Wildlife in a Suburban Garden

The European Robin.

Well, it's Christmas week so what bird could be more appropriate than our lovely Robin, synonymous with this time of the year. I always photograph them when I see them, usually as I wait for something a little bit more exotic. If you were seeing "our" Robin for the first time, perhaps you live in Sri Lanka or even the USA then I am pretty certain you are really impressed. I hope we don't take them for granted but I think that we probably do. Males and females are identical by the way and young birds, straight from the nest, don't have the familiar red breast but by autumn they have acquired the emblematic red colour that we are all so familiar with. I would be surprised if there was just one single person living in the UK that couldn't name a Robin.

It's interesting that the Red, Red Robin that was "bobbin" in American culture is not our European Robin, its actually the American Robin which is in fact a Thrush, a member of the Turdus family. Early European settlers named the vaguely red-breated thrush a "Robin" because they remembered them from the former homes in Europe. Robins are highly territorial and will even "attack" a ball of similar coloured wool.  However in the winter our popluation is swelled by birds from the continent.  These migratory birds move through an area and a bird ringer in North Devon managed to catch and ring 54 different Robins in his garden in one single winter!  Prior to that he had assumed that it was the same individual and the suggestion is that they are more mobile than originally thought but this is open to much more research.

"Apple-eating" Jay.

So, if you are taking an interest you may be pleased that I have an answer to the question, "what bird is eating the apple?" I went up to Haldon just after dawn this morning and when I arrived I disturbed at least 5 Roe Deer right by the drinking pool which was good to see again but a slight disappointment that I had disturbed them. However after a while, once I had set up, a buck came in to view not too far away and I managed - just about - to get a photograph but there was always a bit of foliage getting in the way. Then after an hour, suddenly a Jay arrived and landed right on the "apple log" and immediately started eating the apple! Fruit-eating Jays, who would have thought it! Not only did it eat a few beakfuls but then it picked up a piece and flew off with it. As I walked back later, I was thinking what word would describe how I felt about this because I was hoping that a Green Woodpecker was responsible - I even heard one close by yet again - I was thinking that a good description was "my hopes were dashed" but trashed, crashed or bashed also work really well! Still it was a fun session never the less.

A Jay and Roe Deer.

The Jay is a really colourful member of the crow family. They are, however, cunning and intelligent in equal parts. I was sat today, well concealed in some cover trying to discover and then photograph the bird or birds s that are responsible for eating the apple that I have been putting out on a log in Haldon Forest. I suddenly heard an unusual, quite musical call that I wasn't familiar with and I was expectant and hopeful that whatever it was would come down to feed. Then, it was only seconds when suddenly this Jay landed on a log just in front of me. I love to see this species, they are stunning birds. What had happened was not unusual. Jays are great imitators and regularly copy the calls of other birds. Quite what species this one was imitating I am yet to find out but it was another very interesting encounter and worth sitting there in the really cold and miserable conditions. It grabbed a crop full of peanuts before flying off again to stash the nuts which is what they do. They are known to actually remember hundreds of places where they have stashed food, usually acorns incidentally. Some acorns get missed and this is a way that new Oak trees grow. I went back up to the woods just before dusk to see if anything had taken the apple and yes, it had but still not while have been there. Perhaps tomorrow? However, it was just simply lovely to see a little group of Roe Deer, including one of this year's fauns feeding on Bramble leaves not too far in front of the hide. A great end to my day.

There were many, many Coal Tits coming to the feeder today, it's quite remarkable that in the last 10 years, or perhaps even less than that, Coal Tits seem to have become the most common tit species and are far, far more often seen than Blue Tits by me at least. They were formerly one of our most common birds.  I have done a bit of a quick internet research to see if this is reflected in any publications but I couldnt find any information to confirm this. But for example, today I counted more than 50 visits to peanuts by Coal Tits and not one Blue Tit.....yesterday there was one! 

Back in the UK.

 

 

I am back "birding" in the UK again now. I have this plan to try and entice a Green Woodpecker to come and take apple that I have put out on a log in front of a hide on Haldon Hill. I thought it was going to happen this morning because there was one calling very nearby. I wouldn't have thought it was that easy to find food at this time of year, something is taking the apple and I just hope it is a Green woodpecker.....fingers crossed! While I waited this morning, a Dunnock came down and fed on tiny pieces of peanut. Dunnocks are an unobtrusive little bird with an interesting Latin name.... "Prunella modularis"