What's buzzing or flying near you 2025 ?

I caught this Ring Bill gull in flight with something in its beak. At first, I thought it might be a potato chip, and it may be, however it appears to have a straight edge. Whatever it was, it apparently meant something to the gull.

 

Peanut?

 

Maybe what we would call a chip @hydrogardener ? You'd call them fries.

If they're anything like the gulls here - that would be a large part of it's diet! Gulls at the coasts here often raid people's takeaway meals, and fish and chips is a mainstay.

 

Hi

exiting news , first two blackbirds spotted today, quickly spooked though.

 

I enlarged the image, and it is still hard to tell what it is. With gulls, it is probably something to eat.

 

This single Pink Footed Goose has taken up with a large Greylag flock, still an rare visitor to this county. It stayed in the water so you can't see it's pink feet.

 

Not a good shot but Woody came to visit today.

 

Too far away and gloomy to get a good shot, but very happy to see a female blackcap feeding on the pyracantha berries.

 

One lonely long tail at the feeder. Where have the others gone? Then a lonely coal tit. Haven't seen one in ages.

 

The amount of bird here is worrying as there isn't many, this is the worst year i've every seen for the lack of birds but the good thing is it's saving me money on not buying food

 

Someone yesterday saw a Wheatear near an Army Camp in Weymouth but not just a late departing one but an extremely rare Desert Wheatear, either lost or doing a 'Northern Europe Grand Tour.' It is along way from Morocco. It is a female but I would not have been able to distinguish it from our Northern one. I had to go and see for myself and it posed in front of me on dung heaps!

 

That's interesting. I'm in the NE of Wiltshire and I used to have blackbirds all year round. I haven't seen one single blackbird this year and thought they are victims of this virus that kills blackbirds, mentioned in February.
If you see your ones the first time, then I can have hope that the one or other will be back in my garden.

We have tits and the ones with the long tail. I never manage to take a picture of them, they are so fast. I believe the tits are looking for my new nesting box.

 

It's been quite lively in my garden the last couple of days. Here are some visitors to my rowan tree:

Dunnock


Female chaffinch


Blackbirds


Female Blackcap - I've also seen a male around but didn't manage to get a good picture of him


Robin

 

Song thrush in the rowan this morning.