Deeside Sparrow

Around dawn I saw a distant corvid flying towards north away from the woodland in half dark, half light. I could hear the early rising carrion crow calls. So I am guessing, FBOMD a crow; not impossible, but less likely, a rook.

😬
I do hope 🤞 the other magpies did appear to relieve your apprehensions!

Interested to read your observation "the now Autumn hawthorn". The hedging in my garden seems to have changed towards its winter condition quickly in the last week or so, esp. hawthorn. The beech leaves mostly remained green all October. The first area that turned had been 1st to go copper to green!

FBsOMD were the loving couple of jackdaws 💘 - seen previously early on the mornings of 29 & 30 October - again stood in near proximity to each other on their favourite chimney pot.

A really welcome FBOMD sighting of female and male house sparrow on the top of the privet. I'd heard lots of chirruping waking up. 😄 I didn't think I'd started scanning the hedge soon enough to have the chance to spot those responsible! 🎵😆

Photograph in sunny early evening conditions of a willow tree in the civic square (adjacent to swimming baths) in Connah's Quay, Flintshire, Wales, UK. Photographed on 2nd August 2025 at 18:33hrs. This image was captured shortly before two attendances of arboriculturists in the succeeding months that have much reduced the hanging fronds and reacted to a dropped limb in an early autumn storm.

Hopefully, you will be cheered up @tycjanc.bsky.social by a summertime image of the willow tree in our civic square 🌳❤️😃. Image captured shortly 'before' this tree was on the receiving end of tree surgeon attention in August 2025! 😐

A huge Caucasian Walnut tree with multiple trunks spreading out from the base and branches displaying its beautiful yellow autumnal foliage. In the foreground are the brown leaves of a nearby Beech tree.

Yesterday’s walk took me past this amazing Caucasian Walnut (with a Beech in front for nice leaf contrast!) - I love its multiple trunks and bright yellow leaves at the moment #ThickTrunkTuesday #Szczecin #ParkKasprowicza

There's some gulls varying the FBsOYD during your trip! Over here, we've had some windy days as well. The herring and black-headed gulls I see have been honing their wingbeat-less aerial manoeuvring techniques in top half of the Beaufort Scale conditions. 🌬😄

Ha ha 👀 I did! And I imagine, i.r.l., the presence of the squirrel enhancing this fall scene was a lot more noticeable. 😄

Sumac tree showing off fall colors

Red berries on a tree whose name I forget

Red sumac leaves

Fall color along a paved pathway

Late autumn in my New England hometown, for #SmallBeautiesHour

Dark, bare branches against trees bearing leaves in full fall yellow

And one more ...
#SmallBeautiesHour

Really beautiful, seasonal botanical studies and such an attractive path lit by the low angle sun! Also I like the detail of the leaping squirrel caught by 'the shutter' half brightly illuminated and half in shadow as it darts over the umbra from the fence. 😄

My joint 1st birds were jackdaw & black-headed gull. I could hear tchaking as I opened the door, so I knew jackdaws were about. But an approaching flock of B-H gulls about to flyover was unexpected. I first saw one jackdaw flying near one gull.

Black-headed gull flyover of front garden and house on a windy and wet morning.

Two jackdaws, same red-tiled roof as yesterday, but no rain. I was glad they flew towards me because I was able to be 100% sure of my identification. One had been standing tall on an aerial, the other a bit hunched up, tricky to be sure both were jackdaws.

I can't think that there can be any nicer 'bookend' to neatly wrap up the FBsOYD calendar month than a gorgeous female Northern cardinal! 😍

Wasn't it? 😄 However, I don't think the jackdaws will manage another calendar month of such FBOMD ubiquity! 🙂

Two jackdaws perched on TV aerials above red roof tiles glistening with rain. We're in November. But I didn't spot the jackdaw planning conference for this month! Deferred until tomorrow by the inclement weather possibly?

A commotion of tchaking arose. I looked out: no visible birds, no jackdaws! I went out & looked upwards: several jackdaws were taking flight from the rooftop. Thus, my October ends with jackdaws as FBOMD 27/31 days!!

Concise. Brilliant (as usual). 🎯 An avian and meteorological report suitably redolent of a 'gothic novel' atmosphere and hence consistent with the approach of the 31st October ...

Similarly, I seem to recall, that Big Ginge gets fretful that you might be neglecting to provide his dinner during summertime afternoons when broadcasters are successively airing multiple FIFA or UEFA tournament matches. Another cause of BG's unique feline facial expression of suspected outrage! 🥅⚽️🐈

Yes! The jackdaws resumed their usual FBOMD result after yesterday's blip. Half a dozen on the roof opposite which I saw before a five commuter herring gull flyover. Finally, the pair-bonded, loved up jackdaw pair really do 'own' that specific chimney pot! 💘

I was surprised and delighted to spot a Female Common merganser (Goosander - Mergus merganser) in an unexpected place this morning. At c. 10:50hrs on the R. Sow in Victoria Park in Stafford just downstream of the slight weir. Soon flew off! Water too shallow for diving!

I think Big Ginge's look of appeal is very distinctive. It makes a big impression on me! I remember a similar photograph that you posted just after the autumn 2024 clock change. Such that I was thinking about the impact of the clocks going back SPECIFICALLY on Big Ginge in the run up to the event.

Oh, that is really nice. 😄 A chaffinch in your garden. It's a long time since I have seen the species in the garden, although I know where I can find them in the district.

Phew, that's posted, which must be a weight off your mind! There's definitely a link between curious, sociable jackdaws and chimney pots!! 😁

What a gloomy day that must have been for you so many hours of daylight seeing no birds at all! 🐦💔 A dependable Northern cardinal retrieved that dire situation. Great cardinal contribution.

Yay! White-throated sparrows sprinkling some avian stardust in the backyard. 🌟

Recently seen online (The Economist) a 2ndhand write up of Univ of Chicago Institute for Climate & Sustainable Growth research paper on effects of 1950s Four Pests Campaign in China. ALL 'sparrows' are much on my mind. 💕

Good shout out! I heard about this on BBC R4 'Today' programme this morning. It is an opportunity to achieve some positive ecosystem change at such a threatening time for biodiversity nationally and internationally.

Lone commuting herring gull snuck in as FBOMD. Only 2nd gull October FBOMD. Looking sharp right, I saw a jackdaw couple perched opposite one another on a chimney rim carrying out feather self-maintenance. Oh, it was such a near FBOMD miss for Team Jackdaw!