Late July and August Birding

 Our Owl Display, Beer and BBQ event on the 18th July was a huge success once more - with plenty to do and fine weather, the day was enjoyed by all who attended. Owls About Town had a smaller Parliament of Owls this year, owing to a busy schedule and a longer journey since their recent relocation to Selsey, but as always they spent the entire day ensuring no-one was left out, even forgoing lunch! In the garden, the barbecue was more popular than ever and our optics tent looked great and allowed us to demonstrate and advertise just some of the binoculars we sell.

The main event in the farm house garden

'Boris' the Tawny Frogmouth (not an Owl!)

The past month or so has been relatively quiet on the bird front at Feathers, as is typically the case at this time of year. Feeders at Allan's house and even at home seem to be busier than they are at work, with Allan's Siskins in particular feeding regularly.

Juvenile Siskin

On the 30th July we were entertained by a family of Goldcrests, as always, unperturbed by our presence, at one point coming too close to focus with my camera! None-the-less, they're not easy to photograph and despite there being numerous birds and the two of us taking hundreds of photos, we couldn't come up with anything fantastic, though a Wren did sit up nicely while we were there.

Juvenile Goldcrest

Jenny Wren

 Sometime around the end of July/ early August saw the departure of the Salehurst Swifts, though the House Martins are still around.

On the 6th August , a Hummingbird hawk-moth visited the buddleia which is growing out of the wall outside the shop.

On the 4th August and again on the 21st, at least one Raven was calling on its way overhead. When we first added a Raven to our list, we expected it to be a very rare occurrence, but it seems nowadays they are becoming more widespread and though it's not fair to say they are regular, it's certainly no longer a big surprise to see one.

Last but not least, a Treecreeper made a brief appearance this morning to the post outside the shop. It was in and out too quick for photos, but needless to say we'll be keeping a keen eye out today as we haven't photographed one in a few months!

July Birding and other wildlife

Following on from a quiet June, July hasn't been particularly busy for bird feeding either. Still, the nice weather has been good for photography and many of the birds can be found enjoying the sun too. A family of Wrens fledgled the nest just under the roof at the back of the shop next to the road, the youngsters were regularly over by the log pile near the hide, one evidently finding the sun a bit tiring!

Juvenile Wren

Yellowhammers and Whitethroats can be heard calling from down on the farm, only a short walk to where they are singing but not easy to get close to photograph!

Whitethroat

We never had Siskins visit the Nature Area this winter, though I had them visit on a few occassions at home. For some reason, they are now visiting at home much more regularly, though just a male and female still. Allan has a whole family visiting his garden at the minute and has been watching the fledglings being fed by the adults.

Male Siskin

When the birds are quiet, it's quite nice to search for and photograph other wildlife. A dock leaf plant just outside the shop was covered in Blackfly (Black aphids) which are a favourite food of the Ladybird and ladybird larvae, though the Ants provide some protection for the aphids as they former feed off the 'honeydew' the aphids produce.

Seven-spot Ladybird larvae

Seven-spot Ladybird

There are a few more butterflies around now too, though they are still not in abundance. Large and Small Whites, Large and Small Skippers, Red Admirals, Meadow Browns, Small Tortoiseshells and Commas.

Comma

Comma Butterfly underwing, showing the 'comma' it gets its name from.

Our resident Pied Wagtails are doing well with their nest in the pallets, the eggs have hatched and the adult(s) are now bringing food in. I question whether there are two adults left as a Sparrowhawk flew off with a bird in its talons and one of the Wagtails in pursuit, and I've only seen one adult bird since...

Pied Wagtail

The Nature Area needed a bit of tending; some light gardening, a few feeders needed cleaning and a few things moving around. Overall, there's now a better view of the feeders from the hide and better opportunities for photography.

Juvenile Great Tit

(Crested) Blue Tit

Great Tit and Goldfinch

Robin

We are well prepared for our Owl Display & Barbecue on Saturday, the forecast for 20° and sunny spells promising a fine day. You can find out more about the event on our previous blog post here: www.blog.featherswildbirdcare.co.uk/2015/06/owl-display-beer-bbq-sat-18th-july.html

Hawke and Vanguard Optics will both be here on the day displaying their range of binoculars, in the meantime you can browse our entire range of binoculars online here: www.shop.featherswildbirdcare.co.uk

March Roundup

Allan's Beckley garden often attracts Reed Buntings in the winter, but up to the 9th March they were a no show, until one female arrived for a brief visit.

 The Treecreepers have been quieter though a ringed one visited the feeder on the 10th and another was back on the wall by the car park on Sunday 22nd, when Allan took this lovely shot.

 At home (Staplecross) in the early afternoon on the 22nd, two Red Kites passed overhead. On his way to work on the 26th, there was another Red Kite on the brow of the hill just up the road from the shop, heading off in the an easterly direction, later spotted perched in a tree off the Hawkhurst Road by a customer at around 11am. The 26th March also brought about a surprise visit from a drake Mandarin duck, landing in the tree overhanging the entrance to the car park.

In the afternoon, 5 visitors to the hide reported seeing a pair of Siskins in the Nature Area, though unfortunately the sighting wasn't confirmed by ourselves and we are still, as of yet this winter, to see any Siskins at Feathers.

At around half 8 in the evening, driving back past Footland Woods near Cripps Corner, a Tawny Owl was sat right in the middle of the road, only flying off when I was pretty close by.

At around 2 oclock on the 27th, I spotted another Red Kite in the same place as Allan had the day before, so presumably the same bird has been lingering in the area. There has been plenty of reports of Red Kites on the SOS sightings pages recently, with records of 6 nesting pairs on the downs in West Sussex. Perhaps a sign of things to come!

The Wren (or Wrens!) has been very showy in the Nature Area, often spending prolonged periods down by the rocks and logs next to our pond. They're great fun to watch but are a real challenge to photograph as they flit about.

We're not sure what stage the Kestrels are at in the Church or whether they will nest there at all, though they have been spotted on numerous occasions so we hope they choose to use it.

Recent Sightings

This morning brought about our third ever sighting of a Peregrine, just a 30 second view as it passed over the car park on its way to the coast. The Treecreeper(s) are still visiting most days and up to 5 Bullfinches are still spending much of the day in the flowering Cherry tree.

Treecreeper

Male Bullfinch

Goldcrests are also quite regular at the minute though proving difficult to photograph! The Nature Area is very busy with Goldfinches, Greenfinches & Chaffinches, the female Brambling was also back again on the morning of the 11th for a brief spell. There are at least 4 Robins and as many Blackbirds searching for food and fighting for territory, the Wren is showing very nicely at the minute too, searching for food in all the little nooks and crannies under the rocks and logs around the pond. I spent a while yesterday morning putting in a new 'tripod' of logs to hang more feeders on and also tidied up around the pond, probably disturbing a few grubs in the process for the Wrens, Robins and Blackbirds to find.

Robin on the 'Red Kite Perch' - not that we've ever had a Red Kite on there...

Female Blackbird having a go at the Squirrel Buster

Goldfinch

Wren with a tiny grub

Back in the shop we have taken delivery of the full complement of Vanguard binoculars, available to try out and purchase in store or buy online: www.shop.featherswildbirdcare.co.uk/vanguard.html