Female Brambling

Our third sighting this winter and it seems to be staying this time, first spotted yesterday morning and then throughout the day, present this morning during our RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch and still here this afternoon too. She doesn't visit the feeders much but instead seems to spend most of her time sitting up in the trees with the Gold, Green and Chaffinches.

For those wishing to visit, our hide is open so long as the shop is (Tuesday - Saturday: 9am - 5pm, Sunday: 10am - 4pm, Monday: Closed) - www.featherswildbirdcare.co.uk/web/contactus.php

Recent Sightings

The 11th Jan brought about our second sighting this winter of a Brambling, again just a brief visit to the Nature Area.

The Bullfinches are still spotted regularly, either along the hedgerow on the way to the hide or picking the buds from the cherry tree outside the shop. The highest count was 5 (3 females 2 males) but more often than not there is just a pair. They are proving elusive and a bit flighty but we've managed a few shots.

Late last week the pair of Grey Wagtails were back, though seem to have become a little less regular, unlike the pair of Kestrels which are around everyday, perhaps a good sign that they may nest in the church once again this year.

The Long-tailed Tits are now daily occurrence too, either on the fat balls/peanuts outside the shop or in the Nature Area.

Female Brambling (right)

Female Bullfinch drinking from a puddle

Blue Tit

Robin

4 Bullfinches

Male Bullfinch

Male Bullfinch

Male (right) and female (left) Kestrels

We have recently taken a delivery from Vanguard, whose binoculars have received high praise since their introduction. Currently we just have the Endeavour ED IIs but will hopefully be increasing our selection soon. http://www.shop.featherswildbirdcare.co.uk/vanguard.html

Barn Owl at Bodiam

On the 28th December, Allan stopped off at Bodiam after spotting the Barn Owl which breeds there. I therefore decided that as I was working on Sunday I would go back that way as at 4pm there would still be some light. On the way there I knew I would stop anyway to photograph the sunset even if the Barn Owl wasn't about. After pulling up, I walked back to the bridge and all of a sudden the Owl appeared from my left, flying across the river. I had prepared my camera for the sunset so in my attempts to get a photo of the Owl flying just in front of me, I failed miserably. Fortunately for me, however, it spent a while heading up river towards the sunset, before turning back and flying underneath the very bridge I was standing on. After coming out the other side, it spotted something on the river bank and went down to grab it. I then had a bit of time to steady my hands, set my camera properly and get some decent pics. In the low light, my Lumix decided to focus on the reeds in front of the Owl, so I had to move a bit to get it in focus. Out of the hundreds I took, 1 or 2 came out half decent, but that was good enough for me. The moon was just rising over the trees to the east, looking stunning as the last of the sun bounced off it, topping the whole experience off nicely.

Allan's photo of the Barn Owl on the 28th December

Flying across the river as I stood on the bridge

Up river as the sun was setting

With his catch

Wish I had the composure to get this shot with the Barn Owl flying towards the camera!

Moonrise

Long-tailed Tits and Bullfinches

Late last year and so far this year the Long-tailed Tits have been visiting the feeders outside the shop and in the Nature Area. We've certainly had some cold nights, but now temperatures are back up again it seems to around 10° during the day and above freezing at night. Still, the birds are feeding fairly frantically and compared to last winter's wet and warm weather, this feels positively chilly. The Long-tailed Tits are such fun to watch, always flitting about in their family groups, visiting tree to tree and feeder to feeder, never stopping for more than 10 minutes at a time. Alongside the Robin, they are probably one of the UK's favourite garden bird.

Another unusual visitor which we've been seeing more often is the Bullfinch. This previously declining species is easily identified by its plump body, short finch bill, white rump and whistling call. The belly of the male is a stand out orangy-red colour while the female (pictured below) is a dull beige, both have the same black head and wings. Whilst the Long-tailed Tits are visiting the feeders due to the lack of their natural food, the Bullfinches are finding plenty as many trees start coming in to bud. Their liking for fruit buds in particular is one of the reasons for their sharp decline (especially around the late 70s), as they have been persecuted over the years by fruit growers for the damage they do to crops. Other main causes are loss of habitat, hedgerows and woodland margins. Since 2000, however, their numbers have been steadily increasing, pushing their conservation status up from red to amber.
 

The Grey Wagtail is still visiting the barn roof regularly, a Chiffchaff was in the Nature Area just before the new year and a Little Egret has been spotted on a couple of occasions. Up to 6 Buzzards were up over the valley yesterday too. No sign of any Siskins yet, though I had a pair calling over home (Staplecross) recently and my first record of a Kingfisher on my local pond.

Latest sightings

On the 9th December we had our first Treecreeper sighting in months, briefly visiting the trees around the car park.

The Grey Wagtail is still visiting most days, as with any sighting it just depends on whether you're out there at the same time as the bird! The Pied Wagtails have taken to visiting under the feeders outside the shop now, obviously insectivorous food is becoming harder to come by. Already this December we have had more frosts than the entire of last year's warm and wet winter.

The Nature Area is chock-a-block with finches - Chaff-Green-Gold all regular and in good numbers. Still just the one sighting of a Brambling over there and no Siskins still! Hopefully the latter will turn up late winter as they normally do and then hang around well in to the breeding season, bringing the young in as they have in the past. Blue Tits and Great Tits are aplenty too, with the Coal Tit now also an almost ever present feeder.

We are seeing less Redwings and Mistle Thrushes now, it seems most of the yew, hawthorn and holly berries have been depleted so they have moved on to find another food source. The Blackbirds are quite happy to pick up scraps from under the feeders though, one particular ringed male (as mentioned in the last blog post) is often outside the shop and has come close enough for me to get clear pictures of the ring number (CT18189). We have now had info back from the ringer on this bird, first caught as an adult on the 1st March 2012, which means he's doing pretty well!

There is now only 8 days until Christmas and things are pretty busy in the shop! Suet Pellets seem to be the pick of the crop at the minute and of course Sunflower Hearts are (excuse the pun) flying out. 163 bags delivered last Wednesday and there's 89 left now...

Binoculars have done well again, though nothing quite like last year! There's still time though, we're open until 5pm Christmas eve, and even taking online orders up to Monday 22nd as Royal Mail are guaranteeing Christmas eve deliveries for items posted on the 23rd. You can visit our online shop here: www.shop.featherswildbirdcare.co.uk

Robins and Blackbirds

 

It's fair to say early December is colder than it was last year, though perhaps not as cold as 2012. With day time temperatures around 6° and night time now reaching freezing, many more birds are visiting the feeders, or, as is often the case with the Robins and Blackbirds, picking up the scraps underneath. They are certainly good numbers of both of them too, though things can get a little heated as competition for food increases.

The Robins are singing to declare their territory and often chase one another away. There are at least 3 regulars in the Nature Area at the minute.

A very common question throughout the late summer/autumn months is 'where have all the Blackbirds gone' as they find plenty of natural food. Then our resident birds are joined by European migrants, shorter days arrive, colder weather draws in and all of a sudden, spotting 4 or 5 Blackbirds in your garden together at once is not all that uncommon. Though they can get on, I have seen very aggressive fights before and it's not unheard of for two to fight to the death. Ours have pretty well depleted the Hawthorn of its berries and have now moved on to the holly berries. One male in particular is visiting under the feeders outside the shop regularly, notable for his ring. I have contacted our ringer with the number so will post more info on him when it comes back to me!

The Mistle Thrushes are in good numbers again this winter, stripping the yew trees of their berries (though technically, as with holly and hawthorn too, they're not actually berries [link]). The Starlings are also gathering in numbers and do pop down on to the feeders occasionally. I love watching their antics as two fight over one feeder when there's plenty of space for both to get on there. I think they are a much overlooked bird and their varying, iridescent plumage throughout the year is much more attractive than they are given credit for. Only today did I notice the lovely bronze colour of the spots on top of their heads!
 

There's now less than 3 weeks until Christmas so that's not a lot of time for shopping! Our winter sale on binoculars is on until then, so grab a bargain while you can:

www.shop.featherswildbirdcare.co.uk

Beak deformities in garden birds

According to the BTO, fewer than 1 in 200 adult birds suffer from a beak deformity. Arriving at a figure like that can't be easy as a large scale survey would need to be undertaken. Fortunately for them, many members, volunteers and enthusiastic nature lovers are all at hand to participate in such a survey (which is ongoing) called the Big Garden Beak Watch.

There are many different types of beak deformities, affecting either or both mandibles, in a manner of different ways. This Great Tit was first spotted here on the 3rd September, with what seemed at first to be just something stuck to his beak. In the time he was around on that day, it couldn't seem to shake it off (though it did seem to try). The (presumably) same bird was back again earlier this week, with the same object stuck, again trying to shake it off. This leads me to think it's not a beak deformity as such, though I'm not certain we'll ever be sure either way.

We have, however, spotted a few confirmed (and recorded) beak deformities here over the years:

Blue Tit with decurved (and slightly crossed) upper mandible

Rook with decurved upper mandible

Blue Tit with elongated mandibles

We have had a few reports and photos brought in to us of beak deformities in Great Spotted Woodpeckers and Blackbirds too, though a total of 36 species have been recorded through the Big Garden Beak Watch. Please do record your sightings to the BTO - this survey, along with many others they undertake, including the Abnormal Plumage Survey, help them to gain a greater insight in to the causes of irregularities in birds.

Goldfinch with leucism

Chaffinch with leucism