Thanks to Tropical Thomason for the latest update from his back garden:
"Hi John,
Belated seasonal greetings to you and yours,
Although it has been quiet locally, I did find a Blackcap in the garden on 2nd Jan, this is the 3rd year on the run that Blackcaps have turned up in the garden in the first week of the New Year, is anyone else out there noticing this?
Did manage this snap as it scuttled away after feeding on apples, another trait I have seen regularly with this species in winter.
I thought this was good but I've been well gripped off by my big brother "Dangerous" Thomason who snapped this Long Eared Owl from his kitchen window around Christmas time.
He also woke the other day to an Ivory Gull.
"It was tucking into a dead crow in the back field, and before you ask, no I didn't photo it - a gull is just a gull" - his words!
The error has been addressed and he will now chuck a few dead critters into the back field to entice it back.
Oh by the way, you better tell your readers he lives in the middle of Fetlar up in the Shetlands.
Cheers,
Tropical
Ta Trops - we had Blackcap coming into the garden over Christmas, but I ain't seen one at Dempsey Towers yet this year.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Little Owl and Tawny Owl calling in Freshfield
Hi John
I've had a male Blackcap for two weeks over Christmas which has disappeared only to be replaced by a female. She seems to be bolder than the male and spends quite a bit of time foraging on the ground - something I never saw the male do.
Re the Blackcaps Philip, we get males and females at Dempsey Towers, though perhaps not as frequently as we used to, but "our" males will happily hop about looking for food on the ground too.
Seeing Blackcaps regularly in my Aigburth garden, they've been around for a few weeks now. They seem to like the fruits from the shrub 'Leycesteria Formosa' but use the feeders too.