I know it’s a couple of months until Spring is officially with us but I spent a few moments yesterday afternoon checking on on our bird boxes and feeders in the garden.
A bit of dusting here and there, a replacement screw or two and we’re back in business, although I will have to replace the niger seed feeder as the sun has made the plastic brittle, and it won’t last much longer.
We’ve had birds nesting in our garden every year we’ve lived in this house and they normally raise several broods. Here’s to another successful year.
Chiff-Chaff
Regular readers will know that I keep an annual garden bird list. The rule is simple to be on the list I must have seen the bird in, or from the garden for it to qualify.
The total so far this year is 28 species. Not a big number I know, but not bad for an urban back garden. The overall number of species, across all the years I’ve been doing this is 36.
I might get a couple more before New Year, but it feels unlikely. There are plenty of species a stones throw away, but they don’t make the rule.
I was out at a meeting for a proportion of yesterday, when I came back I was sitting at my desk catching up on some emails, when I heard the distinctive call of a buzzard outside. I grabbed my camera and stepped outside.
There were two individuals and they seem to be having a lot of fun soaring and diving in the sky. I managed to capture a few images.
It’s that time of the year for clearing out the last of the compost from the main bin on the allotment. I’ve been using this as I dig over the beds, and plant potatoes. It’s mostly last years cleared plants with a little horse manure and other things that will compost well. I have two bins, one that’s “cooking” and one that I’m adding to in the current year. Next spring the one that’s “cooking” will become the one I use for adding to beds as I dig them.
While I was working, a pair of Robins kept coming to check on my progress, and help me by removing centipedes and other insects, I managed to get a few minutes of video of their antics, see below. They seem very focussed, and I think both have nests with young in near by, so I expect I’ll be seeing their offspring in due course. They’re often coming to inspect what I’m doing, particularly if I have the hoe out or any other activity that disturbs the soil a bit.
This is our “Sparrow” nesting box. It’s on the side of our garage, and was built for House Sparrows to nest in. The theory being, that as House Sparrows are communal nesters, the box with it’s three separate chambers (there are dividing walls between eat entrance hole), would be attractive to them. It has never housed a single Sparrow, nor have I ever seen a Sparrow showing the remotest interest in the box.
That’s not to say that we don’t get a good showing of House Sparrows in the garden. They are here most days, either feeding from one of the feeders or tables in the garden or bathing in our pond. They just prefer the hedge between us and our neighbour to nest in, or behind the fascia boards on the front of our house, or the tall hedge on the other side of our road. In fact probably anywhere that isn’t the “Sparrow” box.
That’s not to say that the box doesn’t get used, in fact I think it’s been used every year apart from the first year we put it up (about six or seven years ago), and last year, when Blue Tits found a gap under the eaves of the garage and nested in there. Only one entrance hole is used though, there’s no communal nesting going on. This year it appears it’s going to be the turn of the Great Tits again. I’ve been watching them scope out the options (left, right or middle), and they seem to have plumped for the left. They’ve been carrying nesting material in all afternoon, undeterred by the rain and hail showers!
A Previous Years Blue Tits
In previous years it’s been either Blue Tits or Great Tits, no other species have shown an interest, and certainly never a House Sparrow.
Great to see the box being used, but just don’t tell the Sparrows, they might want a look in after all!
I was sitting at my desk this afternoon, looking out across the garden. We’d had a funny morning weather wise, going from bright and sunny to sleet, hailstones and squally rain. By now the sun was back and the birds active, in particular a female blackbird, picking up sticks and leaves and other things and taking them into our honeysuckle bush. I think she’s nest building as there was quite a bit of tooing and froing collecting supplies, then back into the honeysuckle, which was rustling with her presence.
The blackcaps were back again too, again two male birds, so they’re obviously sticking around.
My afternoon dog walk was also full of birds. There was lots of bird song, and another buzzard sighting. This time the buzzard was soaring overhead, riding the air currents. I manage to snap a few photos on my phone.
Had first one and then a second male blackcap in the garden this morning. This is unusual for the time of the year (and the weather, it was raining quite hard), I wonder if they are returning early due to the mild weather?
I started the leap day off right with a buzzard sighting at the Fort. One (large) buzzard flew overhead as I was walking the dogs this morning, pursued by 2 crows. Strangely all 3 birds were silent, and if I hadn’t been looking at the time, I probably would have missed them.
Normally the crows call out and harass a buzzard they are trying to drive away, so that it draws attention to what they perceive as the interloper.
The buzzard gracefully slipped through the upper branches of the trees to shake off it’s pursuers.
A few steps later, I also saw some fresh deer prints in the mud, another good sign.
Spotted this morning on our dog walk, we spent some time watching him, and he spent some time watching us! A few minutes later we also saw a Goldcrest, but he was too quick to get a photo of.
I know it’s a couple of months until Spring is officially with us but I spent a few moments yesterday afternoon checking on on our bird boxes and feeders in the garden.
Electronic Scrapbook 