Big Garden Birdwatch

I did my recording between 10am and 11am this morning, the results are as follows.

Chaffinches 8
Greenfinch 4
Siskin 2
Blackbird 2
Robin 1
Dunnock 1
Blue Tit 1
Great Tit 1
Coal Tit 1
Goldfinch 1
Sparrowhawk 1

Presumably it was due to the presence of the Sprawk in the neighbourhood that the birds tended to come to the feeders in waves. There were long periods where there was not a bird to be seen then suddenly the feeders were covered in birds for short spells. It was only near the end of the session that the Sparrowhawk suddenly appeared, on this occasion he was unsuccessful with his attempts to make a kill. He perched above the feeders for around 30 seconds before flying off again. I was very disappointed that the Blackcap did not make an appearance as I have seen him every day over the last week.

Update - 26th January

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Nothing much happening over the past 5 days. Most of the regular visitors have been seen at some point though the Great Tits are keeping themselves scarce. The Coal Tit has put in a brief appearance as has a Wren but the highlight of the week has to be the fact that I am now seeing the male Blackcap on a daily basis which is remarkable considering I hadn't seen one in the garden at all for the past 7 years! We have put out a margarine tub which was past it's sell by date and I sprinkled some mixed seed on the top. The Blackcap and some of the Blackies can't keep away from it! I have seen no sign of the Sprawk this week though a neighbour has informed me she sees it sitting on their fence every morning almost. As I have no new photos to post I have looked out some more from last summer to remind me of the warmer weather ahead.

Daily Report 5

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I was pottering around in the kitchen this morning prior to going for a bit of shopping when I heard an ominous thump on the kitchen window. Rushing outside my worst fears were realised when I saw a male Siskin lying stunned on the slabs. When it was obvious there was going to be no instant recovery I picked up the poor creature carefully and took him into the warm kitchen and left him to lie quietly for a while. After half an hour the bird had come to but was reluctant to fly off despite my giving every encouragement. A while later he managed to fly from the back door to a nearby Amelanchier bush but after he had perched there for around 5 minutes without moving I became concerned about his body temperature in the cold weather and lifted him back into the house by the side of a warm radiator. Once again he seemed to come to his senses and I opened the conservatory window to release him again. This time he flew off more strongly and I did not need to do any more for him. Let's hope he is ok and is able to feed alright. There did not appear to be any damage to his wings and there was no blood coming from his beak either so I am confident he will survive. I have always found Siskins quite oblivious to people, often during the summer when I am close to the feeders and after all the other birds have flown off there is still a Siskin or two munching away quite happily.

I also have seen the male blackcap very briefly this morning and also observed a Blue Tit who must have thought he was a Great Tit or a Robin as he disappeared inside their nesting box rather than his own! Although there has never been a nest in that box yet, a Great Tit was roosting in it last summer and he returned to the box every night over the course of a few weeks!

Siskin photos.

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Photos taken this morning from kitchen window. Not brilliant but the best I can do with a Canon Powershot on 12x digital zoom from 20 feet away in low light!

Daily Report 4

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Nothing much happening today, all the usual visitors including Siskins and also a Starling and Woodpigeon.

Weather poor but no snow at lower levels or high winds at least.

Looking forward to Spring, here are some garden photos to remind me of sunnier times!

Daily Report 3

Birds seen in garden today over and above usual daily visitors. Much nastiness at the sunflower hearts feeder between the chaffinches, greenfinches and siskins!

Wren
Goldfinches(2)
Great Tit(2)
Siskins(2)

Seen outwith garden

Grey Wagtail
Black Headed Gulls
Jackdaws
Crows

Weather cold with heavy snowfall around lunchtime which is lying on the hills but not at lower levels.

Daily Report 2

Very few birds seen yesterday.

Weather was cold wet and windy.

More activity today, sightings included Dunnock, Goldfinch and Blue Tit.Went out early to fill feeders and was aware of a movement behind me in the dark. On turning round I saw a male blackie almost at my feet who was waiting for his sultanas to be put out. As soon as this was done the female also appeared as if by magic and the sultanas did not last long.

Very frosty first thing this morning and the bird bath was completely frozen. I had to boil up a kettle of water to de-ice it. It was a beautiful day later on but I had to deliver my car for servicing so did not have much time for observing the bird life.

Daily Report 1

Birds seen at feeders today;

Chaffinches (lots)
Greenfinches (few)
Robin
Blue Tits(2)
Goldfinch
Blackies(several taking sultanas from plate)

Sparrowhawk seen swooping across garden on 3 occasions and Blue Tit inspecting nesting box.

Weather - Quite windy easing slightly later in day, rainy spells, cold.

Woody is back!

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After the atrocious weather of the last couple of days the weather has improved slightly though there are still strong gusts of wind. Haven't seen too many birds over this period, mainly the Chaffs, Robin and Blackies. Looking out of the kitchen window this morning however I noticed a flash of black and white in a neighbour's cherry tree and a quick look through the binos confirmed the return of the Greater Spotted Woodpecker. After a minute or two he had flown into our Rowan tree where he appeared to be looking for insects. A closer inspection through the glasses and I was able to see that it was an adult male with the distinguishing red patches. He was soon off again and from past experience I can tell he is very sensitive to movements around about him. He had not been gone too long when the birds at the feeders scattered very quickly and I noticed an object flash across the back garden and though I did not see it clearly it could only have been the Sparrowhawk in pursuit of his breakfast. I later saw him again chasing something over the garden fence. Not much else to report apart from a couple of Blue Tits on our Tibetan Cherry tree.

Rarer visitors to the garden.

Bullfinch
Greater Spotted Woodpecker
Waxwings
Blackcaps (male and female)
Brambling
Long Tailed Tits
Goldcrest
Chiffchaff
Nuthatch
Pied Wagtail
Grey Wagtail

Occasional visitors to the garden.

Great Tits
Wren
Collared Doves
Starlings
Jackdaws
Rooks
Pheasant
House Sparrows
Song Thrush
Sparrowhawk

Other birds seen in the area.

Barn Owls
Buzzards
Peregrine Falcon
Kestrel
Lapwings
Oyster Catchers
Fieldfares
Grey Herons
Ospreys
Meadow Pipit
House Martins
Swallows

Our blackies.

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We put out a plate of sultanas on a regular basis and are rewarded by visits from several blackbirds including what appears to be a pair. The female is quite tame and will feed from the hand whereas the male which is ringed is less brave. He has however found his way into our conservatory last summer and got into quite a panic before being shown the door!

Our Garden Pond

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At this time of year there is little or no action around the pond area and the fish are rarely seen. I currently have five Golden Orfe and seven Goldfish but they stop feeding during the short winter days and any food put in the pond is just left to contaminate the water. These are a few photos which remind me of the pond last summer.

My garden, as it is now and as it was in 1998.

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Current regular visitors to our feeders.

Chaffinches (large numbers, can be a dozen or more at a time)
Greenfinches (also visit in large numbers)
Blackbirds (4 or 5 regulars, in particular a ringed male and a fairly tame female)
Robins (1 regular and another smaller bird-female or juvenile less frequently)
Blue Tits (as many as 2 or 3 at one time)
Coal Tits
Dunnocks
Wood Pigeons
Goldfinches (can be 2 or 3 at one time)
Siskins

Sparrowhawk

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Photos of a male Sparrowhawk taken in my garden on 20/3/2006.

Birds seen in garden over Christmas/New Year 2006/2007

Apart from the usual hordes of Chaffinches and the resident Robin and Blackbirds I have been lucky enough to spot both a male and female Blackcap on separate occasions, a group of around half a dozen Long Tailed Tits at the peanut feeder one afternoon and a Greater Spotted Woodpecker on a fleeting visit. We also had a quick visit from a Sparrowhawk which we have not seen in the garden for some considerable time. On this occasion it did not find any birds at our feeders!