I was driving a narrow country road on Sunday morning.
A kestrel swooped to the verge in front of me and lifted off quickly. It happened so fast that I did not get to see if it had picked up a rodent of some sort.
My first time ever to see this. The speed was most impressive.
I’m an avid twitcher
Mostly birds of prey
But I love kingfishers also
Years back 2 op dolls passed me
“What r u looking at boy”
Kingfisher
“A what?”
Mere slowly, over there 
“ where “
There ,
Eventually they spooked him but spotted the gorgeous colours.
Murphy’s farm Bishopstown.
They we’re walking there the years, never spotted kingfisher, dipper or the otters 
Ppl just don’t take time to see and let nature wash over them.
Likewise red squirrels behind the tennis village
Model farm road
I’m watching them over 20 years
Yet mist have never spotted them, or the elusive Jays that also live in that area for generations
Sircet also promotes responsible pet ownership on the island. Cats - bird killers that are safe from eradication because of their appeal to humans - have to be neutered and microchipped.
“and declawed” unfortunately missing from that. Would go a massive way towards helping bird stocks swell.
I lifted two dead birds from the garden since the weekend. Magpies they looked like.
One of them was in a bad stage of decomposition.
Now, you got a corpse in a car, minus a head, in a garage. Take me to it.
The pivot in this thread is a microcosm of TFK.
Rescued this fella in the garden last week. Only lucky the dogs and cat hadnt spotted him first. Think it may have fallen from a nest in the apex of the roof. Bit of rest and some food for a couple of days and all good again.
Some nice green fiends there.
Not a bird, but another encounter today. Just opened the door to the office and this lad fell down from the frame. Must have been wedged up in the corner since i came back after lunch.
Was very weak when i put him into a cardboard box, just did the squeal noise they do and opened his wings but didnt fly off which they’d usually do. Have him in a box covered with a small opening so might head off on his own accord when it gets dark out.
Is he young?
Be careful not to get your scent on him or he won’t be accepted back into the nest if there is one.
The bat! No, i knew not to touch him, so no scent transfer there.
@Thornhill haven’t a clue if its young or not, am assuming so, its pretty small, but bats are small enough anyway. Its tucked up there now nice and small so I’ll leave him be til dusk tonight and see will he go on his merry way.
The local falcon chicks have fledged and were taking practice flights around the GAA pitch last night. They were making a serious racket.
Wing forwards?
Must be starlings.
Blackbirds nest in trees, bushes and hedgerow.
Love watching them
Nearly certain they were blackbirds.
Black in colour with yellow beaks? Starlings are more speckled?
A starling looks very dark in shade, you see shimmer colours only in light.
They have a yellow beak.
Blackbirds
I see a lot of Eurasian Collared Doves out my back these days. Thought they were some sort of pigeon originally, but it’s like someone drew on the back of their neck with a black marker. Very distinctive now that I know what I’m looking for.
Not my picture before ye start abusing me over my fence or something
