I don't know what has been happening with the birds in my garden this week, or maybe I do, but it's been all or nothing on the feeding table. All week no bird song, frantic short feeding periods and down to the basic types of birds coming. Then mid week while cutting back some long rose limbs had my hair parted,nearly, by a Sparrowhawk. He tumbled into the bushes behind me, then righted and flew off. Don't know who was more surprised. Two days later while in the conservatory a shape headed towards me aiming for the blackbird sat on the roof, missed and went full pelt into the glass! One very shocked Sparrowhawk flapped on the ground sat up shook himself and flew away.
Bird shenanigans going on outside the office window this morning: Years ago I saved three tiny rowan seedlings that were growing in the rotted hollow at the top of an old gate post. Now one of them is planted in the front garden and is fruiting heavily this year. I hope for waxwings but have to make do with blackbirds. One blackbird this morning is a fresh migrant, male with a black beak instead of the fancy orange of our native birds. Lovely to see them arrive but I worry about bird flu getting spread around this year. Just now though there was a commotion out there and a wren was hopping about the tree making angry noises before flying into the trough full of begonias in front of my window. I snuck a look but instead of the wren there was a robin sat on my windowsill looking in at me. Goldfinches in the teasils this morning too.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Enjoyable trip to the Kent coast, saw what we believed to be a harbour seal in the tidal Rother near Rye. Also pleased to see a large flock of lapwings on the salt marsh.
Posts
All week no bird song, frantic short feeding periods and down to the basic types of birds coming.
Then mid week while cutting back some long rose limbs had my hair parted,nearly, by a Sparrowhawk. He tumbled into the bushes behind me, then righted and flew off. Don't know who was more surprised.
Two days later while in the conservatory a shape headed towards me aiming for the blackbird sat on the roof, missed and went full pelt into the glass! One very shocked Sparrowhawk flapped on the ground sat up shook himself and flew away.
https://spain.inaturalist.org/taxa/55122-Empusa-pennata
Luxembourg