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.
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.
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