One Year (and a bit) On!

As regular readers will know I am having difficulties taking photographs at the moment due to problems with my eyesight so, apart from a couple, all of the following photos were taken last year but not posted. I will start with the two which I took through glass last week.

The only time I am ever visited by a Pied Wagtail is when there is snow on the ground, it doesn't matter whether there is a considerable amount or just a dusting but without fail, in it pops to see what food it can find. The ever present Blackbirds hate it with a vengeance and do everything they can to see it off but it treats them with great contempt and just dodges out of the way!

Pied Wagtail

The Starling, despite being on the red list of endangered species is still a quite frequent visitor to the garden although I have noticed a decline in numbers in recent years which is borne out by the fact that their numbers are down by 66% in the UK since the mid '70s and have declined significantly across much of Europe since the '60s. I suspect my American blogland friends will tell me it is because they have all gone over there :)

Anyway, the fat treats always seem to bring them into the garden.

Starling

'In yonder gay-enamell'd mead,
The starling plumes his golden wings,
Then tow'ring up the azure height,
He mounts sublime, and soaring sings.'

(Nathaniel Evans)

Now, looking back to last Summer (Summer? What's that?) one of the places I most enjoyed visiting was Draycote Water and I am looking forward to going back there when I have had surgery. This Pied Wagtail was enjoying the sunshine unlike the one battling through snow in my garden.

Pied Wagtail

Each time we went there were always lots of vociferous Tufted Ducks and I looked at so many of them in a bid to try and spot the Lesser Scaup that others had seen. Unfortunately, I was never successful but it was fun trying.

Tufted Duck

By far the most common gull to be seen at Draycote last year was the Black-headed Gull so I was surprised to learn it is on the amber list of endangered species. This one, photographed in late Summer is in its Winter plumage so lacks the black, or more accurately chocolate brown head of the Summer plumage.

Black-headed Gull

'Light floats the sea-gull on the tide.
The wearied fisher sinks to rest;
And not a cloud is seen to glide,
Reflected on the Ocean's breast'

(Mrs Henry Rolls)

Although the commonest small wader to be found along the coast, the Dunlin is another bird to be found on the red list of endangered species. I think this one may have been a juvenile.

Dunlin

There were also lots of Great Crested Grebes, a really elegant bird which frequently dives and comes up again much further away than you would expect.

Great Crested Grebe

This rather smart looking Great Tit was also photographed during one of our visits to Draycote, it was in a tree waiting to fly onto the feeders next to the hide.

Great Tit

Each time we went the feeders were always popular, particularly with Blue and Great Tits, Chaffinches and Greenfinches.

It was also popular with this Squirrel which was there for the peanuts

Grey Squirrel

'I love to see at early morn,
The Squirrel sit before my door;
There crack his nuts and hide his shells,
And skip away to seek for more'

(William Roscoe)

and it was amusing to see the ducks constantly on patrol under the feeders hoping to mop up any spilt food, they looked so funny when they suddenly appeared through the long grass.

Of course I couldn't show photos from Draycote without featuring one of my favourite birds, the solitary and beautiful Grey Heron.

Grey Heron

When we visit one of the small local lakes I can usually be sure of seeing some Mute Swans. I really do think they are magnificent creatures and although they are such a common sight I never cease to admire their beauty.

Mute Swan

'In stately majesty was seen to glide,
Over the bosom of the tide,
A graceful swan, in fairest plumage dresst;
It seem'd its elegance to view,
As conscious of superior hue,
For never swan more beauty yet possest.'

(Rosary)

These Mallards were getting in a tizzy about something!

Mallards

As was this Greylag Goose!

Greylag Goose

On a local walk another of my favourite birds, the lovely Song Thrush, was tucking into something tasty, a berry I think

Song Thrush

'How void of care yon merry thrush,
That tunes melodious on the bush,
That has no stores of wealth to keep,
No lands to plow, no corn to reap!

He never frets for worthless things,
But lives in peace, and sweetly sings;
Enjoys the present with his mate,
Unmindful of to-morrow's fate.'

(Williams)

and so was this Blackbird.

Blackbird

Finally this Greenfinch was perched high in a tree in our garden.

Greenfinch

Before I finish I would like to say that just over one year after starting this blog on the 13th of February 2009 it has been an absolute pleasure getting to know and making friends with so many people from all over the world. I have been privileged to share your lives, homes, families, joys, sadnesses, illnesses and ultimately a mutual interest in Nature and wildlife. You have all been so kind and welcoming and I hope to share your lives via blogland for many years to come. Thank you.

I hope you all have a wonderful week watching the wildlife where you are.

Big Garden Birdwatch

Along with many others in the UK, I spent an enjoyable hour over the weekend watching the birds and making a note of the most numbers of each species seen at any one time as my contribution to the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. I couldn't help thinking that if it had been a couple of weeks ago when the whole country was blanketed in snow I would have been able to record some really interesting visitors but of course I realise that wouldn't have been a true representation of my 'usual' sightings.

I was quite surprised not to see a Dunnock which I normally see quite often and there were no Great or Coal Tits either which was rather disappointing although I didn't find it as easy as I should even with binoculars due to my ongoing sight problem which I mentioned in a previous post. I have been told, by the way, that I will be having 'ordinary' surgery and not laser surgery as I was at first led to believe, the first eye will be done at the end of April and the other later in the year. Anyway, back to the birds! My results are as follows:

1. Blackbird 8
2. Blackcap 2
   
3. Blue Tit 1
   
4. Chaffinch 5
   
5. Collared Dove 5 (Pictured above)
   
6. Goldfinch 2
   
7. Greenfinch 10
8. House Sparrow 3 (The House Sparrow is on the red list of endangered species)
   
9. Long-tailed Tit 1
10. Robin 1
11. Starling 4 (The Starling is on the red list of endangered species)
    
12. Stock Dove 1 (The Stock Dove is on the amber list of endangered species)
    
13. Wood Pigeon 3

I was very pleased to be able to include both the male and female Blackcap as although I knew the female had been around she had been very elusive unlike the last two Winters when the female was more evident than the male. The Stock Dove was a huge surprise and I only noticed it at the last moment having previously thought it was a Woodpigeon.

I am having difficulties taking photos (for obvious reasons and expect I will continue to, until at least early Summer), at the moment so the following representations of what I saw during my count were all taken by me in my garden but not necessarily during the weekend birdwatch. The exceptions are the House Sparrow and the poor record shot of the Stock Dove both taken during the count and through glass.

So, in alphabetical order:

Blackbird

'I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries,
and very frankly give them fruit for their songs.'

(Joseph Addison}

This photo of a female Blackcap is not too good as it was at the farthest end of the garden. I do love her chestnut coloured cap and I always think she looks less fierce than Mr Blackcap who I featured on my last post.

Female Blackcap

Blue Tit

Chaffinch

'It glanc'd fleet before me!----
Was't a meteor that fled,
With bright dappl'd pinnions,
And gorget of red?
Nay, nay 'twas the chaffinch;
And "twink! twink!" he cries,
As he darts through the hedgerow,
With fear and surprise.'

(Thomas Gillet)

Collared Dove

Goldfinch

The Goldfinch has for some time been the bird which visits my garden the most and in large numbers, but recently, the Greenfinches have become quite intimidating at the feeders and frequently scare the Goldfinches away!

Greenfinch

'At the distinctive song of the greenfinch old memories awake
That voice I first heard as a young boy I never could mistake
It stirs up memories of the northern Spring and the leafy woods of May
And it has followed me across the World from places far away.'

(Francis Duggan)

House Sparrow

Long-tailed Tit

Robin

'The robin, tamest of the feathered race
Soon as he hears the woodmans sounding chops
Wi ruddy bosom and a simple face
Around his old companions feet he hops
And there for hours in pleased attention stops'

(John Clare)

Starling

I really hope I've got the following ID right, I'm pretty sure it isn't a feral Pigeon as it doesn't have the correct bars on the wings. As I mentioned before, this photo was taken in a rush, with poor eyesight and through glass!

Stock Dove (I hope)

Wood Pigeon

Well, that's it for the 'Big Garden Birdwatch' for another twelve months, it will be interesting in a few weeks time, when the results have been collated, to see which birds are being seen most often in other people's gardens.

Winter Visitors

There has been lots of activity in the garden during the dreadful weather we have all been experiencing here in the UK. The poor birds have been desperate for food and have been eating it as fast as I put it out. The Collared Doves (above) along with all the other regulars have been eating me out of house and home!

The Redwing which I showed on my last post continued to visit until all the berries were gone but I haven't seen it since. Again, all of the photos on this post were taken through glass.

Redwing

'Around the house the flakes fly faster,
And all the berries now are gone
From holly and cotoneaster.'

(Thomas Hardy)

I have been putting apples out for the Blackbirds and any other birds which might like them and was very much hoping to attract the Blackbird's foreign cousin, the Fieldfare, a bird I have never seen at all. I noticed lots of fellow bloggers were seeing them but really didn't expect they would visit me. However, on Tuesday, the day before we had yet more snow, I was thrilled, in the late afternoon to see at least eight eating the apples I had put out. I wasn't able to get any, even half decent, photos as it was getting dark but the next day just one appeared and my goodness, what an aggressive character it was! The Blackbirds, who themselves have been very aggressive during this weather, weren't allowed a look in although there was plenty of fruit for all.

Fieldfare

It spent so much time chasing away any Blackbirds that got anywhere near any of the apple that there wasn't much eating going on at all, such a waste of energy! I spotted one enterprising soul trying the 'back door method', it slithered into the flower border and crept along the back, under several shrubs and emerged at the other end only to be ambushed by the patrolling Fieldfare the moment it emerged. I felt so sorry for it as I thought it was a very cleverly worked out tactic :)

I do think they are handsome birds. A member of the thrush family (Turdidae), just a little larger than a Blackbird and with a similar stance to the Mistle Thrush, they are often seen in flocks with another cousin, the aforementioned Redwing. The photo below shows how they fan their tail feathers when seeing off other birds, they do look very imposing!

It really did waste an awful lot of eating time by constantly watching for any other birds which might try to share the apples.

'I have remembered when the winter came,
...
And where the fieldfare followed in the rear,
When all the fields around lay bound and hoar,
Beneath a thick integument of snow.'

{Robert Frost}

'Snow and sleet, and sleet and snow.
Will the Winter never go?'

(Katherine Mansfield)

Another bird which only visits the garden when there is snow is the Pied Wagtail and on Tuesday there were two. Usually they get a very hard time from the Blackbirds but this time they had the Fieldfare to contend with as well! As well as the apples, I had scattered mixed seed, dried mealworms, sultanas, mild grated cheese and suet pellets on the ground and despite the wagtail being predominantly insectivorous it was definitely eating apple, I suppose, desperate times call for desperate measures!

Pied Wagtail

It was very successful at dodging the Fieldfare and most of the time just bobbed out of the way with great agility but every now and again it was scared away to a further part of the garden.

'And the snow lies drifted white
In the bower of our delight,
Where the beech threw gracious shade
On the cheek of boy and maid:
And the bitter blasts make roar
Through the fleshless sycamore.'

(Willa Cather)

Once, it was frightened onto the back of a garden chair, right outside the window.

Of course, as I said at the beginning, the more usual garden visitors have been visiting regularly as well and this Starling looked like it was wondering, in the (slightly amended) words of Travis, 'Why does it always snow on me?'!

Starling

While these two decided that, despite the weather, it was bath time.

A drink was enough for this Collared Dove.

Collared Dove

The Greenfinch is one of the most common visitors to my garden all year round.

Greenfinch

The other visitor I have been awaiting the return of is the Blackcap, a delightful little bird which I have seen in my Winter garden for the last few years. So far, this time, I have not been able to get a photo of the female but I have seen glimpses of her with her beautiful chestnut coloured cap. They particularly enjoy the fat treats but as I mentioned on my last post, the fatballs have not been very popular this year. However I did manage to capture the male Blackcap investigating them. This enchanting little bird has a beautiful fluting song which has earned it the well deserved name 'northern nightingale', it is also said to be a very good mimic.

'Thou speak'st the truth thou grave black-cap,

I've heard thee with delight,
When thou wert free from care, thou sat'st,
And chanted'st all thy might.

Thy blended notes are most complete,
Yet varied all the while,
Thy symphonies display the grace
of nature's complex style.
Methought at times, that all the birds
Which sing were perched with thee,
Thou did'st so exquisitely send
Their sev'ral tones to me.'

(James Lawson}

Here, with a Blue Tit

Blackcap and Blue Tit

and here, he seems to have spotted me!

'Under the twigs the blackcap hangs in vain
With snowwhite patch streaked over either eye
This way and that he turns and peeps again'

(John Clare)

Well, thankfully, overnight, most of the snow has been washed away by rain and today we have returned to relatively milder temperatures accompanied, this early evening, as the light fades, by fog. I hope the weather where you are is improving and that you enjoy the rest of the weekend and the week to come.