Lockdown Birding Update

It's all about the fledglings at the moment, they are everywhere! In the park about three weeks ago I heard chirping long before I spotted the birds - Long-tailed Tits, around 10 of them huddled in the branches being fed by the adults, what a delight to watch, that made my walk! 

I took a lot of photos and hung around watching a while, even pointed them out to a curious passer by so she could look too! 

Elsewhere it's mostly Starlings, unfortunately my gutter Starlings didn't fledge thanks to the local Magpies but thankfully many more have and the garden has had 30+ fledglings picking it clean throughout the day, they are noisy but entertaining. They are all feeding themselves and making good use of the water dishes we have around.

There's lots of young House Sparrows too but they aren't as self sufficient as the Starlings yet, they do love the birdbath though.

Just this past week there has been a couple of young Goldfinch in the trees and a family of Long-tailed Tits passing through, all staying pretty well hidden but I managed to grab a photo.

Goldfinch fledgling not happy that the adult was eating it flew down and landed on top of it on the feeder knocking it off!

On a walk into the woods, we discovered a Chiffchaff nest, watching one of the adults constantly backwards and forwards with food. Hopefully we'll see the birds when they fledge. Under the motorway and I spotted a Linnet in the fields, another bird to add to the lockdown list. Unfortunately the lack of rain means parts of the stream is drying up and the pond is now closed for dipping, we desperately need some wet weather!

Woodpigeon sunning itself

Dog prints in the stream bed

Small Copper Butterfly

Bullfinch

Greenfinch

The garden is blooming and very green, I have scattered a few different wild flower seeds in the front garden over the past couple of years and allsorts are now flowering.

There are lots of Bees and Hover flies in the garden, the odd butterfly - Brimstone, Speckled Wood, Orange-Tip, Holly Blue plus a Cinnabar Moth. I saw a slightly different looking blue fly and on the nettles we saw a green caterpillar last month a black caterpillar is now munching the leaves.

  

Garden watching has been a joy these past few weeks, it's been good to be able to have an 'office' window for a change, but this is my last week working from home, I go back on Monday. I'm looking forward to my walk again though the thought of being in an office (granted with just one other person and plenty of social distancing) has me a little nervous. I'm sad to be leaving my home office....but on the other hand I need to be able to keep work and home separate, working from home doesn't work for me in the long term!