Them wagtails seem to be everywhere the last few days ...

In article <HeWcnbR9nsoHrST4nZ2dnZfqnPidnZ2d@brightview.co.uk>,
Tease'n'Seize <tease-and-seize@invalid.?> on Tue, 30 Jan 2024 at
17:23:38 awoke Nicholas from his slumbers and wrote
>Them wagtails seem to be everywhere the last few days ...

I had thought of them at summer visitors, but on looking it up they are
resident in the UK. I have never seen them in winter.

Or does 'wagtail' have other connotations?
--
0sterc@tcher -

"Où sont les neiges d'antan?"

Nicholas D. Richards wrote:

> Tease'n'Seize wrote:
>
>> Them wagtails seem to be everywhere the last few days ...
>
> I had thought of them at summer visitors, but on looking it up they are
> resident in the UK. I have never seen them in winter.
>
> Or does 'wagtail' have other connotations?

No, not a euphonium, I too wondered if they may be migratory and the
winds had blown a big flock of them off course, but no. There were one
or two of them darting round the pavement every few yards yesterday.

In article <W6-dnUx_-tXuASf4nZ2dnZfqnPadnZ2d@brightview.co.uk>,
Tease'n'Seize <tease-and-seize@invalid.?> on Wed, 31 Jan 2024 at
19:15:55 awoke Nicholas from his slumbers and wrote
>Nicholas D. Richards wrote:
>
>> Tease'n'Seize wrote:
>>
>>> Them wagtails seem to be everywhere the last few days ...
>>
>> I had thought of them at summer visitors, but on looking it up they are
>> resident in the UK. I have never seen them in winter.
>>
>> Or does 'wagtail' have other connotations?
>
>No, not a euphonium, I too wondered if they may be migratory and the
>winds had blown a big flock of them off course, but no. There were one
>or two of them darting round the pavement every few yards yesterday.
>
Today has been a good day, not many birds but...

I was checking the mealworm feeder for freeflowing mealworms when a
robin landed on the far side of the feeder and cocked his/her head round
had a good look at me and filled his/her crop and fluttered down to the
ground at my feet where he/she sorted out the excess in his/her beak.
His/her plumage was in perfect condition. I suspect that the bird may
yet end up feeding from the palm of my hand. Tiny, delicate birds but
very bold.

I also had a good look at a Jay. They are surprisingly common, but do
not show themselves very often. I must start putting some large nuts
out for the Jay, now I know that it is around.
--
0sterc@tcher -

"Où sont les neiges d'antan?"

"Nicholas D. Richards" <nicholas@salmiron.com> wrote in news:
+EVAZZAK9sulFAJU@salmiron.com:

> Today has been a good day, not many birds but...
>
> I was checking the mealworm feeder for freeflowing mealworms when a
> robin landed on the far side of the feeder and cocked his/her head round
> had a good look at me and filled his/her crop and fluttered down to the
> ground at my feet where he/she sorted out the excess in his/her beak.
> His/her plumage was in perfect condition. I suspect that the bird may
> yet end up feeding from the palm of my hand. Tiny, delicate birds but
> very bold.

....and aggressive. More than once I've found two robins locked in mortal
combat.

--
Peter
-----

On 01/02/2024 10:01, Peter wrote:
> "Nicholas D. Richards" <nicholas@salmiron.com> wrote in news:
> +EVAZZAK9sulFAJU@salmiron.com:
>
>> Today has been a good day, not many birds but...
>>
>> I was checking the mealworm feeder for freeflowing mealworms when a
>> robin landed on the far side of the feeder and cocked his/her head round
>> had a good look at me and filled his/her crop and fluttered down to the
>> ground at my feet where he/she sorted out the excess in his/her beak.
>> His/her plumage was in perfect condition. I suspect that the bird may
>> yet end up feeding from the palm of my hand. Tiny, delicate birds but
>> very bold.
>
> ....and aggressive. More than once I've found two robins locked in mortal
> combat.
>
This. Also territorial. I read a report a while back of someone putting
a stuffed model of a bird with a red breast in their garden which a
robin had claimed as its territory. Said robin kept attacking it until
there was no red visible. One source suggests that 10% of males and 3%
of females are killed by other robins.

Some people who know no better also claim that swans are gentle creatures.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

On Thu, 1 Feb 2024 10:16:29 +0000
John Williamson <johnwilliamson@btinternet.com> wrote:

> Some people who know no better also claim that swans are gentle creatures.

My daughter sent me a couple of quite alarming pictures of her
carrying a swan under her arm - she was interning at a wildlife rescue
centre and had been trained to catch and carry large birds.

--
Steve O'Hara-Smith
Odds and Ends at http://www.sohara.org/
For forms of government let fools contest
Whate're is best administered is best - Alexander Pope

In article <l219buFb8usU1@mid.individual.net>, John Williamson
<johnwilliamson@btinternet.com> on Thu, 1 Feb 2024 at 10:16:29 awoke
Nicholas from his slumbers and wrote
>On 01/02/2024 10:01, Peter wrote:
>> "Nicholas D. Richards" <nicholas@salmiron.com> wrote in news:
>> +EVAZZAK9sulFAJU@salmiron.com:
>>
>>> Today has been a good day, not many birds but...
>>>
>>> I was checking the mealworm feeder for freeflowing mealworms when a
>>> robin landed on the far side of the feeder and cocked his/her head round
>>> had a good look at me and filled his/her crop and fluttered down to the
>>> ground at my feet where he/she sorted out the excess in his/her beak.
>>> His/her plumage was in perfect condition. I suspect that the bird may
>>> yet end up feeding from the palm of my hand. Tiny, delicate birds but
>>> very bold.
>>
>> ....and aggressive. More than once I've found two robins locked in mortal
>> combat.
>>
>This. Also territorial. I read a report a while back of someone putting
>a stuffed model of a bird with a red breast in their garden which a
>robin had claimed as its territory. Said robin kept attacking it until
>there was no red visible. One source suggests that 10% of males and 3%
>of females are killed by other robins.

Springtime pairing off is somewhat fraught, where males and females do
not recognise that another bird is a potential mate and fight.
Nonetheless analysis of nestling DNA has shown that the female of a pair
has played away from home. Whether the male of a pair has played away
from home is not so clear.
>
>Some people who know no better also claim that swans are gentle creatures.
>
Robins are territorial 24/7/365, as far as I am aware outside the
breeding season swan territories breakdown. Where swans are very
aggressive is towards potential predators. How much of that is pure
show, I do not know. Their wing bones are, like most flying bird bones,
hollow sacks used in respiration. Very effective at knocking a predator
off balance. I have never tried to face down a swan, but I would be much
more worried about its beak than its wings. When swans are being handled
the wings are wrapped against their body more to protect them.

As a small child I was pecked by a mother hen protecting her 'chicks',
in reality goslings who were already bigger than herself and myself. She
drew blood. Later in the year I was chased by the three goslings out of
the chicken run. Vicious they were. Come Christmas I had the
satisfaction of feasting on one of them.
--
0sterc@tcher -

"Où sont les neiges d'antan?"

On 01/02/2024 10:51, Ahem A Rivet's Shot wrote:
> On Thu, 1 Feb 2024 10:16:29 +0000
> John Williamson <johnwilliamson@btinternet.com> wrote:
>
>> Some people who know no better also claim that swans are gentle creatures.
>
> My daughter sent me a couple of quite alarming pictures of her
> carrying a swan under her arm - she was interning at a wildlife rescue
> centre and had been trained to catch and carry large birds.
>
Many years ago my (then) wife and I found one with fishing line wound
round and through its webbed foot. The RSPCA were called but they were
busy and so I was taught over the phone how to pick one up!

Basically, think positive, grab its neck immediately below its head and
(again} *Immediately*! thrust its head downwards to be low down against
its body. This then puts the swan in 'stun/safe mode' and you can pick
it up under the other arm - *whilst keeping the head low*.

They are surprisingly light - far far less then a frozen chicken (for
example :-/

To put it down, still keeping the head as low as possible, put the body
down first and then release the head. The animal will 'wake up' but
won't be aggressive. Probably.

HTH

Chris

On 2024-02-01, Ahem A Rivet's Shot <steveo@eircom.net> wrote:
> On Thu, 1 Feb 2024 10:16:29 +0000
> John Williamson <johnwilliamson@btinternet.com> wrote:
>
>> Some people who know no better also claim that swans are gentle creatures.
>
> My daughter sent me a couple of quite alarming pictures of her
> carrying a swan under her arm - she was interning at a wildlife rescue
> centre and had been trained to catch and carry large birds.
>

Generally best left alone. The do not seem to see powerlines, and I have
met some walking dazed around in VERY bad humour, After a while they
seem to get airbourne again (usuall need water) and go off looking
accusingl at me!. When we kept Emden geese, the ganders were very big.
We were told to keep away. There were a couple on a pond that were gone
when I passed by one day, but another couple came and there is a cygnet
as well recently. There was a story that people would stop and throw in
bread, which meant that the swans would swim over to get the bread and
be easily caught

--
greymausg@mail.com
"Boris, our once and future PM."
God damnthe Influencers.

On Thu, 1 Feb 2024 12:06:08 +0000
"Nicholas D. Richards" <nicholas@salmiron.com> wrote:

> In article <l219buFb8usU1@mid.individual.net>, John Williamson
> <johnwilliamson@btinternet.com> on Thu, 1 Feb 2024 at 10:16:29 awoke
> Nicholas from his slumbers and wrote
> >On 01/02/2024 10:01, Peter wrote:
> >> "Nicholas D. Richards" <nicholas@salmiron.com> wrote in news:
> >> +EVAZZAK9sulFAJU@salmiron.com:
> >>
> >>> Today has been a good day, not many birds but...
> >>>

Veering badly, I've been informed by Talking Pictures that Jack Hargreaves
is making a come-back! Ok, not live, some programmes from the (70s?).

--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

"Nicholas D. Richards" <nicholas@salmiron.com> wrote:

> In article <l219buFb8usU1@mid.individual.net>, John Williamson
> <johnwilliamson@btinternet.com> on Thu, 1 Feb 2024 at 10:16:29 awoke
> Nicholas from his slumbers and wrote
> > On 01/02/2024 10:01, Peter wrote:
> > > "Nicholas D. Richards" <nicholas@salmiron.com> wrote in news:
> > > +EVAZZAK9sulFAJU@salmiron.com:
> >>
> > > > Today has been a good day, not many birds but...
> >>>
> > > > I was checking the mealworm feeder for freeflowing mealworms when a
> > > > robin landed on the far side of the feeder and cocked his/her head
> > > > round had a good look at me and filled his/her crop and fluttered
> > > > down to the ground at my feet where he/she sorted out the excess in
> > > > his/her beak. His/her plumage was in perfect condition. I suspect
> > > > that the bird may yet end up feeding from the palm of my hand. Tiny,
> > > > delicate birds but very bold.
> >>
> > > ....and aggressive. More than once I've found two robins locked in
> > > mortal combat.
> >>
> > This. Also territorial. I read a report a while back of someone putting
> > a stuffed model of a bird with a red breast in their garden which a
> > robin had claimed as its territory. Said robin kept attacking it until
> > there was no red visible. One source suggests that 10% of males and 3%
> > of females are killed by other robins.
>
> Springtime pairing off is somewhat fraught, where males and females do not
> recognise that another bird is a potential mate and fight. Nonetheless
> analysis of nestling DNA has shown that the female of a pair has played
> away from home. Whether the male of a pair has played away from home is
> not so clear.
> >
> > Some people who know no better also claim that swans are gentle
> > creatures.
> >
> Robins are territorial 24/7/365, as far as I am aware outside the breeding
> season swan territories breakdown. Where swans are very aggressive is
> towards potential predators. How much of that is pure show, I do not know.
> Their wing bones are, like most flying bird bones, hollow sacks used in
> respiration. Very effective at knocking a predator off balance. I have
> never tried to face down a swan, but I would be much more worried about
> its beak than its wings. When swans are being handled the wings are
> wrapped against their body more to protect them.
>
> As a small child I was pecked by a mother hen protecting her 'chicks', in
> reality goslings who were already bigger than herself and myself. She drew
> blood. Later in the year I was chased by the three goslings out of the
> chicken run. Vicious they were. Come Christmas I had the satisfaction of
> feasting on one of them.
I unforgets seeing children "feeding the ducks" in the river. There were
also some swans. Some canada geese appeared. Before they got too close the
swans started to depart very rapidly. I got the impression teh geese had
previously done bad things to teh swans.

--
braind

On 2024-02-01, Kerr-Mudd, John <admin@127.0.0.1> wrote:
> On Thu, 1 Feb 2024 12:06:08 +0000
> "Nicholas D. Richards" <nicholas@salmiron.com> wrote:
>
>> In article <l219buFb8usU1@mid.individual.net>, John Williamson
>> <johnwilliamson@btinternet.com> on Thu, 1 Feb 2024 at 10:16:29 awoke
>> Nicholas from his slumbers and wrote
>> >On 01/02/2024 10:01, Peter wrote:
>> >> "Nicholas D. Richards" <nicholas@salmiron.com> wrote in news:
>> >> +EVAZZAK9sulFAJU@salmiron.com:
>> >>
>> >>> Today has been a good day, not many birds but...
>> >>>
>
>
> Veering badly, I've been informed by Talking Pictures that Jack Hargreaves
> is making a come-back! Ok, not live, some programmes from the (70s?).

The "Out of Town" series is available on DVD but all of the episodes are
available on YouTube.

--
Bernard Peek
bap@shrdlu.com
Wigan