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any twitchers in the house ?

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any twitchers in the house ?

Postby Tusses » 06 Jul 2017, 20:40

that Eagle sound you hear on all the americam fimls etc ..

I'm in Coventry, and I hear that classic Eagle sound every day !

what could it be that I'm hearing. ?

a quick google says Scotland has eagles, but no mention of them in Cov ! lol

I'll have to get my camera and zoom lens out, see if I can get a pick
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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby Mike G » 06 Jul 2017, 21:07

Buzzards, most likely. They're having a huge resurgence, and there is a release site on the M40 in Oxfordshire, not a million miles from Coventry. Six or 7 years ago they were confined to the western half of the British Isles. Now, they're everywhere. On a nice day I can watch 8 or 10 circling together in a thermal above the woods behind me.
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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby TrimTheKing » 06 Jul 2017, 21:15

We're just south of Warrington and there's at least a pair in the sky every day, like Mike, on a good day 6-8 birds soaring at different heights. There was one circling the village church when we collected the kids from school this afternoon.

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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby DaveL » 06 Jul 2017, 21:36

I was out cycling today and we saw a pair circling, unfortunately the guy who is a very keen twitcher was not with us to give an absolute ID.
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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby Mike G » 06 Jul 2017, 21:42

If they're big and circling in thermals, they're buzzards, Dave, unless they've got a forked tale, in which case they're red kites.
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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby TrimTheKing » 06 Jul 2017, 21:47

As Mike says, Buzzards are fairly unmistakable, they are MASSIVE compared almost any other bird you are likely to see in the UK. Wide, deep wings that bend upwards at the last few inches of the flight feathers and they tend not to flap much, just circle round in big circles on the thermals anywhere from 50-60 feet up to where they are just a tiny speck to the eye.

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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby Malc2098 » 06 Jul 2017, 22:10

Eagles, you say? Better Take it Easy!
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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby TrimTheKing » 06 Jul 2017, 22:22

Malc2098 wrote:Eagles, you say? Better Take it Easy!


I once saw a pair soaring above a Hotel in California.
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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby Rod » 06 Jul 2017, 23:20

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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby Rod » 06 Jul 2017, 23:28

Sounds like a Buzzard to me though Peregrin Falcons are common in towns around me - they make a similar sound.
Smaller than the Buzzard, they do soar but shoot down at great speed - fastest animal in the UK.

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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby Rod » 06 Jul 2017, 23:39

I've got an interesting App on my phone called BirdGuide by iSpiny.
Gives details of a wide variety of British birds together with their calls and songs.
I wind up our local Robin, Blackbirds etc by playing their calls - the males often appear to sort out the intruder or join in with the singing.

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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby Mike G » 07 Jul 2017, 06:51

Malc2098 wrote:Eagles, you say? Better Take it Easy!


:eusa-doh: :eusa-naughty: :lol:
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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby Andyp » 07 Jul 2017, 07:09

Malc2098 wrote:Eagles, you say? Better Take it Easy!


I remember them, Paul and Linda McCartney with Denny Laine. Great tunes.
I do not think therefore I do not am.

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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby Deejay » 07 Jul 2017, 07:29

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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby Tusses » 07 Jul 2017, 18:51

Thanks All
I've had another listen today. Bit cloudly, so couldn't see them, but can still hear them.

ooh , a listen to link ! , thanks DeeJay ..
We have buzzards .. the recording sounds more "shreiky" then what I am hearing with is much softer and a slower fall off in tone from high to low.

M40 Mike .. I thought they were Kites ? but that was a while ago !

Rod, we have some kind of prey birds that hover by the hedge rows , then just dive .. they've been about for a while .. and this is a new sound

Mark .. I knew someone that went there once .. come to think of it, I haven't seem him in a while !


And typical .. I put the TV on earlier .. relic hunter I think was on .. out in the sticks somewhere .. and there was that sound ! .. I think they must have only one bird sound for all the scenes like that !

Deejay gave me an idea though to google sounds .. when I get a spare day or two ! lol .. at least then I can come back with what it sounds like
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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby selectortone » 07 Jul 2017, 19:21

My son lives in Marlowe and there are always several red kites circling in the sky above his house. Nice to see them, they were virtually extinct at one time.

http://marlowredkiteride.co.uk/red-kites/
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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby Malc2098 » 07 Jul 2017, 19:22

Yep, you can check out any time you want, but you can never le - e - eave!!
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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby Malc2098 » 07 Jul 2017, 19:27

I was serving in Marlow in the mid 90s.

The Red Kites were released on Christmas Common and we had to keep an eye out for any egg stealers after they nested.

For the first 5 years of the noughties, I was commuting from Marlow to Aylesbury and was following them further along the Chilterns Ridge.

BTW, they demolished Marlow Police Station this week. A beautiful old building from the 50s I think. But as I've been busted by PB, I can't show you the photos I've got from my retirement association!!
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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby selectortone » 07 Jul 2017, 19:34

Oh yeah... Marlow without an 'e' - I'm always getting busted by my son for that!

Small world! I don't know Marlow very well, only visit occasionally. We usually take a walk with my grandkids in the park down by the Thames. Nice place. The house prices are eye-watering!
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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby Rod » 07 Jul 2017, 21:15

Hovering over hedgerows will probably be Kestrels- they are quite small.
We get frequent visits by Sparrow hawks who hide in trees then swoop on their prey. Don't always see them but they leave plenty of evidence of their success behind - generally the wings of their victims.

Image

On a trip to Yorkshire today saw lots of kites at various locations even as far north as Sheffield.

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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby RogerS » 09 Jul 2017, 18:20

We used to have a wake of 8 or 9 circling round above us where we used to live. Then the eejit neighbouring landowner (High Court Judge, no less) hired a reprobate gamekeeper for his little shoot and that's what the a*hole of a gamekeeper did...shot most of them to protect the pheasants.

It was also rather fun to see crows trying to discourage the buzzards away by destabilising the airflow around it. After a while the buzzard would decide enough was enough and bat the crow out of the way.
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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby Mike G » 09 Jul 2017, 20:26

RogerS wrote:We used to have a wake of 8 or 9 circling round above us where we used to live. Then the eejit neighbouring landowner (High Court Judge, no less) hired a reprobate gamekeeper for his little shoot and that's what the a*hole of a gamekeeper did...shot most of them to protect the pheasants........


Which is more than a little stupid as buzzards are no threat to live pheasants. They're mainly carrion eaters.
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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby RogerS » 09 Jul 2017, 21:13

Mike G wrote:
RogerS wrote:We used to have a wake of 8 or 9 circling round above us where we used to live. Then the eejit neighbouring landowner (High Court Judge, no less) hired a reprobate gamekeeper for his little shoot and that's what the a*hole of a gamekeeper did...shot most of them to protect the pheasants........


Which is more than a little stupid as buzzards are no threat to live pheasants. They're mainly carrion eaters.



If you'd met the gamekeeper, you'd understand 'stupid' !!
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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby Rod » 09 Jul 2017, 21:19

I thought they were protected?

Buzzards eat rabbits, voles, frogs, small birds, insects and carrion.

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Re: any twitchers in the house ?

Postby RogerS » 09 Jul 2017, 21:24

Rod wrote:I thought they were protected?

Buzzards eat rabbits, voles, frogs, small birds, insects and carrion.

Rod


They are protected but since when did that stop an idiot with a shotgun :(
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