On the Patch

In lieu of me not being out and about much recently I've been taking great pleasure in the garden birds, of which we have many at the moment!

In fact just yesterday morning we had a Blackcap hopping around the bushes (in the pouring rain) - this is not a bird we see in the garden very often. We even had 3 Redwing land in the Laburnum one morning.

With the shorter days the birds are out as soon as it gets daylight and the garden seems busy all day long. Though the shorter days do mean I only see the garden briefly in daylight during the week! The Hedgehogs are still out and about feeding on everything they can find, especially the smaller ones, which are out until after dawn and then back again before sunset. Surprisingly the Squirrels aren't visiting as frequently as they used to though when they do they bury nuts all over the gardens and one has a habit of just throwing one of the sunflower heart feeders on the floor!

The larger birds can be quite flappy - especially the Feral Pigeons which have finally found our garden after all these years and they often spook all the birds. This usually means they all fly about madly for a bit and end up sat on any nearby bush/tree/fence/stick......! These are a few i've caught through the window.

Robin

Wren

Great Tit

Collared Dove

Starling - it point blank refused to turn around....

Early October and I spotted this Shield Bug on a pair of (really old, cat scratched) flip flops!

The Sparrowhawk is around often and finally caught one of my Starlings

One of the Feral Pigeons, we have up to 7 sometimes but they're pretty flighty so they don't take all the food

Greenfinch & Goldfinch

House Sparrow waiting for it's turn at the window feeder

Autumn seemed to come really quick, I took these photos a couple of weeks ago but now lots of the trees are bare already.

Finally we've had a mouse in our window feeder again, it takes it's turn with the Sparrows, who queue up on the branches waiting till it's done! 

Around the Patch

I haven't been out much recently with one thing or another so mostly it's birding around the patch which usually means on the way to work or a quick foray into the woods before work. I barely see the garden in daylight hours at the moment, just a little in a morning and then as I get home the Sparrows are already heading into the trees to roost. The wind at the weekend seemed to have most of the garden birds hiding out with the Squirrels the only ones making regular visits so even then garden watch didn't bring much.

The Goldcrest are still around, there are three now, chasing each other around the trees first thing in a morning and last thing at night and you can hear them on and off all day. Other birds in the garden include the usual Blue/Great and Coal Tits, Wren, Collared Dove, Blackbird and Sparrows. My husband saw the GS Woodpecker at the feeder briefly last week but i've yet to see it again.

I could watch the Sparrows splashing in the bird bath all day long!

The woods have been a bit hit and miss, one day there was barely a bird in sight and the next full of birds. It's a good walk regardless and I still marvel this is hidden away in the middle of a housing estate!

We spotted this wasp (I think) walking across the path

"If I stay really still they won't see me"

Wren 

This Robin was hiding in the tree singing on top of it's voice

After mentioning the fruit in the garden in my last post there have been suggestions of apples or quince. Well I cut a couple of them open tonight and I think from what's inside i'm going with apple? I've tried to search for the variety but no luck so far. It's odd if they're apples that not a single bird eats them?

30 Days Wild Day 2

I was going to have a go at blogging daily for this but i'm away at the weekend so that may not happen.

Today though I took another walk in the woods before work but went in the opposite direction to usual, where the trees are larger, older and it's a little bit darker!

Straight away i'm surrounded by birdsong - Blackbird, Dunnock, Robin, Blackcap, Wren, Chaffinch, Song Thrush, Woodpigeon (not entirely sure their call can be a song!). A Nuthatch was flying around the trees, only my second time seeing them on the patch.

Squirrels are everywhere in this part of the woods and aren't bothered by people so much. Two were chasing each other around a tree trunk, they looked almost cartoon like.

I got a nice new patch tick with a pair of Stock Doves on a nest box too.

It's an entirely different feel in here to the lower part of the woods I usually walk in, it feels more like a wood despite being able to see the houses that surround it in places!