Wednesday 24 November 2010

After work this afternoon I made my usual visit to the lake area, checking out the Small Holding and Wet woods on the way. To say it was quiet would be a vast understatement! The only birds showing were a group of finch's and Tits seen in the Small Holding, and these were birds flushed from my garden feeders by the SPARROWHAWK!

Not a sound was heard in the Wet Woods, and the footpath leading to the lakes had just a few BLUE and GREAT TITS about, the lakes themselves were devoid of birds apart from 2 pairs of MALLARD and a pair of MOORHENS, the whole area must have been disturbed earlier on. I didn't waste time here, the light was already going, and so walked on over to the Tree Nursery, but it was just as quiet here, only 3 MEADOW PIPITS of note.

In a last attempt to find something of interest for the day I went over to the Greenhouse Complex Grounds and the hedgerow dividing it from Migrant Alley, here at least there were a few birds, mainly DUNNOCK, ROBIN, BLACKBIRDS with a WREN, but also a small group of 7 GOLDFINCH'S, I also heard the CHIFFCHAFF call, in exactly the same place as I saw it on the 19th, but I couldn't see it.

Below is a CHAFFINCH that was seen in the small holding

Below is a nice bit of Waxwing grub! Now the poly tunnels have been drawn back the fruit is exposed. There are 30 rows of raspberries each 100m long - thats 3km of ripe red raspberries, surely if a Waxwing is to visit my patch it will be here !!!! Dont tell me, they dont eat raspberries :-)



8 comments:

ShySongbird said...

Glad you are feeling better Warren :)

That is a very nice photo of the Chaffinch.

I was hoping today that one of the small local lakes here might have something of interest now it is colder but there was nothing more than the usual Mallards, Call Ducks, Moorhen and a solitary Canada Goose...it was ever thus :(

Chris said...

Love you last sentence ;-) Do you want some berries? We have a so mild winter that they are tons over here... So I guess the waxwing will not come to you unless they eat everything!

Warren Baker said...

Cheers Songbird,
Always worth a daily check of the local Lake - preferably before anyone else gets there :-)

Phil said...

Not sure if they like Raspberries or not Warren, but I do. I can feel a scrump coming on!

Warren Baker said...

Phil,
help yourself - After Ive seen a Waxwing :-)

Pete Woodruff said...

Not convinced about the raspberries Warren but any small berries in your garden and you're made up. 50 round the corner from my house today, the nearest I ever saw them to home, it's looking like the greatest influx into the country in decades.

Bob Bushell said...

Nice picture of a Chaffinch, and the raspberry, I too don't know about Waxwings.

Anonymous said...

Warren, can`t say i`ve never known Waxwings to feed on Raspberries.
Hope there`s some with by the weekend though.