Back to more Spring-like photos and a bit of a light-bulb moment for me. "Bald as a coot" isn't a phrase I consider much but I suddenly understand after seeing the newly hatched coot chicks on the local pond yesterday.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Todays wildlife fun has been provided by an old fatball feeder stuffed full of rabbit fur, sheep wool, dried moss and feathers that I've been collecting over the winter. A bit hard to see as my wildlife camera isn't the best at close focus but this sparrow was very pleased with that big fluffy swan feather. They emptied it twice and look like they will want more tomorrow so nest building is in full swing.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Pest control in action. This bluetit has been bringing nice fat aphids to the nest box to feed its mate who I think must be sat on eggs. I wish I had a camera in the box.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Maybe Santa will bring you a box camera for Christmas WE. Thanks for the reply about your wagtail glad to hear it was fine and running around. Just digesting fat meal worms in the photo.
Managed to zoom in enough to see the sparrow, that feather is nearly as big as it is
We have had a pair of Blackbirds nesting in a pyracantha here. All has been well until a crow managed to grab a baby a few days ago, then dropped it. I thought it was a goner, but it was okay. It had tumbled down through a small yew. My other half did sterling work fetching a step ladder and managing to put baby back. We now think they were close to fledging, as they left the nest yesterday. OH arm and hand is terribly scratched, he is my hero.
Have noticed a group of house sparrows diving into a tree trunk covered in ivy. They seem to have ousted the pair of dunnock that had started looking there and have disturbed the wren who has filled the bird box(for the second year but yet to use) that is below it. As so many are going back and forth with bits it looks like it's going to be used to nest in.
We do have some up the road a ways, so not totally sad. Also where my mother lives the little maniacs play in the road. I must really annoy the locals driving so slowly, they do not seem to get hit or run over. They are called spugs or spoogies round here @purplerallim .
Sparrows and starlings nest in next door’s roof and we love them. The house is up for sale now ... if the new neighbours put birdproof roofing in (as was done here before we moved in) we’ve decided we’ll put up specialist sparrow and starling nestboxes. (Although autocorrect seems to think we should put up Beatboxers 🙄)
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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Thanks for the reply about your wagtail glad to hear it was fine and running around. Just digesting fat meal worms in the photo.
Managed to zoom in enough to see the sparrow, that feather is nearly as big as it is
We have had a pair of Blackbirds nesting in a pyracantha here. All has been well until a crow managed to grab a baby a few days ago, then dropped it. I thought it was a goner, but it was okay. It had tumbled down through a small yew. My other half did sterling work fetching a step ladder and managing to put baby back. We now think they were close to fledging, as they left the nest yesterday.
OH arm and hand is terribly scratched, he is my hero.
@islander nice you have sparrows too, they are in short supply around here.
Also where my mother lives the little maniacs play in the road. I must really annoy the locals driving so slowly, they do not seem to get hit or run over. They are called spugs or spoogies round here @purplerallim .
Found this nice little note about Coots in a blog about the heads and sheileds and their totally weird feet too.
https://community.rspb.org.uk/placestovisit/leightonmoss/b/leightonmoss-blog/posts/bald-as-a-coot
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.