Wildlife in the garden - Spring and what is this bird?

[Max M]

So far diddly squat...five Blackbirds, two Dunnocks, two Blue Tits, two Wood Pigeons, and Coal Tit (and I think he was lost).
The Sparrow Hawk, two Robins, Jackdaw and a couple of Starlings visited yesterday and a Tree Creeper on Friday. No sign of Mr and Mrs Bullfinch, the Chaffinch, Goldfinch or Greenfinch.

They seem to know when GGBW is on and go and play in the fields!

 

[Dog Star]

Watched whilst partaking of elevenses. The score was:

Wood Pigeon 11
Collar Dove 2
Goldfinch 9
Greenfinch 2
Bullfinch 1
Blackbird 7
Blue Tit 3
Great Tit 2
Long Tail Tit 3
House Sparrow 6
Dunnock 2
Robin 2

Absent this weekend:-
Thrush
Starling
Wren
Chaffinch
Siskin

regards, Graham

 

[pcalkel]

In Birmingham, a lot less than last year with just
House Sparrow 12
Robin 1
too many cats roaming I think.

Best regards
Paul

 

[ovener]

Too late for the garden birdwatch but I've just seen a little egret across the way from us towards the river.
I'm lucky enough to live near the South Devon Railway so see toads of various kinds quite often.....

 

[pcalkel]

On Sunday just had 12 sparrows and 1 robin all day while recording for the birdwatch, 4 days later just had about 20+ sparrows, 8+ starlings, 2 blue tits, a couple of pigeons and some magpies in the last hour, they must have all been in hiding.
best regards
Paul

 

[Tim Birch]

On Sunday just had 12 sparrows and 1 robin all day while recording for the birdwatch, 4 days later just had about 20+ sparrows, 8+ starlings, 2 blue tits, a couple of pigeons and some magpies in the last hour, they must have all been in hiding.
best regards
Paul

It's the same here. It is as if they all know it's the census weekend and hide. One goldfinch all weekend and then 13 sitting in a cherry tree today waiting for their turn on a seed feeder.

 

[Dai88D]

Big Garden Bird Watch highlights/lowlights:
never see sparrows or starlings in my garden (rural)
long tailed tits were the most common, even beating the various corvids
one of the two chaffinches is now dead (cat)
two nuthatches (every day) joined by one treecreeper, always around this time of year but hardly ever see it other times.
Burlington Bertie the Pheasant has graced us with his presence this last fortnight.

 

[Dai88D]

We had some goldcrest visiting as well, but the day after!

 

[Eastsidepilot]

This year we have additional visitors, a pair of Pied Wagtails that seem to be hanging around a lot. Our usual residents are Robins, Blackbirds, Chaffinches, Blue, Coal and Long tailed Tits, Goldfinches, Starlings, Jackdaws, Wood Pidgeon, Collared Dove, a resident school of Sparrows, Bullfinches, Wrens, Woodpeckers, Jays and Magpies.
Non garden residents, but patrol the fields behind us are the Sparrow hawks which occasionally call in for lunch, Red Kites, Buzzards, Pheasant Partridge.
Lapwings make a visit to the fields to invade the Rooks and Crows territory.
To top it all off Muntjac deer are getting braver and entering the garden spotted twice this year where as we only spotted them once last year, mind you what goes on in the middle of the night maybe a different story, probably the Hedgehogs which usually leave their visiting card but I'm assuming they are still in hibernation ?

Col.

 

[Rob Pulham]

Last Wednesday, just prior to our first snowfall of the year was a bit of a wildlife Wednesday at chez Pulham. We had sightings of a Little Owl, a Barn Owl, a Kestrel and a Lapwing. Although a common sight when I was a child growing up on the edge of a moor, Lapwings are not so numerous these days.

We also had our first hedgehog sighting in the garden. I say first because they have been popping up on the wildlife camera in the middle of the night for the week prior to, but this was the first one that we had seen ourselves from the balcony.

From footage taken on the following few nights, it's clear that it has moved into one of the houses because we have the camera facing the gate and there was no footage of it leaving at any point.

 

[oldravendale]

We have the first frog spawn of the spring in the pond, and lots of froggie action yesterday.

Brian

 

[Genghis]

No photos I am sorry to say. Last year I saw a Bullfinch in the trees at the bottom of our garden so decided to invest in a bird feeder to see if it could be lured closer to the house. Well, several months later we did get him back for a visit, but the usual visitors are:

Blue tits
Great tits
Squirrels
Gold finches
Nuthatches
Squirrels
Green Finches
Chaffinches
Squirrels
Spotted woodpeckers
Magpies
Squirrels
Blackbirds
Robins
Squirrels
Dunnocks
Pigeons
Squirrels
Sparrows

Having had one down the chimney last year we know also that there are jackdaws around. There is a family of wrens too but they rarely visit the rear of the house. We used to get many starlings and thrushes but I haven't seen either for a while. We hear owls at night.

Last week Trisha thought that I had mistaken the date for April 1st when I told her that there were parrots in one of the trees. I think probably parakeets rather than parrots but there were indeed a pair visiting. Apparently there are many on the site of the old Derby loco works.

The squirrels are a nuisance and have destroyed a couple of feeders already. However, their antics in getting at the food are rather amusing.

David

 

[Osgood]

A pair of Yaffles makes light work of the task of aerating the grass (sorry about poor quality pic):

 

[Eastsidepilot]

We seem to be attracting a pair of Partridges lately, having disturbed them by pulling the bedroom curtains open, early morning, twice now, no photo's of coarse but we do have a pear tree , perhaps they are trying to compete with the Pheasants.

Col.

 

[SimonT]

First Swallow late yesterday afternoon and first House Martin this morning. We've had a Curlew around for about a week but yesterday I was out working on a ditch when I heard his "Do you think I'm Sexy" call. I looked up to see one Curlew but instead saw six. The House Sparrows are nest building in the barn. Yippeeeeeee, Spring is on the way.

 

[Dog Star]

So far this year there has been little to write about... April has produced a couple of welcome events.

First, them 'Hogs. The village webpage has had reports and photos of random sightings since February and yet there has been nothing in our wilderness. Last night the Retriever patrol announced the presence of a Hedgehog and this morning one can see 'hog droppings - so we have our favourite visitors.

Second, Blackbirds have built a nest in a Mahonia bush... nothing like prickly leaves to deter predators. We believe that the eggs have hatched judging by the parent's activity in respect of worms to the nest.

regards, Graham

 

[Mike W]

We've had hogs in the garden in Northants for a few weeks now. A pair together and one all on his own. I'd like to think that at least one wintered in our posh new hog house, but in truth I have no idea! Sorry about the picture, but it was dark.

 

[Dog Star]

Sorry about the picture, but it was dark.

No matter, what I see is a treat for the eyes, a hog rooting for food.... Texts say that hogs are noisy, I never hear those which visit us until their nose is in the bowl when the sound is that of the crumb being crunched.

 

[Mike W]

Our hogs don't make a sound either, except when they are .. hmm .. shall we say "excited" .. when they are indeed very noisy!

Mike

 

[40057]

In wildlife terms, two markers of spring arriving here occurred yesterday.

‘Our’ swallows are back. We’ve been seeing both martins and swallows around and about for a week or so, but now we have our summer residents here swooping in and out of an outbuilding. The first thing we hear in the morning on going outside, the swallows sat on the electricity wires chattering to each other. A wonderful sound.

Much less pleasant, I removed two ticks, the first this season but certainly not the last.