The Hide (chat thread)

DellyBelly

I see a swallow was reported in Wicklow yesterday...a juvenile. Hopefully it will make it South but he or she is leaving it very late...

fryup

what do the swans and herons do during the floods?? is their habitat encroached??

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

fryup wrote: »

what do the swans and herons do during the floods?? is their habitat encroached??

Good question. Yes, they have to look elsewhere for accessible feeding. You'll see swans in waterlogged or flooded fields feeding on grass for example.

Floods can be difficult for Herons as their prey are displaced.

Capercaillie

https://medium.com/@anthonymcgeehan/draft-f4597bd928cd#.9ok18iax6
Good account of the birds of Inisbofin. Rock dove, Corncrake, lapwings and Arctic terns have very interesting accounts!

Half-cocked

Disaster strikes - trichomonosis. Have a male Chaffinch and a male Greenfinch affected. Feeders are all soaking in a bucket of jeyes fluid, birdbaths emptied and upturned, all feeding stopped. Anything else I should be doing?

OpenYourEyes

Half-cocked wrote: »

Disaster strikes - trichomonosis. Have a male Chaffinch and a male Greenfinch affected. Feeders are all soaking in a bucket of jeyes fluid, birdbaths emptied and upturned, all feeding stopped. Anything else I should be doing?

I don't think so, except to withdraw all feeding for a week or two now. I had a Chaffinch with an infected foot recently so I forced myself to stop feeding the birds for two weeks.

Capercaillie

Half-cocked wrote: »

Disaster strikes - trichomonosis. Have a male Chaffinch and a male Greenfinch affected. Feeders are all soaking in a bucket of jeyes fluid, birdbaths emptied and upturned, all feeding stopped. Anything else I should be doing?

Clean all seed away from below the feeders.

whyulittle

WTSE @ Boora!

aaaaggghhhh! :eek:

vistafinder

A huge flock of Redwing landed on the trees behind the house yesterday and the volume of all the chirping was fantastic. Then they would all stop at once. Dead silence and then all off chirping away together again.

Very entertaining.

Half-cocked

Here's one with a happy ending. Driving home last night a black headed gull got blown across in front of me and smacked into my radiator grill while I was doing about 50kph. I stopped and saw the bird flopping around on the road and it was just missed by the wheels of a bus going the other direction. I managed to catch it and put it in a box overnight. Squirted a little water into it's beak this morning and it swallowed some. Back into the box while I was in work. Got home to find it fully recovered and rearing to go. I brought it down to the seashore and it flew off strongly and landed among a mixed flock of gulls about 300 metres away. I'm always amazed at how small black headed gulls are in the hand. They are obviously tough little birds as well:D

Bsal

I was out for a walk around Skerries this afternoon and seen a dolphin between Red Island and Colt Island while I was down on the swimming platform. First time I have ever seen one in person, quiet a few people started to gather on the swimming platform to see it.

Zoo4m8

For those within commuting distance this might be of interest, Kilmacanogue history society , as part of their spring programme ,in the Glenview Hotel Co Wicklow,are hosting a talk by Eric Demsey coinciding with the launch of his memoir entitled ' Don't die in autumn' a life in birds. Should be a good evening, start time 8.00, admission only three euro for non members..
Eh, sorry, this is for Tuesday evening next..brain fade on my part..

Birdnuts

Zoo4m8 wrote: »

For those within commuting distance this might be of interest, Kilmacanogue history society , as part of their spring programme ,in the Glenview Hotel Co Wicklow,are hosting a talk by Eric Demsey coinciding with the launch of his memoir entitled ' Don't die in autumn' a life in birds. Should be a good evening, start time 8.00, admission only three euro for non members..
Eh, sorry, this is for Tuesday evening next..brain fade on my part..

Got the book in my Christmas sock - crackin read alright!!:)

Zoo4m8

That's a solid recommendation..he'll have copies for sale on the night..

OpenYourEyes

My Dad's friend lives near a small river in Roscommon, and much of the agricultural land around him is semi-improved and gets quite marshy and partially flooded in the winter. Every year he has Grey Herons and Little Egrets near the house on an almost daily basis. I was talking to both my Dad and his friend today and they were telling me they saw a 'very big egret'. Size can often be deceptive based on light, distance, nearby features, if the bird has ruffled its feathers up etc. but they were both confident that this was a big egret. Both of them know what a Little Egret looks like and would be cautious about any potential mistakes or assumptions, so I felt it worth investigating further.

After a bit of driving around I came across three Little Egrets, and soon after disturbed another Egret that looked quite big, which eventually revealed itself to be a Great White Egret! It's far from the rarest bird in the country at the moment, but I had never seen one before, and to see it so close to home certainly adds to the value to me! A successful afternoon!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

A Jay back in the garden today but not around the woodland area where he stashed acorns. Ground feeding on seed beside the house, with the Chaffinches

Birdnuts

Had some Twite visit the sheep feeders on my place in North Mayo today.

Woodville56

Birdnuts wrote: »

Had some Twite visit the sheep feeders on my place in North Mayo today.

Nice find - they're still on my "wish list" !!
Lucky you !

Capercaillie

Birdnuts wrote: »

Had some Twite visit the sheep feeders on my place in North Mayo today.

Good stuff, did you apply for the twite GLAS plan?

Birdnuts

Capercaillie wrote: »

Good stuff, did you apply for the twite GLAS plan?

I've got into GLAS via other routes. I understand you need breeding Twite to qualify for that aspect. AFAIK they only occur in my area currently as scarce winter visitors though my father in law( whose has farmed here long before me) reckons they did breed here up to 20 years ago. He remembers the Corn Bunting too.

Capercaillie

Birdnuts wrote: »

I've got into GLAS via other routes. I understand you need breeding Twite to qualify for that aspect. AFAIK they only occur in my area currently as scarce winter visitors though my father in law( whose has farmed here long before me) reckons they did breed here up to 20 years ago. He remembers the Corn Bunting too.

Don't need them breeding. If winter visitors you are eligible. You're in GLAS already, however you could plant 0.25 acre of crop for them either ways. Something like linseed.

Rosahane

Wife opens back door to let dog out this morning and frightens off what was probably a sparrowhawk from a dead starling on the ground.

A year or so ago she excitedly called me from the dining room to say a "hawk" was chasing a small bird through the ornamental tree outside the sliding doors.

Needless to say I missed it both times and have only spotted a sparrowhawk flying over once.

I fill all the feeders and have the binos to hand usually while the Mrs identifies birds as "little", "crow", etc. Also 99% of the time I look after the dog!

Life ain't fair

Capercaillie

A lad helping me plant nettles at the weekend. He remembers the time when Corn Bunting were common on the farm. So much lost:(

Keplar240B

starting to see frogspawn about
Seen a big pile (maybe 4 cup fulls) of it in the middle of a raised bone dry forest road a good 10 meters form water.
Slugs feeding on it.
I doubt a human/kid carried it there as its a place with almost zero footfall from walkers
I wonder would an animal like a heron or something scoop it up and dump it

Keplar240B

starting to see frogspawn about
Seen a big pile (maybe 4 cup fulls) of it in the middle of a raised bone dry forest road a good 10 meters form water.
Slugs feeding on it.
I doubt a human/kid carried it there as its a place with almost zero footfall from walkers
I wonder would an animal like a heron or something scoop it up and dump it

Keplar240B

Seen a male black cap in garden for first time ever
at least thats what i think it was , It was feeding on apple in tree
down south in urban area


Status: "Scarce summer visitor to woodlands in the midlands and northern Ireland from April to September. Also a scarce passage migrant mainly in spring and autumn to headlands on southern and western coasts. Although Irish-breeding Blackcaps still migrate southwards in the autumn, some Blackcaps from the population that breeds in Central Europe migrate to Ireland to spend the winter."

Where to See: Common and widespread in Ireland. In winter, Blackcaps are attracted to apples and fat balls in gardens.

http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/IrelandsBirds/Warblers/Blackcap/tabid/1130/Default.aspx

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

The Jay has taken to daily visits to my small oak wood on the garden and now ventures up to the seed scattered on the ground under the feeders. Wonderful sight but boy are they wary of any movement.

whyulittle

Not my video, but a Starling murmuration that is taking place around Locke's Distillery in Kilbeggan these evenings.

https://www.facebook.com/eugene.dunbar.3/videos/830439897101756/

Capercaillie

Number of people joining the GLAS scheme for Corncrake is zero. Some joke. NPWS Corncrake farm plan getting more applicants, which is good.

_Tombstone_

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLfx4Mv7YHE