Bullfinch Beauty

It's been some time since I last posted but hopefully this will change in the near future. I need to get back onto the walks again and taking the camera with me. Now have Greater Spotted Woodpeckers coming to the feeding station, male and female. Started last Summer but usually only for a few weeks during the breeding season, just before they fledge I think.

One of the most striking birds, in breeding plumage is the male Bullfinch. I have never had any in the garden but there are a few on the riverside walk I usually go on. It is not always easy to get close to get a photo. Usually when you see them there a fair bit away.  I have seen a few over the last few years and managed to get a photo of this one. I'm sure you will agree he is a beauty.

Poetry in Motion

Woweeee, lucky to get this shot. She landed on the nut feeder, grabbed one and flew off. Wonderful sight.

Stock Dove

Initially when I set eyes on this beauty in my garden I thought it was a Feral Pigeon. This was just a glance as it flew away. However later that day it did come back and I managed to take a few pictures of, to me, an unknown bird. Yes, it looked like a pigeon of some kind, but what was it really. At this point the word dove hadn't entered my mind. The only dove I was familiar with was the Collared Dove that are frequent visitors to my garden. Onto the RSPB Bird Identifier which wasn't much help. My description probably wasn't the best so there probably wasn't much chance of success in finding the bird's identity. Time to open the bird books. I've two RSPB books, one on British birds and the other on Scottish birds. Yep, Feral Pigeon and Wood Pigeon were there but looking nothing like the photograph. Turning the page I came to the doves. After careful scrutiny I decided it must be a Stock Dove. To make sure I posted the photograph on the Gardenwildlife Bird Forum, of which I am a member, asking other members to identify the bird. Every response came back a a Stock Dove.  So there I had it, my very first Stock Dove in the garden. Unfortunately it has only been back once but I keep wishing and hoping.

House Sparrows

 One of the highlights during the summer months  are the House Sparrows and their chicks. I get inundated with them  and have known up to forty parents and young chicks on the feeders, grass and garden at any one time. Chick are usually on the grass, rockery, hedge or path. The chicks are very comical, hopping around feeding but when mum or dad come along they start fluttering their wings to get fed. I usually get two broods a years and the numbers are still high. There was a large hedge at the other side of the play park. House Sparrows would land there in droves. Then as if a whistle was blown they flew across the play park and into my garden. I did try to photograph them but the pics were not very good. But seeing them was 'poetry in  motion' as it were. Maybe next year the perfect pic will come through, here's hoping. Got another House Sparrow pic that really is poetry in motion, but that's for another day. They may not be the most colourful of our bird life  but they still give us all pleasure.

Dirty Feet

This Grey Heron was fishing in the shallows when I came across it. It didn't appeared not to be catching anything. The tide hadn't long went out and the water's edge was wet and muddy. Eventually it took off with its feet as dirty as hell.

Sorry, I'm Doing My Hair

Very often I will see a Cormorant or two on my walk up the river. Sometimes like this one after fishing and drying out. Caught one or two with fish inn their mouth. I have some other pics of Cormorants that I will post some other time.
Have some shots of male and female Goosanders that I'll post at a later date.

Table for Six Please!!!!!

Not seven this time but six all on the bird table at the same time. The abundant numbers of Collared Doves doesn't happen very often, but regularly there are three.

Woody Again

This is my pair of GSW. Male on the left, female on right. They have been coming in regularly now for a few week. Initially when they flew away they went down the wood. Eventually when they left they flew to a tree nearby. Obviously their chicks had fledged and they were feeding they nearer the source of food. Unfortunately none of the chicks came to feed, maybe there is still time.

My First Woodie

I thought a few months ago that a Great Spotted Woodpecker had came to my feeding station. I didn't really see it but caught a glimpse of red. My daughter also thought she had saw one some weeks later.

Yesterday (Wednesday 30 May 2012), about half ten in the morning, a female Great Spotted Woodpecker came and fed on the coconut shell filled with suet etc.. When I say fed, I mean it was filling its beak with food and flying off presumably to feed its young. I managed to get some pictures but unfortunately they were not very good. Thought this would be a one-off as we are beside a busy road and play park, but was I wrong. Just before eleven this morning in she came again doing exactly the same thing. I lost count of the number of times she came to the feeder but I needed more than my fingers and toes to count. On one occasion just before midday I thought, wait a minute there is some red on the nape. The female's mate was now here. They must have a few chicks as they were in and out all day. The coconut shell was put out just before 10 o'clock this morning and by seven o'clock tonight it was empty. Between the Woodpeckers and the Starlings they cleaned it out. I have since put out a six ball suet feeder and I can't see them lasting long. I think this could be an expensive time coming up. I will try and get more pictures but I need to be careful I don't scare them off. Blogger has changed since I was last on and I'm still trying find out how it works.

Collared Doves

One of the more common visitors to my garden and feeding station is the Collared Dove. Initially we had a pair but eventually I think they brought one of their chicks as frequently there were three. They all got on very well together. The most I have had in the garden has been ten. It was comical at times as they all tried to get onto the bird table at the same time. The most that managed to get on was seven, all crammed together trying to feed. Unfortunately that day my camera battery was flat and I couldn’t record the scene. There hasn’t been that many since but I live in hope. Here’s a pic of one flying onto the bird table.