For the birds

[Lost Leopard Spot]

This one hammers away as we stomp through the undergrowth trying to spot it. I don't think it's a Green (I saw one of them in Ashdown Forest), I just think it is very confident we'll never get anywhere near it. And so far it is correct. I wouldn't mind just a single glimpse!

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Apologies for wrecking the page

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Apologies for wrecking the page

Can you not make that a bit bigger?

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Apologies for wrecking the page

Can you not make that a bit bigger?

My first time using the attachment thingy

[thebish]

Now that, I have no idea. We have a wood behind us. The trees start in our garden. Every morning ( starting a few weeks back) we can hear hammering,as in a woodpecker pecking trees. The noise is very close, and me and the missus have tried to triangulate where the birdie is, but despite most of the trees have not been in leaf, we just cannot spot the little bigger. The undergrowth is dense and the wood is unmanaged so it's a jungle out there but even so we should be able to spot it, you'd think. PS it starts up about 5:30am

that'll probably be the greater spotted... the green ones are mostly ground feeders... the green ones make quite a distinctive mocking laughing sound...

[malcd1]

I didn't know whether to put this in the angry thread or not but I have been watching bloody magpies all day raiding the blackbirds nest in my garden. Every 5 minutes they have appeared and then I hear this cacophony of noise from the two tenacious blackbirds trying to defend their eggs/chicks.

If I could I would quite happily ring those bloody magpies necks.

[thebish]

I didn't know whether to put this in the angry thread or not but I have been watching bloody magpies all day raiding the blackbirds nest in my garden. Every 5 minutes they have appeared and then I hear this cacophony of noise from the two tenacious blackbirds trying to defend their eggs/chicks.

If I could I would quite happily ring those bloody magpies necks.

aye - magpies are total bastards - I think it must be because they are religious birds...

[bobo the clown]

I didn't know whether to put this in the angry thread or not but I have been watching bloody magpies all day raiding the blackbirds nest in my garden. Every 5 minutes they have appeared and then I hear this cacophony of noise from the two tenacious blackbirds trying to defend their eggs/chicks.

If I could I would quite happily ring those bloody magpies necks.

aye - magpies are total bastards - I think it must be because they are religious birds...

Nature, eh ?

It's a bastard.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Magpies. It's not a black and white question... it's shades of errrr, actually it is a black and white question.
I fully defend the rights of the magpies to go about unharrassed in their daily business.

[thebish]

Magpies. It's not a black and white question... it's shades of errrr, actually it is a black and white question.
I fully defend the rights of the magpies to go about unharrassed in their daily business.

magpies are all Muslims...

[Gary the Enfield]

This one hammers away as we stomp through the undergrowth trying to spot it. I don't think it's a Green (I saw one of them in Ashdown Forest), I just think it is very confident we'll never get anywhere near it. And so far it is correct. I wouldn't mind just a single glimpse!

I have successfully spotted a woodpecker after standing still and tapping rapidly on a tree trunk with a stick, mimicking their sound. Curiosity got the better of him/her and they came for a closer look.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Magpies. It's not a black and white question... it's shades of errrr, actually it is a black and white question.
I fully defend the rights of the magpies to go about unharrassed in their daily business.

magpies are all Muslims...

careful, there Bish because malcd just said he'd like to wring all their bloody necks, and if magpies are all muslims, you're saying that he's saying that he like to ring all ... but we won't go there.
And anyway you're clearly wrong, they dress like nuns, so they must be catholics.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

This one hammers away as we stomp through the undergrowth trying to spot it. I don't think it's a Green (I saw one of them in Ashdown Forest), I just think it is very confident we'll never get anywhere near it. And so far it is correct. I wouldn't mind just a single glimpse!

I have successfully spotted a woodpecker after standing still and tapping rapidly on a tree trunk with a stick, mimicking their sound. Curiosity got the better of him/her and they came for a closer look.

I shall try that, although I haven't heard him/her for a few days now.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Going past the Dom (a local pond) this morning and the resident male swan decided I was a bit too close to his missus and came scooting across the water heading directly at me. Feckin scary sight, he was flying just above the surface of the water with his wingtips beating the surface making a loud slapping noise, and at the same time honking like a truck-horn. I tried to free my phone from its sleeve to take a photo of him heading for me but was too slow, and so I fled instead. *cowardice rules*

... they can break your arm you know.

I can well believe it. They've got a nest with six eggs in. The neighbour who discover that wasn't as agile as I was and got beaten up by the male. nothing broken but his pride, but he had some big bruises to show for it.

Well so much for my RSPB book of British birds. It tells me swans incubate their eggs for six weeks - mine (I share them with her Maj) have been sitting on the nest for eight weeks now??? and the female hasn't left it once since the neighbour got chased away by the pair of 'em.

[thebish]

Magpies. It's not a black and white question... it's shades of errrr, actually it is a black and white question.
I fully defend the rights of the magpies to go about unharrassed in their daily business.

magpies are all Muslims...

careful, there Bish because malcd just said he'd like to wring all their bloody necks, and if magpies are all muslims, you're saying that he's saying that he like to ring all ... but we won't go there.
And anyway you're clearly wrong, they dress like nuns, so they must be catholics.

penguins dress like nuns too - but they are all Buddhist...

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Magpies. It's not a black and white question... it's shades of errrr, actually it is a black and white question.
I fully defend the rights of the magpies to go about unharrassed in their daily business.

magpies are all Muslims...

careful, there Bish because malcd just said he'd like to wring all their bloody necks, and if magpies are all muslims, you're saying that he's saying that he like to ring all ... but we won't go there.
And anyway you're clearly wrong, they dress like nuns, so they must be catholics.

penguins dress like nuns too - but they are all Buddhist...

Wrong. Them too. Catholics
Here they are gathering in St Peter's Square waiting for the pope...

[thebish]

^ clearly not st peter's square - there are no rosary stalls...

[Lost Leopard Spot]

^ clearly not st peter's square - there are no rosary stalls...

They were taken down when the magpies were rioting over gay marriage the day before.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Anyway... what about my swans, when am I having cygnets (street name: ugly ducklings)?

[thebish]

Going past the Dom (a local pond) this morning and the resident male swan decided I was a bit too close to his missus and came scooting across the water heading directly at me. Feckin scary sight, he was flying just above the surface of the water with his wingtips beating the surface making a loud slapping noise, and at the same time honking like a truck-horn. I tried to free my phone from its sleeve to take a photo of him heading for me but was too slow, and so I fled instead. *cowardice rules*

... they can break your arm you know.

I can well believe it. They've got a nest with six eggs in. The neighbour who discover that wasn't as agile as I was and got beaten up by the male. nothing broken but his pride, but he had some big bruises to show for it.

Well so much for my RSPB book of British birds. It tells me swans incubate their eggs for six weeks - mine (I share them with her Maj) have been sitting on the nest for eight weeks now??? and the female hasn't left it once since the neighbour got chased away by the pair of 'em.

if it is extended much beyond 6weeks - then it sometimes means she has lost her first clutch to a predator and has had to lay some more....