What happened to Johnny Canoe - his bird feeding antics were amazing and such tame and diverse visitors.
We have a new bird feeder and I am really very pleased with it - we don't get such a huge range of birds as you do in the u.k. although we often have birds passing through on their migrations. However I would like to share a couple of pictures with you, that were taken today.
I have wondered what the birding was like in Guernsey, G D. You probably also get some continental birds we don't get so much in the UK. Curl Buntings, Serins, perhaps?
Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
Thanks Dove, yes the green finches are lovely birds and we have always had a few around our garden area, they are very welcome visitors. We don't see woodpeckers (although they are said to be breeding in small quantities (under 10) in the island), gold finches are multiplying very quickly. We haven't had a starling on our feeders for many years although there are plenty in the town area. We have sparrows breeding in our bird boxes and sometimes a blue or great tit resides in one of the boxes.
We have a good selection of water type birds Redwing. Egrets, herons, different types of gulls, oyster catchers, turnstones and terns. Sheerwaters, wimbrels, shell ducks, a cuckoo is a rare sight these days, we have a few marsh harriers and kingfishers too, oh and buzzards are said to be breeding here as well.
We seem to have lost our larks, there used to be many of them nesting on the common but with the rise of people walking their dogs and less cattle grazing on the common apparently the habitat has changed too much for these lovely song birds. A great pity.
Hello daydaisy, no that's a Chickadee, the friendliest of the birds around here. I'll get a picture of Mr. Woodpecker today, I don't know where Mrs. Woodpecker is at, haven't seen her lately.
Biking home yesterday I got stung on my chest, did quite a freak out trying to get the hornet out of my shirt while riding my bike. Chest is pretty sore today but not stinging like last night. That beggar stung me right over my heart! lol
Here's a bit on the Chickadee and you can listen to it's call.
Good to see you again with 'your' birds Johnny - was wondering where you were!
The chickadees look like a mix of some of our birds - longtailed tits/coal tits/marsh tits.
Love your pix of the green and gold finches GD. Really beautiful. Greenies used to be quite plentiful round here too, but they've definitely declined. I've never seen a lot of goldfincehs in this area, but we have a NT garden nearby, so many birds don't have to go too far afield for food! A couple appeared in this garden in late winter, so I'm hoping they return a bit more regularly.
Just highlights the differing habitats we all have - you have so many 'water' birds because of the proximity of the sea, whereas we only occasionally see a few oyster catchers or mallard ducks. Herons are fairly widespread, and there's a kingfisher or two near my work (the River Cart runs a long way around the area) Buzzards are only just multiplying in your location, but are very common here, not just in the hills. Still love seeing and hearing them
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Oh Johnny, your pictures always give me a pang of envy - you are so lucky to be able to do this. Our birds are far more wary of people and it would take many months to strike up this sort of trust with our birds. We just have to open the front or back door for the birds to fly away - perhaps because there is usually our neighbour's cat around and about too, so you can't blame the birds for being extra cautious.
Thank you for sharing these lovely pictures with us.
Posts
What happened to Johnny Canoe - his bird feeding antics were amazing and such tame and diverse visitors.
We have a new bird feeder and I am really very pleased with it - we don't get such a huge range of birds as you do in the u.k. although we often have birds passing through on their migrations. However I would like to share a couple of pictures with you, that were taken today.
Lovely to see green finches GD
We're seeing a few in the garden this year after several years without them.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I have wondered what the birding was like in Guernsey, G D. You probably also get some continental birds we don't get so much in the UK. Curl Buntings, Serins, perhaps?
Thanks Dove, yes the green finches are lovely birds and we have always had a few around our garden area, they are very welcome visitors. We don't see woodpeckers (although they are said to be breeding in small quantities (under 10) in the island), gold finches are multiplying very quickly. We haven't had a starling on our feeders for many years although there are plenty in the town area. We have sparrows breeding in our bird boxes and sometimes a blue or great tit resides in one of the boxes.
We have a good selection of water type birds Redwing. Egrets, herons, different types of gulls, oyster catchers, turnstones and terns. Sheerwaters, wimbrels, shell ducks, a cuckoo is a rare sight these days, we have a few marsh harriers and kingfishers too, oh and buzzards are said to be breeding here as well.
We seem to have lost our larks, there used to be many of them nesting on the common but with the rise of people walking their dogs and less cattle grazing on the common apparently the habitat has changed too much for these lovely song birds. A great pity.
Hello, I took several weeks off of my daily bike rides to feed birds but I am now back at it.
What fantastc photos Johnny, is that a long-tail tit I wonder? It really trusts you. ?
Hello daydaisy, no that's a Chickadee, the friendliest of the birds around here. I'll get a picture of Mr. Woodpecker today, I don't know where Mrs. Woodpecker is at, haven't seen her lately.
Biking home yesterday I got stung on my chest, did quite a freak out trying to get the hornet out of my shirt while riding my bike. Chest is pretty sore today but not stinging like last night. That beggar stung me right over my heart! lol
Here's a bit on the Chickadee and you can listen to it's call.
http://www.hww.ca/en/wildlife/birds/chickadee.html
Good to see you again with 'your' birds Johnny - was wondering where you were!
The chickadees look like a mix of some of our birds - longtailed tits/coal tits/marsh tits.
Love your pix of the green and gold finches GD. Really beautiful. Greenies used to be quite plentiful round here too, but they've definitely declined. I've never seen a lot of goldfincehs in this area, but we have a NT garden nearby, so many birds don't have to go too far afield for food! A couple appeared in this garden in late winter, so I'm hoping they return a bit more regularly.
Just highlights the differing habitats we all have - you have so many 'water' birds because of the proximity of the sea, whereas we only occasionally see a few oyster catchers or mallard ducks. Herons are fairly widespread, and there's a kingfisher or two near my work (the River Cart runs a long way around the area) Buzzards are only just multiplying in your location, but are very common here, not just in the hills. Still love seeing and hearing them
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Feeding birds along the river this morning. The male Downy Woodpecker.
Oh Johnny, your pictures always give me a pang of envy - you are so lucky to be able to do this. Our birds are far more wary of people and it would take many months to strike up this sort of trust with our birds. We just have to open the front or back door for the birds to fly away - perhaps because there is usually our neighbour's cat around and about too, so you can't blame the birds for being extra cautious.
Thank you for sharing these lovely pictures with us.