Nesting Crows #2

The couple of crows that have nested at the back of my neighbour's garden are still showing extreme dedication in looking after their nest. It seems with the cold weather, they have been taking turn at keeping the eggs warm. When it is not so cold outside, I can see them both out and about but still very close.

If you click to enlarge, you will see the parent's head at the centre of the picture

Mum and Dad protecting the nest

Pigeons courting

In the following pictures, I got more than I bargained for. I witnessed a very strange behaviour from the female pigeon (on the right). She cuddled up to the male and got him to open his beak so she could pick up something. Whether she was trying to eat it, I don't know. Have you go any idea? Their courtship was quickly interrupted anyway.

She manages to push her beak inside his mouth.

Nesting crows

I have been very surprised by the behaviour of a couple of crows who have nested on top of my neighbour's conifer tree.
I have not had time to study them much unfortunately but managed to get a regular glances during coffee and lunch breaks.

Nest Building

I have seen them collect small sticks from a tree and bring them to the nest (unfortunately, the nest is hidden by a branch), stand at the top of a nearby tree for hours on end protecting the nest against any unwelcome guests, scare away birds perched on "their" tree, swap shift when laying the eggs.

For sure, they are very dedicated birds and I have really warmed to them. Have you had any experience with bird nesting yourself?
In the clip below, you can see the crow gathering nest materials:



In the next one, watch out for the pigeon flying way on the right hand side of the screen.

Birds in an English back garden - Oiseaux dans les jardins anglais

Here are allthe different types of wild birds I see in my back garden (I will add to the list as and when I get a picture of them). With the equivalent in French.

(Singing!) Robin - Rouge Gorge

Blue Tit - Mésange bleue

Greenfinch - Verdier d'Europe

Wood Pigeon - Pigeon ramier

Song Thrush - Grive musicienne

Goldfinches - Chardonnerets élégants - The little white dots in the picture are actually seeds! What messy eaters!

Chaffinch - Pinson des arbres

Crow- Corbeau

Black Bird - Merle

Dunnock - Accenteur mouchet

Dove - Tourterelle

Magpie - Pie voleuse

Crow - Corbeau

Common starling - Etourneau sansonnet

Acrobatic Squirrel

My bird seed station is very popular, with birds as well as squirrels. The first picture is particularly funny. See how it holds on to the frame with its back claws. Click to enlarge. Cute!

Animal evolution - Smart black bird

When we first moved into our rented accommodation 18 months ago, the black bird(s) in our back garden would stand underneath the bird feeder waiting for the goldfinches and other small birds to drop seeds on the ground to eat them. After a few months, the black bird had learned to fly up to the seed tray to feed but the supply would often run out.
Only recently has the black bird worked out how to get seeds from the seed station. It is quite tricky for him because the station is designed for small birds and black birds are simply too large to stand on the little perches.
And he is loving his new acrobatic achievements. Look how he opens up his legs. Quite impressive! Have a look at the video too!

Doesn't that look sore and uncomfortable to you? He is a smart cookie though.




To appreciate how hard this is for him, you need to compare his behaviour with his mate, another black bird, desperately trying to copy him....unsuccessfully.....

Red Kite eating in Mid Flight

As we were walking near Aston Clinton, we saw a red kyte flying over the houses. So, I started filming using my HD camcorder. When viewing the clip, I realised that the kyte was actually eating, a little mouse or something. Have a look at the clip below, a bit pixelated unfortunately.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.