General Chit Chat

[clapton is god]

Well done for getting involved, Harry!

[Raven]

Dear god a bird exploded in my garden, well thats what it looked like, feathers everywhere in a large circle, only remains we could find were what looked like intestines and a beak!! It appeared to have been a blackbird, scared of going out there now!

[thebish]

Dear god a bird exploded in my garden, well thats what it looked like, feathers everywhere in a large circle, only remains we could find were what looked like intestines and a beak!! It appeared to have been a blackbird, scared of going out there now!

sounds very much like a sparrowhawk attack,,,

[Lord Kangana]

You're good with bird recognition bish, what really f*ck off big birds of prey do we have in this country that have wing-spans measuring in the metres? I saw something circling near the road whilst driving near Aylesbury the other day, that can only be described as "The A380 of the bird world". We're talking bigger than geese, possibly and probably large-Heron-territory, only much more sturdy. Brown I think. Menacing, look just very big.

Any ideas?

[thebish]

You're good with bird recognition bish, what really f*ck off big birds of prey do we have in this country that have wing-spans measuring in the metres? I saw something circling near the road whilst driving near Aylesbury the other day, that can only be described as "The A380 of the bird world". We're talking bigger than geese, possibly and probably large-Heron-territory, only much more sturdy. Brown I think. Menacing, look just very big.

Any ideas?

almost certainly a buzzard... getting quite common now...

a good "tell" would be splayed feathers at the ends of the wings.... like in this photo: (except your would have been a common "brown" buzzard rather than a honey buzzard!)

[TANGODANCER]

Saw a buzzard up real close in a display they had on the town hall square once. Couldn't believe how massive it really was. Superb creature. There wasn't a pigeon in sight.

[malcd1]

You're good with bird recognition bish, what really f*ck off big birds of prey do we have in this country that have wing-spans measuring in the metres? I saw something circling near the road whilst driving near Aylesbury the other day, that can only be described as "The A380 of the bird world". We're talking bigger than geese, possibly and probably large-Heron-territory, only much more sturdy. Brown I think. Menacing, look just very big.

Any ideas?

almost certainly a buzzard... getting quite common now...

a good "tell" would be splayed feathers at the ends of the wings.... like in this photo: (except your would have been a common "brown" buzzard rather than a honey buzzard!)

I drove down the M40 not long ago and between Oxford and High Wycombe I saw absolutely dozens of Red Kite. These are also a lerge bird of prey but have a forked tail.

[thebish]

I drove down the M40 not long ago and between Oxford and High Wycombe I saw absolutely dozens of Red Kite. These are also a lerge bird of prey but have a forked tail.

aye - they are also now quite common...

there's a famous red-kite feeding station in mid-Wales - Gigrin Farm - near Builth Wells - well worth a visit if you are ever anywhere near... at feeding time they have (literally) hundreds of red kites (and some other birds of prey) descending on them from surrounding forests...

[Bruce Rioja]

I drove down the M40 not long ago and between Oxford and High Wycombe I saw absolutely dozens of Red Kite. These are also a lerge bird of prey but have a forked tail.

I believe that we have Sir Paul Getty to thank for that ever burgeoning bunch, Malc. He lived nearby and introduced a breeding programme. You only ever used to see them around Stokenchurch but they're pretty ubiquitous along that entire stretch now.

[Always hopeful]

Saw a buzzard up real close in a display they had on the town hall square once. Couldn't believe how massive it really was. Superb creature. There wasn't a pigeon in sight.

Are you sure this pelican wasn't responsible for that?

(don't watch if you're a pigeon fancier).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9YM8Pt30WA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Little Green Man]

Saw a buzzard up real close in a display they had on the town hall square once. Couldn't believe how massive it really was. Superb creature. There wasn't a pigeon in sight.

Are you sure this pelican wasn't responsible for that?

(don't watch if you're a pigeon fancier).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9YM8Pt30WA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Oooh, I hate pigeons...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QI71Oy1SbA

I once had a golden eagle circle above me at about 30m. Now that's a big bird! First thing I knew about it was when I thought somebody on a hang glider had launched themselves off the outcrop above me.

[Dujon]

Your stories brought to mind an incident from some 20-odd years ago. My son, then in high school, was doing a project on the possible affect on an area then slated as a site for a second Sydney airport. So we made a day of it and drove down to spend a few hours in order that he could gather data.

At one point there was a terrible kerfuffle in the nearby eucalyptus trees. On turning to find the cause of this rude intrusion we watched an eagle of some kind - it looked like a sea eagle to me, although we were 50 Km from the ocean - being harried by, of all things, a kookaburra. I couldn't detect any prey in the eagle's talons so I assume that it had tried for one of the kookaburra's fledglings and been caught red handed. We watched them for quite a few minutes, the eagle climbing higher and higher trying to throw off its pursuer. I've never seen a kookaburra fly so high! It was obviously on a mission of 'do or die' as it didn't give up. When the duo disappeared behind the local trees the valiant kookie was a mere moving shadow compared to the eagle's wing span.

I do hope that the kookaburra won the 'dog fight' but if it did, it must have been knackered by the time it got home

[TANGODANCER]

On a much smaller scale, we have a pair of Peregrine falcons that live at the top of Bolton town hall. They bred again in May this year. Amazing birds and the fastest in the world, being able to reach a speed of two hundred miles per hour in flight. Just thought I'd mention it.

[Raven]

You see a lot of buzzards south of Oxford, when you drive through 2 white cliff looking things you are almost sure to see them

[Dujon]

On a much smaller scale, we have a pair of Peregrine falcons that live at the top of Bolton town hall. They bred again in May this year. Amazing birds and the fastest in the world, being able to reach a speed of two hundred miles per hour in flight. Just thought I'd mention it.

They are a beautiful bird, TANGO. Until I looked up my favourite search engine I hadn't realised how common they were. There's an interesting video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3mTPEuFcWk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - your 200mph was apparently conservative!

[Prufrock]

There are two on the top of the Morrisons tower in Chorley. Beautiful.

[TANGODANCER]

Here's your very own "Trotters" peregrine feeding her chick under the town hall clock.

[Montreal Wanderer]

Here's your very own "Trotters" peregrine feeding her chick under the town hall clock.

Some chick - it looks bigger than the mother.

[General Mannerheim]

what would you call one of these?



ive tried every word arrangement i can think of, beer cabinet/cooler/case/chest/tub bottle cabinet/cooler/case/chest/tub etc.

i want one, if anyone can find me one for sale in uk, preferably the NW. ill give them a beer from it!

[Lost Leopard Spot]

It's a Booze Safe.