Today's sudden announcement of a major enhancement to Birdtrack, was something of a pleasant surprise though I did find it a little strange that the BTO chose April Fool's Day to make the annoucement (though in fairness, recent editions of the BTO magazine indicated that such an enhancement was in p...
Just wondering We have warblers and harriers and others that (for some reason) don't migrate back to Africa etc and choose to overwinter Has there been any research into this ? Why does this occur and has it always been so or is it a more recent phenomenon ? Thanks Pete
Top of the range Opticron HR80 EDA Scope with SDL V2 Zoom eyepiece (x20 - x60), green optician stay on case and original boxes Immaculate condition used for less than 3 months £595 ono with opportunity to try before purchase Current retail price circa £1,000 selling on behalf of a friend as have purcha...
Some weeks ago I visited the wild wings bird of prey rescue centre within the Bents Garden Centre it was a great couple of hours seeing the birds and chatting to the staff in particular listening to the staff (nearly all volunteers) describing the birds stories. Most were not wild birds but rescued fal...
I hope folk won't mind this, just ignore if you are not interested. A PhD student at Manchester Uni is aware of the wealth of birding knowledge on web groups and would be grateful for help from anyone kind enough to complete his online questionairre, the link is at www.sites.google.com/site/domesti...
The UKs leading bird research organisation, The British Trust for Ornithology has today unveiled remarkable new developments in the fusion zone between fashion and technology which could revolutionalise bird monitoring across the globe. In an extraordinary move, the charity has unveiled pla...
Just a little bit of fun as we head towards tomorrow's chaos, present opening, wine corking, etc! Just made up a few categories from 2013's birding - you can answer regarding the county or outside the county, it's all for fun/discussion. 2013 personal favourite bird: Has to be the Rudyard Lak...
Frying gently on your hotel sunbed, looking out on Tala Bay in the Gulf of Aqaba, your daily companions - bobbing on the buoys which demark the swimming area - are White Eyed Gulls (Ichthyaetus leucophthalmus). I read that this is one of the rarest species of gull in the world with the population now red...
Over the past week or so, many forum members plus others have visited the Flash to see/hear this bird. Some are convinced that it is said with a 'ch' start whilst others say it is a soft 's' e.g. like the start of 'settee'. Which is correct?
I've tried to let this go, but I can't. I went out birding/insecting a couple of Wednesdays ago (12th) down the Poise Brook area, Goyt Valley, Stockport. It was a brilliant sunny day after several days of the same. When I got home, I became aware of a five-pence sized red rash on my forearm. I had felt noth...
Today I noticed a goldfinch in the garden with a single yellow ring on its left leg (the right leg was obscured). Is there any way I can find out when and where this bird was ringed? Thanks in advance, Chris
Excellent condition, complete with original box, strap and rain guard but unfortunately no case, approximately five years old, but not regularly used. £750.00 Also, Konica Minolta Dynax 7D DSLR, complete with Minolta 28-80 F3.5-5.6 zoom and Hoya Skylight filter. Although eight years old, in ex...
A Bird Images Video Guide Narrated By Bill Oddie Filmed by Paul Doherty Covers 15 species . The footage has been specifically filmed to show birds of various ages, standing, swimming and in flight. A unique guide to this family of birds This video (now out of print) is for sale at £5.00 Please co...
I have spotted 4 unusual birds in the Didsbury Withington area for the last 2 weeks. They don't hang around for long so my description may be a bit blurred. They are roughly the size of a magpie without the long tail. Colour, light brown with small (black and white stripes ??) around small beaks. Possibl...
This stretch of the Goyt is, in part, the other bank from Chadkirk C.E. (and will be connected if the bridge ever gets built) and it deserves a thread in its own right. Mandarin 2 males Grey Wagtail 2 Lesser Whitethroat 1 Kingfisher - not the best view but I had the impression this was a juv. House Martin 2 C...
Thought you may want to know that there's a digger on Pomona clearing all the shrubs/trees. Apparently the landowners Trafford Centre ie Peel want every tree and bush cleared. This may or may not be a good thing ie could create a more open habitat for lapwings, skylarks etc, though loss of cover may not...
Morning I moved house at the beginning of feb and having the luxury of working from home, my desk overlooks my garden birdfeeders (sunflower hearts, nyger, peanuts, fat cake, kitchen scraps). I moved from near Lowton High School about 1 mile (if that) as the crow flies to Pennington, basically I cros...
Barbara and I were pleased to catch up with the kittiwake on the canal early on Saturday afternoon (March 8th). It did seem at first a bit surreal seeing it quite confiding and seemingly at home there, (it's almost certainly the furthest inland I can recall seeing a live one). However I can see a paralle...
The Following Urban Naturalist events, held at The Manchester Museum are available: Urban Naturalist: Pond Life Sat 29 Mar, 2-4pm Join Rick Parker, chairman of Bolton Conservation Volunteers and find out more about amphibians and other animals which live in ponds, their needs and requirements a...
Three ravens turned up in the paddock halfway up the lane at 5pm this afternoon, to the disgust of the local jackdaws, crows and sheep! Ravens were displaying in flight and landed on the grass before being seen off by the locals. Made a fantastic racket while they were around. The local great spotted wo...
Early morning vist
Great Crested Grebe
Over 12 Coot, Mallard, C. Goose, BH Gull
Very large bruiser feral cross mallard
Over 6 Moorhen, Robin, Magpie.
Dunnock Wren
Blue Tits, GreaT Tit, 2 Long Tailed Tit, Chaffinch
Carrion Crow, Connorant Flying Over,
They have been clearing the bank of the...
At long last the Acuter DS65 scope has arrived back in stock, now in an updated box, a better stay-on case & re-christened the GrandVista 65!! We have been waiting for the shipment to arrive, but as it has been sent by ship (as shipments always were!!), it has taken some time. Come & have a look at...
A second collared dove has just died in my garden. The first was two weeks ago. The bird looks unwell,dejectedly pecking at its normal food which it cannot swallow. It then wanders off,feathers puffed out,into a corner and dies. Have others experienced this?
Had a site meeting down in Helsby this morning. Unbelievably, I noticed 3 House Martins buzzing around a nearby pub with two of them (the adults) still feeding chicks in a nest under the eaves of the pub.
