A 90 minute walk around the Wet Woods and lake area was hard work in the cold wind, and nothing much was seen to get the blood going a bit faster. All the small woodland passerines were concentrated in the large wooded garden that lies just off the footpath that runs from the woods to the lake. Just about everything was seen here, TREECREEPER, NUTHATCH, COAL TIT, LONG TAILED TIT, BLUE TIT, GREAT TIT, 2 of 4 GOLDCRESTS seen today, and another sighting of both the MARSH TITS.
At the lake area, it was back to CANADA GEESE, MALLARD and MOORHEN, plus the COOT of course :-). A SPARROWHAWK was seen flying low and slow overhead, sending all the Tit species into thier panic call, but it went over without attacking. BULLFINCH'S were very showy today a group of 5 were feeding in the scrub, but as with all the other birds that I had seen - and some were pretty close - I failed to get a photo of any of them.
FIELDFARE and REDWING continue to be seen in good numbers in both the Woods and in the fields and paddocks, but it's the spring Migrants i'm waiting for, it seems the weather is going to delay them this year, as it has for the last 2 years, this cold North easterly wind we're getting looks to be set in for a bit.
On my return home I noticed a blue tit flying weakly in the garden, I manged to capture it, and found it to be missing an eye, with the other eye not looking very good. I took it in and warmed it up, but there was nothing I could do for it. The bird had been ringed, probably by my mate up the road, so I read the number and sent it off to him, i'll tell you its details when I get them. I thought about putting it out of its misery, but decided not to, so after it had warmed up in the house, I released it back into the garden, it flew stronger, straight to the feeders and started eating. However I don't think it has much chance out there :-(
I took this photo of a Blue Tit earlier, whilst in the woods, could you hit something this cute over the head?
6 comments:
Poor little chap doesn't stand much chance I think, but I couldn't despatch it either. I had a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker with only one eye in the garden last year and I doubt that survived either.
No, I definitely couldn't, poor little thing but you did your best for it. I found a dead Blackbird in the garden today which I think had been the victim of the neighbour's killer cat :(
not me anyway
this is the cutest and most pissed off blue tit i have ever seen
...I wouldn't be able to do it either. Poor little thing. Glad you were able to warm him up and help him out a little bit though.
Love your puffy little bird. He looks like he's tired of the cold too!
I agree with Darrell. That Blue Tit looks as fed up as i did last month.
Hi Warren,
The poor tit looks very cold and wet!!! But the picture is really nice! Well done...
We are getting more and more vagrants over here and big arrival already, a bit early considering the weather!
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