I’m thinking of the different seasons and the birds I see out the window. In summer, small tits in the fir tree, fat pigeons in its branches, and crows which come swooping down in a pack trying to terrorise everything alive, including the squirrels. I’ve seen a single crow chase off a red kite. The kite leaves because if it turned and killed the crow the whole flock would rise from the trees and take revenge.
In spring, in the early morning I’ve seen green woodpeckers on the lawn, eating grubs. They fly with a heavy, wavy, up-and-down motion. We also get seagulls even though we’re miles from the sea. I’ve seen a jay occasionally and their relatives, magpies, quite often. Down by the canal, which I can see from the other window, there are herons.
In summer we have swallows twittering as they circle the rooftops.
As we move into winter there are robins by the door. They’re fighters: quite unafraid of anyone!
We seem to have a lot of interests in common, Oxy. I am an avid birdwatcher. I have yet to see the green woodpeckers and am very keen to catch a glimpse of one. I love wagtails and lapwings, which are both fairly new to me. And I never tire of the English robins, which are much like our American bluebirds. European jays are also quite interesting to me. They look like they were decorated by an artist who couldn't make up his mind which color scheme to use. Happy birding!
Hi Dancermom. The interesting thing about black and white woodpeckers when they're in the woods is they move round the tree trunk to the other side when you try to spot them. So you can hear them easily but it's hard to catch a glimpse of their bodies. Apparently they have lots of padding between their brains and their skulls. I've only seen them drilling wood on film but you can see how the vibrations would cause concussion without that padding.
I have an interesting story about blackbirds. They often nest low in hedges where cats can get at them. I've read this is a case of evolution not keeping up with a change in habitat - i.e. they've moved into towns with cats.
Anyway we had a blackbird nesting low in a hedge and a cat roaming the back garden near the nest. When the cat appeared, the blackbird came diving over the fence clacking and pecking the cat on the back of the neck. The bird kept attacking from unexpected angles, dodging in low and appearing suddenly over the fence. For a while it successfully chased the cat every day back into the house.
In the US, it is usually the mockingbirds who will divebomb people who get close to their nests. When I was in college, a friend of mine and I camped out on a busy corner near a Bank of America where a couple of mockers had nested. Every time an unsuspecting human would come walking down the sidewalk to get to the bank, the birds would divebomb them while we watched. I am still laughing just remembering it, and it was decades ago.
I've seen pigeons land on cherry trees when they're ripe and inch their way out to the end of the branches, eating. The pigeons are fat and heavy and what often happens is the branches snap. My sister used to call a particular pigeon that used her back yard 'Monster Pigeon'.
The Wood Pigeons remind me of what the Passenger Pigeons must have been in the US in the nineteenth century. They seem to be everywhere. And they are simply enormous. I wonder if people eat them?
Squab is a staple in Egypt, and one of the less questionable or dangerous foods to eat while visiting there. They are raised almost like we would raise chickens, and are considered a delicacy. It seems they are a special type, though everything seems fair game for a meal there.
The bluejays and mocking birds are my favorite here, and every once in a while, the cardinals show up! Only once has a Baltimore Oriole been sighted by my husband, I missed him!
There is a black bird here that will attempt to nest near the house and dive bomb everyone. They of course have to go, can't have them scaring or hurting the grand kids!
I simply adore parakeets, had them as a kid, and had so much fun with them! Love to hear them talk and dance!
We have a kingfisher on the river. I've seen him about six times over several years. When he moves he accelerates away in a blue-orange electric streak skimming the surface. His speed is amazing.