surprise visitor – an immature male Brambling

October 5, 2010

this pretty little bird is probably an immature male Brambling. he really caught my eye hopping around by the feeder yesterday afternoon – and was back this a.m. for breakfast. according to the articles below, these birds are not often seen in this area and this one has probably strayed off-course during migration. I guess [...]

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Friday Feathers: are the house finches about to migrate?

October 1, 2010

The house finches were even more boisterous than usual yesterday afternoon! Methinks they were having a heated discussion about their plans to depart for winter – and were furiously stocking up on food for their trip south. So far today, there’s hardly a peep out of them and there’s far less mess than usual under [...]

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Tim Birkhead and The Early Birdwatchers – recommended video

September 27, 2010

Wonderful lecture on Tim’s personal journey with birdwatching. He covers why governments should support such frivolous things as birdsong; promiscuity; possible cures for Alzheimer’s and even the power of Darwin’s wife!

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feisty

September 26, 2010

You gotta love these feisty little Anna’s hummingbirds. We’re lucky being this close to the coast, as it’s usually mild enough for them to stick around here through winter. You only have to go a short distance inland and it’s a different story. Anna’s hummingbirds head to this coast in autumn or head a little [...]

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week one, new feeder setup

September 26, 2010

It’s been a few months since we had our feeders up, and we really missed the activity and learning curve. We’ve hesitated to put the feeders up here for a few reasons. The patio is below ground level; surrounded by a mix of railings, a low hedge and fence panels. There are ‘launching areas’ for [...]

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Friday Feathers : Angry Bird!

September 24, 2010

I’ve become a real fan of the iPhone game called Angry Birds. This guy marks the return of our feeders and my vote for a part in the Angry Birds movie, should it ever be made!

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In defence of pigeons!

August 17, 2010

I saw a twitter conversation today in which the humble pigeon was once again the subject of ridicule. It’s true there are probably more interesting birds out there, but I want to mount some sort of defence of the poor bird. Let’s start by talking about how they take-off. Vertically! The first flap takesthem straight [...]

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Ant baths for crows, fighting pigeons and seagull roosts

July 30, 2010

When I started this blog I was motivated to share my experiences with what might be called common birds. Not the blue-footed boobies, birds of paradise and emperor penguins for me. Crows, pigeons and seagulls. In the last couple of days each of these wonderfully common birds has reaffirmed my original motivation. Crows share a [...]

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Going South … for the foreseeable

June 21, 2010

In the last couple of weeks the Ourbirdfeeder team has relocated south. Not the amazing distances travelled by our feathered friends but south nonetheless. Further, whilst it’s possible we may go back north again, unlike the birds, we are not planning it being anytime soon. We are still trying to sort out the feeders (and [...]

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Friday Feathers – ding dong for the Brown-headed Cowbird!

May 29, 2010

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