Wildlife in a Suburban Garden

My favourite sightings of 2009

On the last day of 2009 I have been thinking back to some memorable wildlife events from this year. It would be a hard job to chose a winner because I have enjoyed some great moments this year. I think I would have to go with my Kingfisher encounters as the most memorable if forced to choose.  This was a turning point in my Wildlife watching life. Not just because it was lovely to see these most spectacular birds so close to home but it was extremely satisfying to get so near to them from my hide.  Read about them here. Then there was the day when a female put in an appearance and she was absolutely beautiful as you can see.

 

During this month I also had a lovely encounter with one of my favourite  Sandpipers the Green Sandpiper - Tringa Ochropus. Again, very rewarding because I planned how I was going to achieve success and with lots of patience and a bit of luck, eventually It came together.

  

This species can be hard to get near to so pretty much the only way I would have had success would be from a hide. 

Perhaps the Cuckoos that I watched in June would be right up there at the top of the list. On Dartmoor I had watched a female in the act of laying. I was quite a distance away and the next day I returned and positioned myself in a hide close to a lone conifer in the hope that one of the calling birds would perch. Well,  it was a success and pretty much, at the time, the most exciting wildlife event of the year. My bird turned out to be a female and she stayed in front of the lens for only 20 seconds or so but long enough to get this shot.

 

For the last couple of years I have been fortunate enough to bump in to Redstart and Whinchat on Dartmoor and I took photographs of both. The Redstart has to be one of Britains prettiest birds  particularly the male and I am always "blown away" by them.

 

In the garden we have had some crackers this year. Siskins were a big part of my focus in the beginning of 2009 and this winer, so far they are absent making last February's visits even more special.

This last couple of weeks we have had a regular visit from a small flock of Redwings - Turdus illacus and even today as I write this there is one feeding on cotoneaster berries very close to the kitchen window. definitely a highlight of the garden year.  For me the rules of photography are pretty clear and simple. Get as close as you can, from a hide, car or window etc. Be patient and hidden! The better the light the more chance you have of a good photo, set your camera to aperture priority and use small numbered apertures to achieve the fastest shutter speeds possible and use the ISO settings to achieve this. Anything over 800 ISO will be a grainy image but if you haven't managed to freeze the action you will pretty much have a blurry image. So all in all this image below is quite good. It was dull and almost all of the rules that I have just spoken of had to be stretched to the limit.

 

Happy Christmas and a PEACEFUL new year.

Welcome whoever you are and from wherever in the world you're from. A happy Christmas and a peaceful new year to you and those you love. Let's  be the custodians of our beautiful world and all the amazing wildlife in it.  In my world there is no politics, no  politicians, no religious zealots, no hatred and the divisions that this brings. We are all special  and we all have a right to breath fresh air and drink clean water.  I want to live in a world where people don't need to choose between eating or planting their last handful of grain.

The bird above is a European Robin- erithracus rubecula, in England a symbol of winter and Christmas. Robins live in close proximity to man. Almost every garden in an English winter will contain a Robin, either male or female. They are impossible to tell apart and both defend their territory in winter time.

They have inherited the behavior of following people around the garden particularly if digging or turning the soil. This is thought to descend from an age when Robins followed Wild Boar and livestock through woodland turning the soil as they rooted for roots and tubers. The Robins learned to forage on the worms and insects exposed. This  behavior is very endearing and makes them a favorite garden bird to all.

A snowy scene. a Pheasant on Marsden Moor today.

 

Goosander - Mergus merganser

I had a message this morning telling me about a couple of Goosanders on Chard Reservoir in Somerset, so in typical eccentric fashion, I climbed in to the car in spite of the weather  and went to see if I could see them. 

 

As I left Exeter and headed further east, the roads got a little bit more frosty and there was evidence of settled snow but nothing like the BBC would have us believe. So my decision to travel was well justified and became worthwhile as well because as soon as I reached the Reservoir I could see the birds that I had come to find. I settled myself on the foreshore with the sun at my back and sat under a cam cover in the hope that the birds would come close. As well as the Goosanders, there was also a few Tufted Duck and the usual dozen or so Great Crested Grebe. I had been hatching a plan to photograph them for ages, and this was my reason to travel. At least, I thought, if I can't get good shots of the Goosander then  I can concentrate on the Grebe. This is pretty much the way it turned out. But I have to say that even though the Ducks didn't come close I did get some really good shots in the distance that's true, but never the less very pleasing.

There was two Goosanders, both red heads and therefore either female, or possibly a female and sub adult male. At one point I saw them greet each other with a bit of head nodding so I would assume that one is a sub- adult male and the other a female. It was interesting to see them climb out of the water on to the ice. They were uncomfortable with this and kept falling and slipping so pretty quickly returned to the water.

   

I have to say that I am a fan of Great Crested Grebe and always enjoy seeing them. Today it was really cold as I sat under the cover but I think if I had  applied myself a bit more , eventually at least one of the Grebe would have drifted very close to me. As it was, one almost did and I took a few photos which I am really pleased with, again considering the distance. This first one is nice but it's a real shame about the noise on the image which gives it a grainy effect and slightly detracts. But you can see that in the summer with really good light, I am convinced that I will get some glorious images. 

  

Woodmouse- Apodymus sylvaticus

What dreary weather we had today, at least if we had some snow it would be something different and to be frank I am disappointed that we are about the only place in the UK without any! I t did try a little bit at around 2.30 and we had an "ice-sugar" dusting but not enough that it mattered. So, it was that dull that even if there had been anything of note in the garden, then it would have been almost useless trying to photograph it. So with that in mind I tried when I saw our scruffy hen Blackbird who is  on her own now that the continental Blackbirds have eaten all the berries and departed. I hadn't realised, but she has still got a bit of damage on her beak which you can just about see in the snap below.

 

During the day, I did see some redwings flying over and one did pause for a few minutes and I took a photo to give you a good idea of the dullness of the day.

The real highlight of the day though happened just as darkness began to fall and I decided to check on my small poultry flock of laying hens. Near the house I I have  suspended a coconut shell which is full, or was full, of suet and seeds. I disturbed something feeding on it as I walked past and assuming it was a bird went up to the bathroom to have a look to see if it came back and what it was?  Using the movie camera, I filmed a Woodmouse, cleverly and cheekily feeding on the suspended nut. I watched him as he climbed down the string and sat in the nut and had a really good feed. He looked well fed and healthy. I know we have mice under my bottom shed but it is the first time I have seen them actually feeding in the garden. I must say that it was a real treat that I enjoyed.

A glorious ringing session with Firecrest and Woodpeckers

 

 As promised here are the  photos from a glorious ringing session earlier today when our birds not only included two Greater Spotted Woodpecker - Dendrocopus major, but also a Marsh Tit and yet another fantastic first winter Female  Firecrest. These birds, as well as Greenfinch, Robin, Dunnock and both Blue and Great Tit all added up to a couple of great hours. My species tally now includes Firecrest.  As Dr Ian told me that it was my  bird to ring, I could hardly contain my excitement and that was after I had also ringed my first Greater Spotted Woodpecker.  I also managed to take some better photos than normal because the sun was shining brightly and as I always say, you need the sun and good light for good photos. The Woodpeckers were both male and both first winter birds. This can be ascertained in two ways. There is usually evidence of white on the primary wing tips and brown feathers on the wing coverts which are entirely black in adults. They really can peck by the way and if you are not cautious can easily draw blood whilst they are being released from the nets and then subsequently measured,  weighed and rung.

They have zygodactyl toes, that is two pointing forward and two pointing back. (Interestingly, Cuckkoo - Cuculus canorus,  also have these feet). One of the things that I found interesting about these Woodpeckers was the nictating eye cover which is very reptilian. The picture below clearly shows this feature which is of great importance to a bird such as this that basically uses the head and beak like a sledge hammer. I found this interesting "snippet".  

 "Studies in the 70’s with high speed photography revealed that the woodpecker hammers a tree at the rate of 16 or more times a second, or nearly 1,000 blows per minute (twice that of a machine gun), closing its eyes with each impact. It does this with an impact velocity of over 1900 feet per second or 1,300 mph, twice the speed of a bullet. This is 1200 times the force of gravity."

 So, you can see that you don't really want this beak chipping away at the back of your hand! Also of note are the bristles protruding over the nostrils at the top of the beak. This prevents chippings, sawdust and other debris from entering the cavity in much the same way that we have nasal hair.

So, now on to yet another Firecrest - Regulus ignicapillus,  the second in successive weeks. It would be hard to describe the beauty, delicacy and seeming fragility of this lovely little species.  As I held it in my hand it seemed so tiny, well it is Britain's smallest bird after all. Our host for today's ringing tells me that he regularly sees them in his garden centred around a Holly Tree and he guesses that they are feeding on aphids and white fly. Today's bird was a female, as was last weeks, and a first winter bird hatched in the spring. It's weight was a miniscule 5.6  gramms. 

  

I think it might be possible to eventually get a Firecrest in the garden. We have a Holly tree which they are known to have a preference for. I often think that we have more birds passing through that are noticed.

More Redwings

The Holly Tree has taken a real bashing and now is devoid devoid of every berry. It's almost the end of all the Thrush and Blackbird activity which is a real shame because it has been a good week with a lovely subject to watch and photograph. It hasn't been easy tough because the light, so crucial for good photography, has been difficult. While the tree was still heavily laden, I had cut off a few branches and placed them in the back garden stuck in to the cotoneaster hedge. I  hoped that I could encourage the Redwings to come and feed very close to the house. This didn't happen but I did mean that I had few berries left to entice some birds back in a good photographic spot.  With a trusty cable tie, I fastened the branches back in  to the tree, a bit odd I know, but it almost immediately worked and I took my best photos of Redwings in really good light. After a short while, they cleared those up as well and by the afternoon that was the end of it.  You can see all the best Redwing photos from this week  here

 

  

The other highlight today was a male Blackcap perched in the open in the apple tree for several minutes. I have rarely seen Blackcaps in the tree like this and this year it seems that they are not showing as well as last but there is plenty of time left.

Tomorrow I have another ringing session and I plan to take more photos to post. Who knows what we will catch, hopefully another Firecrest so check back soon to find out.  Then next week, if the weather holds I plan to have another go at the Avocets, Grey Plover, Redshanks and Dunlin at Turf before leaving on Wednesday for Yorkshire to spend Christmas.  So perhaps Twite, Short Eared Owl, Divers and what have you, are on the list of prospects.

Sexing Goldfinches - Carduelis carduelis

 

Telling the sex of Goldfinches is a necessary skill if you are going to keep accurate records both as a licensed  BTO ringer and also as a keen amateur ornithologist with a scientific approach to your hobby. The bird above, photographed from my garden hide earlier today, is a female. Generally, males have a more vibrant red mask on the head but this is not 100% accurate due to age condition and individual variation. However, one of the diagnostic features is the colour of the bristles protruding on to the beak, brown in a female and black in a male. At first glance I would have called this as a female  but a close up of the head shows the colour clearly especially when compared to a certain male (see below).

In addition, this bird can be aged as a "first winter' individual hatched this spring/summer. This is based on the colour of the wing coverts which are brown as well as black. An adult would have a complete set of black coverts

Now if you look at this photograph of a certain male you can clearly see the  difference.

The bristles protruding on to the beak a certainly black and it is a good example when you compare it to the female example above.

Interestingly, the white marks amongst the black mask are pin feathers and indicates that this bird is still undergoing a moult.   
 

Avocet - Recurvirostra avosetta

 

Something a little bit different today. I have taken even more photographs of Redwings this morning s and also an unusual visitor for the garden, a Song Thrush. In the past as common in gardens as a Blackbird but sadly we rarely if ever see them in my garden any more. But today when taking photos of the Redwings I focused my camera on what turned out to be the first Song Thrush in my garden for at least 10 years! With lovely sunny weather, but also bitterly cold I went out to Turf to have a look for Avocets and other waders. Eventually I managed to get close enough to one to get a photograph but they certainly are difficult to approach. 

 

Continental Blackbirds and other Thrushes.

 

Today we had just a glimpse of the sun and decent light at last, the first since Sunday. I was pleased to see that we were still being visited by the Redwings and Blackbirds. So with the prospect of some good photos I took my place in the comfort of the bedroom and almost immediately started taking photos. After a short while this Fieldfare appeared and posed for just a minute or two. The Redwings are very wary to say the least and at the first hint of anyone, or anything, they are off. However, Fieldfare are a significantly bigger bird and not as agile as the Redwings and therefore are always perched in a more open place. The Redwings seem to dive in to the tree and then disappear in to the depths of the foliage. It is probably a defence strategy against hawks.

I did get some nice photos of the Redwings as well but gradually the light got worse and eventually we had a spit of drizzly rain as well!

  

There has been lots of Blackbirds, mostly males and I am certain that they are not birds that I have seen in and around the garden before. They are very wary, just as skittish as the Redwings. As well as that, they are quite different to the birds I normally see. They have a different body shape and are dusky rather than black. The beaks are dark rather than completely yellow and they do not have a distinct eye ring in the way that our breeding population has. As they appeared and become noticeable at the same time as the Redwings then I am making the assumption that they migrated with them from Scandanavia or somewhere similar.

 

Fieldfare - Turdus pilaris

It's not often that I get the chance to photograph a new species for the garden but today saw one of those rare events . I am excited at the constant comings and goings in the Holly Tree in the font garden.  This is a great way to bird watch and photograph. Siting on the spare bed waiting for a new arrival in the tree is really relaxing and good fun. Coffee in one hand and sat in your slippers in the warm!  The only disadvantage is the procession of tradesmen going about their business. For example, the window cleaner has temporarily put pay to any  chance of a photo, hence I'm sat here writing the Blog.  Anyway, early morning we had a Fieldfare join the action and i was chuffed to snap off just one photo before he flew off, so it was a successful few seconds. If not the best photo I have ever taken, it's a new species for the gallery of garden birds which can be seen here by clicking on the link.

UPDATE LATER ON:

As the day wore on the light didn't improve but I kept trying for a better Redwing shot.  I used every trick that I knew including flash and I certainly got some images but there is still room for improvement.  As soon as the sun comes out again photos  will get better. No sight of any Blackcaps today but a brief glimpse yesterday also eating holly berries.

Here is one taken with Flash.

    

 

Redwing and Fieldfare in the Graden

Yesterday's Redwings have been back and today they were joined by a Fieldfare  and several 'strange" Blackbirds, that is, strangers who I haven't seen before. I have been trying for the last hour or so, to get a photo of the Redwings that I now know are feeding on the Holly Berries in my front garden and after setting up  a screen from a  front bedroom window, I finally managed a reasonable close up......... more to follow I think.

It is now late afternoon, early evening and this is an update. 

 I spent the majority of the daylight hours trying to get some good photos, not many hours in deepest December, (can you believe by 3 0'clock it was almost dark), and eventually after a lot of patience I achieved my aim. I am reasonably pleased but when we have a brighter day and if the Redwings are still around , I should get better.

As you can see, the focus of attention is the holly berries on a tree in my front garden. This is a really mature tree which is laden with the most berries that I have ever seen. I first noticed the Blackbirds in the tree at the end of last week and it now seems likely that the Redwings were there with them all along. Fieldfares are quite often in the same flock as Redwings so I am not surprised to see one as well.

With real patience, eventually one bird stayed perched and hidden, or so it thought, deep in the middle of the tree. It was directly in my sight with nothing to obstruct my view. By now the light was dimming fast and I had changed my lens to the Pentax 200 which can cope much, much better in low light conditions. however there is a play off (there always is), images always need to be cropped to fill the frame. Never the less, I am pleased with the results, Redwings are hard to get up and close to and this is a decent result!

 

Redwing - Turdus iliacus

I had a surprise today when after noticing lots of activity in the heavily berry laden  Holly Tree in the front garden, I looked out and there was a couple of Redwing in the apple tree!  If you live in a rural setting then this would hardly warrant a mention, but we are on the edge of the city of Exeter and Redwings are very infrequent in my garden. Only once previously, more than 10 years ago, did we have them (to the best of my knowledge). On that day we had a blanket of snow, in its self a notable rare event, and they were feeding with Fieldfare on  the berries from a Pyracantha bush.  This time  they stayed around for most of the day and I last saw them at around 3.15. They were nervously perched very high at the top of the tree and reacting to every other bird around,  then flying off to feed again before returning here and there to their new vantage point.

Here's  a quote from the RSPB web site: :

 "They roam across the UK's countryside, feeding in fields and hedgerows, rarely visiting gardens, except in the coldest weather when snow covers the fields". They are a winter visitor from Northern Europe, particularly Scandinavia. A few pairs do breed in Northern Scotland.

So you can understand why I  am taken aback to see them in the garden.  Firstly it is not cold enough for snow and secondly,  the hedgerows are laden with lots and lots of ripe fruit and berries.  so why are they here in our neighbourhood and more particularly my garden area?  I am not sure, but they are very welcome! I hope it is a precursor for more interesting visitors, Waxwing for example.

Redwing are Britain's smallest Thrush species being related to the Blackbird, Song Thrush and American Robin for example. 

Firecrest - Regulus ignicapillus

 

Today's adventure was ringing. A  mixture of interesting hands on bird experiences, intense learning and observations, coupled with  4 hours  in the company of  two of Devon's most experienced,knowledgeable  bird ringers/ornithologists. These men are  real scientists with University degrees in the subject.  What a privilege to have the opportunity to listen to people with an  intimate depth of knowledge about my favourite subject, and theirs!   What fascinates me is the way lots of theories, spoken of as  the oracle by "ordinary"bird  watchers, concerning sexing and identification, are blown out of the water when you are in the presence of real scientific ornithologists. Every detail of seemingly common birds  and some a little rarer and therefore special are discussed. Nothing is taken for granted and even birds that at first glance, even in the hand appear to be one sex can, and often do turn out to be the opposite on closer scientific examination. Willow Warblers end up as Chiffchaffs for example but not today as that would be very unusual in the depths of winter, (Chiffchaffs are known to over-winter in Devon however).

The highlight of today's 100+ ringed birds was this wonderfully special Firecrest. A lifetime event for me. I have seen them before on two other occasions  but never from 6 inches away!  This one is a female.

 

I had to post this as a reduced sized image because unfortunately the quality is not quite as sharp as it should be but well worth posting for you to have a look at now sporting her brand new ring.

I think it is worth mentioning that on the RSPB web site they mention that there are around 250 breeding pairs of Firecrest in the UK but their numbers for over-wintering birds is 0. I would suggest that this can't be accurate and the population of Firecrests seems to increase here in Devon in the winter. I would be grateful of any comments on this subject.
 

This is a Coal Tit from the same session.

 

  

A wonderful day in the garden.

I wouldn't ever say that I like the winter, it gets dark far too quickly for starters, but it does have it's pluses and they far outweigh the minus points. When it's cold our gardens are a haven for a bevy of beautiful birds! They don't come in all shapes and sizes but they are lovely when the sun shines. Today was a delight because we have had Coal Tits feeding in the garden for the first time in ages, they were here the other day but didn't stop to feed which was a disappointment for me.  I have a garden hide which is permanent if not a little bit "Heath Robinson". In front, as well as a nice feeder full of Sunflower Kernels is a collection of suitable photogenic perches and the birds settle on them while waiting their turn to feed. This gives good photo opportunities as you can see by this absolutely stunning Goldfinch. He, because I am sure he is a male, is in perfect feather after moulting in to a spanking new set after the rigours of his breeding season. By spring next year they will have started to wear just a little bit so this is pretty much the best he is going to look.

 

 This Robin is just about as stunning and if it was an avian beauty contest, I wonder who would win. This is a real Robin!   If you are reading this and you are a resident of the USA or Canada, your Robin is in actual fact a Thrush from the family "Turdus" . The early settlers saw your Robin with a redish breast and in their naivety named after the red breasted robins that they remembered from home.

 

I mentioned the Coal Tits earlier and I did manage a couple of half decent shots. I have an interesting trick to get close to one of my feeding stations. I have a camouflage cover from my old chair hide that has had so much use , it needs a new chair. So I removed the cover and I have found that if you stand stock still and drape the cover from head to toe, it still does the trick. Then with the camera protruding through the intended holes, well, as you can see by the image below, most birds are OK with it. In this way I can get really close and use my Pentax 200SDM lens which is a far superior piece of optical equipment than my Sigma 150-500.

 

As you can see, this Coal Tit - Parus ater, is wearing a close ring. I have nothing to do with this but would very much like to know where and when it was ringed. At least I am able to distinguish this bird from another that it was with because it was not wearing a ring, but for that I would have assumed it was the same bird. The image below was taken with my Sigma 50-500 from my "Bathroom" hide, that is, my bathroom window. I have to say that I do like the shot as it is quite artistic. It also shows very clearly one of the main diagnostic features of this species, the white patch on the back of the head.

 

finally here is a nice photo of the "heroine" Blackbird showing her badly mauled back feathers, she has been flirting around with a couple of male Blackbirds all day, as soon as the sun comes out blackbirds start to court each other, getting ready for spring even though there are weeks and weeks to go yet.

 

Beer and Birds!

Today was glorious! Bright constant sun until it set at around 3.45 but when it shone it was perfect. I decided to spend the afternoon out at Beer, my favourite place for scenery and birds, and with the prospect of Black Redstart as well, what more could you ask for. So if you are on my Blog now because of the title then I make no apologies except to say, get a real life and get out doors instead of looking for "dodgy" sites on your computer.

I am glad that this shot was successful because I had not been convinced about the the new 150-500 Sigma Lens was actually doing it's job very well but it seems OK.

I tried, as usual very hard to get some good images of Black Redstarts but they are not being very accommodating and will not let me get too close no matter how hard I try. It's is also very frustrating when they are perched in the open in a good photogenic spot, the resident Robin is a real nuisance and chases the Redstarts unmercifully. 

I watched as this Cormorant fished close inshore, hoping that he was going to appear with a nice fish and give me real photo opportunity but I was as disappointed as him when he kept repeatedly diving and returning to the surface with an empty beak. He kept trying and in the end he was too far off shore to give me a good image.

   

 

Real variety today, starting with the Topsham Spotted Sandpiper

  

I thought I would do something different with this image. Whilst experimenting in Photoshop, I discovered that by converting to Black and White, this image had a nice impact. It has been really hard because of the poor light and direction of the sun, to get good shots of the very accommodating Spotted Sandpiper at Topsham. As it is so close to home and one of the rarest birds currently here in the UK, then I would not be doing myself justice if I didn't try, and then try again, to get the very best shots possible. I have improved from the other day so I am quite pleased, but there is so much more that could be achieved.  It's perhaps worth mentioning if you are not familiar with Spotted Sandpiper that this is a very dainty little bird. it has been in the company of Pied Wagtails, a bird that I am sure we are all familiar with, and it is not really all that much bigger than that species. look for the Yellow legs and a hint of pink on the beak. In this sate of plumage there is also a hint of barred markings on the wing coverts. In flight it shows a noticeable wing bar. This bird is extremely easy to approach but the best course of action is to just stand still on the path in the middle of it's territory and eventually it will, sooner or later, be right in front of you as it feeds. It appears to spend most of it's time in the pursuit of food which it is obviously getting enough of or it would have moved on by now. It would be wrong to be constantly 'hounding' it as it is imperative that the bird finds food without frequent  disturbance from what is obviously a massively important activity for a small bird in the middle of winter when days are short and nights are long and cold.

 

Tomorrow, the weather is set to be bright and clear as soon as the day dawns so I am planning a trip at first light when the sun will be from another direction and this may do the trick. Before I went out in the early afternoon I spent a bit of time in the garden taking shots of everything that came within range. I was really waiting for the Blackcap to show, it was around because I had caught glimpses of it. When it does show I will be ready and waiting. I used the camo cover from my chair hide. I literally stood with it draped over me and with the lens protruding.  All the usual garden birds put in a show and were not in the least bit phased by the strange shape very close to them. The best has to be this Blut Tit.

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 I didn't think I would be able to better my Collared Dove photos taken over the last couple of years but they are getting better and better and the brightly lit background and bright red eye make this one a bit out of the ordinary. 

Dunnocks are also a garden constant and this one seemed to be asking for his photo to be taken, another species with a stunning eye. The latin name is Prunella modularis as I have said before. They are very flirty and the males will have several females on the go at once. Today this one was chasing a female all day long, from time to time stopping to feed and sing as well. 

 

I had been a little worried that my kit wasn't working properly this last few days, it had seemed ages since I got a photo that I was really pleased with. I am therfore chuffed that I managed to get such a smashing picture of this female House Sparrow. I think that this picture is as good as it gets and if it was an exotic rare and colourful bird it would be a prize winner!

A Coal Tit graced the garden with it's presence today, the first for at least 2 months. This is in complete contrast to last year when they were pretty much the most common birds on the feeders. I am wondering if they faired badly this year as a breeding bird, or are we going to get them as the winter deepens?  Another bird that is a usual in the garden but so far this year we have hardly had them is the Chaffinch. Well today we had a couple on the lawn, both females which is not unusual as in the wintertime they are known to move around in same sex flocks.

In the summertime a hen Blackbird was attacked by a Sparrowhawk in the garden, there was a pile of feathers some with skin attached. Then a few days later I saw a pretty beaten-up bird with a very nasty injury on the beak area and the back. Eventually she seemed to recover and I saw her from time to time with her damaged back giving her feathers a unique ruffled appearance. I am glad to say that she is doing fine and still around, and today she  was on the lawn feeding on spilled sunflower seeds.

Blackcap - Sylvia atricapilla Devon

To say that I was disappointed with yeterday's photos, see them here would be an understatement! I had some fantastic views of the 1st Winter Spotted Sandpiper at Topsham and fantastic opportunities for really top class photos and I blew it to be frank!. For some odd reason my camera had reverted it's self back to factory settings. That meant that I was shooting in JPEG and not RAW which is far better and always gives a superior image, at least that is the case with my Pentax D7. Quite why it "had a brainstorm" like it did and re-set it's self, well that's a mystery never to be solved. But, I just went on shooting blindly without checking my settings. If I had done I would have known that I was shooting at ISO 800, in RAW that is not a problem but in JPEG mode then it is more difficult, if not impossible to eradicate the resultant noise on the image. This explains the grainy quality of all of yesterdays shots. Murphy had a hand in proceedings that's for sure. There is one that is not too bad and I will have to content my self with that, but it could have and should have been so, so much better. Today is dismal with heavy rain and very overcast dull conditions, in spite of that we have had some Blackcaps in the garden, a male and female. The camera was getting just a 30/sec at ISO 800 so I tried the flash and took a few shots of the male just to record his presence. Again not a very good photo, well below the standard i usual try top achieve but in these dreadful, dreadful conditions the best I could get. We have had the usual Collared Doves, pretty much residents now, and a few Goldfinch, Blackbird and 2 Blue Tits.

Spotted Sandpiper Topsham Devon

Suddenly at around 1:45 the rain stopped and the sun came out as bright as a summers day. I quickly rushed to Topsham to try and get better Spotted Sandpiper photos in the bright and promising conditions, a window of opportunity I think you would call it. At first when I got there I was totally alone and this was just the chance I had been waiting for. I quickly spotted the bird which was a bonus and it continued to show really well for the hour or so that I was there. After a while Dave Stone and then Andy Bond arrived and we all had really good views and got great photos. I thought that these pic were going to be really special, perhaps they are or perhaps not. I will let you decide.

 

 


  

Spotted Sandpiper at Topsham and Starling in the garden.

  Here is another species that is in decline in the UK. Believe it or not I have hardly ever had the chance of a photo in my garden, they are not rare birds by any means but certainly not around in the vast numbers that I remember from my youth. They are taken for granted by most people and almost considered to be vermin by others, but I can appreciate the beauty of their markings which are iridescent and spangled and show much better in bright sunlight. The Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a good mimic and sometimes you can get a hint of where they have previously been by the odd sounds that they include in their rambling song. I have heard them using the calls of Curlews, what sounded like a squeaky gate and also the sounds of children playing in a distant playground! Today's weather is bright and sunny but I prefer not to go out and about on a sunny weekend day because the popular birding haunts are busy with working people making the best of their weekend off. So I have been keeping an eye on the garden in the hope of catching a glimpse of a Blackcap, and even better a photograph. No luck so far though, but when the Starling landed on one of the high conifers I grabbed the picture before it left again in a hurry. One of the the most amazing examples of bird behaviour that I have ever observed involved a Starling. I was sitting in my car waiting for my wife to return from the local shop and watching the Starlings on a rooftop. Suddenly a Carrion Crow landed next to the small flock. The Starlings didn't react at all, why would they? But perhaps they should have because the Crow casually sidled up to the nearest bird, grabbed it and proceeded to kill and eat it right there on the rooftop!

I went out this afternoon to Topsham to have another look for the Spotted Sandpiper, not that I haven't had good views of it before  but I really would like some better photos. The problem is getting reasonably close to it is proving hard. Almost every time that I have been, there has been other bird watchers and photographers present and it would be most unfair to try and get too close and chase it to the opposite bank. So for the time being this is the best that I can get.

Passion Flower - Passiflora caerulea

 

Passiflora caerulea, the common passion flower is very popular & widespread in UK and the rest of Europe. It prefers a South facing slightly sheltered dry spot with free-draining soil. It is easy to grow and even if taken back to the ground by a hard frost will usually come back again. Nevertheless it is best to protect it from frost for it's first year. The fruit are inedible when green but they may be eaten when they have ripened and turned orange - though they do not generally taste that great.  They are originate in Brazil. We have them in the garden and they are an impressive sight at this time of the year, well in to December and still in glorious flower this morning and I took this photo just a few minutes ago.

At sea off Beer, South Devon

Today's adventure was a bit special and today's entry is quite a departure from the usual, but indirectly it is still, of course, about wildlife in Devon!

 I have talked before about how I enjoy visiting Beer, the birds are good and the atmosphere and ambience is superb. Over the last few days I have made the acquaintance of the professional fishermen who work their boats from the small beach. They are very nice and friendly and have been really welcoming to me when they have seen me for the second and third time. I really admire the way that they are making a living from the bay with their small boats and a few nets, in just the way that people have been in England and all around the world for thousands of years. I was invited, well in actual fact I invited myself to go out with one of the fishermen, Jim, to haul in his 4 gill nets that he strings out in and around the bay just off Beer Head.  The nets, 100 yards long,  are laid between anchored buoys and left for 24 hours before they are hauled in. So at the crack of dawn I left home and travelled  to Beer to join the boat, which is relatively small at only 18 foot long or so. As we made our way out, the weather was gloriously sunny and the sea flat calm and there was a degree of anticipation and excitement in the air. Jim, the skipper, detoured a little to look at the sea birds on the cliffs and we chatted about birds and wildlife that he has seen over the years. He told me of a Basking Shark seen in the summer and of Porpoise seen in the spring months. We spotted a seal and waited for it reappear, it never did though! By now we had arrived at our first net and began to haul it in. To my utter surprise it was very fruitful and contained Bass after Bass, some quite sizeable at 3 to 4Ilbs with the odd one even larger. There was a Cod in the net which was a surprise to Jim as this net was quite close to the shore and had been placed to deliberately target Bass.

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This is one of the smaller fish, it was very hard to get a half decent photo because of the rocking of the boat so any action shots were a near impossibility. Anyway to cut a long story short we finished with well more than  50lb of Bass, several Cod, a large Dover Sole a big Grey Mullet and a 12lb Pollack. All this as well as 5 large boxes of Lesser Spotted Dogfish weighing a total of 250lb.......... yes that is 250lb! As a by catch we caught around 25lb of edible crab of eatable size, a real surprise to me as they were entangled in the nets and not deliberately fished for. At £2.50 per pound for crab that is quite a  worthwhile bonus.

Jim said that this was a slightly disappointing day as he was hoping for far more Sole and Cod, but it seemed pretty good to me and is a real indication of the richness of life off, and close to our shores.

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If you have visited the blog looking for bird pictures then of course I will not disappoint you. Here are a few pictures of Rock Pipits taken yesterday.

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Black Redstart - Phoenicurus ochruros (Beer)

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Beer is rapidly turning in to one of my favourite places both to visit and to bird watch. There is so much to see, again, both bird wise and generally. So with a free day I thought I would take a punt with the weather and head out there yet again to try my luck. It was really worth it and I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Black Redstarts were easy to see with an individual around the fishermens pots. Further along on the cliffs there was another 3. I arrived at around 11.15 and stayed until past 3, almost the entire day. I even enjoyed a nice dinner of Pie and Chips from the "chippy" in the main street, it doesn't get much better than that! The image. above is one of the Cliff birds. The one below obviously on the pots.

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It was one of those days when it almost all went right but when the light was perfect I couldn't get close enough to get really good shots. Then later in the afternoon there was a particularly accommodating bird on the pots but by then the light had faded. Hence the "grainy" images. I took lots of shots of Rock Pipits which I will post tomorrow but as I stood there getting some crackers of this species which I am quite fond of, a Redstart appeared just above me and peered down at me.

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Then it flew to the concrete path really close but not in the most photogenic of places unfortunately.

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Colour ringed Wagtail Moatacill - Alba (alba) or (yarellii)

  This afternoon, after a dreary wet morning it did momentarily brighten and I decided to go again for the Spotted Sandpiper. I really would like some better photos of this bird and as it is such a rarity for us and so close to home, it is worth a bit of effort. I expected there to be the usual "bun-fight" but holy of holies, I was alone, apart from a departing group of people who had been watching it a little earlier. This was a mixed group of interested, like minded people, at least 10 of them, moving around on an accompanied walk or something similar. I would have thought that a group as large as this is surely going to have a detrimental affect on any wildlife be it bird or what have you. This was certainly the case with the Spotted Sandpiper because they told me that it had flown up the river........ and it never did return today. I placed myself on the corner of a reed bed adjacent to the area which it seemed to favour the other day and I thought that, if it was going to return, this would be a good spot. A bit hit and miss but the end result, even in the bad light, would have been worth the gamble.

The next story concerns Pied Wagtails.  If you look at the image above of a Pied Wagtail - Motacill alba yarellii, you can see that it is sporting a collection of coloured plastic rings. This is very interesting and well worth some investigation. There are three places currently involved in colour ringing of Pied and White Wagtails, Slapton in South Devon, Abbotsbury in Dorset and a site in Scotland. Quite a degree of information has already been gathered from the scheme so far. Colour ringed birds have been reported in Iceland and France for example. There is a pink ring on the right leg of this bird which indicates that it was rung during this year. The rings on the left leg can be placed in a variety of combinations meaning that individuals can be tracked by their sightings. I have reported our bird to the chap responsible and await his reply. I am guessing that this bird was rung at Slapton but it could possible have been from Dorset, it will be interesting to see. I will certainly be taking more notice of Wagtails in the future to see if I can discover any more with rings. This is just an image of another Wagtail taken at the same time.

Now just a picture of a female Sparrow in the garden this morning. I was waiting in the back bedroom in the hope of the Blackcap showing and snapped off at all the comings and goings which included a nice Starling, Magpie, 14 Collared Doves and various Goldfinches. The sun momentarily came out and this hen Sparrow posed really nicely. 

 

I have arranged an unusual feeding set up with a feeder from the high window to a tree. This puts the feeder at eye level with me from the upstairs window and I am hoping that birds will come in to the tree before going down to feed, well I am pretty sure that is what will happen. It should give me some good photo opportunities.  Watch this space!

Garden Birds in Exeter

 

This morning we had the first female Blackcap Warbler in the garden. I caught sight of her from the the bathroom window and went to set up the camera in the adjacent room through a camo cover over the window. This allows me to see in to the nearby cotoneaster bush without the birds being "spooked" by my presence. I waited for a considerable time to see if I could photograph her but she didn't reappear unfortunately. While I was waiting we had a Greenfinch male, the first for quite some weeks, a Collared Dove....... one of the flock. House Sparrows of both sexes and a Dunnock. All are pictured above except the Greenfinch. Later on from a new hide construction in the garden I managed a few shots of Goldfinch on a very near feeder.

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I make no apologies for yet another Collared Dove image. They pretty much are the most regular birds in the garden at the moment and take advantage of the food on offer, waiting in the Apple Tree for an opportune moment to come and dine. Whenever I am sitting waiting for the garden celebs to show themselves, the Collareds are always in the background!I am pretty impressed with this image I have to be honest.

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The blog is in it's 25th month now and this is getting on for the 500th post. As time goes on it becomes more and more popular and my visitors come from 107 different countries now. It receives around 75 hits a day and lots of people call it one of their favourites. This includes a lady who calls herself Cherry Blossom Girl. She kindly told fellow forum members on a Forum called  "The Alternative Potting Shed" that the blog was one of her favourites and for this kind comment I thank you!

Finally, this afternoon I travelled out to Teignmouth Harbour for no particular reason except to take my ageing mother to somewhere where she could see the sea without getting out of the car. There is a very nice carpark which overlooks the Harbour mouth and is always nice for the "elderly" to sit and look at.

I had a quick look in the inner harbour just in the hope of spotting something interesting. A Cormorant was fishing very close to the shore edge, it was high tide, and if I had been carrying the camera I would have had a good photo to show, but Murphy had invoked  his law again. When I returned to the car for the camera it had gone .. cheers Murphy! There was a bit of a scuffle going on between a young Herring Gull and a Crow which was interesting behaviour. The Gull was definitely the boss which was a surprise. 

 
 

I chatted with the Ferry man who told me that he had seen an "unusual little bird", his words, and by his description it sounded like a female Redstart which is no surprise.