Now that my wildflower planters are going to seed their appeal is shifting from nectar and pollen seeking insects to seed eating birds, such as goldfinches. Even on a windy day they do a thorough job of stripping a single head before moving on… unless I disturb them by looming at the window, or stepping […]
Looks like some of our blackbirds have managed to fledge young in spite of earlier disaster. We’ve seen several young being fed around the garden, all looking healthy and hungry! It may have turned out to be a good year for blackbirds, with wet weather keeping lawns moist, and worms easily accessible near the surface…
Mr Mouse lives safely under the chimney pot planter, within easy reach of falling sunflower seeds from the bird feeders above, with a nice dish of water next door… He finds lots of dropped seeds caught in fronds overhead… …and on leaves and stems nearby… We think he has some pals!
We have been seeing quite a bit of mousey lately! He has been abroad in daylight, teasing the wood pidgeons… …he lives under a chimney pot planter, conveniently close to the bird feeders, feasting on fallen seeds and generally helping himself!
We have seen plenty of young chaffinches, robins and dunnocks this year – our garden seems to be a favoured creche site, which is great for us spectators! Both parents feed the young – here’s the female on duty: …and here’s the male. The young chaffinches do a curious little ‘waggle’ of expectation when a […]
We often see wood mice in our garden, taking advantage of the bounty that we put out for the birds. They are supposed to be mainly nocturnal, but perhaps realise that there won’t be much left by nightfall! Wood mice are our most common wild rodent, found in gardens throughout Britain.They are very pretty, with […]
This little bluetit was just taking his regular bath when a house sparrow turned up and muscled in, on the pretext of needing a drink. What a commoner! Nothing for it but to withdraw until he clears off again… In fact we rarely see sparrows in the garden – a reminder that they are in […]
…Seems they can manage around six a trip, as long as they get them properly aligned. These pictures taken a fortnight ago on consecutive days – both male and female birds taking sultanas back to the young, having begged for them at the patio door. Still no sign of any adolescent birds, but hopefully they […]
More baby birds being fed in the garden – this baby chaffinch is the latest. Meanwhile the first batch of dunnocks and robins are getting quite independent, left to their own devices whilst the parents go through it all again with the next brood!
Several baby dunnocks have lately graduated from ‘cheep’ing for food under cover of shrubbery to foraging independently, mostly on the lawn under the feeders. They share the space with several young robins, mostly in harmony apart from occasional squabbles – the ‘teenage’ robins dominate!