Birding was very limited today, I heard a LITTLE OWL (48) calling from one of the large gardens behind my house as I left for work at 06:45, then the rain came, so the hurried walk in to work wasn't really conducive to birding!
More rain this afternoon, some of it in heavy bursts, kept me indoors :-( So plan 'B' was activated, that is to watch the garden feeders. It all started well, with visits from GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, NUTHATCH, WOODPIGEON, a dozen GOLDFINCH and a welcome increase in GREENFINCH, with 6 on the Sunflower hearts. A busy group of 4 LONG TAILED TITS breezed through, and a ROBIN picked off large pieces of the suet block, then with a whir of wings, and puff of feathers, the SPARROWHAWK dropped like an arrow from the leylandi tree at the back of the garden, taking another Goldfinch, plan 'B' came to an abrupt end! Nothing but a few brave BLUE and GREAT TITS ventured in after that, and they only stayed long enough to grab a seed and go!
Looks like i'll have to suspend feeding once the feeders have been emptied, it's getting too easy for the Sprawk now. Also it's not good that it keeps catching the same species, out in the woods many varieties of bird would be taken, with no real effect on populations, but the Gold and Greenfinch numbers will start to take at hit around here if I let it go on.
So that was it for today, a bit of a write off! Tomorrows weather looks to be just as bad, but i'll have to wait and see.
7 comments:
That's a tricky one, the feeding thing but I think you are right. I remember my aunt stopped feeding Kookaburras for almost the same reason, only the they were the predator she fed them with mince meat!!!
Alan,
Not had Kookaburras in the garden yet, but i'll keep an eye out ;-)
"Not had Kookaburras in the garden yet"
You'll know when they reach you Warren, make a helluva racket an hour before sun-up - not called the bushman's alarm clock for nothing.
Cheers
Davo
If you stop feeding the birds, Warren, could you let them know there`s plenty of food in my garden ;-)
Warren I've just seen your Skua. Your pic looks strange. As you can imagine I see a good few Bonxies, and the tail on your bird seems long. You mention 'points'? Something I dont see on my Bonxies. Overall though I cant see it being anything else, maybe the one frame of 100th of a second doesnt do the bird justice...But....have you ruled out juvvy Pom?
Now that would be a great patch tick...a Kookaburra ;-)
Shame about the weather, we've had nothing but rain for the last week, but gorgeously sunny today!
Could you try repositioning the feeders to be a bit nearer cover perhaps, to make it a bit trickier for the Sprawk?
Sharon, you have read my mind, Ive moved the feeders deep into tmy Elder tree, no good for photography though!!
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