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My parents got one of the weighted ones and tied a dinner plate upside down to the bottom, finally achieving a squirrel and pigeon proof feeder. The smaller birds still make a mess but it isn't nearly as bad as before.
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# ¿ Jul 13, 2020 19:15 |
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# ¿ May 10, 2024 15:53 |
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I've started recording all the birds I manage to ID on my walks in eBird, it's really fun. Have been getting new ones each time so far. It's frustrating when I don't quite get a good enough look to confidently ID one though - I saw a big black bird flying across the bay the other morning, and by the time I'd looked up the difference between a comorant and a shag it was too far away to see properly. I also have a mystery bird from this morning: After looking at a lot of pictures of Plovers I'm fairly certain this is a Ruddy Turnstone in non breeding plumage (I'm on the coast in Brittany, France). However: * Merlin doesn't have it in its list of likely birds * Does the lack of breeding plumage in the summer mean it's a juvenile? * Why isn't it further north this time of year? * Is that even the correct id? there seem to be a lot of brown shorebirds
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# ¿ Jul 15, 2020 08:05 |
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Pablo Bluth posted:It's definitely a Ruddy Turnstone. Their range is incredibly global so they can show up anywhere. Thanks. It's the first record at my local "hotspot" on ebird, and even though there have only been like 5 other checklists submitted I still find it very satisfying! I've found that I'm noticing way more birds when I'm purposely looking for them (duh), I had seen the Little Egrets before, but had somehow never noticed the Grey Herons!
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# ¿ Jul 15, 2020 14:10 |
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There are loads of good quality 8x25 and 8x30 binoculars in the sub 400$ range - Nikon Monarch 7 are €350 but you'll have a perfectly good experience with cheaper ones from a respectable brand.
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# ¿ Nov 14, 2020 21:16 |
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BetterLekNextTime posted:Don't be fooled by the fact they are a common winter bird. White-throated Sparrows are super cool. We only get a handful here on the west coast so I'm always stoked when one comes to my yard or I see them on a hike. Wow that's super cool, thanks for the link. Crazy that this was only discovered comparatively recently, imagine all the weird stuff less common species must get up to.
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# ¿ Jan 17, 2021 09:23 |
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Owlkill posted:Is it possible to get a camera that would be decent enough for zoom shots of garden birds for less than around £200 (roughly $275)? The real budget option might be to get a cheap spotting scope (e.g. Celestron c90) and rig your phone up to it somehow. Here's an example: https://youtu.be/2pMoBcorGAI Obviously there are issues with the setup there, but lots of the are surmountable. You can also get a £10 adapter to connect it to old Nikon DSLR bodies if you can get one cheap.
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# ¿ Feb 4, 2021 16:41 |
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Tears In A Vial posted:Saw a Marsh Harrier today I'm pretty sure. Will check the pics later. Was really exciting. Watched it for about an hour probably. Think that was my fourth bird of prey this year, which is very cool, because before I started actively looking for birds I only ever saw one kind of BoP. Wow that's super cool, I'm jealous. I've only seen kites in the UK since I started birding.
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# ¿ Feb 4, 2021 17:41 |
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It's really satisfying going back the the same places and getting to know their wildlife better. You get a feel for what's common a d always there, what depends on the tide/time if day/season, and what's really unusual! I just discovered an incredible small (maybe 20mx40m) bit of mudflats which unlike the one nearest where I'm living had a couple of late Red Knots. I presume either because this one is mostly disconnected from land or because there are fewer people around. There are also loads more Whimbrels and Ruddy Turnstones this year, or maybe I'm just getting better at spotting them.
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# ¿ Apr 26, 2021 08:12 |
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Serephina posted:Hello there gentlepersons, I'm not sure if this is the right thread for it but it seems like a good place to ask: You could get mini ones (8x25) but honestly if they're for a yard and you aren't carrying them I'd get 8x35 or something
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# ¿ Dec 12, 2021 13:32 |
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These are juvenile flamingos right? You can just make out the beak shape on the one on the far right. SW France in a big lake, I can't find much information about their distribution in France.
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# ¿ Dec 12, 2021 13:34 |
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Pablo Bluth posted:ebird has them along the mediterranean coast with the camargue region the hotspot, plus vagrants elsewhere inland. Thanks, looking at their map it's definitely Flamingos. I was really thrown by the beak shape and lack of coloration, but it makes sense for juveniles. eBird also has a photo of one with the exact coloration I saw
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# ¿ Dec 12, 2021 14:18 |
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Saw a bunch of Griffin Vultures today. I felt like they came to check us out as we walked by but that might just have been the thermals moving. Very big birds!
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# ¿ Dec 22, 2021 16:52 |
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# ¿ May 10, 2024 15:53 |
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My Shark Waifuu posted:
I looked at loads of pictures of all sorts of finches until I looked more closely at the original one - that black eyestripe is actually a bud on a twig, not part of the bird. So American Goldfinch seems safe.
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# ¿ Jan 10, 2023 15:20 |