Allotments 4 All

At the allotment - ten blackbirds eating windfall apples under my tree.  Two crows, seeing off a magpie.  Two robins, a flock of long tail tits and what I think was a female chafinch.  Also heard, but couldn't see, the green woodpecker. In the garden, three ring doves eating from my bird table, and a wren on the fence. In the carpark at the supermarket, several pied wagtails.

Keep looking out for fieldfares, as we usually get some on the allotments, but not seen any yet.  Has anyone seen any this winter?

Not yet, I keep looking and I put out halved apples just in case one passes by and fancies one.

The blackies eat them up.....

I saw some Fieldfares in the orchard next door yesterday, feeding on the fallen apples. In the Breckland they call them "Fulfers".

We have a flock of long tailed tits visiting our feeding station each day, they only stay a few minutes so getting photos can be difficult but here are two I managed recently. We have had a "white" blackbird around for a long time but so far no luck with the camera. It is a while since I posted pictures and they o seem rather small but I see if you click on them you get a bigger picture.

Well you were lucky to get such good shots as they are certainly flighty birds :). I've been quite unwell since before Christmas and haven't been in the mood to post much, but the Saturday before Christmas i saw my first grey wagtail, it came in on the wing with a mixture of birds and visited the birdbath then flew off (no chance of the camera being used ::)). the bird population for us this winter has been quite disappointing, the last two winters we would on most days observe as much as 27 different bird species. i think the reduction in numbers and species have been related to the destruction of some ideal bird habitat in the form of overgrown garden scrub/ bramble thicket two doors down. new neighbours cleared the very overgrown garden to make it more habitable for themselves understandably. which is why i think there was also a reemergence of hedgehogs last autumn after five years of not seeing any :-\.

hope you're feeling better now :)

saw a blackcap on Sunday, very briefly, but it's the first one I've ever seen one, so I had to get the bird book out! how common are these, does anyone know?

Saw two Little Egrets in the middle of town last week. They were feeding on the central reservation on a dual carriageway, together with a very confused looking crow. There are quite a lot around the Thames Estuary, but I was rather suprised to see them in town - so was the crow!

We put a new bird feeding table in the garden at the weekend:
day 1 - robin found it
day 2 - blue tits arrived
day 3 -wren, chaffinch and occasional great tit appeared.
day 4 - grey squirrel - oh well ::)
And a buzzard sat in a tree about 15ft away. So not so many smaller birds.
But the rooks trying to knock the buzzard out of the tree

The buzzard was back today - didn't see it try to catch anything though.

I think there was a coal tit around a bit later on.



Sally

I was standing at the Kitchen window on the phone to my elderly aunt when   oooops a Hawk attack.  it scooped up a starling who had been busy eating on the ground feeder and landed underneath the kitchen window.  I swore   ******  said sorry to my aunt and dashed outside and managed to get the sparrowhawk to drop the starling , it then chased after it again, but it didn't catch it.  It can go catch a bird somewhere else.    :o

same here Carol, didn't see the Sparrowhawk this time but huge pile of feathers under my Camellia bush which seems to be it's plucking post-House Sparrows are on the menu :(/ shades x

There were a pair of goldcrests hopping through the hedge this morning, about a yard away from where I was clearing ivy. Maybe they were protesting.
Never seen one before :)

Sally

Just before dusk yesterday afternoon I saw what I thought was a Great Bustard in the field adjoining my garden.  It was running towards the top of the field.  I called my husband and he saw it too and was in agreement with what I thought it was.  He grabbed his camera but by the time he was ready to take a picture the bird was at the top of the hill and the image is not clear enough for identification.   

Hopefully it will be back again and so I can shoot it.............with my camera of course!!

There's a good set of pictures in the Guardian - link below - of more unusual birds that are coming into gardens because of the cold weather and lack of food sources in the surrounding countryside:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2009/jan/08/wildlife-conservation?picture=341457991

Cormorant, moorhen, mute swans, mallards, inevitable black headed gulls and I think it was a Great Crested Grebe - but was far off and ducking under the water a lot. All at Thornton Reservoir in Leicestershire.

Also Wrens, blackbirds, thrushes, sparrows, blue tit etc in the wooded areas surrounding the reservoir.

Saw my first Kingfisher last Sunday, it made my day :)

Get ready for next weekend the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/about/index.asp

Yes, I got the form in today.  It is the weekend when all the Birds disappear and you have nothing to count but Jackdaws and occasional Starling.

;) ;)

Large Mistle Thrush in my garden today.  I've not seen one there before.  Hope it comes back and brings some friends to help keep the snail population down.

 :)last night in the dark  in a tree next to a busy main road with a massive street light over head I was delighted to see 50 to 60 Pied Wagtails!!!! chattering away . I usually only ever see one, but by chance have found where they all stay the night!! ;D fantastic sight / shades x

Hopalong I always struggle to tell apart the mistle and the song thrush, I know the mistle thrush is plumper but they could at least do me a favour and stand side by side so that I can tell them apart   ::)

AS, I have seen maybe up to a dozen or so pied wagtails and know for sure if you see one you will see a group of them but I have never had to opportunity of seeing up to 60, bet that was a treasured sight  :)

Well this past few days, I have seen a rare sight too, Mr Robin has gone and got himself a wife  ;D
Hes a right cantankerous old thing and is certainly king of the garden chasing off all and sundry, so it actually seem quite funny to see him and his new ladyfriend sat happily side by side snuggling up in the magnolia tree  :)