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  1. pianoman

    How do birds identify at distance what is edible?

    I think it has something to do with birds' infinitely better colour vision than ours. It's not just that they see ultraviolet it is that they have 4 different fully functional types of cone receptors to our 3 (really 2 1/2 because our yellow cones aren't as fully developed as the red and blue...
  2. pianoman

    Robin in my outhouse

    And just for fun: "Bog" is an Irish or Scots Gaelic adjective meaning "Soft". Only in English is it used as a noun to refer to a marsh, wet peat area, or indeed an outhouse... Edit: Back to the robins Macey - wishing them and you every success this season :-)
  3. pianoman

    A Change Of Luck.

    Nice - is that a Wigeon X Teal, or is it just a trick of the light?
  4. pianoman

    Netherlands - common snipe or jack snipe?

    Ah yes I see them all now, including the "candidate" bird. Realize now that pic 1 is a zoom of pic 2. I'd hazard that it looks somewhat smaller but agree that it really is almost impossible to tell
  5. pianoman

    Netherlands - common snipe or jack snipe?

    In the second picture, allowing for the optical illusion caused by the zoom, the frontmost snipe is approx the same size as the definite Common Snipe to the right of the Coot. And yes I think you can just make out the vertical flank barring on the frontmost snipe. So on balance, Common for me...
  6. pianoman

    Sticky rubber on numerous consumer products, not aimed at specific birding optics companies

    The handlebars of my electric bike developed stickiness within a couple of years of buying it. Some plastics degrade and become brittle or powdery, but the plastic used for grips of various products seems instead to go sticky with age. I'm not sure what polymer this rubber-like substitute is.
  7. pianoman

    Pied, or a White Wagtail?

    Yellowish face implies a juvenile, which will complicate the ID. But even so, I think I see enough difference between the dark crown and the lighter mantle to hazard White. Far from certain though
  8. pianoman

    Europeans, which American bird would you most like to see?

    Rereading this thread and realized that I didn't have long to wait; saw plenty at my brother's feeders in Florida just a couple of months later in Nov.
  9. pianoman

    Merlin Identifies as House Sparrow but not heard this before ?

    I would agree that the main call (something like "hooweet.......tseeooo") is most likely Coal Tit. I hear a similar call quite often on walks and it used to puzzle me untill I got a good view of the Coal Tit making the call.
  10. pianoman

    Robins with or without grey faces?

    There's something else about Delia's photo - the bluish tint to the grey parts may partly be a photo artefact but I can sometimes see this in real life. I have a feeling that if you had the enhanced colour vision of a bird, that grey would show as quite a bright colour. And many relatives of...
  11. pianoman

    Scary

    It often occurs to me that the features animals use to impress their own species also impress us Homo Sapiens too. THere must be a universal language of cool :cool:
  12. pianoman

    UK Long-eared Owl survey

    Yes Males call in the spring but there is a certain amount of luck in being there to hear them. The fledged juv calls in July (my local forest anyway) are quite constant and far-carrying so you would likely hear them. Of course this won't find adults that did not breed that year, and won't...
  13. pianoman

    UK Long-eared Owl survey

    A pretty reliable way at least to identify the presence of breeding LEO is to familiarize yourself with the juvenile calls, then wander through suitable woodland in early to mid July at dusk. If LEO is breeding in that wood, you will hear the calls pretty reliably. You may also be able to...
  14. pianoman

    Nyjer seed not attracting goldfinches ?

    Also if you have other feeders for different species, the general activity round the feeders tends to attract the goldfinches in.
  15. pianoman

    Magpie or?

    Interesting - Perhaps there is a significant difference, listening to this: Black billed magpie I haven't heard my local magpies making a sound like that.
  16. pianoman

    Magpie or?

    I must say that it doesn't sound like Magpie to me - unless there is significant difference between NA Black-Billed and Eurasian
  17. pianoman

    My beloved is in love......with her Leica Trinovid 7x35's

    Those Leitz must have been pretty unusual as early roof prisms back in the 60s? I don't remember anything but Porros in the 70s but I guess roofs must have been around
  18. pianoman

    Ireland - near lahinch.

    The pipit would almost certainly be Rock, they are quite abundant on the Atlantic coast compared to further east.
  19. pianoman

    Irish hybrid duck

    You may be able to contact him via his blog Joern: https://toryislandbirdblog.blogspot.com/2018/05/derek-brennan-28th-29th-april.html Or sign up/sign in to birdguides, he is a member on there. You may not be able to find someone to give you his personal email.
  20. pianoman

    Why is a Great Tit pecking away at the hole on my nestbox this time of year?

    Hi - Great tits certainly use nestboxes to roost during the winter. And would also attempt to enlarge the hole if necessary. However this bird would have its work cut out for it, a natural tree hole would have thinner and softer wood around the hole. I wonder did he/she give up in the end?
  21. pianoman

    Herbicide

    If it was a lawn weedkiller it's likely to be an auxin (plant hormone) based one that leaves the grass intact. If so it's unlikely to cause the birds any harm (don't get me wrong, I'm not in favour of it). But you can't be sure so remove the feeders for a couple of weeks to allow any herbicide...
  22. pianoman

    Arctic Warbler co Mayo

    Congratulations, yes twitches are fine but there is nothing quite like finding your own rarity
  23. pianoman

    Raven: Whispering sweet nothings 😊

    Lovely picture. Yes other crow species are the unruly teenagers whereas ravens are the dignified strong parents
  24. pianoman

    Hoping for an ID on this non-native bird in my garden--it's not caged, but perched inside a tomato cage in garden

    If you are in Florida (in which case I hope you are OK), then this is the time of year for them in backyard feeders. Saw them at my brother's feeders in Cocoa, FL when I was over this time last year.
  25. pianoman

    Birding on EastEnders

    LMAO - what? I thought it was a documentary!
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