Trees And Flowers And Birds (Recognition)

I think it's the era you were brought up in poppy. My generation (old f@rts) were taught these things and I can remember for instance bringing leaves and flowers into school, which we identified and crayoned or painted.

the kids of today dont see trees, they look at their phones whilst out

the only birds they see are in porn they watch on their phones, great tits or other

flowers, ...what are they , can they be wild, like?

A person who walks can study every smallest living thing , a sparrow , a bee , a dog , a butterfly , a worm , a flower , a mouse , a cloud , a leaf , a discarded scrap of paper
with words on

Think nature is the best supplement for wellbeing and mental health in general have got more enjoyment out of seeing wildlife that was unexpected or never seen before than years of booze/gambling related pleasures,being able to get out and switch off from devices makes a huge difference imo.

totally agree Denzil. Having been/am a keen cyclist, I took up walking/hiking after the unfortunate death of my wife and it has lifted me from a dark place .
To experience the countryside close up is a fabulous experience that gives me a natural high its my addiction.

I dont desire drugs/alcohol/cigarettes/gambling as the endorphins provided by our wonderfull surroundings are enough 4 me.

With regards to OP unfortunately didnt learn these in my formative years but slowly picking it up as i go along.

The greatest buzz i get is from hearing the shrill call of the Buzzard(you usually hear them before you see them) and then watch them glide round on the thermals very rarely flapping their wings. Once you get to know their distinctive call you will be amazed how many are flying about.

Sorry to hear about your loss Geoff and I wish you well.

Agree with everything you say mate.

Feel sorry for the younger generation nowadays whose life revolves round mobile phones, social media, reality tv, the internet and DRUGS!

The best things in life are FREE.

The Observer pocket books were highly informative. So much information on so many subjects.

Coal Tits are wonderful little creatures. There were loads around here but I haven`t seen one since the Pits were shut down

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Things have changed so much over the years as creatures began to lose their natural habitat due to what some people call "progress".

I`ve mentioned it before on other threads but there used to be hundreds of Linnets here every Summer but I haven`t seen one in over 20 years. The gorse bushes where they nested were all dug up and houses built over their former habitat. Beautiful little creatures with a distinctive call.

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Same with Skylarks, all gone since the farmland was developed with more houses. Used to love watching them as a kid as they hovered high above their nests in the summer.

Cheers TMM:

Didnt realise that was a coal tit.

On a small leg loosener yesterday returning home field(low wetlands but no lake or pond) nearest my house 150 yards away where stood 2 Herons  facing each other looked like some form of mating ritual. Never seen 2 together previously or in a field all ways been solitary close by to lakes/ponds

You should take some photos on your travels Geoff and share the wonders of nature that you see with the forum.

Yep rare sightings for me as well are the Skylarks yet prolific as a youngster.
The 1s i have great difficulty with are the members of the crow?? family rooks/ravens/jackdaws etc .
But then again my eyes aint what they used to be.

Jackdaws are smaller with grey neck and back of head and short beak.

Rooks have a greyish Bill and their plumage a blue sheen to it.

Ravens have big feet and their feathers around their neck fluff up when calling.

Carrion Crows have a green sheen to their plumage and their nostrils are covered with feathers.

.... and of course they all have different calls.

Only wildlife around here nowadays is found at the pub over the weekend

This will help you identify the various t1ts.

I assume it is a Selfie with a legend, as there is a Blue Tit above him

Cheers TMM and AKA(thanx for getting yer t**s out)

My back garden looks onto the countryside.
I love sitting out and have come to be able to identify all the different types of birds that visit.
Would struggle to tell one tree from another and useless with flowers albeit the wife can keep me right as she's fairly knowledgeable on both.

Sorry to hear about your wife geoff.
Currently skylarks about a mile from my house like watching their climbs/call easily identifiable from Meadow Pipits and the Skylarks stay on the ground so you can get a good look at them,concur about the Buzzards' call usually just stick the binocs to the Sky loads in Northumberland too.
tmm love the picture of the Linnet saw my first one(s) last year Grand National day at Bamburgh Castle absolutely non in any Urban areas I've been too.

Hadn't read the whole thread. Likewise sorry to read about your loss Geoff. Must leave a massive void.

A lovely, informative thread

I love this thread,keep it going,learned more in five minutes than all the other threads put together,no aggro no I am right your wrong,just the the glory of the great outdoors and all the gifts that it has in store for everyone who just open there eyes.very well done popydog.be lucky Fred.

Know your thrushes Song and Mistle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VEDsg0V1_M

Thanx for those kind thoughts and words guys!

thanx 4 link Denzil
the shrill of the buzzard:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSE4ApN8r4E

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Mistle Thrush

Not to get mixed up with the Fieldfare who has lower white plumage

Can remember being dive bombed by Mistle Thrushes when climbing up a tree to look in the nest , we called them Stormcocks.

Learnt most of my birds from my grandad and my uncle, neither of whom had read a bird book in their lives.

Mistle Thrush a Storm **** because of its habit of singing in the treetops during storms. Green Woodpecker a Yaffle on account of its call. My favorite is If you see a Rook its a Crow. If you see a group of Crows they're Rooks. They did teach me Jackdaws later!! and no Ravens hereabouts in Sussex

Re Tits, the pictures below don't really help with Coal Tits. They are very little!!, like a blue tit (actually slightly smaller) but the key differentiation is they have a white patch/wide stripe on the back of their heads. No other tit has this. You cant see this is Aka's page.

Willow Tit and Marsh Tit are ridiculously hard to tell apart unless you know the songs. The general advice given is that one's black head is shinier than the other (cant remember which) which sounds ever so helpful but you would need to see them together to see the difference. AND guess what because of their habitats and rarity you never, or hardly ever, see them together.

Good thread!!

Returning to the Storm ****...... Thomas Hardy admired them too.       
The Darkling Thrush is a great poem - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44325/the-darkling-thrush

Just bought a birdbath and 2 feeders, trees near by so attracting lots of birds.

I got a love for birds on a trip with an aunt, uncle and cousin but cannot remember exactly where.
I think it was somewhere near Clydebank. Maybe some of the weegie posters might know.
It was a vast park area and attracted birdwatchers.

Decided yesterday to have a fortnight of wildlife and relaxed living based near Bamburgh so plenty of options up and down the coast,borders and Scotland expecting to see the likes of Seals and Dolphins as well as the birds.

Hopefully get some clear nights as there's plenty darks sky areas around.

Not far to the Clyde Denzil.
Orcas appearing more and more in Scottish waters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyfqzVqwWac

A bit further away but still Scottish waters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycng-zwHP20

Had no idea they'd come up a river

I think its the Firth of Clyde (in which the River Clyde flows into).

This was a whale spotted near Oban.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbV8PxrvuVE

Cracking footage

Johnshaven in North East is a terrific place to view Whales. And the birds and natural world there is fantastic. Nice wee hotel on the North Sea there.

Yes, great footage aka

Never seen a Hoopoe in real life but one of my favourite birds. In fact never seen many of these birds in years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de8Arw9MwRg

Who said animals were daft

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiEB9RRxNGo

I have only seen 2 Hoopoe in UK but loads in the rest of Europe. I usually manage to find at least 100 different bird species each month within 10 miles of my house in Somerset but struggling this time with the stormy weather. I do know most wild UK flowers and butterflies but moths are a step too far. I have been keen on wildlife since childhood on a Cotswold farm and have kept it up for 60 years.

Enjoy it while you have them sageform. So many specimens of wildlife are disappearing and now endangered due to the continued loss of their habitat.

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themightymac, habitat loss is a concern but I have been carrying out WeBS counts on my local nature reserves for 20 years and the range of wetland species at least continues to rise. We had 2 resident species of Heron in 2000 but now have 5 with 3 more seen regularly in the summer months. Marsh Harriers are now the most common raptor, 100+ Hobby are seen on migration each May, Ospreys are regular now, Avocets now breed in Somerset and Gloucestersshire, wintering duck numbers keep breaking records, warbler numbers of most species are rising etc. Not all gloom and doom. Come to Somerset.

Great input sageform. Somerset seems a beautiful part of the country. So much diversity.

It's strange as I like nature, I'm good at identifying animals, insects, birds to some extent, but trees I'm just useless.
If they haven't got an obvious seed pod (like sycamore) I've normally no idea.

If it drops needles on your carpet it's a christmas tree.

Either that or the heroin addict I keep in the cellar has escaped again.

Did The Seekers not have a Xmas number 1 with Needles and Pines.

Thort it was needles and Pinza.