Snow Birds

The snow is now bad enough down the lane to the back of the house for me not to want to drive down it. So I confined myself to the house today, apart from going into the garden to top up the feeders. The pictures are taken through the windows, so are even worse than my normal standard, but it saves me getting castigated for letting the cold in if I open them!

These Starlings got the benefit of a de-snowed feeder once I'd added some more fat balls to it. This is a popular feeder as most species have learnt to get on it, but the Starling do a pretty good job of keeping possession until something a large as a Jay appears.

Although Chaffinches are now adept at using most feeders, they spend much of their time on the ground mopping up the bits dropped from above. With two feeding stations, one on each side of the house it's difficult to get a count of the birds in the garden, but I reckon there are at least 40 Chaffinches around most of the time.

Sharing the ground level are an increasing number of Blackbirds, there were about 25 around the garden today. They have to put up with the local Feral Pigeons that muscle in on the pickings.

The birds providing the crumbs are the less than delicate eaters, Greenfinches and Goldfinches. There are up to 30-40 Greenfinches around at peak times but fewer Goldfinches this year with a maximum of around 10.

Even though there's lots of water around in the form of snow it is still important for birds to have bathing water around. It may look pretty cold in the pond stream, but it is necessary if the birds are going to maintain their feathers in tip-top condition. 

This morning as the snow came down, some areas were very soft and I noticed a couple of Blackbirds sinking far enough into the snow to need to use their wings, almost in  a swimming or rowing motion, to propel themselves through it.

There are a few Pied Wagtails around the Village, but I rarely see them feeding in the garden until we have bad weather. They seem to be gleaners of small pieces bequeathed from above, I'm yet to see one attempt to go on a feeder.

On the other hand our national bird, the Robin, had managed to learn the tricks of using feeders in the last couple of years. This one is on a feeder very close to the lounge window, but it has now fear of coming close.

Even the more wary Gold and Greenfinches will come to this feeder, although they can be spooked by movement inside. 

I've put a small hanging bird table on the pergola just outside the lounge ( there's a vine on it but the grapes never ripen so no wine yet!). I really is very small and usually only Blue Tits get on it.

This Goldfinch is on a piece of the vine that I should have pruned, and is waiting its turn for the sunflower seed feeder. I've yet to see then on the fat-balls.

As the weather gets harder so the tolerance distance between the birds gets smaller. They seem quite prepared to feed almost shoulder to shoulder at the moment.

Over the years Song Thrushes have become less and less frequent as visitors to the garden, we've got enough snails for them but they for some reason they are in decline. Yesterday I saw one feeding on the snow a couple of times and today there were two at one time. Always a welcome addition.

As I said the hanging bird table is very small and despite several efforts a Starling that was determined to get on there failed very time. This Blackbird was more persistent and after two or three goes finally mastered the art of landing on a very small runway.

Great Tits, like Blue Tits seldom stay on a feeder to feed. They pick up a choice morsel and then fly off into cover, only to return a short time afterwards and do it all over again. I resume that this is an anti predator strategy, although somewhat strangely I haven't seen a Sparrowhawk in the garden for a few weeks. On the other hand House Sparrows have made a small come back, and I counted six in the hedge a couple of days ago. It would be great if this fledgling flock could reach the 30+ that were regular in the same bushes up to around five years ago.

Old birds can learn new tricks.

This week is the first that I've seen Blackbirds hanging on feeders. So far it's only been the doughnut fat-ball feeders, but they may learn more new tricks!

Rooks are only occasional visitors to the garden, this on didn't stay long, once if found most of the potato skins were picked clean.

There have been at least two, probably three Pied Wagtails around. The last one shown was an adult male, I think that this one is a first winter bird.

There have been a few thrushes around the garden, this is one of three Song Thrushes that came down to drink. As I went out the back door this morning I flushed a Redwing from a bush by the kitchen window. It seemed very lethargic at first, but eventually found it's way into a thick hedge for shelter.

The Blue Tits have still been very active with up to four coming down to bathe at one time. There must be a fine balance between the energy lost from the heat lost to the cold water and the energy save by having the feathers in good working order.

The snow is hanging on, and although it has disappeared in patches, particularly where the birds feed, in other areas it is still several inches deep.

The front garden is well covered and the ice on the pond quite deep. The pump has kept the water flowing down the "stream" but despite daily inspection I still haven't been visited by a Jack Snipe or a Woodcock. There was a Little Egret flying over this afternoon. It did a couple of laps but didn't land.

This is the view today from the end of the built up part of Kingsdown Rood looking towards Kingsdown.

And this ids the view from the end of the football field looking across towards the Monument.

The football pitch, with not a white line in sight!

It snowed today

It Snowed today, I'll let the camera tell the story

The Garden

Deal Beach

Worth Marshes

Sandwich Bay

Sandwich Bay

St Margaret's Badgers in Eastern Europe?

I received this ring-bound publication, which includes a CD, from the Belgrade office of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). At first I couldn't think why, and then I remembered that I'd had a request, some nine months ago, for the use one of my Badger pictures.

The "field guide" is for use by the stake holders of nature conservation in the Balkans, including the border police and local communities. I don't suppose any of them will realise that the badger picture comes from the garden of England. The document is available here.

This picture of two of the youngsters that we nicknamed "the hooligans" appears on page 31.

There was plenty of Great-spotted Woodpecker activity in the garden today, but just one new garden bird for the year, a Jackdaw, made a belated appearance. During the day we had no snow although we knew it was on it's way.

And it arrived this evening. I took this form the back of the house, looking towards the pond, at 11.40 p.m. and it was cold with the door open. No sign of the Badger tonight, but it did find paw prints in the sprinkling we got last night.

There about two inches of snow, and it feels like very good snow ball type snow. I'll have to get Pam out for a snowball fight in the morning ( no chance!).

Aliens in the garden

Recently arrived back from Australia, where snow is as rare as rocking horse poo, Cam, Ben and Rob examine the parts of an alien species that is taking shape in the garden.

Cameron appears not to have worked out that sitting on snow isn't a great idea, unless you like a cold wet posterior.

Once the full splendour of this strange mono-ped had become evident Ceri can and joined the group, although she declined to snowball fight invitation.

I thought the Dunnocks in the garden seemed a little shy of joining in the melee for food with the Pigeons an Blackbirds. I did see one yesterday trying to get on a feeder without success. I decided to put a small garden table covered with sunflower seeds near the house and next to the shrubs usually harbouring the Dunnocks. I did have to persuade the Pigeons it wasn't for them, but it did in them end gain the approval of one Dunnock ( and several Blackbirds).

The finches left it alone and continued to occupy most of the available berths on the feeders, occasionally giving way to a Robin. One Pied Wagtail paid a fleeting visit, but so far no sign of it's grey congener, a visitor in harsh conditions in previous winters.

Normally I'm only aware of the activities of the Song Thrush when I find evidence of it's anvil somewhere at the back of the garden. Today this one brought a snail to the icy bird bath and bashed it open on one of the rocks, washing it off in the icy water.

The lump in front of it is the frozen escargot, but unfortunately it took it down the garden to eat it, not wishing to pose for the camera.