nature

Nearby feathered friends

I’ve recently taken short videos of birds near me.

I have peanut feeders in my garden that hang from an oak tree. There is a holly bush next to it so the birds can hop in and out to safety, ready for when the sparrowhawk appears.

I usually have blue tits, great tits and great spotted woodpeckers on there, but recently some starlings have appeared. I also have magpies and jackdaws in the garden and the jackdaws have tried the feeders as well.

There is a ruined church just down the road, and a flock of finches have taken up residence in the trees and copse. You can hear the linnets chattering away as you pass by. I’ve also seen chaffinches, gold finches, greenfinches, yellowhammers and brambling.

There is a river estuary a short walk away with a nature reserve on the opposite side of the river. The birds don’t know about the reserve so they come on my side of the river as well. There are dunlin, teal, oystercatchers, avocet, knot, godwits – both bar tailed and black-tailed – and many others.

I’m not very good at telling which bird is which, so if I have named them wrongly in the videos, do let me know.

And lastly here is a flock of Brent geese. They travel from the farmer’s field where they overnight down to the estuary. You can always hear them coming.

nature

The birds are back

This week I heard the first cuckoo heralding the arrival of the summer migrants. The nightingales have returned and have started their singing. I’ve seen many birds lately on my morning walks and thought I’d share some pictures with you.

A chaffinch pulling the petals from the blackthorn
A chaffinch pulling the petals from the blackthorn
A chiffchaff amongst the branches
A chiffchaff amongst the branches
My first ever sighting of a treecreeper
My first ever sighting of a treecreeper
A pied wagtail on overhead wires - they are usually seen on the ground wagging their tail as they walk
A pied wagtail on overhead wires – I usually see them on the ground wagging their tail as they walk
A great tit waiting its turn on the peanut feeders
A great tit waiting its turn on the peanut feeders
A green woodpecker in the field looking for ants and insects
A green woodpecker in the field looking for ants and insects
A song thrush - what a beautiful song they sing
A song thrush – what a beautiful song they sing
A pair of red-legged partridges visited the garden
A pair of red-legged partridges visited the garden
A wren singing – they make such a loud noise for such a tiny bird
And finally friend robin, who is always there