Birds

Our swifts left around the 12th August but the martins and swallows stayed, until yesterday.  Although the house martins had lost out to the owl on the front of the house the nests at the back were much more successful and the one above my sitting room raised two broods, they were last heard on Thursday evening.  On Friday there were still swallows and martins hawking the field but I didn't see any at all yesterday and none again today so must assume they've gone.
Maybe they were scared off by the beautiful peregrine which was hunting across the field on Thursday evening, he patrolled up and down for a while before turning to work his way across the scar, dropping down a few times but no stoops - a little too windy I think.  There are reports of a buzzard at Green End too so it seems that our raptor population is doing quite well this  year.
At the beginning of August I took down our main bird feeders after throwing away the umpteenth lot of sodden, rotten seed.  Don't worry, we didn't abandon the birds to their fate, we fed from the bird table and a couple of other sites, just not from the main pole with the multitude of hangers. Recently there have been more young birds in the garden and some newly moulted adults so the winter feeders went out on Sunday, by Monday the birds were queuing along the washing line and by Tuesday a squirrel had found us, we'd not seen a squirrel for nearly two years.  This one was a youngster which didn't linger for long after a quick blast from the hosepipe but it did return the next day so a stronger deterrent was obviously required and so the small, black, rodent-seeking missile known as Hebe was deployed, one swift burst across the garden and small grey rodent disappeared up a tree and over the fence, it's not been seen since! And no the Hebester didn't catch or eat it, much as she'd have liked to.  without the distraction of a squirrel the birds are happily munching their way through a feederful of sunflower seeds every day plus all the extras. We've seen all the tit family except the marshy-willow, greenfinches which are looking healthy no sign of trichomonsis (phew), lots of house sparrows and chaffinches but the most numerous species is the goldfinch with upwards of 20 at any one time. We have a resident thrush, a couple of robins and plenty of blackbirds too. Nuthatches have been regulars as well, I think there are two individuals, one is slightly slimmer and paler than the other and they arrive and depart in different directions but as yet I've not seen the two together so I can't be absolutely sure.

The year has certainly turned, we lit the fire last night for the first time, this morning there was a heavy frost and the winds are picking up; lets hope we escape the worst of the equinox storms.

Swallow!

We've just seen our first swallow, hawking over the field.  on the same day as the latest dump of snow - which has now melted. The first swallow in the village was reported earlier in the month at Hunt House.
Lots of garden news to add - but not now.

Spring gardening

Finally, managed to make a start on the spring cleaning.


At the weekend the big border went from this:

 To this:

The birds are singing, a beautiful song thrush stands on the top of Green Garth's larch and tell the whole world it's a wonderful sunny spring morning; the robins are shouting their territories and the finches and spuggies tweet and whistle along too.

I don't know where the siskins have been all winter but they've arrived back this past week, already dressed in their "Sunday Best" looking very bright and smart.

RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch

A few days late but...
What a wonderful Sunday morning, the dulcet tones of Sir David Attenborough as he chose his desert island discs, a weather eye on the scores from Melbourne (six hours, wow what a match), lots of tea and toast and a garden full of birds.

Here's what we saw:
Chaffinch, 17; Greenfinch, 9; Goldfinch, 3; Siskin, 1; House Sparrow, 9; Dunnock, 4; Coal Tit, 1; Blue Tit, 3; Great Tit, 2; Long Tails, 2; Robin, 3; Wren, 1; Blackbird, 2; Wood Pigeon 1; Collared Dove, 1; Starling 1.  Which makes 16 species so we're quite pleased about that although the Tree Sparrows didn't show, neither did the Nuthatch or the Song Thrush.  The numbers of each, especially the finches, were much lower than we were expecting, a hoard of Goldfinches arrived just after the hour was the up!

Bird feeders

This afternoon the long tails returned for the first time this season, over a dozen munching through the fat balls. We had a fieldfare yesterday too. It's still unseasonably warm.

First snow

Woke this morning to the first real snow of the winter, only a dusting but enough to count. Stayed all day, some melt which has now frozen solid.
Lots of birds including three robins on the feeders, also the first brambling of this winter. A less welcome visitor in a large rat was seen this morning, around 11am , under the feeders, despite being 'scared' off it returned several times. The rat traps have been deployed, we'll check occupancy in the morning.

A wildlife ramble by car!

Went to Glaisdale this morning to collect some beef and on route saw over a dozen bullfinches at the top of Egton Banks and then going along the bottom (by Tracey's house) a dipper standing on rocks in the river. Both were most welcome.
Roads were a little icy and there was some sleet on the way back from town - late morning. Hail this afternoon and early evening.

It's back

Well after two weeks of heavy snow it started to melt and it began to disappear almost as fast as it arrived leaving lots of ice. Blades of grass began to appear and then it started snowing again today.
At lunch time today we had over 20 chaffinches, a dozen or more greenfinches a handful of gold finches, a couple of black birds and a thrush plus a few sparrows and dunnocks.
We've been found by a big family of long tails 12-20 this morning.

Bird feeders

It's been wet and windy over the last few days, in the early hours of Wednesday I thought the windows were coming in such was the ferocity of the wind and hail. The silver lining to this cloud has been the huge influx of birds to the feeders (the bad news being the quantity of feed being consumed, but you can't have everything!).
Today we've been visited by large numbers of chaffinches and greenfinches plus the noisy squabbling goldfinches and the first siskins arrived at lunch time followed by two bramblings this afternoon. Also visiting today were blue tits, great tits, coal tits, house sparrows (no trees today) dunnocks, robins (two) and at least one nuthatch. Mrs Blackbird has been jumping up and down on the window sill demanding her buggy nibbles and a thrush was rummaging in the shrubbery.

Woodpecker

Wednesday 25 August.
Today there was a young greater spotted woodpecker on the middle pole of the colonade looking just like a cartoon of itself as it pecked the pole and hopped all the way up until it was sitting on the top with such a look of astonishment - what happened to the rest of the tree then? Where did it go? Did you great tits steal it? And off it flew.

It returned a few days later and helped itself (rather violently) to some of the nuts in the feeder making it sway rather wildly - maybe it made itself seasick (did you know goldfish can be seasick?, just a useless piece of information for you there) because after flying off with a beak full of nuts it has not been seen again.

Marshy Willow Tit family

Came a visiting this morning. One adult helping itself to sunflower seeds from the feeder some of which were then fed to the entourage of two fledglings.

Red Kite

Just outside having lunch and we hear a lot of noise above us. Looking up there is the unmistakeable shape of a red kite being mobbed by rooks and a couple of crows. The kite seemed most un-bothered and lazily flapped it's way towards Whitby - obviously fancied a day at the seaside!
It looked like it had yellow wing tags, a bit difficult to tell against the sun but probably, if so it's travelled a long way, two yellows mean origin south of England and hatched in 2004.

Snow - in May

It's freezing! My poor tulips look as if they're getting a good dressing down and are busy inspecting their shoe laces. Even a fleece layer wasn't enough to protect the outdoor tomatoes or the gunnera - the toms are a gonna but it was only the leaves on the gunnera which will survive and put out some more leaves from the (so far) undamaged crowns.

On Monday Mrs Bossy Blackbird did as was bid and brought her new babies for us to see, but they weren't quite ready and one of them got a rather too close inspection from three curious dogs who just about terrified the life out of it but did, in fact, leave it undamaged, not even pinked (well done Hebs). I carefully moved it from the middle of the dog yard into the shrubbery but it was all in vain, later on the birds giving a real yammering and there was a sparrowhawk plucking the baby blackbird spreading feathers all over the lawn. As if one wasn't enough she (yes it was a female hawk) came back later for another go but I think went away empty taloned. In the evening we were watching TV and a large shape kept swooping past the window in the evening gloom - then the picture went fuzzy, a quick glance out of the window showed a tawny owl perching on top of the satellite dish!

Busy week, lots of firsts

This past week has had lovely warm spring sunshine which has brought out the first blackthorn flowers and the larches are greening up nicely.
We have also seen the first house martin and the first swift (Sat 24/4).
However, although the days have been lovely and warm we've had some fierce overnight frosts, the protective fleece on gunnera and the seedlings was like cardboard on Monday morning (19/4).

Sunshine!

And warm days, I unwrapped gunnera this weekend, still getting a fleecing duvet over night but already growing away strongly.
Saw a small tortoiseshell on Saturday and also heard my first cuckoo in the morning. Saw my first swallow on Thursday evening (8/4).

Bird song

What a collection this morning.
First, outside the post office heard a curlew and looked up to see one flying overhead heading Gatehouse way. Then a drumming woodpecker in Brereton grounds followed by another at the top of the incline and a yaffling green chap. Finally more drummers in the woods across the Mill Green. Not to mention Mr Pheasant and his ladies promenading across the field.
Weather is again grey and wet - soggy doggies.

Swallows

Yes, already. Just heard that two were seen up at Hunt House over the weekend.

LBJ

Seen in the garden on Friday, a perusal of the books confirms that it's a garden warbler. In yesterday's sunshine a very brave little clump of celandines in the greenhouse garden decided to open their flowers - must get the weedkiller out before it's outlawed!

Moorlands birds

are returning. Had to pop into town and on the way out at lunchtime saw a beautiful lapwing standing tall by the side of the road and up beyond silla's two skylark dancing in the air.

Big Garden Birdwatch

On Saturday we did our RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, one hour between 10 and 11am. It was crisp clear and bright, several inches of snow had fallen overnight and there was the odd flurry during the hour. The snow made counting even harder than usual as we kept getting snow blindness from staring at the brightness for too long!
Anyway these are the results:
Chaffinch - 23; Goldfinch - 12; Greenfinch - 14; Brambling - 9; Siskin - 3; House Sparrow - 6; Tree Sparrow - 11; Dunnock - 2; Blackbird - 3; Mistle Thrush - 1; Song Thrush - 1; Redwing - 2; Starling - 3; Blue Tit - 2; Coal Tit - 1; Great Tit - 1; Robin - 2.
The nuthatch didn't turn up and the long tails waited until we'd finished arriving about 20 minutes after we'd finished counting but 17 different species is pretty good going.