Birdwatching for beginners - some species like to hang around with others.

[Jonathan]

Originally Posted by Deb London

Now I am compiling a list of birds that might hang around together, especially in the colder months

On a slightly different note perhaps - hen harrier and merlin, and coot and gadwall.

In the former case the merlin hunts small birds flushed by the hunting harrier, I see this regularly on the Dee estuary in Cheshire. The latter is a case of kleptoparasitism, whereby the innocent-looking gadwall steals food, brought up from the bottom of the lake and therefore out of reach of the gadwall, from the coot.

Cheers
Jonathan

[Deb London]

There's obviously a lot more to this subject than I knew about. And research was getting me nowhere. Cheers.

[tigertom]

Originally Posted by Deb London

There's obviously a lot more to this subject than I knew about. And research was getting me nowhere. Cheers.

Yes many birds will associate with others not of the same species for many reasons a good example is food, at my local land fill site you will get most of the common gulls with rarer ones mixed in such as Mediterranean, yellow legged,glaucous, and Iceland (all recored there) and in with them crows and jackdaws An id'ing nightmere as far as the gulls go
MIKE

[Deb London]

Oh absolutely with you there. I know I've seen all sorts of species of gull, just can't say which.

Med Gull ⇔ Black-headed Gull

That's one I just remembered I saw once. But there could have been almost countless combinations I guess.

[actionfinch]

what bout blue and LT tits..

[aeshna5]

Around the coast in the south/east Brent Geese+ Wigeon feed together.

Where they still occur Dartford Warblers will often follow Stonechats around.

[Deb London]

Thanks both.

[htcdude]

Not forgetting any species of Gull will hang around with another

Nige

[diggleken]

Hi Debs,
there are a number of reasons for flocking - all about survival I suspect - and therefore increased security, warmth, food location etc and different species will hang out together for a while to help with these aims.
Most noticeable out of breeding season I think, when times are tough, winter especially, in all habitats - woods, wetlands, estuary/shore/sea or meadows etc.
Many associated examples have been quoted, the most obvious and constant one for me are Tit flocks - always worth scanning to see the different species when you think at first its just blues........and other perching birds too, as mentioned.
Cheers
Ken

[Deb London]

Thanks both for your insight and help.

Tit flocks are great for attracting other species. Yes.

Gulls are great too, but they are like waders. There could be a hundred different species in there and I'd only count three (and then one of those would be wrong ).