Wildlife in a Suburban Garden

Bittern - Botaurus stellaris, Exminster Marsh Devon

Already in the overcast but very cold day for us in the UK (-3 degrees Celsius). There has been lots of bird activity. Blackcaps of both sexes, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Robins, Blackbirds, Wood Pigeon, Collared Doves, Dunnocks, Goldfinches, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, House Sparrow, Goldcrest and Siskins of both sexes. There has been sightings of Waxwings in the area, in fact as the "Waxwing flies" only 500 mtrs from the garden.I have wired some berry laden branches in to the apple tree in the hope of attracting them in to the tree. This is a very long shot but who knows! This would be not only a first for the garden but a lifetime first for me..... fingers crossed! This afternoon I travelled the short distance out to Exminster Marsh. I was hoping to get some pictures of a Water Rail, I caught glimpses of them yesterday and heard them a few times as well. Si standing stock still because I had heard one nearby a Buzzard came as close to me as it dare. A Moorhen was struggling with the ice and seemed to be almost trapped. This definitely attracted the attentions of the Buzzard and I think had I not been so close he would have made his move. I took photos of him but then a momentous thing happened. deciding that enough was enough I made my way back to the car very nearby and parked next to a reed bed. As I opened the boot there was an almighty comotion right next to me and a largish brown striped "heron-like" bird took to the air. I clearly saw my very first Bittern. I was staggered and watched it through my binos disappear into the read bed about 100 yards over the field. I immediately got into the car and reported the sighting to AJ the warden in the RSPB office. He told me that it was only the second sighting in 10 years and last time it had been seen in the same area.

Garden update and a Siskin - Carduelis spinus

Close -rung Siskin that appeared, out of the blue on the feeder on 17th December 2008

Any kind of photography has been an absolute impossibility today, the overcast conditions caused by cloud trapped under a high pressure system has put pay to that. There has been nothing to report today, no sightings of the Blackcap Warblers or even Coal Tits, pretty much a none event. Tomorrow we are promised much of the same which is something we will have to endure. Sparrows were in the bottom garden bushes and the usual Collared Doves were in the tree at first light. Goldfinches have now decided it is safe to come up to the top feeders and this afternoon we had a total of 5. Apart from that nothing to report. Here is a Siskin photo from the other day. I still keep my fingers crossed that we may have another one but in spite of daily visits from goldfinches we have only had them with us on the 17th and 18th. However I think that this bird is probably the best garden encounter of the year except for the Redpoll which was in the garden for just seconds earlier in the year and didn't stay long enough for a photo.

Siskin - Carduelis spinus

There was a real sense of excitement for me today in the garden. This beautiful little male Siskin - Carduelis spinus came in to the garden at lunchtime today. This is only the second time in 24 years that I have had them in my garden and I am thrilled. In position in my lower hide I was taking photos of a Goldfinch .... the one pictured...... and I saw her showing some aggression to another bird above. Then I saw a "bump" and it was obvious that another bird had perched below on the sunflower hearts. I expected it to be another Goldfinch so panning my camera down to the "new" arrival I was absoloutely gobsmacked when there in my viewfinder was this lovely little bird. It was on the feeder for around a minute and I was again all thumbs and fingers and couldn't get the camera sorted properly. I did manage this great photo though but it is just a tiny bit soft around the beak.