Anyone Know about Birds (Flying Kind!)

collioure_bee · Post by **collioure_bee** » Fri 29 May 2009 19:48

In Ria today I passed a bird by the side of the road and startled it. It flew off alongside the van and it was a fabulous looking bird*

It had ery distinctive black and white stripes and a beautiful gold colouring. It certainly wasn't a Golden Oriol but was around the same size.

Any ideas?

* Comparisons to birds in I-S-T or Dentists won't be deemed as clever Opas as they are too obvious!

Roger O · Post by **Roger O** » Fri 29 May 2009 20:55

Could pssibly be a yellowhammer?
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdgui ... /index.asp

collioure_bee · Post by **collioure_bee** » Fri 29 May 2009 21:56

Nice try Roger but no. Just looked it up in my bird book and it's not that one. Can't find it in there.

Am wondering if it was some sort of exotic thing that's escaped or got lost?

thumbelina · Post by **thumbelina** » Fri 29 May 2009 22:00

collioure_bee wrote:Nice try Roger but no. Just looked it up in my bird book and it's not that one. Can't find it in there.

Am wondering if it was some sort of exotic thing that's escaped or got lost?

Could it possibly be the very rare Rille sureto tottyano?????

Roger O · Post by **Roger O** » Fri 29 May 2009 22:25

If you'd have said orange-ish instead of yellow, i might have gone for this one

The Hoopoe
Very distinctive - the wings together make almost a circle

Click on play audio for the hoo hoo hoo cry
http://www.junglewalk.com/popup.asp?typ ... dioID=6380

Marguerite & Steve · Post by **Marguerite & Steve** » Fri 29 May 2009 23:07

collioure_bee wrote:
It had ery distinctive black and white stripes and a beautiful gold colouring.
Any ideas?

....wasn't me with my highlights and bling on....

collioure_bee · Post by **collioure_bee** » Sat 30 May 2009 12:48

Thumbs......tsk, obviously nowhere near as pretty as the rare sort you mentioned tsk!!

Roger, I haven't looked up where that bird lives but if Mexican bandits stopped me on Clapham Common and demanded an answer or be shot, that would be it.

That is what it looked like, more yellowish but the wings are spot on.

Now tell me it lives in south America!

Roger O · Post by **Roger O** » Sat 30 May 2009 14:28

collioure_bee wrote:Now tell me it lives in south America!

Not at all.. unless Collioure has moved lately!!
Actually it migrates mostly from Africa to Europe and v.v.
We have them regularly in our garden here and we had them also in Le Soler too, usually as solitary couples foraging together, very rarely two couples together but never more than that.

They are much more frequent round the Med. especially in southern Spain,
Greek islands, etc.

Apparently they have been spotted in Britain - even in Norfolk, so John had better
forget his yellow canary and go for something more spectacular!
http://www.birdguides.com/species/species.asp?sp=091001

There's another fairly rare but not that uncommon inhabitant of the LR region which is the very exotic looking European Bee Eater
http://www.avianweb.com/europeanbeeeaters.html

We used to see them regularly in Le Soler where they perched on a dead trea in the field near our garden.
They hunt (usually in small packs of 5-7 birds continuously twittering while in flight) large insects on the wing such as bumblebees, maybugs, flying beetles and dragonflies, etc.

They usually hunt for 10-15 minutes then all perch together on the same tree to devour what they have caught.

DaveM · Post by **DaveM** » Sat 30 May 2009 14:31

Lives up here in Taurinya, too.

sue and paul · Post by **sue and paul** » Sat 30 May 2009 14:39

yep...pleased to say we have them in our garden here too. I think they live in next-door's roof !! Lovely to see them

collioure_bee · Post by **collioure_bee** » Sat 30 May 2009 14:56

In which case, question solved, cheers Roger. Wow I feel quite privileged to have seen such a lovely bird, however fleeting it was.

Next on list of birds I'd like to see is a Roller, along with the bee eater you pictured Roger.

Roger O · Post by **Roger O** » Sat 30 May 2009 16:31

CB - the European roller (also a spectacular sight!) is a different story!

Researched - and the nearest I found was 10 (assumed breeding pairs)
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sites/ ... d=2300&m=0
and that was 12 years ago.
From their sightings in the Carmargue and LR regions - if there are any at all in the PO, I would imagine the best chances would be near the etang between St. Cyp and Canet ++, but only in quiet off-track locations, not near the sea road.. You probably know there is a bird watcher hut behind the fishermens' huts - along a track towards the golf - but this is mainly for the flamingoes and a few commoner birds. I don't remember seeing rollers listed there.

I'll delve a little deeper later and see if I find anything a bit more encouiraging!

++ One of the few areas in the PO (between the road and the etang) where the Psammodromus hispanicus (lizard) is at home - though you'll have to use a lot of patience and have sharp eyes to see them!!! Very well camouflaged and hide in clumps of dry vegetation. If you run your fingers through the clump you may see one skitter very fast across the sand to the next clump! Runners following the "vita parcours" will never even know they're there!

The variety in that particular habitat looks like this - small: about 7-10cm total length
http://www.monterrei.es/files/u1/Foto-22.jpg

Serge · Post by **Serge** » Sat 30 May 2009 19:09

Reminds me of the 'oomegooli bird' ............

they have very short legs and are named from the noise made by the males when landing .......................

polremy · Post by **polremy** » Sat 30 May 2009 19:45

Serge wrote:Reminds me of the 'oomegooli bird' ............

they have very short legs and are named from the noise made by the males when landing .......................

is that similar to the We're the faaquawi tribe?

Serge · Post by **Serge** » Sat 30 May 2009 19:59

Yes! - the 'oomegooli' is their national bird.................

Roger O · Post by **Roger O** » Sat 30 May 2009 23:16

They just have to be facetious!!!
Birds are serious business!!

Serge · Post by **Serge** » Sat 30 May 2009 23:26

What are you suggesting Rog?

Roger O · Post by **Roger O** » Sat 30 May 2009 23:28

Serge wrote:What are you suggesting Rog?

You mean that people are hijacking a serious thread or that CB and I are interested in colourful birds??

Serge · Post by **Serge** » Sat 30 May 2009 23:34

It's that Polremy! - bad influence, I'll try not to be lead astray ................

.. sorry Rog.

Roger O · Post by **Roger O** » Sat 30 May 2009 23:44

Doh Re Mi - you mean!

polremy · Post by **polremy** » Sun 31 May 2009 07:02

Roger O wrote:They just have to be facetious!!!
Birds are serious business!!

Sorry, Roger.
In my defence, I did send the first page of the thread to my sister in law who is big in birds in England. I thought she might have something useful to add or suggest (unlike me!)

Roger O · Post by **Roger O** » Sun 31 May 2009 09:03

s'OK.. don't take me too seriously either!!

collioure_bee · Post by **collioure_bee** » Sun 31 May 2009 10:57

Wow, you really know your stuff Roger.

I love seeing different and colourful types of birds but admit I'm not enthusiastic enough to go out of my way to spot. If I am somewhere and I see a hide, I may stop for a while just out of hope more than expectation.

On the subject of birds, are these Common Buzzards we see hunting by teh side of the main Perpignan/Collioure road? I know I've seen a few eagles of some kind in the mountains.

pooky · Post by **pooky** » Mon 01 Jun 2009 14:44

Hoopoe are here all year round now , they used to go south for the winter but now the climate is changing they cann't be bothered

my friend has them in her garden through the winter , makes it seem quite exotic , I never tire of watching them .... the first time I saw Roller was about 10 years ago in Southern Portugal , the next time , to my surprise , was in amongst vines in Provence .... I am on the look out for them here , always looking on phone wires and around the vines but nothing so far .... I haven't heard or seen as many Bee - eaters as last year , they are fabulously tropical , last year a couple made a nest in a pile of sand on the side of the road on my bus route , sadly the pile got flattened ! Must be difficult for them to find nesting sites .... Any-one seen an Oozalum bird?

pooky · Post by **pooky** » Mon 01 Jun 2009 15:06

Collioure_bee , I wouldn't call Buzzards ' common ' if I where you , they may poop on you next time you're passing

Yes , they will be Buzzards , Honey Buzzards don't hang around down here , they go off to the forests inland more , saw dozens migrating from Africa across Sete a few years ago , couldn't count them all , wonderfull sight ....

collioure_bee · Post by **collioure_bee** » Mon 01 Jun 2009 16:18

Wow Pookey that must have been wonderful. Thanks for the info.

collioure_bee · Post by **collioure_bee** » Tue 02 Jun 2009 17:15

Saw another one of those birds today, in Le Vivier. Dunno why anything living, human or non human would want to be in Le Vivier but there he was.

thumbelina · Post by **thumbelina** » Tue 02 Jun 2009 17:19

lol

You're not fond of that neck of the woods are you Bee??? Le Vivier, Prats de Sournia etc etc etc

collioure_bee · Post by **collioure_bee** » Tue 02 Jun 2009 17:57

Nope.

It put three hours on my day today, going to Sournia, Prats de bleeding Sournia, Le Vivier and some other delightful place en route for Vnca begining with T. It's the Isle of Man of France!

thumbelina · Post by **thumbelina** » Tue 02 Jun 2009 17:58

lol

I'm very fond of the Isle of Man

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