Birds and garden visitors...

[Glow worm]

We have a few feeders out and get quite a nice mix of blue/great/long tailed tits, goldfinches, greenfinches and starlings etc. A few reed buntings too and a canny cock pheasant who lurks under the feeders profiting from all the peanuts the butter fingered (beaked) blue tits drop! One thing I'd love to see is bullfinch, but they are incredibly rare hereabouts and I'd love to know if anyone else gets'em on their feeders. We have a fairly tame robin who came and perched on my back wheel last week when I turned the bike upside down to fettle!

Often see flocks of lapwings and redwings/ fieldfares in the field behind the garden or passing overhead. Recently, the occasional little egret has flown past in a flash of white. Our bird feeders are proving popular with the local sparrowhawk too- earlier, he went after a blue tit that had just been feeding and got it right under our window- amazing sight. Bit of a bummer for the blue tit though.

 

[Fnaar]

We had a long tailed tit on our fat balls today (so to speak)

anything to keep warm eh?

 

[Fnaar]

Nice butt... in the background, with the pipe going into it

(yes I know, I did it first time round)

 

[Yellow Fang]

Not in the garden, but I'm sure I saw a jay a week or so ago.

Interestingly in relation to the other thread on waxwings, the Reading University says waxwings have been spotted on the campus grounds. Perhaps it was one of those I spotted the other week. They look somewhat similar. All I can say for sure was that it had blue flashes on its wings and was crow sized. I still tend to think it was a jay.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Just had a big green Parakeet eating from the peanut feeder.

 

[GaryA]

The only one out of the ordinary is a great big beautiful Mistle thrush which is first one I've been able to get a really good view of....subtle but vivid plumage.

 

[Baggy]

We've had a redwing nompocalypse! As the snow here shows no sign of shifting we stuck six apples out under the trees this morning...by 3.30 there wasn't a single bit left.

Toppped up the feeders, stuck some more apples out and put down a handful of mealworms in the hope the wren will re-appear tomorrow. There was a solitary robin around at dusk that must have thought it had won the food jackpot!

 

[skudupnorth]

We have started getting Long Tailed Tits aswell,never seen them before,but mostly we get a pair of Collared Doves,loads of Sparrows,Blue Tits's,Blackbirds ect and one mouse sighting which i am sure has moved inside.....hey ho the kids get a pet !

 

[longers]

...hey ho the kids get a pet !

Will this hasten the getting of a new cat?

A long tailed tit stunned itself on one of our windows once so got to pick it up, they're even bonnier up close.

 

[vernon]

One thing I'd love to see is bullfinch, but they are incredibly rare hereabouts and I'd love to know if anyone else gets'em on their feeders.

Saw my first bullfinch this morning eating some seeds that were place on a table in the garden. A glorious sight. It looked bigger and plumper than I'd imagined.

 

[longers]

... putting something on the edge of a shed is likely to have a cat on top of the shed etc.

That's what's stopping me from doing it. Can't do it at work either, the trees and windows are perfect for it the squirrels set the alarm off.

I've seen one Bullfinch years ago and hope to see another. There's a Dipper knocking about locally which is good to see, only seen one at a time in any location so hope there's breeding going on.

 

[Baggy]

That's what's stopping me from doing it. Can't do it at work either, the trees and windows are perfect for it the squirrels set the alarm off.

It takes our cat about half an hour to make his way on to the shed, so the birds are relatively safe.

The long-tailed tits arrived this morning, three of them on the feeders

 

[accountantpete]

Had some Grebes on the bit of water kept unfrozen by the waterfall at the bottom of the road.

Fantastic sight as they kept diving in crystal clear water to eat off the bottom of the river.

 

[biggs682]

just been for a walk around sywell park and seen our first goldcrest

 

[albal]

dont have a garden , so ride to the harbour to spot the usual winter migrants; bar tailed godwit, black tailed godwit,redshank,avocet,teal,pintail,brent geese. Fabulous sight when sun comes out.