MARCH 2009 - Blackbird Chicks revisited!

This morning, Saturday, it's cold! The breeze gets up and just goes right through the body! Brr! So it's good to see that the Blackbird chicks of Set-A are now getting their feathers to keep them warm. Though mum still spends alot of time sitting on them, they are bigger now after 9 days and it is noticeable that mum now sits higher in the nest. Both mum and dad are still coming into the kitchen, more now as the chicks hunger urges the parents on! This morning we had 3 male Blackbirds in the garden. The interloper sat transfixed as he watched the two resident males continue to parade their dancing-duels in between feeding the chicks. Set-B parents are just as busy with the feeding duties, though no photos yet of their chicks.

MARCH 2009 - Blackbirds in the kitchen!

Today both the male and female Blackbirds entered the kitchen to get mealworms for their chicks! My wife snapped these two images, amongst others of the pair helping themselves to the grubs. This is the pair that nests by the back-door. Much like the Robins during the Winter, they will now come into the kitchen and root around looking for mealworms! Earlier tonight, I caught a glimpse of the male Blackbird just coming out of the kitchen while I was busy feeding Blackbird Set-B. Yes we have designated both families as Blackbird Set-A that have chicks in the nest close to the back-door and Blackbird Set-B that nest across the garden high up in the conifers. We think that the Set-B chicks are a few days younger than the Set-A chicks as both parents only really started getting into the swing of regular food sorties a few days after the Set-A birds. We haven't been able to see the Set-B chicks because of their inaccessibility but the Set-A chicks are growing very rapidly, possibly due to the sustained food supply! It is now a week since hatching and already they have that familiar gape of the beak when being fed.

MARCH 2009 - Squirrel in the kitchen!

Today my wife managed to entice a squirrel into the kitchen....in return for a monkey nut! For sometime she had been trying to hand-feed the squirrel but he was not having it. He would come to the back door and take the nut from the step but not from her hand. Well today he finally plucked-up courage and actually came into the kitchen to get the monkey-nut as this photo shows.

MARCH 2009 - Blackbird Chicks!

On Thursday 19th, one of the 4 eggs in the nest hatched. The next day two more chicks hatched-out. The Blackbird adults are young parents and appear to be inexperienced compared to the pair nesting on the other side of the garden. Unfortunately, this nest is fairly high up in conifers and well hidden. So we don't know if the more experienced pair have any chicks or not! Whereas the nest by the back door is well constructed in the ivy but low-down and vulnerable to predation. We know why the Blackbird female built the nest by the back door - it's handy for food! The fourth egg has not hatched yet and I think that it at this stage, it must be a "dud". The chicks are growing rapidly, so the parents must be doing something right. The male Blackbird has been at the back door for mealworms and at least once, according to my Wife, stood on the door step! Speaking of visitors to the back door, The Robins have made themselves scarce. We suspect that they have paired-off and have nested elsewhere.

MARCH 2009 - Sparrowhawk visit!

Early this afternoon a Sparrowhawk descended into the garden! The first I knew of this was when the Sparrows gave that familiar rapid and repetitive short rasping call. A female, she kept looking around for prey but all the birds had dived for cover into the conifers! After about 15 minutes she flew off without making a kill. As far as we know, she didn't make a return visit.

MARCH 2009 - Blackbird nesting revisited.

The female Blackbird is still on the nest just outside the kitchen door. She has now been on the nest for 9 days and with incubation between 11 - 17 days we are hoping for all 4 eggs to be hatched safely. She spends most of the day on the nest, only occasionally getting off and going for a bath in the shallow pool by the pond or to take mealworms that we put out for her.

MARCH 2009 - Frogs' spawn!

One of the first noticeable changes in our garden that Winter is making way for Spring, is the return of the Frogs to our pond. From mid-February, both female and male Frogs make their way back to the pond and join the resident male population. Now in mid-March, the greatest count of frogs has been 74 and many have paired-off. There are approx 16 clumps of spawn in the pond much to the annoyance of the fish! The Frogs tend to monopolise the shallows where the fish usually shelter and rest. But now it is crowded with frogs and spawn!

MARCH 2009 - Blackbird nesting!

One of the female Blackbirds has built a nest close to the back door. She laid 3 eggs on Friday 6th and by Saturday 7th, had laid 4 eggs. With all the coming and going, she doesn't seem perturbed at all. It's as if she believes that it will be safer near the back door.

Two Coal Tits had paired up as had two Blue Tits that visit the garden. Two of the three Robins seem to have vanished. Maybe they have paired-off to nest. The third still visits the kitchen but not on a regular basis.

The Longtailed Tit has paid another visit, again to the small bush near the back door, quite near to where the Blackbird has nested.

FEBRUARY 2009

This month started with snow and at times for very cold. This of course meant that the birds were continually feeding, especially the Robins and Blackbirds on the mealworms.

Down at Lakeside, the lake froze in places and this is evident as can be seen from the photo I captured of the four Black-headed Gulls standing on the frozen water. Cormorants and Great Crested Grebe were also seen down at the Lakeside this month.
As usual, a great number of Gulls and Mute Swans were present along with a sudden influx of Pochard.

On the local school fields one Sunday, I was treated to a rare sight of a flock of 17 Pied Wagtails roaming en masse across the grass. At the same time, a Kestrel was perched atop the rugby posts, scanning the ground for prey. Every now and then it would swoop down and dig at the ground with its beak, presumably for worms.

On the 27th, three Goldfinches came to the niger feeders. To see three of these birds together is rare for us and our garden. My wife has managed to video this momentous happening!

JANUARY 2009

A solitary visit by a Greenfinch to the seed feeders in the early part of the month was most unusual. The middle of the month saw the continued visits by a Wren. It seems to have taken up residence nearby and is often seen in the garden, rooting about in the leaf-foliage. We captured video footage of the Wren killing a Caterpillar and then devouring the large pupae.

The two male Blackbirds are still around and will perform a ritual scuffle at the back door for mealworms. The two females, tend to stay out of the way but grab a few mealworms when the males are preoccupied with each other!

The Robins are very regular visitors in the kitchen, flying in for a feast of mealworms. There are three of them, though we are unsure of what sex they are – two males, one female – two females, one male – three females or three males? How do you tell the difference? We have noticed that they have distinct shapes and indentations of their red breasts. Taking note of this we have found that one particular Robin will take four mealworms at one ‘sitting’ while another will take four. The third Robin tends to stay out of the kitchen and only eat seed, oats etc.

On the 29th, there was a surprise visit by a female Sparrowhawk to the garden. She landed on top of a garden arch and stayed for about 20 minutes. As you would expect, the resident bird population took to cover for the duration. She departed without catching anything – in fact she didn’t even try!

The Squirrels were always in the garden but the birds seem fairly used to them now. How this will affect egg-laying in the Spring – we shall see? My Wife did manage to tempt one of the Squirrels to the back door for some peanuts. We have remarkable video footage of this!

At Potteric Carr, several Pintails were seen on one of the marshes. This was a FIRST for me. Quite a neat duck! Three Bulfinches were also noted at the Nature Reserve.