What`s your favorite... ? (1 Viewer)

[old-mo]

We have on average about 8 - 10 various makes of birds in our garden during the day...

But my favorite for looks and antics has to be the "Long Tailed Tit" prettiest little bird I have seen..

What`s yours... ?

 

[Janine]

I agree! They look like little chipmunks running up and down the tree next to the bird table

 

[Geo]

Mine is the old garden Robin Red Breast
Cant see one without thinking of me ole Dad.
He told me they were called "Painters Ghosts"
He was a Painter and Decorator and the story goes that come the appearance of the first Robins in the Gardens or Building sites it was for sure the signal for painters to start getting laid off work for the winter a rough time for all building workers.
So it was told that when Painters die they come back as Robins to haunt there fellow tradesmen
Off now to google that story to see if it was his alone or a general building trade tale
Meanwhile has anyone else heard it:Cool:

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[Geo]

Well that didnt take long
The Bird with too many names
Most Common English Name
Robin

Scientific Name
Erithacas rubecula

Scots Names:
Bob Robin
Mason's Ghost
Painter's Ghost
Red Rab
Redbreast
Robin Ruch
Ruddock
Robinet
Robin Redbreast

Gaelic Names
Bru-dheargh
Pigidh
Bruin-deargan

I wonder how many names this bird has right across Europe.


Any idea why it is Painter's Ghost or Mason's Ghost?

Well, according to "Scottish Birds - Culture & Tradition" by Robin Hull:

Most names relate to plumage but the odd name Mason's Ghost is related to the bird's love of haunting old masonry, where it may have been likened to the spirit of the mason who built the wall. It is sometimes called the Painter's Ghost as "it is much in evidence when painters cannot work because of inclemency of the weather".*:Cool:

*Forbes A. R, Gaelic Names of Beasts, Birds, Fishes, Insects, Reptiles etc (Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh, 1905)

In America there is a much bigger native Thrush with a red breast, also known as a Robin Red Breast due to being named after the smaller English bird by the first early English settlers:thumb:
In The US this bird is also called the "Landlord" due to sitting in a nearby tree watching people do their gardenand yard chores, much like a nosey Landlord

 

[Pikey Pete]

My favourite is the Blackbird especially the male when he is in full mating plumage.

His song in the evening is a joy to hear and he is such a confident and cheeky chap.:thumb:

 

[rainbow chasers]

Favourite in ours (doesn't really count as a garden though) is the canada geese. I just like them! One has even taken to following us around. The female is nesting on the island so won't see much of her for a while, the son is off...well it's that time of the year!

What has arrived is a whistling duck - no idea where it came from, but it has arrived and is very pretty!

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[Popeye]

I have only recently looked at our native bird life, because of our wild New-Forest garden, and much of the bird life is just as you have pictured Mo.

I have two current favourites, the bull finch

because of it's magnificent plumage and the cheeky little nuthatch because he's the last to fly away when I disturb them from their feeder.

 

[Rayb182]

We have on average about 8 - 10 various makes of birds in our garden during the day...

But my favorite for looks and antics has to be the "Long Tailed Tit" prettiest little bird I have seen..

You've always been one that likes "Tits" :thumb:

 

[Lucky one]

Its the goldfinch for me i think they are so pretty and delicate i have two that visit my garden quite frequently and they sit one either side of the feeder and they always stay and have a good feed taking their time and enjoying the niger seed. :thumb:

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[chesterfield hooligan]

we have a pheasant who sits below the bird table waiting for anything that falls onto the floor :thumb:

in larger print for the hard of hearing ​

 

[Nirvanauk]

10 feet outside the kitchen window is our bird table and we get just about everything including a daily visit by a greater spotted woodpecker. However we now have a sparrow hawk watching over it and yesterday he just charged in and plucked up a chaffinch amongst much flapping and off he went again!

 

[The Dudess]

The blackbird that arrives very morning and paces up and down by the patio doors to remind me to put the bread out.

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[ukbill]

a chicken lovely on a sunday with veg

 

[Stephen & Jeannie]

Hoopoo and golden eagle for me !!!:Cool::Cool::Cool:

 

[ukbill]

Hoopoo and golden eagle for me !!!:Cool::Cool::Cool:

are they edible

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[Pikey Pete]

The blackbird that arrives very morning and paces up and down by the patio doors to remind me to put the bread out.

Don't know if you are aware, but Blackbirds love Apples. preferably whole or halved but not sliced.:thumb:


They do have to share them with the Starlings though as they are Apple Junkies too.



Pete:Cool:

 

[meanders]

We are so lucky as we live adjacent to farmland so have many birds visiting and some are real characters. At first light we have a male pheasant who sits on the wall outside the kitchen window shouting to be fed. I love to see the long tailed tis chattering to each other and the goldfinches squabbling over the niger seed. We have a large number of blackbirds that visit especially at this time of the year, their favourite treat is blueberries. We also have the occasional visit from the sparrowhawk. The funniest bird we have is the greater spotted woodpecker who when feeding young has the youngster waiting at the top of the telegraph pole to be fed, slides down to the peanut feeder and then back up to the top with a peanut-- not very bright-- would be easier to keep the youngster nearer the feeder!!

 

[maz]

Don't have my own garden but I always like to see (and hear!) Green Woodpeckers on sites.

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[Carol]

I like to watch the little Dunnock, pecking around the borders of the garden such a neat little bird, also last year I had a regular bunch of Black Caps I used to look out for, but have not seen them for a while.

 

[Spacerunner]

That bloody Robin who sings all night. Don't they ever sleep?

Mind you puts Nightingales to shame.

 

[JeanLuc]

My current favourite bird: yesterday afternoon we had a male Brambling at one of the garden feeders. I guess he's a bit late in leaving for Scandinavia due to the cold weather.
First time I have seen one in over 50 years of birdwatching.

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