Migrants pouring in

[fallen-archie]

Yes Spring is upon us so what Bird tells you Spring is here and have you spotted one? Looking for Ospreys, Chif chafs, Cuckoos,, Swallows, Swifts or Martins, eyes to the sky, what have you spotted? These miracles of nature fly thousands of miles to breed so what have you spotted and what bird do you no longer see?

[bill-xxx]

I live on the coast of Kent and haven't seen a sparrow here for years. The garden was once full of them but since the seagulls moved inland they've disappeared. Now awaiting the pair of magpies that come around every year. (and scare the hell out of the cat!)

[electric*mayhem*band]

Eyes to the sky and what have I seen ? So far just hordes of screaming, squawking, filthy seagulls. It's time there was a cull on these greedy and avaricious fiends. 95% of them have never even seen the sea. Given a few more years, and they'll have outbred their webbed feet.

[astrologica]

Don't worry Bill...the sparrows are alive and squawking here in South Wales! There are loads of them living in the bushes in the lane at the back of our house. It's really comical....as you approach, the noise of the squawking and squabbling is deafening , and then as you get near it stops abruptly and it's deathly quiet. Once you've passed by it starts up again as loud as ever!
We get loads of birds in our garden...Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Siskins, Chaffinches, Blackbirds, Wrens.....but a new visitor this Spring is a Pied Wagtail who comes every day noŵ for the mealworms.....haven't seen him before now. It's a good job my cat is a lazy madam who is out at night ratting, and then in bed all day!
One bird we don't hear nowadays is the Cuckoo. When I was a little girl we could hear him up in the woods every Spring, and his call would echo down over the valley, but I haven't heard him for years. But that could be 'cause I'm getting a bit deaf?😀

[fallen-archie]

There has been a steep decline in most of our wild birds largely due to loss of habitat.
Migrants travel great distances to breed and attrition rates are high.
The Cuckoo's fate is linked closely with its preferred host species, find them and you'll find Cuckoos.

[******lynda******]

Nothing new yet, but the geese are flying overhead leaving their wintering spots. I have missed a bullfinch, but I think that was one of the sparrowhawks. I will know it's spring proper when the reed buntings and long tailed **bleep** abandon the feeding station.

[fallen-archie]

As I was driving out of the Car Valet last weekend a goose flew over and left one of its wintering spots on my bonnet, gawd knows how it ever took off.

I think the Bullfinch is such a beautiful Bird with it's striking colour so few of them about these days.

[******lynda******]

Yes, I love watching all the birds at the feeders and the bullfinch was a brilliant addition. Of course, the concentration of about 100 birds makes us attractive to sparrowhawks and they have taken a lot. We are down at least 4 woodpeckers, assuming some of the juveniles just moved away. I saved one. I heard the distress calls of many birds and looked out to see the sparrowhawk sitting on a woodpecker that was also screaming. I opened the door and the hawk flew off one way, and the woodpecker the other. Glad I was quick that day, but the smaller birds just get swooped off. We don't have sparrows. Chaffinches, green finches, goldfinches, wrens, dunnocks, reed bunting. Wagtails, grey and pied. Also blue, coal, great, and long tailed bleeps. Blackbirds and robins...always thought they were territorial but we get half a dozen of each, males, happily feeding together. Get the females, too, of course. The rooks and magpies and starlings and wood pigeons get hunted off ...they eat too much and keep the other birds away. Living beside reservoirs, we see swans, gulls, ducks etc and herons. We also have several buzzards hunting around the house and kestrels.

[electric*mayhem*band]

Archie, just seen a couple of Goldfinches. They were both sitting on the bonnet of a car. Is this an unusual place for them to perch ?

[electric*mayhem*band]

Ah well, no response from Archie. (a.k.a. Bill Oddie).

I suppose it would have been even stranger, had one been sitting in the driver's seat, and the other the passenger's.

Oh hum...

[fallen-archie]

I was standing on my Datsun Laurels,
Interesting observation, the Goldfinch family live in and around Golders green however some have moved north where the weather is cooler, whilst acclimatising they often stand on the bonnet of a recently used car to gain heat. Most bonnets are also a useful height to observe the whereabouts of thistles which are one of their favourite take aways.Each year this colourful bird returns South to attend the Notting Hill carnival where they always win many fans.
Next Week, Shoe Birds to be reintroduced to Britain

[bankhaunter]

No ospreys yet,  a kestrel did visit though.

http://www.dyfiospreyproject.com/blog/2015/03/2015-live-streaming-appeal

[fallen-archie]

a few of our birds have been lost during the winter, hopefully that won't affect the breeding season too much.
The male bird returned yesterday to the Loch of the Lowes and there are plenty of sightings of other birds around the country so fingers crossed.

[fallen-archie]

The young male at Lowes has been active this morning trying to prepare the nest, well worth a look

http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/wildlife-webcams/loch-of-lowes/

[malacandran]

Do these birds have any potential for humans to use. Like in eating their flesh or eggs.

If not, why should we bother with them? I mean, why watch useless birds.

[fallen-archie]

Good point well made Mal, on a scale of useless it is difficult to be precise just where birds should be placed. Above or below Cockroaches, or shoulder to shoulder with Alex Salmond, they might soar above our heads but can they make a bacon Sandwich or knit a wooly sweater? Bar headed Geese fly over the Himalayas during their ridiculously long migration, you should try defecalting at 40,000ft at a temperature of -20.
Do we need Birds? Looking at the state of our planet many agree with you, will the planet be a better place without them? I doubt it, in fact I think Humans despite their greater inteligence deserve extinction in fact have earned extinction ahead of those creatures they were expected to protect and share the planet with.

[merehazle]

---

@malacandran wrote:
Do these birds have any potential for humans to use. Like in eating their flesh or eggs.

If not, why should we bother with them? I mean, why watch useless birds.

---

What like in the chicken hatcheries?

Seeing day-old fuffy chicks tottering on a conveyor belt as they experience the miracle of life for the first time, blinking under light as they try to make make sense of their  strange new inviroment ,  then being grabbed by a gloved hand and thrown down a chute into  a blender.                      

Yes why should we bother? Why watch USELESS birds.  I think you might get one or two replies on that. If one or two see it?

[fallen-archie]

No Not like a chicken Hatchery, That is a different scenario, serious yes but meriting a thread of it's own (strong hint) Indeed how we carnivores source all our meat is worthy of it's own thread ( Another strong hint)

[malacandran]

Yes, I think we should keep chickens around. They're good to eat, some people think. Though their flesh doesn't appeal to me.  It's too pasty-white and lacking in flavour.  But their eggs are undeniably delicious when boiled, fried, poached or scrambled.

That's why we keep hundreds of millions of these birds on our farms.  We wouldn't bother with them otherwise.

It's the eggs we value.  If only we could find a way to make the eggs directly, without the chicken stage!

[lhasa.two]

Dire bird life around here at the moment, although it will probably pick up next month. There is a cuckoo, the odd seagull and several crows. As for small birds, I haven't seen one yet!