Off Topic Vote for a National Bird (feathered variety)

  • Please bear with us on the new site integration and fixing any known bugs over the coming days. If you can not log in please try resetting your password and check your spam box. If you have tried these steps and are still struggling email [email protected] with your username/registered email address
  • Log in now to remove adverts - no adverts at all to registered members!
AussieQPR said:
Many years ago when my adult children were young, my wife and I took them the Movieworld on the Gold Coast.
It was a very hot day and the place was packed. The kids had just gone onto a ride when low and behold, I could see a park bench about 100 metres become vacant.

Call it an act of God or whatever but with thousands of people between me and the bench, no one sat down on it.
Like a swimming pool in the middle of the desert, I had struck gold and sat proudly on my new throne, wearing a smug look of arrogance and contentment.

Before I could stop thumbing my nose at those walking past, I bird had decided to crap itself ............... on my head to be precise.
There were 10,000 guest in the park that day my friends and that magnificent magpie decended on me, to have a diarrhoea attack.
I can't tell you how privileged I felt. We left the park not long after.

Sorry, but this is the only bird story I can pass on.
Aussie
Click to expand...

I enjoyed reading that Aussie. Very funny.

I hope you went straight to a shop and bought a lottery ticket.
 
Congleton_QPR said:
Except when its pinching the fish out of your pond, then its a pain in the 'arris !! Grrrrrrrrr !
The Robin would be my choice, a lovely looking bird with its red breast and present in most british gardens
Click to expand...

Heron's are like a hoover in a pond aren't they? All the fish are gone in a few minutes. A net is an effective way to keep them out, but not too pleasing on the eye.

I chose the Hen Harrier simply because I'm into birds of prey, but the Robin is probably the best all round choice for a bird to represent Britain from that list.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Congleton_QPR
rangercol said:
Heron's are like a hoover in a pond aren't they? All the fish are gone in a few minutes. A net is an effective way to keep them out, but not too pleasing on the eye.

I chose the Hen Harrier simply because I'm into birds of prey, but the Robin is probably the best all round choice for a bird to represent Britain from that list.
Click to expand...

Am I correct in believing that the heron doesn't like to land on water, but instead will land on land (as it were) and then wade into the water? I believe that rather than covering ponds with netting, which can somewhat ruin the overall effect, many pond owners instead will install a perimeter fence of angling wire around the pond which can be sufficient to deter the heron from devouring their prize koi.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Congleton_QPR
Uber_Hoop said:
Am I correct in believing that the heron doesn't like to land on water, but instead will land on land (as it were) and then wade into the water? I believe that rather than covering ponds with netting, which can somewhat ruin the overall effect, many pond owners instead will install a perimeter fence of angling wire around the pond which can be sufficient to deter the heron from devouring their prize koi.
Click to expand...

Correct.
Both methods are employed.
 
rangercol said:
Heron's are like a hoover in a pond aren't they? All the fish are gone in a few minutes. A net is an effective way to keep them out, but not too pleasing on the eye.

I chose the Hen Harrier simply because I'm into birds of prey, but the Robin is probably the best all round choice for a bird to represent Britain from that list.
Click to expand...

Like a hoover indeed. I've had two lots of koi taken from my pond in fairly quick succession, not huge fish as I presume the heron couldn't swallow them in one but a few quids worth all the same.
I tried a net after the first lot went and I think the heron just pecked its way through that and had the second lot off! I have now hung up CD's as ive read shiny things deter them and bought a gadget that emits sonic noises which is also supposed to be good as a deterrent.
I actually caught it in the act once as it flew off all "pterodactyl" like while s**tting all over my decking to add insult to injury!!
I'm led to believe that the heron is fairly territorial in so far as its feeding grounds so once it has my card marked so to speak it will just return year after year.If it has this third lot away I think I might consider some nice lighting effects in the water and forget about the fish!
 
Last edited:
Congleton_QPR said:
Like a hoover indeed. I've had two lots of koi taken from my pond in fairly quick succession, not huge fish as I presume the heron couldn't swallow them in one but a few quids worth all the same.
I tried a net after the first lot went and I think the heron just pecked its way through that and had the second lot off! I have now hung up CD's as ive read shiny things deter them and bought a gadget that emits sonic noises which is also supposed to be good as a deterrent.
I actually caught it in the act once as it flew off all "pterodactyl" like while s**tting all over my decking to add insult to injury!!
I'm led to believe that the heron is fairly territorial in so far as its feeding grounds so once it has my card marked so to speak it will just return year after year.If it has this third lot away I think I might consider some nice lighting effects in the water and forget about the fish!
Click to expand...

They are notoriously difficult to stop mate.
Sometimes the only solution is to put a huge domed net across the entire area. Trouble is, this looks pretty awful.
 
For the best part of 20 years now, and at this time of the year, my parents have had a nesting pair of blackbirds, but usually the hen, come hopping into their kitchen and chirping for raisins etc. to presumably feed their young.

It started with a hen blackbird taking interest in my father digging the garden, particularly when he would lob it the odd worm. Pretty soon they'd come close to the kitchen door, then inside.

Of course, no blackbird can live to be 20 years or more, so there must have been a number of generations visiting my folks through the years, which I find quite fascinating. There must be some form of communication that is passed down from blackbird generation to generation, otherwise why would today's nesting couple be so brazen (and indeed trusting) in their demand for the raisins?

It is quite lovely, I think, to have this kind of trusting relationship between human and animal. I am envious.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Stroller
Blackbird for me. Tremendous song and intelligent. Also, very common in England.
 
Uber_Hoop said:
For the best part of 20 years now, and at this time of the year, my parents have had a nesting pair of blackbirds, but usually the hen, come hopping into their kitchen and chirping for raisins etc. to presumably feed their young.

It started with a hen blackbird taking interest in my father digging the garden, particularly when he would lob it the odd worm. Pretty soon they'd come close to the kitchen door, then inside.

Of course, no blackbird can live to be 20 years or more, so there must have been a number of generations visiting my folks through the years, which I find quite fascinating. There must be some form of communication that is passed down from blackbird generation to generation, otherwise why would today's nesting couple be so brazen (and indeed trusting) in their demand for the raisins?

It is quite lovely, I think, to have this kind of trusting relationship between human and animal. I am envious.
Click to expand...

There are a pair of nesting blackbirds in my garden for the third year running. As AWJM says, they are lovely songbirds. A place I lived in many years ago had a huge TV Ariel and every evening there was a blackbird perched atop chortling away tunefully while I sat reading or having a drink. It really is a lovely way to unwind...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Uber_Hoop
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back