.....so far it's turning out to be just like the last! We are back in lock down possibly until the end of February, maybe into March depending on how things go so we are back to local excercise and patch birding.
On the 1st January it was dull and damp and there was still a hint of snow from earlier in the week. I headed out for an early walk around the town centre, seeing the usual lack of people and the usual birds - Black-headed Gulls, Redwings, Magpies.....
Redwing
Magpie
Long-tailed Tit
Spot the Song Thrush
Blue Tit
In the garden we've had 2 or 3 Squirrels visiting on a regular basis, my daughter saw two of them chasing each other and actually fighting, one even hit the patio door mid fight and ended up with a bloody head! It has a distinctive patch on it's back and we've seen it often since though so it seems to have recovered ok.
Blackbird
We have an old hanging basket by the patio doors, which we fill with nuts, the Doves, Tits and Squirrels love it but for some reason the Squirrels do try and climb out of it and up the side of the house, not sure where they think they are going!
Long-tailed Tits
Robin
Last week we had a day of heavy snow, which caused chaos and meant I ended up having a half day at work so was able to make sure the feeders were filled, the garden was busy with birds all day!
Starlings
House Sparrows
Now we're left with icy paths, we did try and go out for a walk this morning but ended up cutting it short so we didn't break any limbs!
On the plus side of this lock down, i'm already powering through some of the non fiction I was hoping to read last year!
It's good you are getting your reading done, you will be ID those plants and insects like a pro. I could not find that song thrush until I enlarged the photo great capture there..hope your lockdown is over with soon. I don't think this pandemic is going away no matter what its seems to be the new norm. Unfortunately. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteI hope so! It seems to be, I don't think there will be any changes with the lock down here anytime soon, possibly March but numbers are still so high.
DeleteLovely snowy scenes. We get squirrels racing round the garden here - is it the breeding season? I so enjoy reading about the birds you have seen and I hope you are enjoying your book especially the DCI Banks ones :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure, my husband did see two of them 'at it' :0 on the patio table earlier this month so maybe so!! I love the DCi Banks ones, i've read about half the series and just bought a box of a dozen off ebay, it had two duplicates but the rest are most of the other half of series that I haven't read - a good buy!
DeleteThank goodness for backyard birds, Pam. Squirrels are ever present in my backyard and seem to have a mission in life which is to eat copious amounts of bird seed. And they succeed of course. I have learned to live with them! Who would have thought, this time last year, we would still be dealing with COVID-19 restrictions? The vaccine gives us all hope, but how soon it will be administered is another matter entirely. Inefficiency in delivery seems to be universal. Stay well, stay sane, drink coffee, enjoy birds, read books. That's all the advice I have to give!
ReplyDeleteThey are a lifesaver at the moment! We did start off well (mostly) with the vaccine but now we seem to have issues - our government is lacking in its efficiency (and not just with the pandemic!) Thanks David :)
DeleteLovely to see so many birds in your garden. I had to smile at your squirrel tales, I'm glad the fighting squirrel is okay. Our squirrels sometimes get chased by the local cats who can't quite get up the trees quickly enough to be any threat to them:)
ReplyDeleteI think the Squirrels like to tease the cats, i've seen them do it more than once!!
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