Have You Seen Any Of Our Usual Migratory Birds Yet?

[Barmaid]

I remarked to Mr BM this morning that I had not yet seen a swallow or a house martin.  Just seen a couple of house martins.  Merlin (the bird app) picked up a cuckoo about 10 days ago although I didn't hear it (left my phone on the app outside).

Have you seen any of our regular visitors yet?

[barry1010]

Nothing yet. 

[Maydup]

We've had swallows back for over a week now. I had a blackcap and a redstart on my app.
Osprey and Common Terns at the local nature reserve.

 

[barry1010]

Little plover yesterday, which was a big surprise 

[barry1010]

Not seen, but this morning the Merlin app heard a redstart, a swift and a cuckoo

[Smowball]

Ooh I'm going to ask my son as he downloaded this app and loves it! He was telling me about it yesterday, I know he gets robins which he loves, but I'll ask about the others.

[Smowball]

Think I'll download it myself : )

[Barmaid]

Merlin heard a skylark on Sat! The sound of summer.

That app is brilliant, Smow.

[barry1010]

It is excellent. It caught a little ringed plover in my garden, which was a surprise. 

[Smowball]

BM - you've got cats too, I know, but you still get birds in your garden? Don't your fluff bags try and catch them?

[Prudie]

I saw some sand martins on a river walk about 3 weeks ago but at home not yet seen any of the normal swallows and housemartins. I have heard a skylark more than once this month.

May I ask abbout apps - specifically to recognise song - while out in the country I heard a really unusual song (which I'm pretty sure was a Cetti's warbler) so tried to download an app while out and Birda came up in playstore, once installed though it asked me for so much personal info I deleted it. I've been looking for a good free one, Merlin comes up but also Warblr and a couple of others. So you seem to all agree that Merlin is the best?

 

[ToraToraTora]

Here's some housemartins:

 

[maggiebee]

TTT bringing this sensible post down to his level yet again.

[ToraToraTora]

FGS get over yourself love, cut black on the blue woad and have a bit of a giggle for a change.

[barry1010]

This isn't Chatterbank. Stay on topic, please

[Barmaid]

We have LOADS of birds, Smow.  We have a lot of trees so there is plenty of cover.  One cat is too much of a clumsy clogs to climb the trees.  The other is very agile and does climb but the birds just take the mickey out of her.

I have tried to discourage them - gently.  If I see them stalking a bird, they get told "no".  On the rare occasion one has caught one, it gets taken off them and they are told "no".  However, there are thousands of mice and rats round here and they seem to concentrate their efforts there.  Birds are a lot of trouble for very little reward whereas a nice fat mouse is a bit easier and cats are inherently lazy.

Now we are at fledgling time, I am on red alert and if I know there are fledglings I keep the cats in.  I do not let them out first thing or last thing either when the birds are most at risk either.