Feed the birds

[Davycc]

I do not have any bird feeders, but my wife has several hanging plants on our patio which are visited regularly by hummingbirds.
Its amazing that these tiny creatures can travel thousands of miles every year through storms and whatever else, predators etc.
We watch them through a glass sliding door, hovering next to a plant, then going in for a second and sucking the nectar from the flower.
Reading about them I was surprised how territorial these tiny bird are, and will violently repel other hummingbirds.
Some friends of mine have special feeders for hummingbirds, in which they put a sugar/water syrup or some sort of sweet liquid.

Yesterday, and quite often in summertime, I saw a crow flying high being attacked by a small bird. I am told that the small bird is a mockingbird, attacking the crow for trying to steal it's eggs from the nest.
The reason that the large crow is trying to escape the small mockingbird is that the mockingbird is trying to pluck a certain feather out of the crow, if it is successful the crow cannot fly, it's dead.

I'd love to be able to sit and watch such fantastic birds (bit of a bird man myself) re the crow being attacked, outside work I regularly spot crows harrassing a buzzard, they are madly flapping and swooping whilst the buzzard just glides along with the occasional wing beat.

[White Knight]

I do not have any bird feeders, but my wife has several hanging plants on our patio which are visited regularly by hummingbirds.
Its amazing that these tiny creatures can travel thousands of miles every year through storms and whatever else, predators etc.
We watch them through a glass sliding door, hovering next to a plant, then going in for a second and sucking the nectar from the flower.
Reading about them I was surprised how territorial these tiny bird are, and will violently repel other hummingbirds.
Some friends of mine have special feeders for hummingbirds, in which they put a sugar/water syrup or some sort of sweet liquid.

Yesterday, and quite often in summertime, I saw a crow flying high being attacked by a small bird. I am told that the small bird is a mockingbird, attacking the crow for trying to steal it's eggs from the nest.
The reason that the large crow is trying to escape the small mockingbird is that the mockingbird is trying to pluck a certain feather out of the crow, if it is successful the crow cannot fly, it's dead.

I'd love to be able to sit and watch such fantastic birds (bit of a bird man myself) re the crow being attacked, outside work I regularly spot crows harrassing a buzzard, they are madly flapping and swooping whilst the buzzard just glides along with the occasional wing beat.

Crows do mob Buzzards to move them away from nesting sites or even good feeding grounds. What’s interesting is that the Buzzard moves off at its ease not appearing too bothered. As they drift away the number of crows chasing him reduces and sometimes the Buzzard will wait until the last crow is left chasing him and they can then turn suddenly and catch this isolated crow in midair and kill it. As no other crow is around there is no crow to go back and tell the rookery of what happened and so crows still don’t know about this tactic by the Buzzard! They deliberately wait for the last one for this reason - brilliant!

[NottinghamWhite]

Unbelievable photo of a Black Browed Albatross yesterday at Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire

[psquithy]

If you have never to bempton it is well worth a visit.

Go in may/June when the birds are nesting.

[Saxon]

Last summer a stray/feral cat started hanging around my apartment, then it had kittens in some bushes at the end of the driveway.
Right after that when I leave for work at 4.30 am, there is a huge barn owl in my headlights in the driveway eyeing up the cats nest, from just a few feet away.
This goes on for 2 mornings, after that no more kittens. I know owls are predators but didn't realize barn owls [after I looked up photos] were so big, this one was at least 2ft tall standing up. It must have had the scent or already a taste of the kittens because he wouldn't move for the car, he was zoned in on the nest, I practically had to nudge him out of the way with the bumper to get past. I was surprised that I didn't hear any commotion during the night, we are surrounded by wildlife here and I regularly hear cats fighting with skunks, raccoons, woodchucks etc, or running from a coyote. All the rabbits and foxes disappeared when the coyotees spread to this area.
Birds are opportunistic feeders. Yesterday morning I was fishing at a spot about a mile walk from where I live, a saltwater river estuary. This time of the year horseshoe crabs come into the shallows to spawn,average size about 1 ft dia. At high water, high tide, mainly night time, the females scoop a bowl shape depression in the sand, a male attaches himself to the female, and the female lays eggs. When the water level drops in many cases these eggs are exposed and the birds, not gulls, come to feast. This only happens a few days a year after a certain full moon, but the birds are on it, don't miss a trick. The gulls are out over the water watching for herring or other small fish to pick off which are being forced to the surface by striped bass or bluefish.It's quite a sight watching the mayhem when a school of blues are busting the surface on bait and a flock of gulls diving in picking up fish and scraps being chopped up by the blues.
I see deer regularly around here, yesterday morning walking back through the woods I see a young deer, like a big dog, a doe maybe 1 year old about 3ft high back. As I get close to it she doesn't run, well they only run if you startle them, they usually just walk back into the bush, fade and disappear. So I start whistling to it as you would a dog, and the doe follows me at about 25 ft distance for about 50 yds along a railroad track, that's a first. She's been lucky the coyotees didn't get her, hopefully she survives

[Barlow Boy]

Last summer a stray/feral cat started hanging around my apartment, then it had kittens in some bushes at the end of the driveway.
Right after that when I leave for work at 4.30 am, there is a huge barn owl in my headlights in the driveway eyeing up the cats nest, from just a few feet away.
This goes on for 2 mornings, after that no more kittens. I know owls are predators but didn't realize barn owls [after I looked up photos] were so big, this one was at least 2ft tall standing up. It must have had the scent or already a taste of the kittens because he wouldn't move for the car, he was zoned in on the nest, I practically had to nudge him out of the way with the bumper to get past. I was surprised that I didn't hear any commotion during the night, we are surrounded by wildlife here and I regularly hear cats fighting with skunks, raccoons, woodchucks etc, or running from a coyote. All the rabbits and foxes disappeared when the coyotees spread to this area.
Birds are opportunistic feeders. Yesterday morning I was fishing at a spot about a mile walk from where I live, a saltwater river estuary. This time of the year horseshoe crabs come into the shallows to spawn,average size about 1 ft dia. At high water, high tide, mainly night time, the females scoop a bowl shape depression in the sand, a male attaches himself to the female, and the female lays eggs. When the water level drops in many cases these eggs are exposed and the birds, not gulls, come to feast. This only happens a few days a year after a certain full moon, but the birds are on it, don't miss a trick. The gulls are out over the water watching for herring or other small fish to pick off which are being forced to the surface by striped bass or bluefish.It's quite a sight watching the mayhem when a school of blues are busting the surface on bait and a flock of gulls diving in picking up fish and scraps being chopped up by the blues.
I see deer regularly around here, yesterday morning walking back through the woods I see a young deer, like a big dog, a doe maybe 1 year old about 3ft high back. As I get close to it she doesn't run, well they only run if you startle them, they usually just walk back into the bush, fade and disappear. So I start whistling to it as you would a dog, and the doe follows me at about 25 ft distance for about 50 yds along a railroad track, that's a first. She's been lucky the coyotees didn't get her, hopefully she survives

Interesting read that, thanks for posting

[johnh]

Saxon must live in Armley.

[Saxon]

I grew up in Holbeck, so I know Armley pretty good. Kids from that Green Lane school in Armley used to come and fight us at Ingram Road school every time it snowed.
My Dad worked for years at the Ledgard Bus company in Armley, they closed when bought out by West Yorkshire Bus around 1970.
I remember going to St Bartholomew church many times on boy scout parades, don't know if it's still open or even standing, but a visible landmark from all over the city, especially south Leeds in the Elland Road area.

[NottinghamWhite]

I grew up in Holbeck, so I know Armley pretty good. Kids from that Green Lane school in Armley used to come and fight us at Ingram Road school every time it snowed.
My Dad worked for years at the Ledgard Bus company in Armley, they closed when bought out by West Yorkshire Bus around 1970.
I remember going to St Bartholomew church many times on boy scout parades, don't know if it's still open or even standing, but a visible landmark from all over the city, especially south Leeds in the Elland Road area.

I live in Beeston however it’s Beeston Nottingham not Leeds

[Davycc]

Unbelievable photo of a Black Browed Albatross yesterday at Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire

Great photo there Phil