Oh, Christmas Tree!
This is our completely over-stuffed, over-the-top Christmas tree (and yes, there are birds on it: robins, a fluffy owl and Brown Bird). It's a six-foot fake tree (on a modified table) with 285 decorations (yes, I counted them!). Why am I blogging this? Because the garden has been deathly quiet!
Whilst cleaning out the birdbath on Monday afternoon I found a dead male Chaffinch under the ground feeder which is currently 'stored' at the side of the house. He'd obviously died of the dreaded canker (Trichomoniasis) or Salmonella and had gone under the ground feeder for a bit of protection. I presume he'd died overnight.
The experts who coordinate the BTO Garden BirdWatch scheme are predicting a quiet winter for us GBW participants. With the bumper crop of natural foods this year it's looking like a possible quiet winter for all of us. It's certainly the case at the moment ...
Our Greenfinches are here in really small numbers, along with the Chaffinches.
It was a pleasant surprise to find eight Goldfinches feeding at the main feeding station today - it was a welcome blast of colour.
Yesterday (or was it this morning?) we had three Robins tic tic ticking at one another. One Robin in particular seems to spend a lot of time in the (largest) hebe at the bottom of the garden - the only real cover in the garden at the moment.
Also today we had a brief visit from a single Wren.
Yesterday, the male Sparrowhawk made the most pathetic attempt yet at catching something in the garden. He's rubbish! But when will he have me eating my words?!
So, it's all very quiet here and may well remain so throughout most of the winter if the BTO are to be believed. One thing's for sure - I need to go and buy a bar stool to sit at the kitchen window - just in case!
Birdman has taken delivery of a new camera for the birdbox. Preliminary tests results are good but we haven't tried it in-situ yet! Fingers crossed. The quality of the camera which came with the Eshwood box is shocking!
Whilst cleaning out the birdbath on Monday afternoon I found a dead male Chaffinch under the ground feeder which is currently 'stored' at the side of the house. He'd obviously died of the dreaded canker (Trichomoniasis) or Salmonella and had gone under the ground feeder for a bit of protection. I presume he'd died overnight.
The experts who coordinate the BTO Garden BirdWatch scheme are predicting a quiet winter for us GBW participants. With the bumper crop of natural foods this year it's looking like a possible quiet winter for all of us. It's certainly the case at the moment ...
Our Greenfinches are here in really small numbers, along with the Chaffinches.
It was a pleasant surprise to find eight Goldfinches feeding at the main feeding station today - it was a welcome blast of colour.
Yesterday (or was it this morning?) we had three Robins tic tic ticking at one another. One Robin in particular seems to spend a lot of time in the (largest) hebe at the bottom of the garden - the only real cover in the garden at the moment.
Also today we had a brief visit from a single Wren.
Yesterday, the male Sparrowhawk made the most pathetic attempt yet at catching something in the garden. He's rubbish! But when will he have me eating my words?!
So, it's all very quiet here and may well remain so throughout most of the winter if the BTO are to be believed. One thing's for sure - I need to go and buy a bar stool to sit at the kitchen window - just in case!
Birdman has taken delivery of a new camera for the birdbox. Preliminary tests results are good but we haven't tried it in-situ yet! Fingers crossed. The quality of the camera which came with the Eshwood box is shocking!
posted by The Bird Woman at 7:40 PM
2 Comments:
Love the tree! I bet Bird Boy loves it! I have a couple of birds that I've been putting on my tree for ages (20 years!) I never thought about how old they are. No wonder they look so odd.
We've been having loads of goldfinches at our feeder too. I never realized they liked peanuts so much.
Wonderful tree, I have birds on my tree as well, the birds are scarce here in the garden this past while. "Here" is Canada.
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