Raddang. Not brilliant at this myself but your unidentified birds - "Blackcap" = Great Tit - second on post looks like young (pre red) Robin - third in grass a Dunnock or Hedgesparrow ???.
Sydney, thanks for your help. I do have bluetits and great tits use my nest boxes and I am still inclined to think this is a blackcap. The jurys out I would agree about the possible young robin and the hedge sparrow. We used to call hedge sparrows 'molly hedge sparrow', as opposed to house sparrows, when we were kids in the war years and would go out birds nesting.
Hi Raddang. Ref Jury out. It matters not one jot who is right or wrong. Some more knowledgeable soul than myself will identify it positively for you. Ref the war years as kids - we both can remember the smaller fields mostly all divisioned off with hedgerows - many more birds about and it seemed as if just about every bush had a nest in it. Horses in a lot of fields too with the resulting mushrooms in their season - out early to collect them. A joy to wander round observing it all - out in the fields for a lot of the day
Sydney, that's when kids used to do what kids should do when they are kids. As you say, we would go out all day, scrumping apples, birds nesting, only ever took one egg; swimming in the river , climbing trees. But we are reminiscing and those days are long gone....sadly.
Raddang. I have no hang ups ref my old age - I accept it as it is but do like to look back and think of those what were to me really enjoyable days as kids and later teens.. Weekends, school hols in the summer that tent was pitched in nearby fields - seemed we only went home for cleanups and meals. I like to do a little water colour painting when the mood takes me and feeling mightily bored today did a little. I like to sketch/paint wild flowers birds whatever. Just did a very quick sketch & paint of my idea of what a Blackcap looks like. Did read the female is much the same except has a reddish cap.
Sydney, My views are much like yours as far as getting older and have good memories of childhood and youth. I used the word 'sadly' to imply that in my opinion the children of today miss out on so much that we enjoyed, yet in todays world they have 'so much'. But let's not drift into that, back to the birds. I like your blackcap painting. Two of my regrets in life, I wish I had learnt to play piano; and I wish I could paint. With good intent I even have a box of tubes of water colour, brushes and sketch pad in the loft but never got round to seeing what I could do. Perhaps you have inspired me.
I don't think we have had a swan yet. I believe they are vegetarian, could be wrong, but their beak is wide like many water birds.
Lovely pics since my last post and I'm real poor with being able to identify bird species so I can't help with definitive names. @ Kildale - is that a "Pileated Woodpecker?" (I think) None of these birds are mine but the BEAK of parrots has always impressed me The power these birds have in their beaks is awesome. Don't know that I've ever heard stats on them but I've watched them crack nuts and shred wood!
BTW - Lovely sketch Syd and lovely swan pic too Grandad. Sounds too like you two had a youth like me too. I was out and gone all day everyday and appeared only for food and bed time.
