Resident Magpie?

On 07/09/2015 By TontowilliamsIn Birds, Garden / Allotment3 Comments

We’ve had what seems to be a resident magpie in the garden for a few weeks now. When I say resident, he doesn’t seem to go very far afield and if he’s not on the bird feeders, then he’s normally within sight – on the roof of our neighbours garage (which overlooks our garden), in the birch tree or somewhere nearby.

My feeling is that either he is one of this years juvenile birds or a much harried older bird. For a time he has a bald patch on the back of his head, which has since grown back feathers, but is a lighter colour than the rest of his “black” plumage, as there are other lighter patches. He seems to have the natural curiosity I’d associate with magpies although he is perhaps a little bit too fearless of us, when we are in the garden.

We’re not doing anything different to what we would normally be putting out on our feeding stations at this time of the year, but he does seem to be monopolising them, almost as if he doesn’t know where to find food elsewhere. This behaviour makes me wonder as to whether he was separated from his parents before they had a proper chance to teach him where to find food outside of our garden.

Little Brown Job

On 30/07/2015 By TontowilliamsIn Birds, Wildlife/Nature

Little Brown Jobs (LBJs) are birds that are often difficult to tell apart at first glance, either because they are similar in marking or are juveniles and have yet to develop their adult plumage.

I was sitting at my desk this morning, glancing out of the window, trying to find some words to describe my mornings walk and deer sighting, when a butterfly passed under the window and paused on the grass outside. Basking in the sun it opened and closed it’s wings and seemed to settle for a period, to absorb what heat there was. I picked up my phone, to try and snap a picture.

I went into the garden, and carefully stalked my intended model, trying not to cast my own shadow across the scene and scare of my muse. Photo complete I returned indoors.

Now there was a time, when I could recognise most British butterflies on sight. Over the years, I’ve spent less time outdoors, and my skills have gotten more than a little rusty. As I was walking back inside I can remember thinking, that my muse was a Meadow Brown. As I posted the photo to Instagram and I was looking at the wing spots I realised that it wasn’t.

My muse was in fact a Gatekeeper, similar to a Meadown Brown, but with additional spots on the hind wings. My butterfly had become a LBJ of the Lepidopteran variety, and I am ashamed of my identification skills, although I did spare myself any embarrassment of posting a misidentified photograph online.

More time in the field I think.

Robin Update

On 12/06/2015 By TontowilliamsIn Birds, Garden / Allotment, Wildlife/Nature

The Robin in our garden is still faithfully sitting on her eggs. Having done a bit of online research I now know that it is the female that sits on the eggs alone, and it takes 13 days for them to hatch. So assuming that when we first noticed her was last Saturday, 6th June, we are likely to have baby birds sometime this week.

As she is so exposed, we’re keeping watch but from a distance, so as not to disturb her. Her preference for this nest is completely different to the blue tits who we had nesting earlier in the season. They managed to find a gap in the side of the garage, and chose to nest there. It means we have no idea how many young they had, as other than the chirps of the young, and the parents tooting and froeing you wouldn’t have known they were there, unlike the blue tits from last year, who used the sparrow box, and you could see the young, sticking their heads out, now and again.

Robins

On 07/06/201507/06/2015 By TontowilliamsIn Garden / Allotment, Wildlife/Nature

I seem to have been visited a lot by Robins this year so far. There is an ever present Robin, whenever I’m weeding on the allotment [I don’t to be honest know if it’s the same bird, or there are a multitude of them, taking it in turns to feed on the small insects an grubs I disturb when weeding].

And now we seem to have one nesting in the garden or rather brooding eggs.

The nest is one that we put up, but to this point has never been used, and has been there so long, it’s falling apart. We’ll keep an eye on them from a distance.

Watching The Birdie

On 19/03/2015 By TontowilliamsIn Garden / Allotment, Wildlife/Nature

I’ve always kept a bird list. Birds I’ve seen etc.

Since we moved to our current home I’ve kept an exclusive list for the property. The rules are simple, only birds that I’ve seen on or from the property can go on the list. As it’s a small urban property the list is relatively short, 31 species in total; the most in any year, 24 species. It includes some great highlights though; merlin, buzzard, sparrowhawk and fieldfare. This year so far the count is 14, so a good start.

I was updating the list yesterday when I noticed a pair of blue tits checking out one of the nest boxes. A pair nested in the same box last year, so there’s a good chance this pair will use the box this year. I’d like to think it’s the same pair, but there’s no way to know for sure.

Electronic Scrapbook

Tag: bird