Greenfinch revival?

 The garden was busy with feeding birds today.The female Blackcap put in another appearance and Blackbird numbers were still quite high. We are still missing the hoped for for visits from Bramblings and Siskins and one of the erupting Hawfinches would be a great treat.

 The number of Greenfinches visiting gardens has been greatly reduced in the last few years. This is due to the disease trichomonosis. The birds become sluggish and unable to swallow food. There seems to be a small recovery, at least in my garden with several spick and span birds around each day. 

 The number of House Sparrows suffered a huge reduction, particularly in large urban areas and 10 years ago we hardly had any around in the garden, but hey are now doing rather better. 

Goldfinches numbers seem to be going from strength to strength.

 When I first put up the mesh feeder it attracted very little attention but now it is one of the first to be emptied and often is crowded with several species.

Goldfinch

  A strange winter, very little really cold weather and Hebe in flower during January seems rather odd.

Goldfinch and Greenfinch on the mesh feeder.

 Collared Dove

Lazy Photography

Some lazy, armchair photography, sliding doors open and listening to 15 to 1. Watching the garden birds coming to drink and bathe.

A very wet Robin.

A tatty Blue Tit, but I'm not sure what is the problem.

Coming down to the feeders, about four feet away.

Cock House Sparrow

Dunnock

Blackbird, down for  drink.

Blackbird collecting food.

This was from the other side of the house, though a closed window. I had a quick dip in our exercise pool, trying to improve my leg muscles, came out, showered and sat at my desk. As I looked out of the window all the finches left the feeders in a panic, and the reason was staring me in the face. A handsome male Sparrowhawk.

Back to the armchair to watch a Wren collecting nesting material from round the pond.

Cock Chaffinch

Hen Chaffinch

Thsi Collared Dove is a short tailed version, perhaps having lost it to a local cat, or even the Sparrowhawk.

This is the full tailed version.

A smart Blue Tit.

Blue Tit and Goldfinch go head to head.

Last photos of 2016 - a few birds in the garden

 Male Chaffinches gain their colour as the soft tips of their feathers abrade to reveal a more colourful plumage underneath.

 Goldfinches stay nice and bright through the winter. Their melodic twittering is the main noise in the garden at the moment.

 Chaffinch

 Lots of Blackbirds around, form duller 1st winter females to handsome adult males with bright yellow bills.

 Blue Tits make use of the food and are happy feeding on seeds, fatballs or peanuts.

A much duller cock Blackbird with a dull bill. Not sure is this is a young local bird or one of the many continental visitors we host in winter.

Moving Lumps on the ground.

The last week hasn't been good. A bad dose of something very nasty has had me in bed, or at least in doors in the smallest room, for most of the last seven days, I did manage to get to the Kent Wildlife Conference at Kent University, and with the help of heavy dosing and crossed fingers, I got through my talk on Kent's changing birds, over the period I've been birding, with out accident.

A view from the lounge window. Apart of the flock of Goldfinches feeding in the garden. These are under the feeders below the grape vine.

When I counted these I was surprised how many there were on the ground, As this is just one of two feeding areas the total flock in the garden is now approaching 200.

Yesterday I managed an exciting trip to the pharmacist, and took the opportunity for a drive from Deal along the Ancient Highway.

 I noticed some lumps on the ground. While thousands of Red-legged Partridge infest the countryside, waiting for the unspeakable to blast them out of the sky, some native Grey Partridges keep their heads down, on Worth Marshes.

They are one of my favourites and we are lucky to see them regularly here.

There's ants in the Lawn.

I have many faults, and one of them is hoarding rubbish. Sometimes it pays off. This old wall television "table" looked like it might have some use, and for about three years it has made a useful bird table, fixed to a large tree. It doesn't get used a lot, but I did notice, a year or so ago, that visiting Bramblings preferred to feed on it than on the ground. I put some seed on it and of course a Chaffinch tried it first. In the end I had four Bramblings feeding there.

It wasn't long before some of the flock Goldfinches found the seeds on the TV bird table, The flock is well over 100 now and as well as being very noisy they also get through a lot of seed.

I think this female Green Woodpecker must have found a good ants nest as it had it's head down most of the time I was watching it (about five minutes). As usual something, probably one of the clumsy Wood Pigeons landing with a thump, disturbed it and it flew to one of the trees.