This weekend the garden had three pairs of human eyes looking out for
birds, although they weren’t the only eyes looking at the garden. There was
also by a pair of cat eyes – an unwelcome sight for everyone else.
Once the cat was chased off the counting began; the first tick in the
box came for the… grey squirrel, which was quite ironic as we’d not seen one for a
couple of months!
But the usual suspects started turning up soon after and within an hour
we’d seen most of the birds we see during a weekend.
House sparrow – 8
Tree sparrow – 5
Blue tit – 4
Goldfinch – 4
Dunnock – 4
Blackbird – 3
Robin – 2
Great tit – 2
Magpie – 2
Wren – 1
Unfortunately no long tailed tits, great spotted woodpeckers or starlings,
but I know they’re around.
The new nest box has been up for a week and it now has one of the
cameras inside it. I hope it will not put off the birds like it has done in in
one of the boxes in the triple sparrow nest box.
There is hope for it because it does have a pitched roof, which can
house the camera and not interfere with nest building or even put any birds of
nesting there.
The only location for the nest box is underneath the triple sparrow
nest box, and hopefully the ivy growing up the wall will act as a cover to the
entrance. It could even keep the noise down from the noisy sparrow neighbours!
With winter only showing glimpses of its might, sometimes just for a
night of low (ish) temperatures before reaching 10c or more the next day, it’s
no wonder not many fieldfares, redwings and other wintering birds haven’t been
seen.
Instead tulips, crocuses, daffodils and snowdrops are all either
growing or flowering. It’s great adding colour to the garden in January, but I
fear winter has one big icy blast up its sleeve.
And given the odd report of swallows wintering in the UK and ducklings
being born in December and January, I hope no garden birds decide to start the
breeding season early and get caught out by winter finally getting its act
together.
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