Thursday 2 July 2009

Compo + Juveniles: Greenfinch and Starling

This male Blackbird has been spotted for several days. He looks so dishevelled that I named him Compo after the character in Last of the Summer Wine. Even though his feathers are in such a mess he has no problem collecting plenty of food for his brood or in flying. Such are the joys and responsibilities of parenthood!

Compo the Blackbird

A juvenile Greenfinch enjoying breakfast.



A juvenile Starling having a drink. Why is it when there is a choice of fresh clean water and green old water some birds choose the latter?



This moth was on the outside of the kitchen window which gave the opportunity to photograph the underside for a change.

Moth from Underneath

15 comments:

  1. That poor ol' Blackbird does look a mess doesn't he John. lol
    I've wondered that too about the water; always seems the dirty stuff is preferable for some reason.
    Interesting shot of the moth too.

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  2. Wonder if it's had an injury, good post as usual, thanks.

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  3. Oh dear John that poor black bird!!..but that's definately the life of a parent LOL. Love the little movies..I like hearing the sound this time....Nice

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  4. Nice photos and video. I especially like the Greenfinch and the deliberate way it sits and eats and spits out the bits it does not want. You have very interesting backyard bird visitors.

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  5. He certainly does Keith.
    Makes a change to see the underneath of an insect.

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  6. I don't know Adrian. I had thought it might be a moult which has gone wrong but whatever the cause it seems healthy enough.

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  7. Thank you Crista. The problem with filming from indoors is the lack of natural sounds. Sometimes I start filming and then realise the kettle is boiling or the washing machine is chugging away.

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  8. Thank you Mick. The finches really are clever the way they can just use the beak to strip off the husk and get rid of it without losing the kernel.
    Even the common back garden visitors give me hours of pleasure observing their individual habits.

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  9. So pleased to see the video of the young starling. After saying there are no starlings around here I have had a juvenile in my garden (don't know where the parents are). Anyway because we don't often get starlings I didn't realize the young ones were so brown so in the absence of the parent birds I wasn't sure I was identifying it correctly.

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  10. Pleased the video of the Starling helped Helen. Juneviles of some birds are so different in colour that it often has me confused. It's only seeing parents and young together that the penny drops.

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  11. He still look a mess Jan but some others are showing signs of going the same way.
    Here the Goldfinches mainly use the Nyger feeder and nothing else uses that. It's the only feeder I have which lasts for ages.

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  12. Wow, what a great idea to check the actions by slowing down the video, with such amazing results. I also enjoyed watching the starling drinking in such a fashion from the birdbath ~ it's quite an education observing these various behaviours :) It makes me so much more aware of my surroundings. I think the advent of the digital camera and related technology has changed many people's behaviour as well, as they clamber through the undergrowth for micro shots or peer into bushes and plants, enjoying the world of nature in all of its forms!

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  13. ~ PS that moth reminds me of intricate lace!

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  14. Hi Glo. I am becoming fascinated by the detail of birds' behaviour. There is so much to observe. When you think about it the art of learning to pick up water with a beak must be quite challenging.

    You are right. The digital age with its 'instant' results has made such a difference. Hard to remember the days when it might take months to finish a reel of 36 negatives with no idea what the results would be like until they were collected from the photographic shop. Yes - we are seeing the world of nature as never before.

    Moths can be quite beautiful - as long as they are outside and I am inside :)

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  15. Great looking Images on show.
    Well done.
    John.

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Thank you for visiting. Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Any comment, or correction to any information or identification I get wrong, is most welcome. John

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