Garden Wildlife Health

There has been quite a lot of discussion recently about the reduction in the number of Greenfinches visiting gardens. This first came to our attention a few years ago when an outbreak of the disease trichomonosis hit several species of garden birds, particularly finches and more specifically Greenfinches. On the Kent-birders chat group Kevin Thornton had brought to our attention the recently launched Garden Wildlife Health WEB site The site has been set up to monitor the health of garden wildlife and has been set up by several major conservation bodies including the Zoological Society of London, the BTO, the RSPB and Froglife. Funding comes from various sources including DEFRA. The site is worth a look, as well as allowing you to report any incidents there is also a great deal of advice and information there.

Strangely the last few days have shown a definite increase in the number of Greenfinches visiting my feeders. They seem to arrive in groups and it is impossible to know if it is a result of a larger more widespread movement or local groups moving from one food source to another.

Looking through some photos I took of the feeders today I noticed that this bird was carrying a ring. Without trapping it isn't possible to read the information on it.

The Starling is another species that has been unusually scarce this winter, again that is until the last couple of days when quite large numbers have been visiting.

Like the Greenfinches above these can be quarrelsome when sharing a food, so three on one peanut feeder was unusual and didn't in fact last for long before a fight started.

Over the last few year the regular numbers of Goldfinches attending has definitely increased, and in my case this has nothing to do with nyger seed. Each time I've tried it the feeder has remained untouched and the Sunflower hearts have remained to food of choice.

At one time this feeder had four Long-tailed Tits, a Blue Tit and a Great Tit on it together, but that didn't last long. Great Tits seldom stay on any feeder for more than a couple of seconds before extracting a piece of nut and taking it off somewhere less exposed to eat it. The same is true of Blue Tits on sunflower heart feeders but they stay longer on peanuts, possibly because they find it more difficult to remover larger chunks of  nuts than do Great Tits.

A Blue Tit was again spending a lot of time inspecting this nest box. It's one fitted with a camera, and so far been used. I need to check out the wiring to make sure it's still working.

My favourite time when window gazing is when a party of Long-tailed Tits arrives, another bird that I rarely saw in the garden until recently.

Spawning Spring

Almost a month later than last year frog spawn has started to appear in both of our ponds.

The first appeared in the "bottom pond" in the front garden. This is the pond that still has fish in it (those that the Heron has left us). I will probably move it to the top pond which is reserved for wild life. The top pond has a small amount of spawn in it, but it does have about 100 frogs noisily courting. Within a day or so I expect that there will be a great deal more spawn here and hopefully, because it is later than last year, it will develop without any heavy frosts killing a lot of it before it hatches.

Both camera boxes are having regular visits from pairs of Blue Tits, this box is in the Birch Tree in the "side garden" and the box is lean and tidy so far, not sign of any nests being built but I'm hopeful that it will be used.

The "Study box" also has regular visits from, I think a different pair (one certainly is) and is looking a bit dirty as the scruffier looking of the two birds uses it to roost in each night. Again the two of them pop in and out but as yet no sign of nesting material.

I mentioned the pushing and shoving that went on the other night between the two visiting Badgers. This is a snippet of them disputing their super.

Blue Tit box update.

The two nest boxes with cameras are now both fixed to the recorder, although I will only monitor one at a time when it is set to video.

The box in the Birch Tree is being visited regularly, especially in the mornings. Quite often two birds pop in at the same time. So far they haven't hung around for long and there's no sign of any nest building yet. I hope that they will maintain their interest in this box.

The box in the Ash outside my study also has had quite a bit of attention, but until today it wasn't fitted to the recorder and we've just watched the comings and goings on the TV in the kitchen. Today I extended the cabling and fitted it to the recorder. Each day for the last week or so we've watched a Blue Tit settle down for a nights rest in this box. I did try today to get a picture of it arriving at the box before it entered, but I wasn't fast enough. At 17.34 hrs I saw it flying down the garden towards the box, and it went straight in, hardly touching the sides! Once inside it did spend a bit of time tidying itself up and doing a bit of preening, but it wasn't a very comprehensive grooming.

When it arrived at the box it was a sleek individual, just as you see them in their normal activities. Almost as soon as it entered the box and certainly as it preened it started to fluff up it's feathers. By the time it settled to sleep, just four minutes after it arrived, it was a ball of fluff, so much so that it is hard to tell where it has tucked it's head. It's a shame that he doesn't keep his quarters very clean. I feel as if I need to take the front of and give it a clean and vacuum while it's out, but that might disturb it.