Wildlife -January 2010

[Paddy Tobin]

There is a very busy fieldfare in the garden here.  While they are common and numerous in the fields round about they seldom come into the garden. Likewise with the redwings.

Unusually, the fieldfare is eating the crabapples from Malus 'Golden Hornet' which would appear to be unpalatable at this time of the year as they are all gone brown long since but the fieldfare is in the tree all day long even defending his perch against Mistle thrushes.

Paddy

[Stephenb]

Unusually, the fieldfare is eating the crabapples from Malus 'Golden Hornet' which would appear to be unpalatable at this time of the year as they are all gone brown long since but the fieldfare is in the tree all day long even defending his perch against Mistle thrushes.

It will be an alcoholic Fieldfare...desperate for another fix!

Waxwings are known to get drunk on too much fermented fruit.

[Lesley Cox]

Survival of the fittest among the birds in our garden is very appropriate as Darwin's grandfather(?) Erasmus Darwin is buried in thevillage. That's my useless fact of the day!

So presumably he wasn't very fit? at least near the end.

[Lesley Cox]

While feeling deeply for all the birds and other animals which are suffering so badly in the northen hemisphere winter this year, I have to appreciate that the weather has provided so many more opportunities to photograph the wild ones, we, especially in the south where many or most contenders are unknown, being the beneficiaries.

That poor fish Mark, two large hooks having taken its life before the comorant (shags to us) got his beak on it.

[Maggi Young]

I sympathise with the cormorant, since it looks like the hooks are stuck in his bill....but the fish is a fake, Lesley.. it's a fishing lure 

[Lesley Cox]

Oh, so just poor cormorant then. Should have realized there was something fishy going on, but I'm no fisherperson (but am always PC, as you see).

[Anthony Darby]

Here cormorants and shags are different species. I remember a field trip to Millport, Isle of Cumbrae. One of the projects involved studying eiders. As an introduction we went sea bird spotting. The commentary (imagine more than one voice) went: "eider, eider, cormorant, eider, shag, no I wouldnae...........eider, eider....."

[Lesley Cox]

I wouldnae eider. We have black and pied but all are referred to as shags. Between Dunedin and Timaru where I used to live, is Shag Point. A prominent person from the RBG Kew, when he travelled that road with me, wanted to go there to see what was happening.

[johnw]

A friend in Holland just sent me this photo of a wonderful bird in her yard.  She says in Dutch it is a Flemish Jay. Can someone identify it?

johnw

[Lori S.]

It is referred to simply as "Jay" (Garrulus glandarius) in our old Birds of Europe... who knows how often the common name may have changed since then, though?

Edit:  And, I should add, it may well have been reorganized into some other species since that publication... I wouldn't know.

[johnw]

Thanks Lori. It's a handsome one.

johnw

[Lori S.]

Certainly is... in flight, the blue-striped bands extend all across the upper wing, and the speculum beneath is white, bordered crisply by black, according to the painting in the book.  Must be spectacular to see.

[Maggi Young]

Jays are pretty widespread in the UK, though we don't see them very often here... there was great excitement when we spotted one just down the road a couple of years ago. Smart looking bird, bigger than a Fieldfare.

[Susan Band]

Usually they are seen flying across the road when you are driving through woods. You don't often get to see them close up.
Susan

[t00lie]

Dave, before I read your post I guessed your kakariki had yellow genes. In the Uk they are known as red-fronted and yellow-fronted. The mutations available over here are amazing blue, pieds, yellow, cinnamon, buttercup, red splashed yellow. Are they available in NZ?

Kakarikis are famous for being the only parrot that can climb without using it's beak. That included upsidedown

Mark
I haven't seen the mutations in NZ and i doubt they exist---part of my Dept. Of Conservation permit in allowing me to house the birds was that i needed to keep the yellows and reds in separate aviaries and no interbreeding.
My hybrids came about from buying a female that looked true red but must have had some yellow crown genes in it's background.

Cheers dave.