Google suggests a Duclair Duck (and so an escapee) but I'm unconvinced.

Seen on the Thames at Reading. Canon R6 + 800mm

An alternative name for a kestrel, and definitely what this one was doing!

Reading, UK, Canon R6 + RF800mm, 1/2000s, F10, ISO1000, Exposure Bias +1 1/3

Must have knocked the dial as that should have been F9. For most of its hover, its head was in the shadow of its wing , making for less than perfect shots needing drastic post processing, e.g.

Male Snow Owl :)

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/28855210

Looking perpetually angry 😠

Reading, UK - today, which rather surprised me to still see a flock of Swallows around. I find them really hard to photo - they notoriously don't land, and fly fast, so this lot of photos is as good as I get.

Canon R6 + RF 800mm, 1/1250s, ISO 100 or 350 for these

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19705740

In my post earlier today, I commented that I saw bird houses made of composite material (such as Trex) and was curious as to their thermal properties, since climate change is making many traditional house designs dangerous due to higher average temperatures.

After reading the articles below, it sounds as though composite lumber heats up faster, ~~retains heat longer~~ reaches higher temperatures, and also loses heat faster than traditional, unfinished softwood.

Article from Trex

Article from a deck builder

Even if the heat differential won't kill the birds, it seems to have greater potential to stunt nestling growth and to increase dehydration risk.

I didn't find any articles from birding groups about them being dangerous, but it seems very recent that they have been taking note of increased nest box death, so it may not have much research into it yet.

While the initial thought was something like this should last longer, stay prettier, and be easy to maintain sounded great, seeing it both holds more heat during the day and loses more at night sounds like a negative in both directions. It may be best to stick with unfinished wood.

I'm curious to hear anyone's thoughts on this. Don't take my hour of research as gospel. It just came up in conversation and I haven't seen this discussed.

Always a delight to see flitting about, even more of a delight if they stay still long enough to photo. Reading,UK

Image description: A great egret, neck extended high in to the air, wading through wetlands

#bird #egret #heron #birds #australianbirds #kedronBrook #wetlands

Full story here

The eagles Parham photographed no doubt brought the Red-tail to their nest intending not to raise it, but to feed it to their own nestling. However, when it was deposited into the aerie, the hungry and disoriented fledgling immediately began begging for food alongside the eaglets. The confused parent eagles mistook the hawk as one of their own and began treating it in kind. Though surprising, such behavior can occur when the wrong species ends up in a nest. That’s because most adult birds cannot recognize their own chicks from others—a vulnerability that brood parasites exploit by laying eggs in other species’ nests.

Red Kite, Prospect Park, Reading, UK Canon R6 + RF 800mm

I like how the colours came out, especially as this was a dark bird on a white sky, which is always needs correction when on auto-ISO.

Papa and the kids, four days ago, the first day they left the balcony

I thought they'd be gone by last weekend, but flight school apparently takes some time. Was awesome seeing their first excursions off of the balcony and onto the roof gutter. I was so happy to be there for it. And i have a video of them returning from their first little flight, haha. The older one seems now to go flying with papa, the smaller one - i think - with mama, at least they showed up together yesterday. The younger one still sleeps on my balcony. It has been alone there for the last two nights, first evening alone it seemed a bit worried. Maybe today it will find somewhere else to sleep, i think it may be two days younger than the other one.

This weekend i'll clean up the mess and barricade their nest spot so they don't keep breeding here. It was nice to have them but i kinda want the balcony back for myself, i was minimizing my balcony time so they could do their pigeon stuff in peace. Really caring parents, very nice to see.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19034034

How do you teach a bird how, and where, to fly?

The distinctive Northern Bald Ibis, hunted essentially to extinction by the 17th century, was revived by breeding and rewilding efforts over the last two decades. But the birds — known for their distinctive black-and-iridescent green plumage, bald red head and long curved beak — don’t instinctively know which direction to fly to migrate without the guidance of wild-born elders. So a team of scientists and conservationists stepped in as foster parents and flight instructors.

“We have to teach them the migration route,” said biologist Johannes Fritz.

Image description: A kookaburra sitting on a street light, with a clear blue sky behind. A jet fills most of the frame in the sky behind the bird

Taken through the lens of my very basic binoculars with my mediocre phone camera.