May 2010 - Kirkmoor Planation Wood & news from the Garden

May 2nd: Strolling around my local wood, I can see that the Summer migrants have now arrived. I saw 3 male Blackcaps singing in different territories though no females. So, do the males return before the females and stake-out territories before the females arrive later? Answers would be appreciated. Of course, the early arrivals, the Chiffchaffs have laid claim to territories as long ago as late March and are in full voice! Willow Warblers are also back and their familiar song can also be heard. At least two have taken-up residence in the wood. Another question that intrigues me: do these migrants such as Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers return to the same site after flying 3,500 miles from Africa year after year? Or is it just chance that brings them to this little wood on the outskirts of Doncaster?

Bluebells now carpet the wood and for two weeks or so will provide a vivid blue colour to the wood. The local residents such as Chaffinch, Wren, Robin, Blackbird and Wood Pigeon are as usual, fairly abundant. For such as small wood, it certainly contains a large variety of wildlife.

Meanwhile, in our garden, the birds are in full flow. The pair of Wood Pigeons that nested in the conifers, produced one fledgling. But after making its maiden appearance, was frightened by a local Squirrel and has not been seen since!

The Blackbirds - specifically the females - are constantly visiting the kitchen for mealworms, so much so that Melanie has now rationed them as we don't expect another delivery until Wednesday 5th! Once we open the back door then it becomes a constant procession of female Blackbirds (3 different individuals), 1 male Blackbird and a small group of House Sparrows!

Over this Bank Holiday weekend, Melanie could easily spend the entire day supervising the birds! She has to limit each bird to a reasonable number of mealworms as they tend to empty the bowl and leave none for the next visitor.

The female House Sparrows seem to be more forward than the males (who wait outside by the doorstep) and will fly in and hover waiting for the moment when they can seize the odd mealworm from under a Blackbirds beak! There has already been one Blackbird fledgling, that Mel photographed last Friday, but alas, this morning (Monday) she discovered its remains in the flower bed. Just the beak, a poo-pellet and some feathers are all that was one a Blackbird. It looks like the neighbourhood Sparrowhawk is back on the scene!

December 2009 - Sparrowhawk returns!

Saturday 5th: The Sparrowhawk came back for a return visit to the garden this morning. The raptor returned on three other occasions during the afternoon. While it was here, the bird would repeatedly fly down to the ground from its perch and try to catch a mouse. On its second visit a hapless mouse was caught and killed by the raptor. The first time we saw the Sparrowhawk was about 10:50am. In all probability it had made earlier visits but as we had a sleep-in, we don't know for sure. While it was here, as one would expect, the surrounding area was devoid of any other bird life but for a squirrel. At first the Squirrel was apprehensive but very quickly just ignored the Sparrowhawk. Though he was chancing his life by repeatedly getting close to the bird, he would get a monkey-nut and stroll past the Sparrowhawk and up a tree. I suspect that the Sparrowhawk would not unnecessarily attack the Squirrel unless he ventured too close and risk injury.

JUNE 2009 - Acrobatic Squirrel!!

Wednesday 17th, this morning Melanie captured these videos of a couple of Squirrels performing acrobatics to get a morsel or two of bird food. We quite often get visits in the garden by one or two Squirrels and the birds don't seem to be too worried by this, though they do keep a respectable distance.





Tonight at about 9:10pm we had a visit from a couple of Black-headed Gulls! To my knowledge this has not happened before. Oh..we get Black-headed Gulls on the school playing-fields close-by, but we have never had any land on our house roof! The quiet of this Summers' evening was shattered by a loud squawking. At first we were at a loss as to what it was. We looked through the back windows, then the front windows, but could see nothing. I dashed outside into the back garden (minus camera) a saw this pair - a mating pair of Black-headed Gulls stood on the ridge tiles squawking their heads off and presumably eyeing-up the fish in the pond! On seeing me they flew off still squawking. Does this mean that they will come back at some point in time to take advantage of an easy meal? Who knows? But in my experience, when a bird has made a mental note of where there is easy food, they invariably make a return visit!

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.