Harbingers

There's an old joke in the UK -  you can always tell it's Christmas when the Creme Eggs are in the shops.  This got me thinking about the informal ways that I mark transitions within the year.  Snowdrops flowering in January are a reassurance that Spring has appeared on the horizon.

Before then, the unofficial start of winter for me is the appearance of the Fieldfare which seem to appear as soon as the first heavy frost has appeared.

The Fieldfare are a type of thrush that winter in the UK.  They don't partake in the food on offer in the bird feeders but they are partial to frost frozen apples that have dropped from the trees.  If they can't get those, then the berries on the trees are their food of choice.

When the Fieldfare arrive, we generally see the odd one or two, but as the days progress, their numbers explode.  Quite often we see flocks of a hundred or so birds powering across the garden or sitting in the branches of nearby trees.

Fieldfare are skittish birds.  They don't come near the house and I've spooked them countless times simply by opening the door when they are forty feet away and safely perched in the treetops.  This has made them difficult to photograph (grey skies have not helped matters) but last weekend, with a sunny winter sky gave me the best opportunity so far.

They aren't the best pictures I've ever taken but given their nervousness I'm not going to complain to much.

All and Sundry

The last sunrise of 2014

In the past few weeks, we have replaced damaged bird feeders and have just started to experiment with different food stuffs.   Over the past few months the type of birds that we've had at the feeders have been pretty consistent, sparrows, robins, great tits and blue tits.

The blue tits in particular have finally discovered the window feeder that we've affixed to the kitchen window. I bought the feeder on a whim but it took weeks before the birds seemed to take any interest in it.

When the snow and cold weather arrived on Boxing Day, temperatures in the area barely climbed above zero during the day and the nights where subzero for the next week.  Subsequently, the feeders have been busier than usual.

Long Tailed Tits band together during the winter to share heat during the night.  They also tend to stay close to each other during the day so it's not uncommon to see over a dozen of them on the fatballs and the peanut feeder.

With so many birds around, there has been plenty of squabbling.  Robins, starlings and blackbirds are constantly skirmishing with each other but one of the strangest confrontations we have seen  was a squaring off between the normally mild mannered woodpigeon and  a jackdaw.  The jackdaw is very partial to the bread that we throw out and most birds keep out of its way.  The woodpigeon was having none of this and chased the jackdaw away from the bread.  Bizarrely, the woodpigeon doesn't eat bread.

Woodpigeon vs Jackdaw

We've also spotted more greenfinches and coal tits around than normal.  Coal tits are small timid birds that fly onto the perch of the feeders, grab some food and fly off in a matter of seconds.  We have counted five greenfinches on one feeder at the same time with one of the birds actually feeding the others which makes us think that they are part of a family unit.

The elusive coal tit and a greenfinch

The Greater Spotted Woodpecker has also been a more frequent visitor to the nut feeder.  It won't tolerate any other birds on the feeder and will quickly chase off any that dare land on it.

At the moment, we've been refilling the bird feeders three times a week.  With so many birds around it was only a matter of time before the predators paid a visit.  We`ve seen plenty of  opportunistic  fly-bys  from sparrowhawks and kestrels hoping to catch a inattentive bird while feeding.  They've had some success judging from the circles of feathers we keep feeding in the garden.

One bird that I am hoping will return is the pale pink female bullfinch that we saw on the hedge checking out the feeders.  It was the first time that I had seen a female bullfinch before and would love to be able to get some good pictures of her.

Just Missed

 A week or so before Christmas I was talking to a friend who mentioned that his neighbours, a family from California would be spending their first Christmas in the UK and were hoping for snow on the big day.  I scoffed despite what TV and the movies would have you believe,  a white Christmas is an increasingly rare event in the UK.

Well there was no snow on Christmas Day, but it arrived with a vengeance on the 26th (Boxing Day as it`s known in the UK).

Billy the Pheasant, still around and still awaiting his peanuts from us

The snow and ice are still hanging in there five days later, aided by subzero temperatures during the night and barely above freezing during the day.  We`ll just have to wait and see if we will have a mild winter as was the case last year.

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone is having a good time with the people they love.

Goodfellows

I don't know how the humble robin ended up becoming synonymous with Christmas time.  It is an all year round garden bird but somehow it nabbed Christmas from the sparrows and the blackbirds.  Perhaps its because they tend to be a little braver than most birds, and will come quite close if there is food to be had.

Whatever the reason, I admire them a great deal.  I have watched them chase off larger birds beneath the bird feeders when the ground is frozen and food is limited.  I smile when I see one perched nearby watching us working in the garden.  They've learnt to let the humans` do the hard work while they reap the rewards.

I was always going to have a soft spot for them as I do share their name (I`ve lost count of the times people have asked me "Where`s Batman?").   Here are a few pictures of them that I've taken over the months.

Going Coastal

I grew up in a coastal town in Northumberland.  Until I moved "down south" the sea had always been at the most three miles away from where I lived.  Northumberland has a spectacular slice of coastline. with beaches that can be almost deserted.  I tended to take the coast for granted.  Living in Nottinghamshire I realise just how far from the sea I am.

 I took these pictures during a visit back to the North East and we decided to check out Tynemouth.  the name says it all.  Tynemouth is a sought after location and the house prices reflect that.  There is a villagelike feel to the place and it's nice to see independent shops instead of the usual high street clones.  Walking along the sea wall on a brisk winter's day definitely blows the cobwebs away.

The wall has to be able to withstand a battering from the North Sea.

The remains of Tynemouth Priory and the coastguard Watch House.

If you happen to find yourself in Newcastle, Tynemouth is just a short Metro ride away from the city centre.  Well worth a visit in my opinion, but if it`s Winter make sure you wrap up warm!

Taking a Breather

Living where we do in a semi rural location, Sparrowhawks are frequent visitors.  The problem is when we do see them they tend to be travelling at speed, swooping in low from around the side of the house to try and catch any unwary birds on the feeders.  Their appearances are fleeting  (the best pictures I have managed of a Sparrowhawk previously can be found here)

Earlier this week, we where having a little lunch  in the kitchen and as I got up to put the plates in the dishwasher I spotted movement, something large which I presumed to be a Woodpigeon dropping into the garden.  As I neared the window I spotted the Sparrowhawk, sitting on the edge of the bird bath.

The camera was close at hand and as I have said before, one of the problems with the Olympus Pen EPL1 is that the menu system isn't really conducive to changing settings on the quick.  I didn't expect our visitor to be around for very long, so most of the photographs taken with it on the birdbath where from further back in the kitchen, shooting between a plant and scales, and also through glass.  There were a lot of hopeless shots, but I did manage to get a couple of decent ones.

Watching the Watchers

To our surprise, the bird didn't seem to be perturbed that we were watching it.  It sat quite happily with it's tail feathers dipped in the water bath and occasionally looked our way.

After a few minutes it hopped up onto the hedge, allowing me to get some better shots.