff-Chaff v Willow Warbler (unless they’re singing) as an example. I could cope with Blackcaps.

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            This week I've noticed a small flock of small birds that seem to be around a certain bush in our garden. I assumed they were sparrows at first as there are a lot of sparrows that hang around this bush, but on Thursday I was standing near the cherry tree, and two of them flew into it and I was able to see them up close, and realise they weren't sparrows at all, but a sort of black and white tit. I've now been studying the different possibilities and I'm torn between marsh, willow, and sombre tits (yes, there is a bird called a sombre tit, it's not just David Cameron at a funeral). Marsh seems the most likely but the ones I saw look most like sombre tits. I'm hoping that they'll be back and I can find out. (Based on habitat sombre tits seem the least likely as they apparently live at 1000-1600 ms up and we're at 700. )

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              Stonechat.








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                St Stephens Green in Dublin yesterday, it's not a great picture, but I had to take it quickly because half the park were filming or photographing them.

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                  So, this evening me and my better half are watching TV. There's this kind of regular whistling sound coming from her direction which I assume is her breathing through some congestion. Then my daughter comes downstairs saying "what is that animal outside making that noise?"

                  Upstairs the windows are less soundproof so she's heard it louder than we have. With a certain amount of trepidation I go outside to try and locate it. It's really loud and near. An intense screeching noise every 10 seconds. And there is another (or maybe 2 others) far in the distance as a kind of answering call. We get a big torch and try and locate it and there on next door's roof is a long eared owl making this incredible noise. Never heard anything like it before but here it is. Breeding season call apparently

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                    That’s brilliant. Never saw one.

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                        Kookaburra chicks?

                        There's an eagles' nest beside the local school's playing field. Yesterday I was there with Phoebe the Dog, when a parent flew over with a fair-sized young crow in it's talons. It was struggling and screaming it's head off. Whether that was the reason the eagle overflew the nest or not I don't know, but something made it drop its prey, which landed in the off-leash dog park next door. We arrived less than a minute later and already there was a circle of crows surrounding the injured bird with warning cries. They're remarkable creatures. It was, naturally, one of those occasions when I didn't have a camera with me. I should know better by now.

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                          Great picture Sits, though I'm sure that's not an old gum tree...?!


                          And amazing story AdeC, yes corvids really are remarkable birds. They don't get enough credit and attract far too much opprobrium, but they're clever, charismatic and socially fascinating.

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                            Amor de Cosmos maybe young but beyond chicks. And crows are indeed great, hope the youngster was OK. Although I did briefly misread your post and thought the eagle was carrying a young cow.

                            Various Artist yes that’s the pergola outside the back window.

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                              This year's eagle chick is almost ready to leave the nest.

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                                Wow, that’s some chick.

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                                  Yah. He/she will be out about inside of a week I suspect. Normally there's two, but I've only seen one this year.

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                                    On that note, I'm just watching the live cam on the Dyfi Osprey Project's nest in west Wales, where the chicks are just nearly a month old. There's an insanely beautiful sunrise going on right this minute – here's a screengrab a couple of minutes ago:



                                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqS71drAJWE

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                                      Lovely, thanks VA.

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                                        Was sitting outside having my morning coffee when a sparrowhawk swooped in and took a blue tit from the garden feeders. All the other small birds scattered pronto, except a spotted woodpecker that just nonchalantly continued with its meal.

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                                          Not sure if this is the same family I saw earlier in the year, but mum now only has four bigger ducklings. They're the cuties that were learning to dive yesterday.

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                                              British Columbian sparrows teach the rest of Canada the way


                                              Canadian sparrows ditch their old song for catchier tune

                                              https://www.theguardian.com/environm...y_to_clipboard

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                                                Yeah. We don't get this particular sparrow in the Lower Mainland of BC, it's native to the North-East of the province (essentially like Scandinavia is to Cornwall.) I think this phenomenon probably happens more than we've previously realised. Now we have portable recording technology it allows intensive study of changes and variations in bird calls and songs.

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                                                  Currawongs sound different in Sydney and North Queensland. So there you go.

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                                                    Yeah... So we know what day it is. But we didn't ask for the attention, OK!


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