Nothing much to report.

Weather has been very poor over the last few weeks and there is more torrential rain forecast here tomorrow. The garden feeders are constantly busy but always with the same birds, ie Siskins, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, some House Sparrows, the odd Goldfinch, Blue Tit and Great Tit. Jackdaws are now coming to the peanut feeder but they are very camera shy! The Great Spotted Woodpecker has become lesser spotted and the Blackbirds are even more greedy for sultanas. There are a few juvenile birds around now and I have seen a few young Great Tits and Starlings. The Thrush doesn't come to our garden, I caught him on some common ground close by.

Back in the garden

With the cold wet weather continuing the feeders have been much busier than usual and there has been a fair bit of aggressive behaviour as the birds frantically try to stake their place in the pecking order. Chaffinches, Greenfinches and Siskins have been to the fore and the Blackbirds are fighting amongst themselves over which one has first claims to the sultanas. The Goldfinches are returning to the feeders after a bit of an absence and I saw four different birds at the hearts one day. Sightings of the Great Spotted Woodpecker have reduced greatly and there has been no sign of him bringing his offspring to the peanuts yet.

More from the riverbank and beyond

Walking along the riverbank every morning I can never be quite sure what I will see. A couple of days ago the family of Goosanders came as an unexpected but pleasant surprise and today I was greeted at the cauld by a family of Mallard ducklings including one bright yellow chick which looked more like a soft toy or something you might try to fish out of the water at the funfair! One sombre note however, these ducklings were rather small and there was a Heron at the other side of the cauld barely 20 yards away.

The Dipper remains an elusive bird whenever I have a camera with me though I see it often enough on other occasions. I had to settle for two Black-headed Gulls today instead.

The other photos were taken at a nearby private garden which is open to the public. The Nuthatch is a relative newcomer to this area, no doubt another indication of global warming.

Goosander family

I first came across the female Goosander and her chicks yesterday morning whilst out for my morning constitutional with the dog but unfortunately I did not have my camera with me.

I took my small digital compact with me this morning not really expecting to get a 2nd chance and I was delighted to come across the family in the same location as yesterday.

There was a hungry Heron paying some attention to them but I honestly believe that the chicks are now too big to fall prey to a predator who prefers smaller ducklings.

Visit to Buzzard's nest

I had the enjoyable experience today of visiting a local Buzzard's nest to ring the chicks.

Our group consisted of around 14 or 15 Osprey volunteers and members of the public together with the Wildlife Officer and an RSPB representative.

We were taken to the area of the nest by two Forestry Commission Rangers who are experienced bird ringers. The group were instructed to spread out and sweep a small area of the forest looking out for evidence of a nest above. Upon locating the nest one of the Rangers had the task of climbing the tree to the nest while the other Ranger waited for the chicks to be lowered to the ground in a large bag.

Upon reaching the nest Ranger 1 advised us that there were four chicks which he duly placed in the bag and lowered it gently to the ground where his colleague removed the birds.
After examining each chick Ranger 2 was able to tell that 3 of the chicks were about 10 days old and the 4th which was much smaller was about a week old. He was also able to tell that the chicks had not eaten today yet although there were 4 dead rabbits in the nest.

After each chick was ringed we were able to handle the birds for a short time before they were returned to the nest.

It was a truly great experience and special mention must be made of the two Rangers who certainly knew their stuff, not only about Buzzards but about wildlife in general. As a special bonus we were also lucky enough to see a Red Squirrel climbing an adjacent tree.

Sunny day

I was joined in the back garden today by my female feathered friend for a spot of sunbathing. We haven't seen too much sun lately! I have also had a visitor at the garden pond and have posted pictures on that site.

Weekly Update

We have had a few Siskins visiting this week and I managed to snatch these shots. The GSW is still coming to the peanuts many times a day and we have had a few baby birds at the feeders escorted by a parent. Chicks seen so far are Blue Tits, Great Tits and Starlings.

Meanwhile the Ospreys on the main live nest have produced their first chick of the year 40 days after the egg was first spotted. Hopefully another 2 chicks will follow shortly.