Blustery Day

Another dull and rainy but busy day today. We've had very strong SW winds all day. The feeders have been in constant use for the most part - but the birds seem very nervous of the Sparrowhawk at the moment, what with his increased presence, and so they take flight at the slightest disturbance. Can't blame them, really - it must be like living with a serial killer in the neighbourhood!

Chaffinch



Busy feeders for a change!

Goldfinch

L Female Chaffinch, R male Greenfinch
Female Siskin
Male Siskin

Chaffinch and Goldfinch

Blimey!! What an imaginative title!

The garden was very busy today following the winter-long lull. Most of the activity was in the form of our Greenfinches and Chaffinches, but amongst that little lot were two Siskins (one male, one female). It's nice to see them slowly returning to the feeders since they have been absent from the garden all season.

The sun revealed itself for a nanosecond this afternoon, too! Bit more of that and I might actually see something in the nest box! I am religiously turning the lights on in the box each morning but I don't think I'll see anything inspecting it until the weather picks up a bit. That's if we get anything in it at all, of course ...

Facing the wrong way, but nice colours: Goldfinch
Female Chaffinch

BTO Garden BirdWatch 19-25 February 2007

1. Chaffinch (13)
2. Woodpigeon (3)
3. Blackbird (3)
4. Greenfinch (10)
5. Goldfinch (6)
6. Starling (5)
7. Sparrowhawk (1 - no kill)
8. Blue Tit (1)
9. Pied Wagtail (1)
10. Jackdaw (1)
11. Wren (1)
12. Siskin (1)
13. Dunnock (1)
14. House Sparrow (2)

On Tuesday the male Sparrowhawk landed on the feeder pole near the kitchen window but, despite my very subtle movements trying to pick the camera up, had his beady eye on me the whole time and flew off before I got a pic. I may have forced him up the garden a little bit because I've put a row of garden canes next to the main feeding station to slow him down a little and give the finches more time to get away!

There has been no activity in the bird box yet. I can see four other nest boxes from our back garden and none of them have had any interest so far. We're missing the sunny days which seem to kick-start the interest in house-hunting!

We had a very close encounter with a Buzzard on Saturday - a bit too close: it hit the car. Eek. He was OKAY though. He clipped his wing on the corner of the roof but carried on flying and landed in some trees.

Hoping to get some proper updates done this week. Activity has increased slightly this week, and so my activity will decrease :o)

BTO Garden BirdWatch 11-18 February 2007

1. Blackbird (2)
2. Blue Tit (1)
3. Chaffinch (12)
4. Robin (1)
5. Woodpigeon (4)
6. Wren (1)
7. Black-headed Gull (4)
8. Jackdaw (1)
9. Goldfinch (7)
10. Greenfinch (5)
11. Starling (9)
12. Dunnock (1)
13. House Sparrow (1)

BTO Garden BirdWatch 4-10 February 2007

1. Robin (2)
2. Blackbird (4)
3. Woodpigeon (4)
4. Wren (2)
5. Goldfinch (5)
6. Blue Tit (1)
7. Chaffinch (15)
8. Greenfinch (4)
9. Starling (9)
10. House Sparrow (2)
11. Dunnock (1)
12. Pied Wagtail (1)
13. Black-headed Gull (2)
14. Sparrowhawk (1 - caught Goldfinch)
    

More Snow ...

Despite four days of on-and-off snow, the garden remained quiet this week. I thought we might get lucky with a rooster in the nest box, but we've seen no activity in or around the box at all.

A few pics (note me struggling with the exposure settings! :o)

Pied Wagtail

Robin
Starling
Blackbird
Chaffinch
Woodpigeon

It's Snowing!

Some images taken this morning:

Chaffinch




Greenfinch
Starling
Blackbird
Robin
Dunnock

Goldfinch

More grainy images - this time a Goldfinch.

Wren

Yesterday there were two Wrens chasing each other around the garden and I just managed to get a few photos of one of them as it took a breather on top of the fence and the play house. Could have done with a drop of sunshine, of course :o)

BTO Garden BirdWatch 28-03 February 2007

We hit another very quiet spell in the garden this week:

The figure in brackets shows the highest count of that species seen in the garden at any one time this week.

1. Woodpigeon (2)
2. Chaffinch (7)
3. Greenfinch (8)
4. Goldfinch (3)
5. Blackbird (2)
6. Robin (1)
7. Sparrowhawk (1)
8. Wren (1)
9. House Sparrow (1)