Big Garden Birdwatch, RSPB. 27/01/2019

A good garden watch this year! The gusty winds did not deter the birds and a surprise species was a male Chaffinch that put in appearance...most unusual and most welcome!
Thankfully the weather despite the strong winds at times was ok, no rain which helps enormously!

Sunday 27th January 2019.
My results between 9.00am and 10.00am.
5 Blackbird
2 Blue Tit
2 Bullfinch
1 Robin
2 Dunnock
3 Great Tit
1 Chaffinch
2 Carrion Crow
5 Woodpigeon
2 Magpie
4 Jackdaw

Bodenham Arboretum 23/01/2019

 

A few images taken whilst on a stroll around a frosty arboretum this morning. Mallards, Black-headed Gulls, Canada Geese, Blue & Great Tits and a couple of Robins were the only bird species to brave the cold!

 

 

                              

 

Fishing, tussling and runners!

No, I haven't taken up new hobbies!

A Grey Heron has returned to my garden several times lately in the hope of catching a fish in my pond! More often than not it does not stay around for long when the Crows spot it or if it catches sight of me watching it!!

 Showing it's crest, a Crow had mobbed it and it was not a happy Heron!

 

 

On the ground for seconds before it took flight!

 

 

Brake Mill Pools have a new species on the water, Indian Runner Ducks! I thought they were maybe hybrids from a local park until I was reliably informed otherwise whilst on a Sunday stroll by the pools. They have been introduced by the owner of the pools and local farmland. I shall hopefully see them out of the water one day, I think I will recognise them from the Mallards due to their size, erect stance and running as opposed to waddling!

 

A couple of male Blackbirds had a right old tussle/scrap in my garden yesterday. I have this week spiked soft apples on a couple of trees so maybe it is a food territory fight or maybe 'Spring' is in the air and they are vying for the attention of the female Blackbirds that frequent the garden. With cold weather imminent in the next few days I hate to think what might happen if Fieldfares spot the food in the garden as they are a very feisty bird and guard food with a vengeance!

 

When I initially spotted the birds fighting the one with it's beak open in the photo was on it's back with the other bird over it as though it was a bird of prey with it's kill and was pecking away at the grounded bird! Woodpigeons disturbed the birds and the one on it's back eventually shot up off the ground with a flurry of feathers floating down to the grass. I presume the open beak is due to shock and hopefully not as a result of an injury, it did not close it's beak as the other bird followed it around the garden for a short while. The Blackbirds in my garden for food earlier this morning all looked ok, I hope 'beaky' was one of them

 

Wren, Blue, Great and Coal tits, Long-tailed Tits, Dunnocks, Robin, Jackdaws, Carrion Crows and  Grey Squirrel are regular visitors to my garden along with 2x Red Fox that I have captured on a camera trap set throughout the night.

 

 

 

Happy New Year 2019.

My first bird of the new year was an early morning (5.30am) Blackbird in my garden! Woodpigeon, Dunnock, Robin, Bullfinch, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw and Magpie were the later arrivals.

An hour spent at Brake Mill Pool this afternoon added a few more bird species to my list, they being, Grey Heron, Mallard, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Coot and Black Headed Gull.

Not a great number of species but it's a start and it was good to be outdoors on a walk.