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Post by NellyDee on Sept 7, 2015 11:08:18 GMT
Just recently I have been trying to get photos of my pine martens and red squirrels, which required a lot of sitting patiently in my bay window, which gives good a view across the front and take in 2 of my bird feeding stations. This is when I realised that the jays and the woodpeckers can see any movement (me) through the glass, even from a distance, but the other birds do not even when up close to the windows. As a bye the bye the pine marten, though just in front of the window could not see me even though I stood up and moved my position to get a better photo, neither could the squirrel. I decided to do a little experiment and place a bowl of nuts and seeds outside a widow facing behind the house, it did not take too long for the smaller birds to appear and even standing there waving my arms they did not seem to see me, however when a jay flew down, it seemed to be keeping an eye on the house and just me leaning forward made it fly off. It has always been a bit of a joke with my family, that the jays and woodpeckers have a second sight and just know when I am around.
I did see a TV programme recently where they showed the difference and structure of animal's eye as to what predators they needed to look out for. They also used owls as examples for the bird world, so I am wondering if this applies to the range of birds.
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Post by dogghound on Sept 8, 2015 10:59:14 GMT
Mustelids in general have quite poor eyesight. Pine marten eyesight is better than some other mammal species but not as sharp as birds like Jays etc.
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Post by kentyeti on Sept 8, 2015 19:05:00 GMT
My Great Spotted Woodpeckers can see me and react to that even if I'm sometimes at the far end of the kitchen from the window.
If I see one I have to creep up by the cupboards out of sight and then lean forward a bit so I can watch with most of me hidden. If not they are off very quickly, every time without fail.
"Mine " have bred 3 years running and when the adults are busy feeding young from my nut feeders I do everything I can to avoid disturbing them. Such as crouching down after brekkie and half crawling back out of the kitchen! LOL.
The exceptions are the juveniles who take a while to work out that they think Yetis are a threat. Got one at present who is quite comical to watch, although over the last couple of days he has started flying off when I get close to the window. Sad to say.
Other birds don't seem to bother much. Except when I unleash the kitchen blind in the morning when the whole lot take off. Recently that has been up to 50 birds: 20 + Goldfinch, 15 or more House Sparrows, Starlings, Great and Blue Tits, Pigeons and Collar Doves. And Magpies: a bit noisy at present they are.
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Post by accipiter on Sept 8, 2015 19:22:56 GMT
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Post by alf1951 on Sept 9, 2015 6:22:10 GMT
I now have a feeder close to a living room window. The small birds seem happy to use this even with my wife or myself sitting a few feet away. I notice that if I move to switch on the TV or grab my camera, they may glance in our direction but continue feeding. If I move towards the window - even by a couple of feet, they are off so I assume they see us well enough but only take fright if movement is towards them. With a feeder outside our kitchen window we had problems with corvids taking over and chasing the smaller birds away so I would chase them away. The sharp-eyed jackdaws, wise to this, would post a look-out on a garden wall looking directly into our living room. At the first sign of someone heading towards the kitchen the look-out would raise the alarm and all we would find was the deserted feeder swinging wildly on its support.
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Post by NellyDee on Sept 9, 2015 10:31:42 GMT
Really interesting link Alan Thank you. Like you Kentyeti I am overrun by birds at the moment - never had so many tis very noisy. Must be a corvid thing alf, my jays have a series of 'oi she's about' calls, if I am just going out for a wander it's a warning call, stems from the days when I was trying to encourage red squirrel and the jays were defeating me, I'd go out and yell at them and clap my hands. If I am going to fill the feeders, they give a clucking call and at night when I put food out for badger and pine martens, late hoping jays have gone to bed, out of the dusk I hear an almost "da da de da da - gotcha!". Think the woodpeckers have learnt from the jays as they too have started chatting now and then, funny call they have I could not think what it was at first.
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Post by Tringa on Sept 9, 2015 15:29:33 GMT
Your observations about jays and woodpeckers are as I find. However, I am never sure if they are keener sighted than other birds or just much more wary. I have always suspected them to be more wary, but could easily be wrong.
My experience with pine martens varies. I am sure at times they can see me through a window or glass door as some appear to be looking towards me. However, I once sat on the floor inside the back door with the door open and one young marten got within about two feet before it appeared to detect me, but I was sitting very still at the time so I suppose when other martens seem to see me they could be reacting to movement.
Jays in particular are very clever and it doesn't surprise me if they have learnt your ways.
Dave
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Post by accipiter on Sept 9, 2015 19:58:39 GMT
I thought you might find that interesting Nelly, the world of nature never ceases to astound me. Jay’s by a rule are weary and secretive birds Dave however there is always an exception to the rule in most things, the one I kept as a small boy would quite happily feed out of my hand as the one in these two short film clips are doing. Given time and patience they will come down to feed in one’s own garden while you are there too. Alf the posted lookout is a thing that rooks also do too, apparently if the lookout fails in their duty it will receive a good ole thrashing by the other rooks, whether this is true or just another urban myth I know not www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQrvy9yqVSEwww.youtube.com/watch?v=jPC8fnxwddEPs, Alan is now a fully paid up member of the creaking gate club, it is official!
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Post by NellyDee on Sept 10, 2015 9:23:10 GMT
I too had a couple of tame jays when I lived in London. When I moved here and one appeared I looked up jays (googled) and was surprised that their range in the UK did not come up this far North (or so it seemed to say) So I tried to encourage it to keep coming back. Something I ultimately slightly regretted as I now have a permanent gang of 5 which can, in breeding season, rise to 15. It is definitely their patch now and they decide what and what cannot come within their rage. I love em really but have had endless battles with them.
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