Sunday 6 February 2011

Same old...

Not much of note to mention at the moment.  A female Green Woodpecker that took a bath in the pond on 3rd February was a garden year tick.  This species is usually more obvious in the late summer when youngsters often appear to feed on ants in the lawn.  I remember returning home after the birth of my daughter to find one clinging to a curtain rail in the lounge and pecking the wall!  The cats had obviously brought it in through the cat flap and then found it too scary and let it go.

A male Blackcap has appeared a couple of times and small numbers of Siskins are now visiting the feeders as well as feeding with the local Goldfinches in the silver birch.  One of these Goldfinches has possibly contracted the dreaded trichomonosis, as it was rather lethargic, puffed up and hopping around the patio in very un Goldfinch-like way.

Flyover Starling and Skylark also made it onto the garden year list, which slowly climbs.

The moth species are equally low so far this year, comprising 3 macro and 2 micro species to date.  I don't tend to start light trapping until at least March and rely on the kitchen and porch lights.  Winter, Early and Pale Brindled Beauty have been attracted to date along with Agonopterix heracliana and Acleris ferrugana/notana.

Tuesday 1 February 2011

Woodcock

An up to the minute posting for once!

Literally 5 minutes ago, as I looked up from the computer and out of the front window, I watched the silhouette of a Woodcock flying north over the house along the edge of the adjacent wood - fantastic!

This is actually my second record of Woodcock following a bird in November 2007.  That one flushed from the base of a holly bush just the other side of my fence as I walked to the shed.  It almost gave me a heart attack as it exploded up and away through the wood!

BGBW

The RSPB's Big Garden Bird Watch took place last weekend.  I duly spent my timed hour on Sunday morning looking at the back garden and had a few pleasant surprises and a few regular absentees, which seems par for the course with this event.  I managed 15 species, of which a female Bullfinch was new for the garden year list - never a regular visitor.  Another scarcity appeared in the oak tree in the form of a Stock Dove.  4 Lesser Redpolls alighted in the birch briefly before departing, being my first birds since January 1st.  Lastly, 2 Bramblings, a male and a female, were not unexpected - numbers of this species have been very low this year, even though the Chaffinch flock numbers about 40 on some days.

Later in the day, a male Blackcap made a brief appearance in the lilac before flying next door - thereby missing the BGBW totals!