Category Archives: Birds

Birds – the avian dinosaurs

Mute Swan

LATIN NAME: Cygnus olor WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE: Weighing in at up to fifteen kilos, and with a wingspan of two metres, the Mute Swan is one of Britain’s largest birds. It is less vocal than other swan species, hence the name. It is … Continue reading

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Redwing or fieldfare?

Saw a bird in a tree outside HUMS cafe just before Christmas. About the size of a blackbird but in shades of brown. Bright red patch on the body, just below the wing if I remember rightly. Redwing or fieldfare?

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Woodpigeon

LATIN NAME: Columba palumbus WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE: Exactly what you’d expect a pigeon to look like, really! It is a grey bird with a pinkish breast and a wingspan of approximately 75cm. The Woodpigeon is distinguishable from other pigeons … Continue reading

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The Campus Lake (Part Two)

My previous post started off the list of species that can be found on the lake at Whiteknights Campus. Here is a brief description of some of the species within the family Anatidae that I saw during my surveys:

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The Campus Lake

The lake at Whiteknights campus is one of my favourite places to walk; it is surrounded by a woodland border which shows a great diversity in plants, fungi and invertebrates as well as birds. In addition to the species I witnessed … Continue reading

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Pearman’s Copse – Final Bird List

In total, 21 separate species were witnessed in the 9.9 acre nature reserve site situated right next to the M4. In total, 13 woodland species were recorded and 8 “edge” species were recorded, depending on their breeding habitats. The full alphabetical list … Continue reading

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Redhatch Copse – Final Bird List

In total, 20 different species were witnessed in the 7.8 acre site behind Sibly Hall. This included 14 Woodland species, as described by their breeding grounds and the BTO, as well as 6 “edge” species. The woodland species are marked … Continue reading

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Bird of Interest 20 – Woodpigeon and Recent Research

In the early 1960s the mean Woodpigeon population fluctuated between 60 and 112 birds per 50 ha during the winter months. Subsequently there was a steady decline until the population levelled out in the early 1970s at around 30 birds … Continue reading

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Bird of Interest 20 – Woodpigeon

The Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus) is a plump and familiar bird of lightly wooded open country. Its song is a familiar sound of the countryside, as is the loud clatter of wings heard when a bird flies off in alarm, or … Continue reading

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Data Collection Day 20 – Pearmans Copse

Today was the final data collection point for my dissertation study, and it was the last dawn sample at Pearmans Copse by the M4. Unfortunately, the weather was a bit against me, with a few showers happening, but all in all … Continue reading

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