The "Package"

So to the package.  I had positioned the trip camera in the wood, in the hope that we could find something.  I was amazed to find the disc completely full with Fox, Deer and Rabbit.  Here are a couple of the best short videos.  I will be trying again in the hope that I can find the owner of those tracks we found

The last one is straight from the studios of Fox News!

10th February - Redwing Feeding Frenzy

There was more snow overnight, although only about a couple of centimetres it once again brought the birds into the garden.  Of most interest was the flock of Redwings attacking the berries on the tree across the road from the house.  They would move across the garden to the tree, attack the berries and then fly back for a rest.  They gave some excellent photo opportunities as they fed.  From these pictures you can appreciate what a beautiful bird they really are.  They have the habit of resting with their bill pointing up at 45 degrees, this shows the lovely markings on the chest and throat, which maybe why they do it to hide in the trees.  Here is a selection of the pictures I took.

Practising for "Comic Relief"!

Blackbirds were quickly in on the act too, much to the dislike of the Redwings, who would chase them off dispite being the smaller bird.

In the garden the regulars were putting on a show, a Great Spotted Woodpecker could be heard drumming, but I never saw it, and more of a surprise was the Chaffinch in full song during the afternoon.  I managed a nice shot of a goldfinch, they seem to have ignored the niger seed and look to feed on the sunflower seeds.

The Blue Tit with the feathers missing on the side of it's head has become affectionally known as "Richard" after the character in Boardwalk Empire.  It was back again today feeding well and showing signs of the feathers returning


"Richard"

 As the sun set Helen and I went off for a walk.  We went into Old Down Wood as we had to pick up a "package", more of which later.  It was very quiet, and getting cold, so after retreiving the "package" we headed back down past the pond and school and turned up Gradwell Lane.  As we did so a brown bird about the size of a thrush flew out of the trees and up the lane.  The Blackbirds were clearly not happy and were calling loudly, as we came closer to have a look we managed to flush the bird from the ivy.  As it flew off it was clear it was a Little Owl.  It flew off over the field and across the road into a tree at the bottom of Alton Lane.  We were able to see it from the road but when we went for a closer look we flushed it once again.  Not able to locate it we set off back up GradwellLane.  But once again the Blackbirds calling drew our attention back, and their on the top of the electricity pole sat the Little Owl.  The Blackbirds wouldn't give up though and chased it off again across the field and then graddually up the Lane.  We lost it when it flew into the conifers.  This was a big surprise and unexpected here, I had hoped to find one by the farm.



6th February - Setting the Trap

I had a look in Old Down Wood late afternoon.  At the gateway I could hear Bullfinch, but didn't actually see them until I reached the footpath fork.  One male looking superb, with it's cherry red breast, and two grey females.  As they flew off their white rumps flashed through the trees.

Finch flocks could be heard all through out the tree tops but I couldn't make them out.  After a short walk I headed back to the car.  At the gate the Bullfinches were back, along with a pair of Nuthatches calling to each other.

Went for a run later and the Tawny Owl was calling along Gradwell Lane.  Helen, coming up behind though not only heard it but saw it in Brislands Lane.  It must have come across the field, and flew into the trees.  Disturbing it once again it gave a very close view as she went past.

The snow is almost gone now, and the trap is set...

5th February - Snow (Hey Oh!)

Snow fell from early evening on Saturday, but by the early hours of Sunday morning it had turned to rain.  We woke Sunday morning to a misty white scene, it was no where near as cold as previous mornings, but the snow brightened the dull weather.  However the snow cover was definitely not to everyone's cup of tea!

Helen and I decided to checkout Old Down Wood. The snow was very wet and was thawing quite quickly, leaving plenty of water on top of the still quite frozen ground.  The road too was very wet with plenty of quite deep puddles

We walked into the wood, and decided to take the track around the outside path parallel to Brislands Lane.  The walk was difficult as the melting snow was was making it slippery on top of the frozen ruts.  The snow was not too deep under the trees, and the Blackbirds appeared to be everywhere amongst the leaf litter.  Other than these the first part of the walk was quiet.  We scanned the fields in hope of something but could only find a few Common Gulls flying around.  Yesterday at Bransbury Common we had seen Hares in similar habitats, but not here.  As we came to the furthest point of the wood, something was running quickly across the field, I hoped Hare, but it turned out to be a Roe Deer, I managed to get a few shots, and  this was the best, it seemed to have been spooked by something, there had been gun shots earlier maybe that had something to do with it.

After scanning the fields and paddocks to the south, we walked back into the woods.  The area here is dominated by elder trees, some were dead but others were definitely alive, however the dead trees were covered in Jew's Ear Fungi, they definitely look like ears but where the Jew bit comes from I don't know.  According to the books they usualy gather in large amounts especially favouiring Elders.  Against the light the fungus looks translucent, and quite beautiful.

The bird life had been quiet, but along the path we could hear Goldcrests, but for once they were not in the tree tops but on the ground.  They were moving very quicky amongst the moss and leaf litter.  We watched them for a while but had to move on when a couple walking along the path decided they wanted the whole wood to hear what they were talking about!



The trees in this area were mostly covered in snow on one side of the bark, as a result they produced a lovely scene with the orange appearance of the bark, and the rich brown of the dead beech leaves.

The mild winter up to now was probably the reason why the bluebells are very advanced, you can see them all over the floor of the wood under the trees.  The snow seemed to enhance them on the floor.  I have seen snow and bluebell flowers, I hope that is not the case this year.

We turned of the perimeter track and continued on into the wood, mainly because of other walkers, this proved to be very fruitful, because we found tracks in the snow that were definitely those of badger.  They came from and could be found leading to an area of dead trees and leaf litter.  They clearly had been digging and stripping the dead bark in the night.  The tracks continued along the main footpath, and we even found some further on in another area of the wood.  The snow had revealled their prescence something I had never realised before.  The tracks are quite distinctive, and easily picked out from the mainy dog tracks around

In the area to the east of the wood we came across lots digging and over turned leaf litter.  It soon became apparent that this was caused by Redwings as we disturbed a large flock and they took off to the tops of ther trees.  The fields around the wood were sparsely covered by snow, but this managed to creat a lovely scene against the very wintery trees along Brislands Lane.

We continued on around the perimeter, stopping to check the tree tops for Redpoll and Sisken, and then the floor of the wood for Thrushes.  The footpaths criss cross through the wood, and lead out over the surrounding fields.  In the summer you walk through the cereal crops that have been sown, today there was no doubt as to where the path went.

We decided to come out of the wood, and check out Swelling Hill Pond, but this proved to be very quiet, the sought after Woodcock just not there.  We went back into the wood to finish off the perimeter walk.  Stopping at a gate to look over the fields and paddocks Helen pointed out the refracted view of the gate in the water drop on the tree branch, here is a view of the gate and fields beyond upside down in a drop of water!



We walked out of the wood, and back down Brislands Lane, the cold was now beginning to bite, so we were looking forward to a warm up and a cup of tea.

4th February - Garden

I saw the blue tit this morning, feeding with another on the feeder.  We were also treated to up to 6 Goldfinches and 5 Linnets.  All the birds enjoyed the bird bath, and it required repeated trips to melt the ice.  Late afternoon we had a sprinkling of snow, and the female Pied Wagtail looked quite sad as it stood in the middle of the lawn with the snow falling.  I wonder if the snow will come to anything? 

3rd February - The First Real Cold Snap

The cold still persists, and at long last the birds are returning to the garden, but still not the same numbers as last year.  Snow is forecast Sunday so we will see what that brings in.

The female Pied Wagtail was present early on, and whilst the majority of her tail feathers have grown they do not seem to be at full length, as you can see from the photograph the outer feathers seem to be shorter, and not fully in place.

The video camera is on the bird bath for the time being, and it demonstrates how much the residents use it, as they arrive at the bath and look quite puzzled when they find it frozen.  This Blue Tit though was lucky as it found some water that hadn’t re-frozen and enjoyed a drink.

Of note this morning was the presence of 3 Rooks, normally I only see them flying over, but today they actually ventured into the garden.  I was unable to catch them in the garden but did manage a shot of one through the window scavenging from some food that had been dropped in the road.

While trying to photograph the blue tits, I noticed this individual. 

It would appear that the feathers have been stripped from the left side of it’s head around the eye.  It looked very strange to begin with, more like Richard from Boardwalk Empire!.  The bird did not seem to mind, and was feeding well from the feeders along with the other tits, but it must be cold for it right now, at least I will be able to see if it keeps coming.

2nd February - Lyeway

Once again I decided to drive into Four Marks via the A32 coming in past the Keeper’s Cottages, and then turning off to go through the fields around Lye Way Farm.  It was bright and cold.  This is the first real cold snap of the year, and the temperatures have struggled all day to get above freezing. 

The sun was just setting and the light was a gorgeous glow, and I rued the fact I didn’t have a camera.  Just past the turn off to Four Marks, along Lyeway lane I saw a Buzzard in the trees drop to the floor.  I stopped and it quickly sprung up and flew back into the tree.  Whatever it had seen it was unsuccessful in catching. 

Further along the lane another Buzzard was sitting on the hedge top, taking in the low evening sun.  I approached slowly and was treated to a lovely view, where was that camera!  A slow drive around the farm buildings failed to produce the longed for owl, but as I headed off towards Kitwood, another Buzzard was flushed from the hedgerow.  That was 3, the previous day I had seen one mobbed by crows along Gradwell Lane, so I would guess there are at least 4 pairs in the close area, when extended to the full square who knows 6-7 pairs?