Awful weather - typical Brits talk

goldfinches

Black_Cat2 said:

Hi all.  No seagulls here or those winds yet C.  Noticed lots of goldfinches about in a large group, or flock, or whatever lol.  Wondering if no one else is feeding them because quite unusual to have that many stopping by in my garden 🐦

Collective noun for them hereabouts is a charm which I think a lovely and very true description. They always make me smile wherever I see them.
We had a bit more sun today which was nice. I'm really looking forward to the daylight beginning to increase again as this time of darkness makes me feel rather downhearted. Still I did see the local heron yesterday from very close to, this time of year is not all bad.

Black_Cat2

Charm is a great word for them, they are so gentle and not at all making any ruckus like the elusive (these days) starlings do.

It's a great pic G, heron is pretty well blending in there.  Tell me, is it hard work looking after your 'small estate' there in the background? 😹

[Deleted User]

Davesnave said:

Catsacor said:

Errrr, no D, definitely nowhere near 300m 🤔 
Just checked on an elevation finder site ...... we're very low indeed here.

Oh, apologies, I thought you were at least up to the ankles in the foothills.

Ah, well, it'll be the maritime influence then...you can't win!

Still mild, sunny and a little breezy here. Nice enough for me to get wet cleaning the fascias and not to care.

Shortest day tomorrow, yippeeeee! After that, everything moves in the right direction.

Yup, that's me .......⚓⚓⚓⚓🌊💧🌫  

Morning all 🖐🎄🎄🎄🎄🎅🎅🎅

[Deleted User]

Black_Cat2 said:

Hi all.  No seagulls here or those winds yet C.  Noticed lots of goldfinches about in a large group, or flock, or whatever lol.  Wondering if no one else is feeding them because quite unusual to have that many stopping by in my garden 🐦

Love them, get quite a lot here too, greenfinches too, last house had gazillions of linnets but not seen them here. 
There's farmland to one side (sea to the other) but in the last house it was bordering some woods so there was an abundance of birdlife there - i miss that aspect of the place.

[Deleted User]

goldfinches said:

Black_Cat2 said:

Hi all.  No seagulls here or those winds yet C.  Noticed lots of goldfinches about in a large group, or flock, or whatever lol.  Wondering if no one else is feeding them because quite unusual to have that many stopping by in my garden 🐦

Collective noun for them hereabouts is a charm which I think a lovely and very true description. They always make me smile wherever I see them.
We had a bit more sun today which was nice. I'm really looking forward to the daylight beginning to increase again as this time of darkness makes me feel rather downhearted. Still I did see the local heron yesterday from very close to, this time of year is not all bad.

That landscape could be right here ..... the fields, the rhyne, the gulls, the heron (not the churches though)  .....were you here D 😆😆😋
On our similar scene there are buzzards and sparrowhawks to be seen too - most likely there too ?

Black_Cat2

Morning C.  Never seen one greenfinch here yet, not to say there aren't any about but just not caught sight of one yet.  You're very lucky to have an abundance of different birds 🐦

Farway

Ideal weather for mid winter, wet, dull & windy. Only bright bit is my Asda delivery is arriving later

Not many goldfinches here, zillions of blue tits & magpies though

That field looks very soggy D, ideal for gull paddling

Davesnave

Black_Cat2 said:

Morning C.  Never seen one greenfinch here yet, not to say there aren't any about but just not caught sight of one yet.  You're very lucky to have an abundance of different birds 🐦

Greenfinches have been hit by disease. They're making a slow come-back.

That's not my picture Farway. I could find a heron easy enough, but Oxford's a bit further up the road than my usual walk!

Black_Cat2

Shame about the greenfinches D.  Many years back I remember our garden being inundated by starlings but not anymore, are they also hit by disease? Also there was a major decline in house sparrows (think it was house rather than hedge). It's a hard life being a feathered beastie it seems. 

mad_spaniel

Are wrens rare? I have a tiny wren come visiting regularly outside, I can see him whilst sitting on my sofa as he hops around outside no more than 8' away, darting in-between the flower pots just outside the door, looking for insects.

 If I put bread out during the day only the crows get a look in. They have an uncanny knack of spotting the pieces before anything else . They menace the sky in a dark cloud, before swooping down to plunder the food. If it's dark, then the badgers come and snuffle the pieces up before morning. They leave a track they come so regularly Not bad for a relatively suburban back garden!

I've got a shrub, I can't remember the name of it, with bright purple winter berries. Very attractive, but I've never seen a bird go near it. Anyone know the name and if it's poisonous?