Watching the birds with the Mini 3 Pro....







Taken with Mini 3 Pro.


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Ah. That's better. Did you hear the murmuration?

Blériot53 Posted at 3-6 01:13
Ah. That's better. Did you hear the murmuration?

I didnt hear anything from them at all.     I was struggling to work out which bird species it was too.

DAFlys Posted at 3-6 01:41
I didnt hear anything from them at all.     I was struggling to work out which bird species it was too.

Around us in France it was invariably starlings. Out there on the estuary there could be a number of possibilities I suppose.

Blériot53 Posted at 3-6 01:46
Around us in France it was invariably starlings. Out there on the estuary there could be a number of possibilities I suppose.

I thought technically if it was a murmuration it had to be starlings.     My best guess for these  would be sand pipers,    there have been a to of them around lately.  

DAFlys Posted at 3-6 01:50
I thought technically if it was a murmuration it had to be starlings.     My best guess for these  would be sand pipers,    there have been a to of them around lately.

On checking, it does seem to be mainly (only?) starlings.
The sound they make on taking off is incredible.
We've experienced it first-hand in the fields next to us, back in France.

Nice little bird watching video DA.  

Looks like they get ready for something...

Blériot53 Posted at 3-6 02:06
On checking, it does seem to be mainly (only?) starlings.
The sound they make on taking off is incredible.
We've experienced it first-hand in the fields next to us, back in France.

I googled a couple of species of birds that I see there but none of them mentioned cloud flying like that.

DowntownRDB Posted at 3-6 04:30
Nice little bird watching video DA.

Cheers DT,   just something that caught my attention this morning.

Depp Posted at 3-6 05:09
Looks like they get ready for something...

Probably a breakfast delivery.  

DAFlys Posted at 3-6 06:52
I googled a couple of species of birds that I see there but none of them mentioned cloud flying like that.

Starlings they must have been, then

DAFlys Posted at 3-6 06:52
Cheers DT,   just something that caught my attention this morning.

You're most welcome DA.  

Rough day for me.  After a trip to the pistol range I came back to the boat and field stripped and cleaned both pistols I shot with this morning.  I noticed on one that the extractor was cracked.  I've put over 10,000 rounds through that pistol with zero failures however if any part failed it would probably be the extractor.  Good news is the part is relatively cheap and easy to replace but I have to order it as none of the local gun shops have that part in stock.  

Blériot53 Posted at 3-6 08:55
Starlings they must have been, then

Ive found once reference to sandpipers doing it,  and there are loads of them down there at the moment,


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qz43DKxHo4

DowntownRDB Posted at 3-6 13:32
You're most welcome DA.  

Rough day for me.  After a trip to the pistol range I came back to the boat and field stripped and cleaned both pistols I shot with this morning.  I noticed on one that the extractor was cracked.  I've put over 10,000 rounds through that pistol with zero failures however if any part failed it would probably be the extractor.  Good news is the part is relatively cheap and easy to replace but I have to order it as none of the local gun shops have that part in stock.

Im not that familiar with that,   is that like the spring that pushes the empty case out?

DAFlys Posted at 3-7 01:27
Im not that familiar with that,   is that like the spring that pushes the empty case out?

Pretty much so.  The slide is spring loaded and glides the spent shell out of the pistol .

DAFlys Posted at 3-7 01:13
Ive found once reference to sandpipers doing it,  and there are loads of them down there at the moment,

I know they're the bane of your life at times
15Kms today around Chatsworth, Rowsley and Edensor.
I'm fagged out now.

Nice shot!

DowntownRDB Posted at 3-7 04:01
Pretty much so.  The slide is spring loaded and glides the spent shell out of the pistol .

At least that looks like a simple enough part,   I bet you could make your own replacement.  

FlyNow Posted at 3-7 10:44
Nice shot!

cheers FlyNow.  

Blériot53 Posted at 3-7 07:56
I know they're the bane of your life at times
15Kms today around Chatsworth, Rowsley and Edensor.
I'm fagged out now.

Nice,  is that a new route,  I dont recall you mentioning that one before.  

DAFlys Posted at 3-9 00:58
Nice,  is that a new route,  I dont recall you mentioning that one before.

I hadn't done that full circuit, but was familiar with parts of it.

Blériot53 Posted at 3-9 01:47
I hadn't done that full circuit, but was familiar with parts of it.

Looks like it's an interesting route compared to some.    I bet it's really nice in the summer.  

DAFlys Posted at 3-9 03:21
Looks like it's an interesting route compared to some.    I bet it's really nice in the summer.

Most probably, although foliage would block some of the views. But we wouldn't be up to our boot tops in mud.

Blériot53 Posted at 3-9 03:46
Most probably, although foliage would block some of the views. But we wouldn't be up to our boot tops in mud.

Did you do that one with your regular group or some younger models.

DAFlys Posted at 3-9 03:48
Did you do that one with your regular group or some younger models.

A number of them were younger than me, but all are retired.

DAFlys Posted at 3-9 00:48
At least that looks like a simple enough part,   I bet you could make your own replacement.

If I had a machine shop I'd probably give it a try.  However, for safety purposes and to meet the tolerances  of that critical part I'll stick with a replacement from the manufacturer.  By the way, I got an email from them stating the part would be sent ASAP and would be free as it should not have failed. All they asked was that I mail the original part back to them so they could analyze the part to see if they can figure out why it failed.

Blériot53 Posted at 3-9 03:53
A number of them were younger than me, but all are retired.

And I bet some of them still struggled to keep up with you.  

DowntownRDB Posted at 3-9 06:55
If I had a machine shop I'd probably give it a try.  However, for safety purposes and to meet the tolerances  of that critical part I'll stick with a replacement from the manufacturer.  By the way, I got an email from them stating the part would be sent ASAP and would be free as it should not have failed. All they asked was that I mail the original part back to them so they could analyze the part to see if they can figure out why it failed.

Thats a bonus,  out of interest what should it have cost?

DAFlys Posted at 3-10 04:04
Thats a bonus,  out of interest what should it have cost?

18 USD so not a bad price at all.

DowntownRDB Posted at 3-10 05:31
18 USD so not a bad price at all.

Thats not a bank breaker.  Is it something you can fit yourself?

DAFlys Posted at 3-10 05:54
Thats not a bank breaker.  Is it something you can fit yourself?

Yes, very easily.  I've become very adept at fully field stripping all my pistols and rifles.  The AR-15 is a bit more complicated than the pistols though.  

DAFlys Posted at 3-10 03:34
And I bet some of them still struggled to keep up with you.

I was able to cycle between the leaders and the laggers, to talk to as many as possible on the way round, and then work my way back to the front
400+ metres of climb and descent during the circuit was quite a challenge.

That's quite a grouping of birds.

DowntownRDB Posted at 3-10 06:27
Yes, very easily.  I've become very adept at fully field stripping all my pistols and rifles.  The AR-15 is a bit more complicated than the pistols though.

I suppose I should have guessed there was no way Florida would regulate any firearms repairs.

Blériot53 Posted at 3-10 07:06
I was able to cycle between the leaders and the laggers, to talk to as many as possible on the way round, and then work my way back to the front
400+ metres of climb and descent during the circuit was quite a challenge.

Sounds like hard going if the ground was soft and muddy.   

BetterBizTech Posted at 3-10 07:14
That's quite a grouping of birds.

Yes,    its unusual to see them flying like that along there,   I suspect sandpipers as weve seen thousands of them appear over the last two weeks.

DAFlys Posted at 3-10 07:48
Sounds like hard going if the ground was soft and muddy.

I've done easier walks. And the constant mist denied us the otherwise splendid views.

DAFlys Posted at 3-10 07:52
Yes,    its unusual to see them flying like that along there,   I suspect sandpipers as weve seen thousands of them appear over the last two weeks.

Last week I was attacked by pigeons, this week harassed by 4 crows. They seem to be agressive this time of year.

DAFlys Posted at 3-10 07:19
I suppose I should have guessed there was no way Florida would regulate any firearms repairs.

Well, I did get certified and licensed as a gunsmith by the state of Florida.  So legally I can do my own repairs.