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Sometimes you're better off at home

Posted by on February 14, 2009 5:21 PM | 

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Dempsey Towers was on fine form this morning, with Chaffinch, Dunnock, Robin, Song Thrush, Goldcrest and Starling all singing away again.
A male Blackcap zipped into the feeders to grab some fat before scooting off, and there were four Siskins coming and going, including two fine singing males.

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Best of all was a male Brambling, which came into the seed early doors, but disappeared and never showed up again after I'd got my scope and camera - a pity, as it was a cracker - nice and dark above, heading into summer plumage, with great big orange shoulder patches.
At least they do tend to come back, and I'll be ready next time.
Three Redwings in the treetops.
In stark contrast, the mosses were absolutely pants.
I checked the Withins and Plex and left wondering why I'd bothered.

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Apart from numerous Red Legged Partidges tuning up (has anyone seen any Greys recently?), and four Buzzards over Altcar Moss, it was dire.
60+ Fieldfares on Plex though, and between 38 and 50 Whooper Swans on the fields between Plex and Carr Moss, but they were too far off to work through closely.
Kestrel, single Sprawk and a few small skeins of Pinkies were the only other birds of note.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies.

Comments (2)

Mike Stocker wrote...

Great Spotted Cuckoo in County Cork - Spring is startin' early!

Posted by: Mike Stocker  | February 15, 2009 5:10 PM

Sandra Sparkes, BTO wrote...

The 14th February 2009 marked the start of the thirteenth annual National Nest Box Week (NNBW). Organised by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), sponsored by Jacobi Jayne, and promoted by Simon King. The aim of the week is to encourage more people than ever before to put up a nest box.
Dr Dave Leech, Head of the BTO's Nest Record Scheme said, "Information collected by BTO nest recorders and bird ringers suggest that the number of offspring produced by many bird species has fallen during recent wet summers. Robins seem to have been one of the worst hit, with an above average proportion of nests failing in 2007 and 20% fewer fledglings recorded by ringers in 2008. By putting up an open-fronted nest box during National Nest Box Week, we can provide them with the shelter they may need if summer 2009 is another wash-out."
Whatever the size of your garden, you can help to put a roof over the heads of Britain's birds by putting up a nest box, but this is just the start of the adventure - people are fascinated by reality TV shows and docu-soaps, yet are often completely oblivious to the real-life dramas unfolding in their own back gardens. The BTO's Nest Box Challenge lets you record the birds' nesting progress on-line.
Dr Leech added "By having a look inside your nest box at regular intervals during the spring and submitting your observations to Nest Box Challenge, you'll experience the excitement of watching a brood being raised and make your contribution to conservation at the same time."
Norfolk residents have registered the largest number of nest boxes (623) for Nest Box Challenge to date, followed by Hampshire (565), Greater London (510), Surrey (488) and Suffolk (452). The first report of Blue Tit eggs in 2008 was in Carmarthenshire on 8 April, but birds such as Blackbirds and Robins may start even earlier, so remember to keep a close eye on those boxes from now on.

Posted by: Sandra Sparkes, BTO  | February 15, 2009 8:39 PM

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