Blue Tits: Fledging Update.

After the young Blue Tits fledged the nest box on 28 May (see previous post) the weather changed dramatically with lower temperatures and plenty of rain. Whilst there were occasional sightings of the parents visiting the feeders we had no idea where the family were roosting and we didn't see the youngsters again until they revisited the garden in bright sunshine during this last weekend. 

 

Most of the time they stayed hidden in the dense cover of the Hawthorn tree or in one of the nearby tall shrubs waiting patiently for mum or dad to provide some food. 

When they did venture partially into the open the lighting conditions were very harsh but here is a record shot of one of the youngsters getting fed. 

On Sunday one or two of the four youngsters occasionally popped out into the open allowing a closer inspection of their development.

With the heavy rain having washed many invertebrates off the leaves the adults (see below) topped up their own diet and that of their charges by visiting the fat feeder. Hopefully as the days pass we will see the juveniles feeding for themselves.

Linking to:
Nature Notes (# 366)
Wild Bird Wednesday 

Blue Tits Fledging.

While checking the progress of vegetable seedlings in the garden this afternoon I realised that the adult Blue Tits were extremely vocal so I went to investigate. 

Initially I thought they were indicating that one of the neighbourhood cats was nearby but then I noticed a very young head peeping out of the nest box so I dashed back indoors to tell Anita and to get the camera.

From about 1.15 pm we watched and counted four young Blue Tits leave the box and fly into a neighbours Birch. 

Including my initial sighting I'm guessing that they successfully reared at least five.

So here are a few images of this event.

 Do I really what to leave?

Hmmm ... it's a bit different out there!

OK ... Here goes.

During the afternoon the adults made various forays to the feeder closest to the house and carried food back to their fledglings who remained in their hidden location. I caught one adult vocalising as another local feline slinked across the patio!

Linking to:
I'D-Rather-B-Birdin'
Nature Notes
Wild Bird Wednesday

Blue Tits - Nesting Update.

During the weekend Anita confirmed that there were noises coming from the box in the birch at the bottom of the garden indicating that some Blue Tit eggs had hatched. Incubation normally takes between 13 to 15 days.

So after returning from a patch walk at 2pm on Monday I spent a little while monitoring the activity around the box.

The adults are notoriously quick at entering and exiting the nest box so a little patience was required to grab a few shots during a 30 minute session before the sky darkened once again ahead of another rain shower!

The normal protein source is usually juicy caterpillars but during this session the adults were obviously visiting the garden feeders for sunflower hearts and the occasional mouthful of fat enriched with meal worms.

How they manage to call with a full mouthful to announce their arrival before entering the box beats me!!

All this effort definitely takes its toll on the adult's plumage. 

If all goes well, depending on the weather and availability of the required food sources, the nestlings should fledge in about 18 - 21 days time. The monitoring will continue.

Linking to:

Nature Notes

Wild Bird Wednesday

The Blackbird.

The [Common] Blackbird (Turdus merula), a true thrush,  is one of our commonest garden species. Our resident mature male is easily recognisable in his glossy black coat with orange-yellow bill and eye ring as he regularly uses a high open perch nearby to survey his territory.

Whenever I see him I am often reminded of the initial verses of the nursery rhyme:

  Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye
Four-and-twenty Blackbirds baked in a pie
When the pie was opened the birds begin to sing
Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the King.

During the winter he can be heard uttering his quiet sub-song from a hidden perch in an ivy clad tree but once spring arrives his calls become loud and varied.

Throughout the breeding season his song is rich, varied and flute-like, often finishing with a squeaky phrase.












William Henley wrote:

The nightingale has a lyre of gold,
The lark's is a clarion call,
And the blackbird plays but a boxwood flute,
But I love him best of all.

For his song is all of the joy of life,
And we in the mad, spring weather,
We two have listened till he sang
Our hearts and lips together.

If you are unfamiliar with its song that we hear most mornings, starting long before dawn awakens, then please listen to the sonogram below.

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday.

Waiting for a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.

On Monday afternoon, after returning home from a visit to Staines Reservoir (post to follow), I was contacted by friends who informed me that a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker had been regularly visiting a large tree in their garden during the previous 24 hours. "Would I like to visit the following morning and try to get some photographic evidence?" You can, no doubt, guess my response.

So when we met up on Tuesday morning I listened to their delight in recounting the joy in finding and watching the 'sparrow-sized' Woodpecker that they hadn't heard or seen for about 20 years. 

While enjoying a chat over a cup of coffee I noticed the activity at their feeders on the other side of their large double-glazed patio doors and took the opportunity to grab a few shots of its much larger cousin the Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopus major). The hint of red on the back of the head signifies that this was a male.

When we stepped outside into the very chilly sunshine the piping call of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker  was heard almost immediately from a hidden perch in a line of trees near the bottom of their property. 

It then flew to its regular feeding spot high up on a bare branch and I only had time for a couple of distant shots before it departed.

I waited in the chilly wind for well over an hour but the tiny Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopus minor) didn't return so for the time being I'll have to settle for this cropped record shot.

Still a very pleasing addition to my year list. FAB.

April Colours.

I've had another busy and varied week; continuing with the internal redecorating projects mixed with a couple of early dawn morning walks to check what migrants may have returned locally; so a few images stored for future posts. I have also been enjoying the changing colours in my small garden helped by the increased daily sunshine and warmer temperatures until a chilly ENE wind picked up over the weekend.

The Narcissus have put on a good show but are now beginning to drop their colourful blooms.

I am not a particular fan of the very tall large trumpet varieties so my small garden plays host to a few of the smaller 'Triandrus' and 'Cyclamineus' forms including Reggae, Thalia and Jetfire. Over the weekend I was delighted to see that the wild N. bulbocodium had opened its tiny trumpet (sorry no pics yet).

The feeders continue to attract the colorful Goldfinch.

Plenty of blue showing everywhere with clumps of Muscari popping up all over the place. In the last few days I have also noticed at several woodland sites that our native Bluebells are starting to come into flower.

The only other blue in the garden recently was a visit from a female Holly Blue.

I carried out the first of my weekly butterfly recording transect walks on Ashtead Common on Sunday but only logged one Peacock and one Speckled Wood. Although there was plenty of sunshine the gusty ENE wind obviously kept the temperature lower than the flutters prefer.

Since taking these images early last week the Erythronium 'Pagoda' in a side border has produced its distinctive flowers and now I'll have to wait another year for them to show again.

Inspection of two of the four nest boxes revealed that nests have been built but I think the prospective tenants, Blue Tits (usual box on the rear of the shed) and probably a Dunnock (in an open box), have been frightened away by regular visit from a local cat!

A single male Dunnock is still around, regularly singing, but I haven't seen evidence of any prospective partnerships whereas on my regular local patch walks I have seen numerous pairs of Dunnock displaying courtship behaviour. 

 

Some of the other colours around the garden include the fragrant Skimmia 'Rubella', Chaenomeles (flowering quince), an alpine Campanula, the Cowslips (Primula veris) while the Robin (below) continues to add a dash of red to the colour palette on a daily basis.

At best the temperature might reach 16 deg C tomorrow but still with a chilly easterly breeze and then a change in wind direction so more unsettled weather is forecast into next weekend with the chance of rain.FAB.

Linking to Nature Notes

Territorial Songsters.

Over the past few weeks our garden has come alive in many ways; various plants producing new green shoots, clumps of bulbs erupting into colourful displays of blues, whites and yellows; and at least two resident avian species regularly pronouncing their territorial ownerships.

The male Blackbird (Turdus merula) uses an old cherry tree stump as a lookout post to spy for anything lurking below that might be a tasty snack. Whilst there is no evidence of nest building in our garden he can be heard every morning, even before it is light, belting out his unmistakeable rich repertoire from the highest branch.

As in past years a single male Robin (Erithacus rubecula) frequents our garden on a daily basis patiently waiting for me to disturb something edible in the soil when I'm gardening. He's now in his full finery and regularly takes up position in the hawthorn to let any intruders know that this is his territory.

So at last .... Spring is here and the voices are rejoicing.  FAB.

Linking to Nature Notes and Wild Bird Wednesday.

Todays Tiny Visitor.

Very damp and overcast weather today so I resorted to a bit of wildlife watching through the dining room window which initially only produced brief views of Blackbird, Woodpigeon, two Blue Tits and a Greenfinch that are regular visitors plus a couple of Great Tits that have appeared in the last few days.

Then after about an hour of total avian inactivity I was surprised but delighted to see a Coal Tit (Periparus ater) working its way through the the branches of the hawthorn, then quickly flitting down to the seed feeder before returning to the safety of the nearly bare, thorny branches to consume its snack.
This small passerine in the tit family Paridae is a common and widespread resident breeder throughout coniferous and mixed woodland but only very occasionally recorded in our garden, usually during the winter months.

A rear view clearly showing the rectangular white patch that extends from the top of its black head to its neck always helps to distinguish it from the slightly larger Willow and Marsh Tit. This little fellow returned to the garden several times today so I took the opportunity to stand outside and finally managed a clear shot through the branches.

Looking forward to more visits from this tiny Tit throughout the coming months.  

During the early afternoon other visitors were a Robin, Dunnock, Carrion Crow, a male Chaffinch (another rarity on the garden list) and a Sparrowhawk flew in, perched briefly on the fence behind the shed, and immediately took off as all its small prey had disappeared into hiding. FAB.

Random Mix for WBW.

For this weeks edition of Wild Bird Wednesday a few random images taken in the garden and elsewhere.

Male House Sparrow staking his claim above the feeder.

Juvenile House Sparrow getting to grips with the food larder.

Starling ... probably wondering why the feeder is empty!

The ultimate 'shake down'.

Swallow .. checking out the wind direction.

A young Grey Heron doing what it does best ... standing very still.

And finally ... it's time to fly away!  FAB.

After the rain....

We have had some interesting weather in recent days; sunshine, humidity with high temperatures and then intermittent electrical light shows accompanied by booming thunder claps; or as one member of the family used to say "Don't worry, it's only God moving the furniture around!" 

So for this week's Nature Notes here are a few images taken in the garden after the rain ceased.

Red Lilium (Asiatic hybrid)

Lilium 'Lady Alice'

I am often reminded by you know who that "You've been rubbing up against those Lilies again" when another clean shirt is stained with pollen!!

A fresh looking Gatekeeper took up residence amongst one of the Euonymus shrubs waiting for the sun to reappear.

One Goldfinch was quickly back on the feeder devouring a quantity of sunflower hearts before its companions arrived and leaving plenty of leftovers on the patio floor. Why do they do that when I provide a top quality product?

 Our resident Robin, my former namesake ('The Earlybirder') takes advantage of a tasty meal.

And then a brief visit by an unnamed feline; no collar to ID it; who to my knowledge didn't leave its calling card!  FAB.