Flocking birds

[beach bum]

The strangest sight in the main shopping thoroughfare in Cardiff this evening,on two of the trees were a huge flock of small noisey birds<60. This was about 5.00pm it was dark and getting cold. They were making quite a lot of noise and moving back and forth from one tree to the other. I sat on a bench and watched for over a quarter of an hour.
What I found most remarkable was that the grim faced shoppers and office workers who were by this time scuttling back to their homes,either laden with shopping with that fixed stare that only the bag laden successful shopper has, or the world weary trudge of someone on their way home from a job that they are either not very good at or don't enjoy. Both of which groups could have done with their spirits lifting. Oblivious all of them.........serves them right Save for one young woman who seeing my fixed gaze was moved to take a photo with her camera phone, so she must have thought it unusual.

The sodium lights made colours difficult to indentify for certain, the only thing I've ever seen like them, is the long tailed tits I've seen on the bird feeder.

The point of this post is: do Long Tailed Tits gather in large flocks?? I thought they were solitary birds ,well pairs anyway.

Perhaps someone with an interest in birds might answer this.


regards

beach bum

 

[Goose]

The behaviour sounds like the starlings we get round here.
They gather in groups all around the town then join up on the bridge where they fly in clouds, huge numbers, around and through the bridge till they settle down for the night.
I used to watch the groups forming and it could sometimes be intimidating, Hitchcock and all that, but it is an amazing sight to see the clouds of birds wheeling around the sky.(pity about the smell and the extra cleaning and painting that has to be undertaken)
The description of the birds doesnt sound like starlings but the behaviour to my uneducated eye seems very similar.

Ps the amount in the gathering groups number hundreds and thousands, on the bridge they are counting in hundreds of thousands! It is difficult to express the scale!

 

[Tengu]

Sounds like starlings to me.

and its a common occurance; no wonder passers by didnt notice

 

[Fenlander]

The point of this post is: do Long Tailed Tits gather in large flocks?? I thought they were solitary birds ,well pairs anyway.

Perhaps someone with an interest in birds might answer this.


regards

beach bum

No......but Pied Wagtails do! and they are incredibly noisy

They are attracted by the slightly warmer climate in towns and city centres. The largest number I have encountered was over 200 roosting on the roof of my local tesco superstore.

 

[Fenlander]

Just Googled these for you....

http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/guide/p/piedwagtail/index.asp

http://www.bto.org/gbw/Species/BIRDS_PIEWA.htm

 

[scanker]

The only birds I've seen in significant numbers on Queen Street are sparrows. I expect they might be starlings, but doubt they'd be long tailed tits or pied wagtails. I'm not saying they couldn't be though. The fact that you think they might be long tailed tits leads me to think that they can't be starlings though - starlings being at least twice as large.

I personally haven't seen wagtails in flocks as those documents describe, I can't think of an occasion when I've seen a pied wagtail not near water tbh. The only time I've seen a group of long-tailed tits was about ten fledgelings all learning to fly at the same time - great to watch.

 

[beach bum]

No......but Pied Wagtails do! and they are incredibly noisy .

By jove I think we have it :You_Rock_

Well they did have very long tails, pale underside and dark bib, so that all fits, only thing was the lighting makes colours hard to discern. There was between fifty and a hundred of them.
Yes I have seen starlings in huge numbers, there was a power station here that seemed to attract them in the tens of thousands. Amazing sight when they are all wheeling and whirling, it's like a great smoke cloud changing shape and density from moment to moment. Not seen any hereabouts since thepower station was demolished.

thanks Fenlander

regards


beach bum

 

[scanker]

Interesting..

 

[wolf]

id say pied wagtails...

 

[Goose]

Didn't think you could confuse starlings for anything else really, just the behaviour seemed exactly the same.
I remember seeing pied wagtails on top of Ben Nevis a few years ago I had stopped at the top for something to eat and they flitted round in the snow scrounging while I ate.

 

[2blackcat]

The biggest flocks of birds over this side are the ring-tailed parrakets (sp)

Used to only see them flying over to Beckenham Place Park (if that means anything to anyone) but they seem to be expanding into the gardens now

Pretty but not sure how I feel about them

 

[JonnyP]

Yes I would think they were pied wagtails too, at this time of year they tend to gather together to roost and there are a lot of them around. In horsham where I live they have been seen flocking as well. I find them to be great to watch, the way they suddenly run along the ground is quite funny. During the mating season the males get really territorial and attack any other males they see, including car wing mirrors. We had one up our road attacking the mirrors on my car, so I pulled the mirrors in (it was making a right mess), but the bird started on my windscreen instead, so I thought it would make a good photo, I jumped in my car and waited and came up with this............

You can tell the sexes apart, the male is quite a bit darker on its back...........Jon

 

[scanker]

Nice photo.

 

[wolf]

The biggest flocks of birds over this side are the ring-tailed parrakets (sp)

Used to only see them flying over to Beckenham Place Park (if that means anything to anyone) but they seem to be expanding into the gardens now

Pretty but not sure how I feel about them

i know beckenham,but wheres the park?do you know kelsey park they are around there too,and lots of herons.

 

[scanker]

These were on a programme with Bill Oddie a while ago. IIRC he was at some rugby club...?

 

[JonnyP]

These were on a programme with Bill Oddie a while ago. IIRC he was at some rugby club...?

That was esher rugby grounds, the birds roost there in the popular trees. I have seen the rose ringed parakeets too, about 6 of them were seeing off a heron, which is something I have only seen crows do before. They are really good to watch, the way they use their beaks to move through trees is something I have seen no other bird do. I think they are now classed as Britains most colourful bird. They were introduced in the 60s from India and they seem to like it here...............Jon

 

[2blackcat]

Wolf

If you come out of Kelsey Park and stroll down Westgate Road, it leads straight into the park

Near where Nigel Benn used to live

The park runs from Beckenham down to Downham, it's got the golf course in the middle

Any help?