The Hide (chat thread)

whyulittle

Do we get Coal Tits without any black on its bib? Be they juveniles or foreign birds? I was watching one earlier trying to figure out what looked different about it and I think it was totally white below the bill.

Half-cocked

That sounds odd - all varients of Coal Tit have a black bib. It's much smaller on a Marsh Tit or Willow Tit, but they would be very rare here.

Mickeroo

Love the hedgehog-house Halfcocked. Was it your own design? How do you stop rodents or other opportunists from getting in?

whyulittle

Half-cocked wrote: »

That sounds odd - all varients of Coal Tit have a black bib. It's much smaller on a Marsh Tit or Willow Tit, but they would be very rare here.

Yeah, I can't swear to it though. Even though I got a good look at it, I was just trying to take in what was different about it. I'll keep an eye out and see if it returns.

Oh yeah, and I think I had some Curlew/Golden Plover type bird fly over the back garden. Unfortunately they hooked right behind some trees as I tried to get a better luck. It's a residential area but less than a kilometre to the Shannon as the -Curlew- flies.

Half-cocked

Mickeroo wrote: »

Love the hedgehog-house Halfcocked. Was it your own design? How do you stop rodents or other opportunists from getting in?

DIY job, got some measurements off the interweb. I haven't any way of stopping unwelcome guests. So far no problems.

whyulittle

I have a Butterfly in the house at the minute. Does it want to be inside or outside at this time of year?

Mothman

whyulittle wrote: »

I have a Butterfly in the house at the minute. Does it want to be inside or outside at this time of year?

I'm assuming a Small Tortoiseshell
Inside, but a cold (unheated) inside.
Do you have any sort of shed or can you get it to a shed.

Keep it in fridge overnight if you can't move it tonight, but the less it does, the more reserves it keeps to help carry it through till Spring.

whyulittle

Great, thanks. Have put it out into the shed.

Half-cocked

Hedgehogs still not hibernating:

Bsal

I was out at Dublin airport this afternoon and the airport fire service are now using a real life Peregrine for bird scaring. Seems to be working not many birds around

Kess73

whyulittle wrote: »

Do we get Coal Tits without any black on its bib? Be they juveniles or foreign birds? I was watching one earlier trying to figure out what looked different about it and I think it was totally white below the bill.

Sounds like you saw a long tailed tit. They are white below the bill, and quite small.

whyulittle

No, definitely not a Long Tailed-tit. The Coal Tits I've been watching here have varying amounts of black on their bibs, I guess this one just had very little and caught my eye.

Half-cocked

Had 5 Siskins drop in this morning, hardly ever get them in our area.

Bsal

I have around 20 Goldfinch munching their way through the nyger seed, and now two Redpolls have joined in. There eating around 1kg of nyger every 3-4 days.

Half-cocked

Bsal wrote: »

There eating aorund 1kg of nyger every 3-4 days.

Ouch, expensive!

Half-cocked

Now there are 3 hedgehogs in the box!

swifts need our help!

I'm having difficulty finding a clear 86mm filter to protect the end of my Sigma 150-500mm. Does anyone know where I can get one? All I can find are UV filters

whyulittle

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coated-Clear-Glass-Protection-Filter/dp/B0041OX7UG/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1360087160&sr=1-2

swifts need our help!

Gasp thats expensive. Thanks anyway

blackbird99

1 here on ebay abit cheaper http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Kood-86mm-UV-Filter-Lens-Protector-For-86mm-lens-threads-eg-Sigma-50-500mm-etc-/380491599056?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraLensesFilters_JN&hash=item5897110cd0#ht_2353wt_1037

whyulittle

Not my sighting, but noteworthy nonetheless! A Leach's Petrel reported over Boora, the first Offaly record since 1891!

http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web/Display/sighting/53487/Leachs_Petrel.html

https://www.facebook.com/WildOffaly/posts/480840611980219

whyulittle

£45.42 for a 250gm bag of Mealworm. What planet are they on!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wildbird-Foods-Dried-Mealworms-250Gm/dp/B008R80UC0/ref=sr_1_58?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1360792248&sr=1-58

Bsal

whyulittle wrote: »

£45.42 for a 250gm bag of Mealworm. What planet are they on!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wildbird-Foods-Dried-Mealworms-250Gm/dp/B008R80UC0/ref=sr_1_58?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1360792248&sr=1-58

:eek:

whyulittle

Newly fledged Blackbirds seen in Trinity.

I saw a Robin collecting hairs yesterday, and one displaying to a female the other day.

Bsal

I went to B&Q in Swords to get my usual bird food today and there was 4 Long-tailed tits flying around the trees in the carpark. Its the first time I have seen them up so close

Mothman

Just let out the dog, and he immediately took off after something, I assumed a fox. I didn't call him back....then I heard a splash.....
Got the torch to the pond and out the other side appeared an Otter! With the dog in hot pursuit having gone round.
The Otter made it to the stream and the dog did listen to my shouts of "come here"

trebor28

whyulittle wrote: »

Newly fledged Blackbirds seen in Trinity.

I saw a Robin collecting hairs yesterday, and one displaying to a female the other day.

saw a heron gathering nesting materials this morning

Squeaky the Squirrel

I'll put this here as it's cool, move if you want.

http://www.ustream.tv/okcowlcam

Live Cam of a Great Horned Owl after hatching two chicks (I missed it! Just came across it there)

My Internets bad, keeps freezing on me. All details there.

Edit:Ah yeah, better spot, thanks whoever moved it.

littlebug

A group of Hooded Crows caught my attention yesterday. The noise caught my attention first. A group of maybe 4 gathered on the rails at the door to a building seemingly taking it in turns to attack the glass at the top of the door.... I wondered were they just taking insects but I doubt that one little spot would have enough insects to keep a few of them going for that long. Plus they were making an awful racket! The sun was shining directly on the front of the building so I do believe they were attacking their own reflections.
silly birds :pac: caught one of them in action.

MeteoritesEire

corvids are extremely intelligent(amongst THE most intelligent birds) and I have been noticing similar behaviour near my house.I'm totally convinced they are self aware and are just playing with their reflections-the behaviour is not aggressive at all -I have pictures I'll dig out-hooded crows here too