March 2013

1st Saw a goldcrest at dads today, only my third sighting of this tiny bird.
3rd Birds in my garden today, 2 longtailed tits, 3 goldfinch, blackbird ,7 house sparrows, 2 collared doves, 3 pigeons, robins, blue tit, great tit, cole tit and a new spot for me a blackcap.

The Blackcap is a singing bird,
A Nightingale in melody,
Where Ivy flapping to the breeze,
Bear ring-marked berries black as jet.       ...     J Clare.

Blackcap (sylvia atricapilla)  A bird with a beautiful song but will mimic other birds. In summer it lives in deciduous woodland but can be seen on bird tables in the winter.Feeds on insects, berries and apples.  The male builds several nests in brambles or dense vegetation and the female chooses the best and lays 4-5 eggs. They may have 2 broods.
It has been the coldest March for 50 years.

January 2013

Year starts quite sunny which is unusual at the moment.
2nd Andrew startled a blackbird which flew up the road in front at him at 48 mph.
12th Visitors in the garden 4 longtailed tits, 2blie tits, 2 great tits, 2 collared doves, 3 pigoens, 1 magpie and a robin.
13th[14th firtys flurry of snow of the year, filled up the bird table and water.
18th deep snow today  2 fieldfares in the garden. The robins breast looks very red against the snow. a sparrowhawk comes for a meal but misses this time.
8 inches of snow on the ground. 2 fieldfare still eating the apples i'm putting out for them. There are plenty of garden visitors.

19th A huge icicle hangs from the roof .

 Before I melt, come look at me,
this lovely icy filigree,
of a great forest in one night .
 I make a wilderness of white.

October 2012

October starts with mixed weather but there is more of a nip in the air.
2nd Saw a young boy with his dad collecting conkers it brought back memories from both my childhood and my childrens. The leaves are turning to autumn colours.
7th A gang of 7 starlings in the garden, 3 greenfinch, 6 longtailed tits, a great tit, 2 blue tits, a dunnock, 2 pigeons fighting, 2 collared doves, a magpie and a squirrel.
Friday 26th - Wed 31st Bidford - on -Avon
Small CL sight by the river. Lovely autumn colours on the journey.  On the very first day we see a kingfisher - He now has a better picture then me.

2 swans regularly feed on the grass on the river back. as do 4 morehens.

There is a tangle of dogwood with white berries and red berries near the van where a blackbird and a robin are feeding on the berries. On the feeder  I see my first tree sparrow.

Tree sparrow (passer montanus) Not as common as the house sparrow they have a black spot on their cheeks. Lives in open woodland, farmland, parks and orchards where there are hedgerows. They eat seeds from grasses, cultivated cereals and small invertebrates. It nests in holes and crevices in trees, buildings and cliffs. Both adults build the nest while the female will lay 5 -6 eggs, with 2 - 3 broods a year.

Sept 2012

Thursday30th August - Sunday 2nd September
Peatling Magna , the Old Stables, C L site, Leicester.
Quiet sight with views over open fields 2 buzzards circle over the other side of the field. lots of "tits" around visiting the feeder. magpies, crows, pigeons also around while an owl makes itself heard at night.
It has been the wettest summer in 100 years.
The first frost of the year during the night on the 30th August.
10th Saw 2 buzzards in the sky over castle Bromwich.

11th and 15th there is a fox in dads garden curled up under a bush. Also had a siskin in the garden for the first time.