ABOUT ME

I live in a camper van with a West Highland Terrier for company.
My passion is creating images but it is a work in progress.
I am always willing to share what knowledge I have and can be contacted through the comments on this post or e-mail ADRIAN
ALL IMAGES WILL ENLARGE WITH A LEFT CLICK

Saturday 16 April 2016

I WONDER. (16/04/16)

On sunny mornings I route my walk so that we follow the tapping of Woodpeckers; they don’t bother tapping if it’s raining or damp. If they don’t tap they are very difficult to spot despite their being bigger than a Thrush and brightly coloured. This is one of the dead trees they tap on and I noticed a new hole about twenty feet up it.
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I estimate it to be 50mm diameter which doesn’t seem big enough for a Woodpecker. It’s a very neat job, an excellent hole.
I didn’t find any Woodpeckers this morning, I may have been too early but we did find this Crow or possibly Raven irritating a Buzzard.
_MG_4145
I don’t really know the difference between a Crow and a Raven…..I’ll look it up but these don’t sound like Crows but maybe Bugger Off in Crowish is a different sound to normal Crow cawwing.
It’s frosty here but bright and sunny so with a bit of luck I’ll get some seeding video. I have decided that if I stand in front of the camera and clap my hands I should be able to sync the sound perfectly…We’ll see.

20 comments:

  1. As a RAven is a MUCh bigger bird than a Raen, its call is deeper and this is a link that might help you ID which bird you are listening too. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Raven/sounds Have a good weekend.

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    1. Margaret, I suspect that there are a mixture of crows and Ravens. This one was making a very deep croak.

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  2. That hole just has to be a woodpecker's. I hope that you spot him /her on one of your constitutional walks and get a couple of pictures to share with your adoring public.

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    1. YP, I did get some pictures a few weeks ago but not on this tree. If they nest it will be easy to watch them coming and going.

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  3. I don't know the difference either. I think one has a dark beak and the other a light beak, but ...

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    1. John, they both have black beaks the Rook has a grey beak. Side by side it would be easy to tell as the Raven is twice the size.

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  4. Sounds like you need to employ a clapper guy or gal.

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    1. John, an extra pair of hands wouldn't go amiss. I have tried clapping and it seems to work.

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  5. Lol. You made my day! Hope it's a good one for you!

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  6. Si tienes sol estás bien Adrian. Por aquí lleva todo el mes de abril lloviendo :((
    Buen fin de semana.
    Un abrazo

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    1. Laura, es frío, pero el sol y el granizo. Podría ser peor.

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  7. I take the easy way out, and call them all crows... VERY smart birds.

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    1. Bill, I am a useless birder....I think I will do likewise.

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  8. The hole looks pretty much perfect for a Woodpecker Adrian, keep an eye on it. Ravens aren't much smaller then a Buzzard, have you ruled out Rook?

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    1. Douglas, I found another hole which is even better as it has a steep bank behind it and I can get level with it. I'll keep an eye on them both.
      There are very few rooks here but I have seen the odd one.

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  9. Hi Adrian. I can't tell from the image but the call of a Raven is usually described as a relative short 'cronk' rather than a longer 'caw'. If you see that it's very large and has got a kite-shaped tail, rather than flat-ended or rounded-ended, it's a Raven. I hope this helps!

    I'm looking forward to some Woodpecker images from you!

    Best wishes - - - Richard

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    1. Richard, these sound like Ravens but I'll have to get closer for a good look.
      I did get some pictures the other week but am hoping for better ones when the eggs hatch.

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  10. All I know about crows is if you see several, then they're rooks, and if you see one rook then it's a crow. Or so I'm told...

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    1. Frances, that is about right Rooks are bigger and have a greyish beak.

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