Over recent days the garden visitors have been raiding the feeders in an effort to stay alive as the temperatures have regularly stayed below freezing point. Obtaining any images through the window has not been easy but here are a few of the regulars.
House Sparrow numbers peaked at 16 two days ago.
Greenfinch visits were very sporadic last month but again their numbers have increased very recently.
Other regular visitors have been Great, Blue and a single Coal Tit, the resident Robin, Woodpigeons, Collared Doves, Blackbirds and Dunnock plus occasional forays from Magpies. Unusual visitors have been single visits by a Jay and both a male and female Chaffinch (I'm not sure the last time we recorded this species in the garden). With more bad weather forecast I need to purchase some more feed. FAB.
Hi Frank...they sure can eat you out of house and home,but the pleasure they give to us is worth it all!
ReplyDeleteNice photos of those thankful faces!!
You have quite a variety of garden visitors! Nice photos, Frank!
ReplyDeleteSuch a struggle for them this time of year. Lovely shots of the Greenfinch. I get the odd one or two occasionally in the garden.
ReplyDeleteStocked up on food for them yesterday. They eat better than I do lol
Hi Frank, sadly this weather does take its toll on wildlife.
ReplyDeleteThe birds are eating me out of house and home but I am more than happy to feed them.
I have a sparrowhawk hunting in the garden at the moment. The hedgerow is full of Redwings, I did manage to get a poor photograph, they are just so illusive.
I hardly had any chaffinch in the garden during the summer. Now I have a dozen or more....I was pleased to see them, they are such pretty birds.
Hope you and yours are coping with the present situation.....
The feeders have been very popular here also. I saw a few Greenfinches last week but none recently. First thing this morning I had eleven Blackbirds searching for the seed I had scattered on the snow late yesterday.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, but seeing the numbers I guess the winter is pretty expensive for you ;-)
ReplyDeleteNice pictures Frank. I don't get the Greenfinches any more, which is a pity.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos Frank, I wish my 'through the window' ones came out as well as yours!
ReplyDeleteWe do have lots of Chaffinches in the garden but I am desperately trying to turn one into a Brambling ;)
Had to laugh at the peak of 16 House Sparrows. My number is over 100 and probably closer to 150. Did you ever try to count that many spooky birds a one time...lol.
ReplyDeleteAh I love the greenfinch photos... And as always, your collages are wonderful!
ReplyDeleteHi Grammie. I agree ... it would be very lonely without their visits.
ReplyDeleteHi Mona. Thanks. Still waiting for something exciting to turn up!!
Hi Keith. Yeah, it sure puts a dent in the housekeeping budget!
Hi Cheryl. Yes, despite everything we do to help there is always going to be some unfortunate fatalities. The SHawk obviously knows where to find a possible meal! The Redwings are very fidgety ... I still don't have a decent pic so you aren't alone. A week on Friday I'm sure we will all feel a blessed relief.
Hi John. I should probably put more feed out on the ground to encourage the Blackbirds.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris. One of the peak feeding times, but the cost is secondary to the assistance this may provide to help species survive.
Hi Bob. Cheers. The Greenies are fairly aggressive towards the Sparrows, but fun to watch the antics.
Hi Jan. 99% of the shots went in bin ... the windows need cleaning ... when it's a fair bit warmer!! A Brambling here would be a lifer.
Hi Richard. I'm sure the local cats would have a field day with that number of Sparrows. Just remember that many people over here never get to see a House Sparrow, so I am fairly fortunate.
Hi Jen. Thanks very much.
Really nice montages, Frank. I've not seen many Greenfinches in my garden this winter, not yet at least.
ReplyDeleteStrange that Chaffinch is not a regular in your garden.......
ReplyDeleteLooks like your feders could do with a good scrub :-) no offence to you Frank.
How interesting to see photos of the House Sparrow. In NA they are an invasive and not much liked; also a city/town bird which gets to my rural area only occasionally. Reviewing my pictures today, I realized I do not have many pics of this bird, probably a reflection of prejudice as much as anything. Must work on both the prejudice and the pictures. Really appreciated the photos of the rough-legged in previous post. I don't see it often, and have not yet had a photo op with one.
ReplyDeleteHi Warren. I guess we may just be too far away from their natural habitat. Grubby ... whoops ... thanks for the timely reminder.
ReplyDeleteThanks Emma. Their numbers and visits seem to fluctuate quite widely here ... not sure why.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris P. I understand the conflict over there with introduced species ... we do have similar issues here with other birds. Strangely enough the only time I seem to capture images of Sparrows is in winter when there is little else around ... I agree we should try harder.
ReplyDeleteThe Rough-legged sighting was pure chance ... really too high up for the 70-300 lens but worth the attempt to get some record shots.
Scattering seed on the ground is certainly working here Frank. I rarely saw a Blackbird in early Autumn. At first light this morning I counted twenty one in the garden. I must have a large proportion of the village population visiting now.
ReplyDeleteLovely set of pictures. Great to see the Greenfinches. We have seen very few about since Spring and those we did see were suffering. Very sad.
ReplyDeleteThanks Angie. Their numbers and visits fluctuate widely here.I also noticed one with an infection recently so all feeders cleaned again and resited.
ReplyDelete