Bath Time

Catch up – this time dating from the 25 August 2013

As I’ve said before the activities of the birds around our bird table and feeders is great entertainment and to some degree has many repeating themes, in much the same way as the TV daytime soaps do but of course they are much more interesting. In this episode, the local population of House Sparrows take the starring roles.

House Sparrows are very sociable birds that love to do things together. In some ways they remind me of a bunch of teenagers that like to hang out on street corners. Their equivalent to a street corner is our garden hedge and they are often found in some numbers sitting within it, twittering to each other, where with time the levels of twittering chit chat increases, sometimes to almost deafening levels and where squabbles are not unknown. This day they were sat in the hedge, chirping and squabbling gently, as is their way, with individuals wandering out to feed on the nuts or head to the seed feeder, where they tend to throw out all but their favourite titbit. When at some point it seemed as though a group decision was made that the main active of the day was to take a bath, and six of them headed to the bird bath for a group splash around.

House Sparrow Bath Time – 25 August 2013 (Copyright Carol Jones)

At this point the bird bath exploded into a mass of water and feathers, with droplets flying in all directions, as the House Sparrows splashed about. It is hard to believe that birds the size of House Sparrows could send so much water flying in so many directions, without their feathers following as well. In the end the result of water and feathers flying, were that the House Sparrows all became well wet and soggy, and ended up sitting looking like bedraggled balls of feathers that slowly fluffed out as they dried.

One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato More!!

Having pulled my hair out and bitten my nails to the cuticle while writing an article for publication, I’ve been tossing a couple of blogs around for a while without actually finishing either – so here is the first from way back on the Tuesday 04 June. Enjoy!!

There are some jobs that are just perfect, especially ones that involve sitting on the top of a cliff when the sun is shinning, there was no wind blowing and the only task you have is to count sea birds that are clinging perilously to a rock face!! Wow! Sometimes the days are just brilliant!

So there I was sitting on top of a cliff at Nunnery Point, part of St Abb’s Head National Nature Reserve, where the sun was shining, and the sky was blue. The sea was almost dead calm, just a gentle roll and so very blue, like that of petals of a Cornflower. This blue changed slightly as the sea swelled gently making the blues deepen and lighten as the light reflected slightly differently from the surface. These two facts together, with the warmth of the sunshine, made the scene almost hypnotic, one that you would want to loose yourself in and so one where the call of a Siren could almost have been believed in. Even the passing of a cargo ship hardly altered the regular rolling of the sea, producing just a gentle ripple that rolled out from the ship and combined with this gentle hypnotic roll.

The Longstone – 04 June 2013 (Copyright Carol Jones)

Dragging myself away from the hypnotic effect of the sea, to the task at hand – counting, in fact counting Guillemots and Razorbills. Mmm – so count the black dots against a grey or white background. Luckily most of the birds are confined to the the white areas of guano, while the grey areas that may camouflage the dark birds mainly lack bodies, but still need to be checked. OK – sounds simple enough, but where to begin and how to recognise which areas have already been counted. “Now is that the crack I counted to before or not!!” It was supposed to be so simple!! But have I counted that crowd of birds been counted before or not?

The Rock – 04 June 2013 (Copyright Carol Jones)

Having practised a few times and having sorted the rock into what I hoped where easy to identify areas, I began to count again. One, two, three, four….. Hang on you’re not a Guillemot, your a Razorbill, so one, two, three …… “Excuse me, are there any Puffins here?” asks a passing visitor – oh ho hum!! “Just a few. Best time to see them is at sunrise or sunset, I think” Now where did I get to – one, two, three…… And so the day progresses. Counting gets easier, providing the interruptions are few, luckily the birds seem to be on my side for once, they don’t move around much, just a few stretches of the wings or a niggle with their neighbour, as they incubate their egg. These few stretches though allow for some amazing glints of iridescent blue within the feathers to be revealed, as the sunlight catches them. Wow! This makes the Guillemots and Razorbills more than just plain black and white birds, but gives them something special, a view just for the person who was looking at that specific moment.

Guillemots – 04 June 2013 (Copyright Carol Jones)

Feeding Stations

We revamped our bird feeding station last weekend, as the original is getting a little fragile and since the loss of the washing line we’d lost a number of hanging spots for feeders. So the revamp involved adding a new post that allows room for both seed and Niger feeders.

The new feeders had hardly been filled and stopped swinging, before the local population of birds were investigating the new food source. To begin with it was the usual regulars, such as the Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits and Chaffinches, who took to the seed feeder with great gusto. Exploring gingerly to begin with, before recognising the opportunity and diving head first into find their favourite snacks. Have to say that these are fussy birds, picking out and dropping all the bits that don’t fit their fancy! It would seem that sunflower seeds are their favourites, before anything else in the mix. They sit there picking out the sunflower seeds, in order to reach these they just throw out everything else. So I’m very glad we got a feeder with an attached tray, as this gives the birds a second chance at all those seeds they didn’t fancy the first time around. The biggest culprit at this fussiness are the Chaffinches who happily sit and throw seeds away for most of the day. I’m not at all unsure that one or two of the male Chaffinches are not in danger of becoming portly to say the least, as they sit on the feeder for long periods of time, if undisturbed, eating whatever is available and takes their fancy while throwing the rest out.

Once the seed feeder had almost been emptied in only a matter of a day or so, the feeders began to pick through those pieces that they fancied slightly less. This time throwing the discarded bits off of the tray and on to the ground below. Joining the mottle crew above, we also have the addition of a Dunnock, who moves round the tray very much like a like a jerky wind up toy. Yet again we have a species that has failed to read the bird book and come to feed on the feeder when they should just be a ground feeder. Below the feeder we now have a new population move in in the form of the local Pheasant and his lady friend, who have discovered an easy new source of food, that doesn’t have the risk attached of being shot while feeding!

“Room for a small one?” – Siskins – 22 May 2013 (Copyright Carol Jones)

The other new feeder is the Niger feeder and this one was soon taken over by Siskins in particular. For the first day or two there were maybe three Siskins but by the end of the third day this had rocketed to a maximum of six at any one time. It soon became clear also that the Siskins had a pecking order with the brightly coloured males at the top, taking preference over all the rest. Now when I first saw the others I had assumed that they were all the less brightly coloured ones were females. But having observed them for a while I’m not totally sure that they were all only adult females and wondered whether some of them were in fact juveniles. Some of the speckled and streaked Siskins behaved as though they were begging for food, specifically from the adult males. So far I have not seen this begging behaviour to another female looking birds. The behaviour involves the more speckled birds fluttering their wings and gaping their mouths open towards the males. Either way, whether females or juveniles they weren’t getting much shot, as the males refused to feed them or take much notice at all of these birds. As for the males, they also only have limited liking for each other and at regular intervals a spat would break out between one or two of them, which would see a them fly up in a flurry of feet and feathers.

Siskins – 22 May 2013 (Copyright Carol Jones)

A Ducklings Tale

Talking of spring over the last few posts and hoping that it will arrive here shortly, leaving those cold reminders of winter along way behind, I was recently reminded that spring was coming if only by small steps at a time, while staring out of the window at work the other day. At that moment from out of the sun’s glare there appeared, the my first sighting of a group of ducklings for this year. In fact there were nine active balls of fluff that called themselves ducklings, accompanied by an ever watchful and proud mother.

Mother and Clan – 10 May 2013 (Copyright Carol Jones)

At this stage the ducklings were still just small balls of fluff, less than a handful worth of duckling each, but so full of life and energy. They were still of a size that wandering too far from the bank meant that the current caught them in a second and had them off downstream before you could blink. They then had a stiff battle to swim back upstream against the current to return to the family fold, which usually involved them keeping close to the bank and out of the main current as much as possible.

Ducklings are no different to any other youngster, where the world is a wonderful place full of new sights and sounds to be explored and at such a young age they seem oblivious to the dangers of the world at large. This lack of instinct for danger was illustrated so well, while I was observing out of the window, when the ducklings soon became the focus of interest for a passing Crow. The Crow had landed close by on the bank and took a serious interest in the group of curious ducklings, watching closely their mad frantic movements with growing hungry intentions for having a duckling or two as a mid-morning snack. Mother ever alert, especially to the curiosity of the Crow and its intentions, herded her clan in tight against the bank and out of easy grab reach. Here she kept them safe for as long as the Crow was present, not letting them wander away from her protective eye. Soon the though Crow realised that an easy snack of duckling was not going to be forthcoming and went off to hunt a mid-morning snack elsewhere.

 

Always on Watch! – 10 May 2013 (Copyright Carol Jones)

Here Today and Gone Tomorrow

This is the second blog from last weekend’s trip to the North Pennines.

Saturday had been bright and sunny and spring like but that was just to be a taster, by Sunday the clouds had thickened and sunk down towards the hills and the air held the promise of rain to come. In the course of a single night the North Pennines had gone from light and airy, with so much promise to dark and brooding, as though a storm was brewing in the distance, just waiting to burst upon the scene.

Heading towards Warcop, the moors behind were dark and menacing, highlighted only by the odd patch of snow remaining and showing no sign that spring was approaching. Now the occasional Dandelion flower along the road verge was a yellow beacon in the gloom, as the clouds swirled and moved above. The darkness of the hills behind seemed to make the green of the improved meadows close by seem bright and almost shine by comparison.

Warcop Fells – 21 April 2013 (Copyright Carol Jones)

The gloom of the day seemed to put a dampener on the movement of life, for even the lambs in the surrounding fields failed to cavort, preferring to remain close to the shelter of mother. Not everything was hidden though, for above there soared a Buzzard, moving as if it was as light as a feather in the chilly breeze. Round and round the bird soared, not noticing the approaching weather or that spring had taken a break, just lost in search for the next meal!

Warcop Fells – 21 April 2013 (Copyright Carol Jones)

Surprising Sightings

Winter continues here! The snow continues to fall and spring still can’t seem to force its way in. Even so during the daytime the temperatures are rising above zero, and the snow continues to melt a pace, which at least gives me some hope, even if overnight the amount of snow is increased again by new falls. This new snow fascinates me, as it ranges from frozen raindrops that form round, solid, icy, ball bearings that sit like partially sucked gob stoppers on the frozen surfaces, to light, wet, fluffy flakes that float down like feathers from the clouds above and disappears into the snow already lying.

The continuation of wintry conditions has also encouraged some slightly more unusual sightings from the window this week.

Early Tuesday morning, I noticed a couple of strange dark shapes moving across the field opposite. On closer observation there were two Roe Deer having a mad five minutes, dashing hither and thither, kicking up their heels, as though spring had arrived and they were mad March Hares. It is not unusual to see Roe Deer crossing the road on the wooded slopes of Gala Hill, where they dash, quickly and silently, from one side of the road to the other. But it is different to see them dashing around the snow covered fields so close to the farm steading, and at a time in the morning when people are regularly around.

Roe Deer – 26 February – (Copyright Carol Jones)

Then this morning, while watching the birds congregate round the feeder, especially the comings and goings of a number of House Sparrows and Chaffinches on the path in front of the window, I was surprised to see amongst them a pair of Yellowhammers, busily chasing titbits of food. These are uncommon visitors to our garden, in all the years of watching the comings and goings of birds from our garden, they have only visited a handful of times. They are regularly seen and heard from the bushes along the road, where their song, “A little bit of bread and no cheese” can be heard ringing out across the fields, but in the garden, almost never. Shame though, they failed to remain long enough to get in a picture, especially as their speckles of yellow were so bright and fresh, just as if they’d been freshly splattered with new paint.

Watching and Waiting!

Being confined close to home for the last couple of months, has had a few advantages. No having to dash from place to place, and the luxury to spend time watching and observing, without the guilt of feeling that I should be else where, doing something more important! Have to say that during this time, the bird table in the garden has been a great distraction, masses of entertainment, and considerably better than the lunchtime soaps!!

Our feeders attract groups of Blue Tits that behave like gangs of teenagers, they push and shove and squabble for the best bits, while at the same time keeping up a continued chatter between themselves. Just like teenagers who text their best mates, while walking down the street with them. Amongst the Blue Tits arrive an occasional Great Tit, being bigger and butcher than the Blue Tits, they easily bully their way in amongst a crowd of four or five Blue Tits, and feed just as they please. Also slipping in occasionally are the small, but just as cheeky Coal Tits, with their distinctive white Mohican strip across their sleek black crowns. They hide on the edge of the teenage pack of Blue Tits, a bit like the lost souls that aren’t really members of the in-crowd but desperately want to be. Then just once or twice, we are also visited by the fairest of the bunch – a number of Long-tailed Tits. This winter they never arrived in more than pairs, but still they are cute balls of fluff that provide endless fascination as they flit from the hedge to feeder and back again.

Blue Tits and Co – 21 February 2013 (Copyright Carol Jones)

Accompanying the groups, we also have the regular arrival of a Nuthatch, another bully in the bird world, who zooms in like a small jet fighter making straight of the peanuts, muscling the other birds out of the way. On a larger scale, but behaving with the same bully attitude there is also a Greater Spotted Woodpecker, who if disturbed makes sure the whole world knows of it’s disapproval at being disturbed!

My favourites amongst this group of birds though, has to be the pair of Treecreepers, who are total opposites, more like mice than bullies, but also much tamer as they will remain on the feeder long after the other birds have departed when disturbed and providing you don’t make any sudden moves, they will remain for quite sometime and continue to feed. However, our Treecreepers have obviously not read the bird books, that say that these birds do not feed on the ground, for quite often they will spend sometime under the feeders picking up bits and pieces that have been discarded by the birds above.

Underneath the feeders, amongst the Chaffinches and House Sparrows that flock for the left overs, there are also a number of Dunnocks that also scavenge for titbits. To me, as they scurry around, their actions remind me of wind-up clockwork toys, with their continual jerky movements. The ground feeders also have their excessive characters, such as the over weight Wood Pigeon that is generally too heavy to fly much and waddles off when approached rather than attempting to fly. Can’t seem him surviving long should a local cat pass through. Then there is one of my favourite characters – the Robin, maybe the “King” of the birds, who bullies all and sundry alike for the tastiest bits, and when not feeding will find the best vantage point, often either a fence post by the gate or at the top of the bird table itself from which to observe the comings and goings of the world.

Robin – 19 February 2013 (Copyright Carol Jones)

Birds are not the only visitors to the feeders, there is the regular presence of the Grey Squirrel whose sole aim seems to be to wreck the place, by ripping apart the wire feeder in order to obtain the goodies from inside. My favourite non-avian visitor though has to be the Wood Mouse, who climbs up through the hedge, then runs out across the bird table and so down on to the feeder. But who always takes the easy exit, by simply dropping off the feeder, the metre or so to the ground below! On a human scale this must be something similar to base jumping, but without a parachute, but always who always gets up and walks away without injury!

Wood Mouse – 28th February 2013 (Copyright Carol Jones)

Well now spring supposedly comes, though the weather might have forgotten this, and its time to return to the world outside again, but still the soap opera of the bird table will continue, with its mad confusion of activity, now mainly unobserved, but for the occasional snapshot, that I know will appear in the pages of the journal of the Lost Naturalist again, at some future time when there is time to stop and just look again.

First Day of Spring!

Well its the first day of spring today and I’m dreaming of warmer days, blue skies and sunshine, with all the associated wildlife stirrings of spring!! Meanwhile back in the real world, its more like the depths of winter here with several inches of snow lying on the ground and the continued gentle flurry of snow blowing up the valley, in the Arctic breeze.

Snow in the Garden – 18 March 2013 (Copyright Carol Jones)

Winter may still seem to be here and according to the news it is likely to be one of the coldest March’s on record, but still nature knows what is coming. The signs of spring are there for those that wish to look. From the first signs of movement on the Contorted Hazel, which has a couple of female flowers open, showing their bright red stigmas to the world. To the more blatant display of Snowdrops that are blooming in the shelter of the hedge, even if they are now hidden under a layer of snow.

 

Snowdrops – 28 February 2013 (Copyright Carol Jones)

To be honest the birds also know what should be happening, for they are beginning to display. The Robin that has been visiting the garden all winter, when he was chasing off all rivals, has begun to tolerate the arrival of a second bird. Now he regularly sits on top of the nearest post and sings his heart out to the world. Also both the Chaffinches and Blue Tits are becoming more like territorial birds and less like flock birds, as they are regularly playing tag round the bird table and hedge, showing off their prowess to anyone interested.

So though the weather has forgotten to move on, the wildlife knows what is due to occur – Spring!! Hopefully the weather will remember to move on soon, or so I can dream. At least while the weather is stuck in the past, I can think back to the record temperatures of last year’s spring and dream of that now faded, but much loved memory! Hope lives on!!

Snow, Snowdrops, and Starlings

Well, we had another inch of snow yesterday, mainly the large flaked stuff, but very wet, however, today’s blue sky and sunshine, together with a rise in temperature soon saw the continual drip, drip, of water as the snow began to melt, accompanied by the occasional woosh as a sheet of snow sliped off of the roof. Snow is but a transient thing, here and beautiful one moment, slush the next moment, and gone in a third. Even though the snow was rapidly melting there was still enough around today, to make the walls, hedges, clumps of rushes and conifer belts stand out starkly against the almost pure white background.

 

Walls and Things – 26 January 2013 (Copyright Ross Lockley)

With the snow on the way out, signs of spring have begun to appear from out of the white depths. Amongst the snow and shadows underneath the hedge, there have appeared the grey green leaves of clusters of Snowdrops, now just tall enough to be visible above the snow. Amongst the leaves, there were several white flower buds, as though to herald the first signs of spring. Even the local bird population was feeling the pull of the new season, for from the surrounding trees, a full chorus of song was erupting, shouting with joy that they were alive. Most surprising from amongst this was the sound of a warbling Curlew?!! It took me a few minutes to realise that it wasn’t a Curlew, but actually one of a small flock of Starlings that were calling and warbling from a nearby tree.

Swan Lake

According to some theories the world was supposed to end on Friday, following some form of water horror. Well it obviously hasn’t ended for I’m still here, but as for the water, there is lots of that.

Its been raining here for what seems like days, in fact the outstanding memory of this year has been rain and lots of it! But that’s another story. Until today it seems to have been raining almost consistently since Wednesday. The ground that was already totally saturated, has now begun sprouting new springs, appearing along the hillside in places where they haven’t been before. Most of these springs are not seeps, but are pouring like springs with business elsewhere. We even gained our own water feature, with a raging torrent pouring down the track outside the house, to add its contents to the duck pond opposite.

Duck pond is probably now the wrong term to describe our temporary water body. In fact its as large as I have ever seen it and is now looking more like having the proportions of a lake rather than a pond, as it stretches for at least a hundred metres in length. As for the ducks, seen those on it in the past, I’ve also seen children on it when its frozen, but today is the first time I’ve seen it with a pair of swans on it. They were obviously quite happy there, for when I returned some time later they were happily dozing.

Swan Lake – 23 December 2012 (Copyright Carol Jones)

Heading north along the valley, the fields along the bottom have also flooded, something which occurs most winters but not as much as this. Usually the water forms just a series of temporary small water bodies down the valley, that rise and fall rapidly as the surroundings drain. Following our most recent rain event, they have coalesced into two large lakes, one of which was deep enough to cover the fence that separates two of the fields, while the other is only a few inches from the top of a wall. Both of these were fed by raging torrents that had given up with the field drains and were pouring down the surrounding hillsides, flooding across the lane and into the bottom fields.

Lakes – 22 December 2012 (Copyright Carol Jones)