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Springwatch with Hellsbells


HellsBells said:
Tried this last week. Kids noticed a green bird in a hole in a tree, obviously nesting. We’re in Italy so wasn’t sure the app would work but it did - Rose Ringed Parakeets. Kids were delighted. Thank you.
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Excellent that 👍
It’s class with the sound app on and picks up the birds quite far away. Lists them all with a picture and name of what they are.
Will definitely use it if I am unsure particularly if I’m in a new area.

Plenty of black caps and Whitethroats around here. Very similar sounds but can now spot the difference. Just helps to memorise them.
 
Swindon On Tour said:
Excellent that 👍
It’s class with the sound app on and picks up the birds quite far away. Lists them all with a picture and name of what they are.
Will definitely use it if I am unsure particularly if I’m in a new area.

Plenty of black caps and Whitethroats around here. Very similar sounds but can now spot the difference. Just helps to memorise them.
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I'm currently in Scotland and used the app to discover that we had Skylarks swooping and chirping around us.

Thanks.
 
The live cams are topper. One of the Warblers nearly dove out the nest earlier getting it's bait. The nests have all been busy this afternoon tbf, well done the parents.
 
It has been a magnificent spring for blossom. In order of appearance, the blackthorn, hawthorn and wild roses have all been spectacular. My eye-estimate is they all put out 10% or so more blossom than normal. Now the blackberry blossom is opening and it’s the same. Blackberry scmackberry, most of us don’t usually notice it but this year it’s sensational. Stick your nose in a blossom and get that gentle rose-like scent. Wonderful stuff.
 
Blackberry! I was about to pick my first blackberry on Sunday just before I left for my holidays but either a bird, slug or mouse got there first. This is the earliest I've ever seen a ripe blackberry in my garden and when I first noticed it I thought it was a rougue raspberry plant. Still got loads of blossom on the other brambles.
 
Well that's another year gone quickly, another good series. No mention of Gillian or footage looking back over the 20 year anniversary

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Hair Flick said:
That Irish kid on tonight, bless him, recording all the birds in Ireland. He’s only got 2 more to go apparently.

I could definitely do with him going for a trip down the etangs with us next week back out in Brittany as it’s all those reed warblers etc that are my blind (deaf) spot in identifying.
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Well that Merlin app has been fantastic.

Used it today to identify reed buntings, sedge warblers (lovely sounds) and one particularly intriguing little bird that we’ve seen and heard for years down the reef beds, but never knew what it was. Merlin identified it as a zitting cisticola or streaked fantail warbler.

Had a great slow and low fly-past into the wind by the marsh harrier.
 
Hair Flick said:
Well that Merlin app has been fantastic.

Used it today to identify reed buntings, sedge warblers (lovely sounds) and one particularly intriguing little bird that we’ve seen and heard for years down the reef beds, but never knew what it was. Merlin identified it as a zitting cisticola or streaked fantail warbler.

Had a great slow and low fly-past into the wind by the marsh harrier.
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It’s fantastic isn’t it.
I was surprised the range on what it can pick up.
Noted we have a decent population of Reed Buntings in the rough ground near our local reservoir.
Lucky with that Marsh Harrier sighting mate 👍
 
Swindon On Tour said:
It’s fantastic isn’t it.
I was surprised the range on what it can pick up.
Noted we have a decent population of Reed Buntings in the rough ground near our local reservoir.
Lucky with that Marsh Harrier sighting mate 👍
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We are lucky that there’s a small colony of marsh harriers so you’re as likely to see one as a buzzard or a kestrel.

The app picked up a bearded tit on our walk this evening and a very surprising wimbrel which I’m fairly sure we saw a couple of weeks back on the beach but thought it was a curlew.

If it was a wimbrel, it’s way off its turf mind.
 
Just got the bird box off the fence to clear it out ready for the spring. I haven’t had the camera on for a while, as we’d not had birds the two years after our first year in 2022, and it had a few connections problems last year.

When I opened the box to clean it, we’d had a nest last year, and there was one dead baby bird in it, quite big, which means they must have managed to raise a full clutch.

Cleaned it out and put it back up, camera working (for now) so let’s see where we get to in 2026. 🤞

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HellsBells said:
Just got the bird box off the fence to clear it out ready for the spring. I haven’t had the camera on for a while, as we’d not had birds the two years after our first year in 2022, and it had a few connections problems last year.

When I opened the box to clean it, we’d had a nest last year, and there was one dead baby bird in it, quite big, which means they must have managed to raise a full clutch.

Cleaned it out and put it back up, camera working (for now) so let’s see where we get to in 2026. 🤞

View attachment 24948
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.... is that a git big spider at the top? Need a banana for scale it looks ****** massive.
 
HellsBells said:
Just got the bird box off the fence to clear it out ready for the spring. I haven’t had the camera on for a while, as we’d not had birds the two years after our first year in 2022, and it had a few connections problems last year.

When I opened the box to clean it, we’d had a nest last year, and there was one dead baby bird in it, quite big, which means they must have managed to raise a full clutch.

Cleaned it out and put it back up, camera working (for now) so let’s see where we get to in 2026. 🤞

View attachment 24948
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What's the dimensions of that box mate. Is the wood 6x1 ?
 
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