11th December - Well, What if There is No Tomorrow? There Wasn't One Today

I have been away through the week, and was hoping that I would bring the cold and sunny weather I had experienced in Munich back with me.  Unfortunately overnight there was more rain, and in the morning it was grey and overcast, but it seemed still and calm something I haven't experienced for a few weeks.

As has been the case over the last few weeks I was being entertained by the antics of the Coal Tits during the morning.  I watched as they zipped in and out of the feeders and trays, and hiding back in the trees to eat their prizes.  But as I watched I noticed one individual behaving differently.  Rather than fly to the middle of the tree with its seed, it flew down to the base of the young trees at the bottom of the garden, then flew back almost immediately to the tray, where it took another seed and did the same thing.

Then as I watched it flew off again as soon as it had picked a suitable seed.

This time onto the lawn though, where it pushed the seed into the grass.

Mission accomplished, a quick look around and then back up to the tray for more.

I don't recall seeing Coal Tits, or any Tit caching food like this, and it was only one of the three birds that were in the garden doing this, the others were content to eat theirs in the tree.  The other point of note this morning in the garden was two Goldcrests, easily my highest total!

When the weather is like it has been it is difficult to get the motivation up to walk around the patch, for one it is very dark and gloomy, which is not conducive to good photography, while on the other hand the weather is also not right for bringing in any major change in the wildlife.  Colder conditions might increase the bird flocks, and maybe also bring some of the mammals into view, the Roe Deer still seem to be hiding away during the day.

So when the cloud thinned and I actually saw the sun, I decided that I would take a walk around Old Down once again.  What with the brighter and calmer conditions it might be easier to find something.

As I pulled up at the pond a Grey Heron flew off, and out on the water a Moorhen was tugging at the stalk of an old Lily Pad.

The water bird bonanza continued with three Mallard, two drakes and a duck dozing buy the side of the bank.

I walked from the pond to the entrance to the wood where there was the soft piping calls of Bullfinch everywhere.  However no matter how careful, and watchful I am they always seem to be able to hide from me, and then as I am almost on top of them they burst from the bushed and fly away.  All I get to see is the pinkish red breast of the male, and the white rumps of both sexes.

A little further in, I picked up a larger white rump, this time belonging to a Jay.  It flew away from me too.  Above there was the call of Nuthatch, and around me the feint calls of Goldcrests.  

I decided to try and follow where the Bullfinches had been and walked around the perimeter.  The Bullfinch calls died away, and I did not manage to find them.  Their calls eventually being replaced by those of a pair of Grey Squirrels.  When I found them they were arguing over a drey that was nicely built in a Silver Birch Tree.

I left the squirrels and walked on.  I suddenly became aware that the wind had picked up, and there was a significant breeze moving the branches and what was left of the oak leaves, fortunately though it was still quite bright.

Looking out across the field there were Rooks and Jackdaws feeding, and also away in the distance I could make out several Common Gulls in amongst the sheep.

I came back on to the main path, and headed for the crossroads, stopping every so often to listen for bird calls.  Once again I could hear Goldcrests, and with them Blue Tits.  A Great Spotted Woodpecker called but never appeared and overhead the cry of a crow echoed through the woods.

As I walked back towards Old Down Cottage I could hear more birds around me.  A Blue Tit appeared in some branches eager to show me that not only could it perch horizontally.

But also vertically!

A little further on I could both hear and see bi

rds at the top of the larches.  This is what I had been looking for for a while now, and whilst they were not the birds I was hoping to find, it was a start, Goldfinches will increase in numbers, and hopefully they will bring in some more rarer birds.

As I stood watching the Goldfinches, a Nuthatch called again and I watched it fly over my head to a tree close by, where it made its way along the branch, then posed in typical Nuthatch fashion.  With the dullness and the white sky, a silhouette looked quite different.

As I walked out of the wood I looked and listened for any sign of the Bullfinches, but they were not there.  A Blackbird fed on Holly berries and several Redwing flew over calling.  I walked back to the pond and made my way around it in the hope that I might find something in the boggy areas, but all I saw were the three Mallard and another Moorhen that shot out of the reeds like a missile.

So pretty much the same stuff in both terms of the weather and the wildlife, very much like our own Groundhog Day.

6th December - The Kettle's On So Don't Be Long

After the sunshine of Friday morning normal service has been resumed this weekend.  I was out yesterday (full details can be found here), and it was overcast, dull with gale force winds which made bird watching very difficult for both the watchers and the birds.  So the sight of partially blue skies this morning was very encouraging, but the situation did not last, the clouds very quickly returned and with it a light drizzle.  I was intending to get out for a walk, so with the weather forecast saying it would be dry in the afternoon, I decided to do some work in the garden, and then get out in the afternoon.  The best laid plans always go wrong.

The light drizzle never really stopped, and as I finished in the garden the drizzle started to get heavier, there was no way it was going to be conducive to seeing and recording any nature this afternoon so I decided to stay in.  

With me out of the garden though the birds started to return, and as I made a cup of tea I could see the Long-tailed Tits massing on the feeders so I decided to watch the garden, and see what did turn up, and adopting the Garden watch approach to count the birds.

The Long-tailed Tits did not seem to be too happy with the weather, looking up at the sky and the rain.

The maximum count of these lovely little birds was 12 as they buzzed around in the branches.

They seem to have a way of communicating as when one uses a feeder others just collect with them.  I have seen the feeders completely covered, here though there are four on the fat feeder.

I have also showed this before, but I find this behaviour fascinating.  From the sunflower seed feeder the little tit takes the seed from its bill, and holds it in its foot, and then hanging from the branch feeds on the seed it is holding.

There was bird song even in the rain, the melancholy song of the Robin, and the chirps of the House Sparrows that are all sitting in the middle of the conifer hedge.  Every so often the sparrows would com out and make their way to the feeders.

I counted seven House Sparrows, but I know there were a lot more in the hedge.  In amongst the sparrows was a male with a large amount of white feathers on the back and wings making it stand out.  I had to look carefully, but it was definitely a House Sparrow, and of course it avoided the camera.

I had been pleased this autumn to see a Goldcrest in the garden, and when I was first watching the Long-tailed Tits I saw one in with them, fortunately for me it returned and I was able to get some good views.

There were four Blackbirds in various places in the garden.  One male would sit in the middle of the main tree, while another male was watching all the comings and goings from the top of the conifer hedge.

The busiest birds in the garden were the tits.  There was seven Blue Tits at one time, and three Great Tits, but the entertainment came from the Coal Tits.  There were three in total, and they were buzzing all over the place going from the feeders back into the safety of the tree, then down to the trays and table and away again to feed on their prizes in the tree.

Some consider the Coal Tit a smaller version of the Great Tit, but the one distinguishing feature is the white patch on the nape, shown really well here.

Two Robins have a territory in the garden one on the left hand side, and the other around the conifer hedge and the pond.  The left hand Robin though was not only defending its territory from other Robins but it also had an issue with the Coal Tits and Blue Tits.  It would chase the birds as they made their way through the tree towards the feeders, and even the ground bird table.

Interestingly it didn't have an issue with the Goldfinches or the Great Tits which are of similar size.

The beauty of just sitting and watching is that there is always the chance of seeing something different.  The Goldcrest earlier was interesting, and then the other tiny bird appeared, first there was the call, then it appeared on the top of one of the small ornamental trees.

Like a little mouse it made its way through the branches and along the ground.

The most numerous bird was the Goldfinch, with a maximum count of 16, they flock around the feeders and are probably the main reason why the seed needs topping up all the time.

During the quiet spells I scanned the area around the garden.  A large flock of Jackdaws drifted over calling as they went.

And on a tree that has been cut very closely were a pair of Collared Doves, they visit the garden regularly taking advantage of the seed that is dropped as the Goldfinches feed.

It had been the right hand Robin that had been singing, but the song had now stopped, and the Robin then appeared from the hedge.

There was another quiet spell, then from no where the Starlings appeared.  At first flying into the trees and perching on the high branches to watch and see what they could go after.

Then once that felt that it was safe the drop onto the feeders and the ground bird table where inevitably they would squabble and fight over everything.

Always entertaining to watch they come in, create havoc and then leave.

It was disappointing not being able to get out, but at the same time it was a great opportunity to watch the behaviour in the garden.  As I keep saying I hope the weather becomes a little more considerate in the next few weeks, something more winter like would be nice, but hopefully without any significant disruption.

4th December - Half The Time Has Passed Away

There was an object in the sky this morning, that I was told is called the sun, it came up in the east in a very unusual sky that was coloured blue.  I was able also to watch this event without the trees blowing back and forth.  After the continual overcast skies of the recent days all this was very welcome, and through the morning I watched Woodpigeon stream overhead flying in a westerly direction.  The garden wasn't that busy, mostly Goldfinches about on the feeders, a Red Kite drifted past my office window, and I was determined to get out and enjoy the weather at lunchtime.

I headed to the pond and parked up with the intent of walking through Old Down, before though I walked around the pond.  There were three pairs of Mallard at the back end of the pond, and over by the reeds and Iris bank a single male in the sunshine.

As I headed towards the wood in the field on my left there were Magpies and Crows feeding on the edge of the field.  Whatever is planted in the field has grown quickly in the mild weather.

As I walked into the wood I disturbed several Chaffinches feeding on the edge of the field close to the path, there were also four Bullfinches that as usual were very difficult to see, and when they did they were gone as almost as quickly as they appeared.

I had hoped that with the relatively still conditions I might find some birds in the larch and beech trees but it was very quiet.  As I walked the path I was very surprised to flush a Red Admiral that was sitting in the sunshine on the grass.  I watched as it flew off, hoping that it would settle but it just kept on flying.

Clouds were now building up, and any hope that a sunny spot might lure the Red Admiral back faded as the sun went in.  I walked to the crossroads where I found signs of catkins on the Hazel trees beginning to emerge, yet another sign of the very strange weather we have been having.

I turned left and headed for the West End, and it was still very quiet, as I reached the diagonal footpath a new sign had been erected to replace the old one that had been demolished during the forestry work over the last two years.

I could hear occasional calls from the low trees close to the edge of the wood, but nothing appeared.  I walked to the West End, and scanned across the field.  The sunshine was back, and was brightening up the green in the field, but in a way that only happens when the sun is as low in the sky as it is at this time of year.

I looked out over the Desmond Paddocks, Rook were feeding in the fields amongst the sheep, and over in the distance i could see a sizeable flock of what were probably Black-headed and Common Gulls.

I headed back into the wood, taking the trail through the trees.  As I reached a denser part of the wood Blue Tits started to call.

I stood and waited and listened, the Blue Tits were joined by a calling Nuthatch, a Robin, and then a quite smart Great Tit.

I came out onto the main path, and headed once again for the crossroads.  Wrens could be heard calling from the bracken and fallen trees, and then I came across this female Blackbird that was clearly upset about something but I could not see what it was.

Turning back towards the Old Down Cottage suddenly the trees were full bird calls.  The dominant one though was that of the Marsh Tit, and there were two birds and they showed very well.

I always look closely just in case they maybe something else, but I don't know why as the call is the main way to identify the Marsh Tit from a Willow Tit, and these two were calling just like Marsh Tits.

A little further on there were more calls, this time a large flock of Long-tailed Tits and Goldcrests.  Continually moving amongst the thin branches they were difficult to pin down.

As I walked out of the wood the Oak trees still held on to some of their leaves and the sun that was now back out was turning them into gold.

Out of the wood and looking along the edge of the field once again there was the scene that was a classic winter one.

I stood and waited once again as I could hear Bullfinches calling.  Once again they appeared and then disappeared.  Other small birds were about, Chaffinches and Greenfinches, and overhead I could hear the calls of Redwing.

I walked back to the pond with the sun still out, but I doubted whether it would be for much longer.  Away in the distant west the clouds were gathering, and looked quite dark.  At the pond I could only find three pairs of Mallard, the single male gone.  Two of the pairs were feeding in the sun.

It seems that today's weather window will be short lived, its back to overcast conditions and gales on Saturday, and then more rain and mild temperatures next week.  This makes it hard to find what wildlife there is about at the moment, and also is making the foootpaths very difficult to walk.

I hope that this weather will change, I am not sure I would want it to continue all winterlong.  We desperately need a spell of much colder weather to turn things back to normal, and hopefully bring in some more winter visitors.

21st November - And I've Never Felt The Sun

The crazy weather took another interesting turn this morning, at dawn it was snowing in Four Marks, wet snow mixed with rain, but it was snow and it was settling on the grass.  It didn't last for too long though, and the clouds blew through and just after nine o'clock there was blue sky, but a very strong northerly wind.  It was the wind that made the day very difficult with some very strong gusts, it was also the dominate noise over everything, even the cars.

I set off along Brislands, as I reached the turn to Gradwell, you could see how the lanes had been transformed by the strong winds we have had all week, all the leaves were almost gone.

I turned down Gradwell, and I debated a walk through the wood but decided that it would be better in the open, it was going to be very difficult to hear and see small song birds in the woods.

I headed down the lane, pausing to look along the line of the hedge towards Old Down.  Again the trees now look quite bare.

There was movement in the hedge and I could hear both Redwing and Blackbirds, but as soon as I found them they were off, and it was impossible to get on to them long enough to get a suitable photograph.  This Robin though was quite happy to sit in the sunshine, sheltered from the cold wind.

While the Redwings were calling from the hedges, I could also hear Skylarks calling from the field.  I scanned across the field, and was amazed as a huge flock of Skylarks flew up from the ground.  I managed to capture a part of the flock, and here there are 38 birds, away to the right more flew in, and I counted another 56, making a total of 94 birds, and there was probably more in the field.

I walked up past the school with even more Redwing streaming over my head.  At the top of the hill I turned into Kitwood to check the hedges around the bend there.  Again there were Redwing, and they just seemed to pour out of the trees and then head out across the fields.  They may have been late arriving this year but they are now here in large numbers.

The trees were busy with Blue and Coal Tits, and on the style to the footpath a Dunnock sat for quite a while.

I headed down Lye Way, the hedges on either side giving a little shelter from the wind, but it was all you could hear, there was no chance of hearing any bird calls.  Looking out across the field it looked cold, which it was, something that has been a long time coming this autumn.

I walked through the farm area, the trees billowing in the wind, past the barns and then the small paddocks where once again Redwing kept appearing out of the trees.  A bit of variety was provided by a pair of Bullfinches, their piping call just audible above the sound of the trees in the wind.  They too though were very elusive, only giving very brief views before dropping out of sight.

At the junction I walked to the field gate and scanned across the field.  There were several pairs of Crows scattered across the field, but over by the left hand side, there was a single Lapwing, the first of the year, an amazing fact considering the amount of farmland around here.  It was though much to far away for a photograph, so I walked on. 

A familiar chuckling call alerted me to Fieldfare flying up from the other side of the hedge and into the tree by the side of the road.  There were about a dozen birds finally in the tree.

The gap in the hedge allowed me to be able to scan the field once again, and I re-found the Lapwing and it had been joined by another, and this time they were closer.

With the wind and the bright conditions visibility was excellent, and as I walked along the road I noticed a flock of birds fly up from the field to the north.  I watched as they wheeled around, then headed towards me, they could only be Golden Plover, and as they came closer it was clear that was whet they were.  The flock flew past me, and headed into the field on the other side.

Counting the birds in the photograph there are 91, but as they dropped down into the field, I noticed another flock coming from the same direction, this time I counted 95 birds.

This made a total of 186, the highest count I have had on the patch.  I did think there was a chance today, they are usually around this time of year, and they didn't let me down.  Two patch year ticks in the space of a few minutes.

I walked on then finally heard a Golden Plover call, and a small group came out of the field where the large flocks had dropped down, and flew overhead.

The intention was to head towards the Estate, so I continued along The Lye Way.  The road was in the shade, but the fields were in full sunshine, and over towards Dogwood Wood there was a large flock of Woodpigeon.

I wondered if the wind would stop me seeing any raptors today, but my question was answered as two Buzzards appeared from over the trees heading out towards the field where they were immediately mobbed by Rooks.

I walked up the hill to the Estate, stopping for awhile to see if I could hear any birds in the Mountains Plantation.  Needless to say the wind blocked any chance of hearing anything, so I gave up and headed to the barn for the chance to sit and have a coffee and reflect on where to go next.

Rather than walk around the outside of the estate I headed straight to the quarry, I heard a Fieldfare call, and looked up to see a Red Kite drift across in front of me.  It floated up over the trees and then just disappeared behind the Mountains Plantation.  I walked down the hill and crossed the road.  As I walked past the drying barns a pair of Pied Wagtails were busy around the roof and sheltered sunny areas of the barns.

It turned out that Pied Wagtails were the main birds around Plain Farm. The wind seemed to keep everything within the hedges, usually there would be birds on the wire but they were all empty.  A Kestrel flew past, and hovered in the middle of the field, then banked away and out of sight.

I walked to the end of the lane, and then out towards Charlwood.  There was nothing of any interest along Charlwood, so I took the bridleway in the hope of finding something in the hedges but I couldn't find a thing.  I came out onto Lye Way, and as I past the Bramble bushes I was amazed to see a butterfly fly past me.  It settled on the Bramble leaves and I could identify it as a Comma.

As I said the other week a Comma in November was not unusual, but I didn't expect to find one with the temperature about 3 or 4 degrees and the windchill taking it below freezing.

At the sheep paddocks a Fieldfare flew across the road in front of me, and settled in the field.  I walked closer and it didn't seem to bothered.

It was concentrating on searching the grass so I edged closer.

They really are impressive looking birds, again they probably are over looked because they do appear in such large numbers.

I headed back down the footpath towards Swelling Hill.  Woodpigeons flew over, and Crows and Rooks were in the field, but that was it.  Looking West I could see an awful long way, being able to make out the Science Centre just out side Winchester, and the copse around Cheesefoot Head.

The wind seemed to have dropped so I decided to walk through Old Down, but as soon as I entered the wood it picked up again, I did though manage to see and hear a pair of distant Marsh Tits and there were also a few Goldfinches about in the Larches, but that was it.  

I walked through the wood, and then down Brislands towards home.  As I approached the house I could see a Rook mobbing something, it turned out to be a Sparrowhawk above my house.

It is always nice to get four raptors in the day, this Sparrowhawk probably the bird that terrorises the birds on my feeders.

It has been a long while since I have walked as far around the patch, and today was probably not as productive as other times I have put in the miles.  But there were two year ticks today, and some lovely views of a stunning Fieldfare.  The wind played a large part in restricting any further sightings, with many birds keeping out of it and bedding down in the hedgerows.  Still it was nice to get out in the fresh air, and to experience a temperature that was more in keeping with the time of year.  

When the wind blows like that though it does make it very difficult.