Today is apparently known as "Black Friday" because as the last Friday before Christmas, it's the day when everyone goes out and gets completely ratted - it would be rude not to join in, but before all hands headed down to the Guest House, I managed a quick count at the Sands Lake this afternoon.
It was black as the inside of a coal sack by 3pm (only a few days to go before the days start getting longer again), and the wind was freshening already with occasional showers.
76+ Tufted Ducks, with at least 2 Pochard with them in the gloom, 2 Cormorant, the usual 2 Mute Swans, gazillions of Mallards, 16 Shovelers and up at the north end, Little Grebe and Water Rail.
Plenty of Black Headed Gulls bumming bread by the car park, but not even enough light to manage an artsy-fartsy shot of the flock being blown around in the strengthening gale, so I gave up on fancy exposures and slow-mo shots and headed in the same direction as everybody else.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Like most small birds, Robins are lucky if they manage to reach their second birthday. While some fail to survive the winter cold, others fall prey to predators (for example cat or Sparrowhawk), fly into windows or get killed by motor traffic. The BTO has produced a new leaflet to help concerned garden birdwatchers to counter at least one of the many risks that Robins face, namely Sparrowhawk predation.
The return of the Sparrowhawk to our gardens has not been welcomed by everyone. Some see the Sparrowhawk as a threat to populations of smaller birds, despite the lack of any scientific evidence to support this view. However, the sight of a Sparrowhawk standing astride a recently killed Robin is an unwelcome one in many gardens.
Sparrowhawks feed on a wide variety of small birds. Whilst this hasn't automatically led to a decrease in our garden birds (the majority of these smaller birds are doing quite well), Sparrowhawks will and do take individual birds in our gardens.
Here are some tips that may help to keep the birds in your garden safe and healthy.
1.. If a Sparrowhawk regularly visits the garden, try moving your bird table and hanging feeders periodically to different parts of the garden. This can help to take away the element of surprise, one of the main strategies a Sparrowhawk uses to capture its prey. Sparrowhawks like to follow a regular route through a garden, using the available cover to get close to feeding birds.
2.. Feed your birds on a bird table close to cover, into which they can dive at the first sign of danger. Thick evergreen and thorny bushes are ideal.
3.. Provide food on a regular basis, so that small birds can rely on there being food in your garden. In this way they can time their visits in a way that reduces the risk of being caught by a predator.
For a free BTO leaflet on Sparrowhawks and their interactions with garden birds, telephone 01842 750050 and ask for the GBW Team, or write to SPARROWHAWK LEAFLET, GBW, BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU or email gbw@bto.org.