With this lovely video, I will say farewell to 2014 and welcome to 2015. Also best wishes for a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous year for all our Forum and Gabfest friends as well as all our feathered friends, especially EJ and Odin and their 2015 family.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtajxo8d7js
June and TJ, Lovely captures of the Ithaca feeder--Thanks for posting. June: Re: Buzzards--I believe that US Buzzards and UK Buzzards are not the same.
Willow, How lovely that you can see Buzzards so close to you. Years ago there never were any here in west Surrey, but they have gradually moved nearer and nearer over the years. We sometimes see them soaring over the Hogsback (for those who may not know this area, it is a glacial ridge between Farnham and Guildford) and we have seen them at a National Trust place just outside of Guildford.
Keith, Hope you have a good journey to Africa and that you see White 14 while there.
Kind regards, Ann
June thankyou for your generous compliment. I have not seen many rabbits lately so food for the buzzards must be in short supply! I put peanuts out every night for the badgers and sometimes other creatures help themselves tonight i saw a cheeky little wood mouse making off with the peanuts, one at a time! Sometimes though a rat helps himself not so cute :(
Hello Ann, you are another night hawk! Id love red kites to spread down here! They seem to be spreading else where Oxfordshire
Hi Willow, Yes, I sometimes burn the midnight oil! As for Red Kites--we have not yet seen them near our house, but Hubby sees them from his workplace only a few miles away. They are wonderful birds. We saw a couple at Rutland Water when we went to Birdfair 2 years ago. We have also seen them once or twice when visiting RSPB Pulborough Brooks, and of course whenever we travel along the M40 which was where we first saw them many years ago after they were re-established up there. With time, I expect they will spread over the whole country. Please remind me where you are.
Hello Ann I live in east Kent about 8 miles from Canterbury. There was one seen some time ago on Lydden Downs not far from Dover. There was a program once with a lady from Oxford and she was lucky to have one nest in a pine tree in her garden! The Kite was stealing clothes off her washing line to line the nest! LOL
Willow, Good luck with eventually having Red Kites nest in your garden (if only!)! What a story that is about the lady who had them! Kent is a lovely area. We have overseas visitors coming in early summer and we will show them the sights of Kent and East Sussex. They are not birders (they prefer castles and cathedrals so Canterbury will be on the list, of course!), but we will have to sneak in a bit of birding when we can, if only morning and evening from the cottage!
I am in E Kent too GB, about 12 miles from Canterbury & near the coast! After the Cathedral visit, maybe you could take your guests to Grove Ferry Inn & settle them in for a meal whilst you hop on the ferry for a trip along the Stour which runs through the middle of Stodmarsh NNR only takes an hour with plenty of birds to see & snap!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Hi all past lurker just joined.
A nice Red-bellied Woodpecker on the Ithaca feeder ..........
........ which got frightened off when a Hairy Woodpecker arrived.
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Tony
My Flickr Photostream
Hi, FAT - your name certainly caught my attention! :)
I'm always glad for a lurker to drop in and say hello. I'm particularly pleased that you have finally decided to join the community.
How long have you been watching? If you have been with us very long you know that we here at the GABFEST don't have "Lurkers",just "watchers", "readers" and "listeners". Maybe you've been reading long enough to know us, but we don't know you. Hope you'll come in often enough in the upcoming days that that can be rectified.
WELCOME TO THE GABFEST!
Borrowed from RSPB North Scotland Facebook page