April 2012 part 5

Still at the caravan park. Saturday afternoon the rain subsided a little so we went for a walk in the wood. Our first spot was a tree creeper flying to the bottom of the tree and moving upwards while spiralling round the trunk probing the bark for food. It uses its tail to steady itself.

Tree Creeper (Certhia familiaris)  Generally it is a solitary but will flock together with other small birds. It breeds in coniferous and deciduous woods  throughout Britain and Ireland. Living on a diet of insects and seeds.

Tree Creeper

Mouse up a tree,

White belly

Close to the bark,

Curved bill

And tail support.

       Robin  Ivy

April 2012 part 4

27th -28th  At a caravan park in Northhampton. Rabbits are feeding as we arrive and are surprisingly tolerant as we set up the van. We have beautiful views of the countryside with tree bordering fields of green and yellow rapeseed , a splash of sunshine on a rainy day. Another caravan has a bird feeder up attracting blue tits, great tits, chaffinch, blackbirds and pigeons.
The next day begins with heavy rain. Rabbits of all sizes feed in the field and two do what rabbits do best.

Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) Introduced from the continent as a valuable source of meat and skin in the 2th century. Rabbits are sociable animals living in colonies in burrow systems known as warrens. They live in a higher archy with dominant males and females and subordinates. Most activity takes place at night. They stay close to the warren to graze on grasses and flowers. They have a good sense of smell and hearing to help them evade predators. Rabbits keep their fur clean with regular grooming with teeth, tongue and claws.
A rabbit may sometimes be seen rubbing the ground with its chin sent marking territory - called "chinning".
When danger threatens rabbits thump the ground  with a hind leg to warn others.
In one year a rabbit can produce 20 offspring which can breed themselves in 4 months. However only a quarter of all rabbits grow to adult hood. The breeding season runs from January to August, 3-7 young are born in each brood . They leave the nest after 3 weeks and are weaned by 4 weeks.

April 2012 part 3

17th 4 goldfinch, 2male, 1 female blackbirds, pigeons, 2 collared doves, 2 blue tits, great tit, 3 starlings 1 magpie, 2 robins, 3 house sparrows -1male 2 females and a dunnock.

A hedgehog visits later that night. It has been a day of mixed weather, every season, rain , sun and  hail.
18th A short trip to Peterborough I saw 6 red kites and 4 kestrels hunting at the side.
20th Back home to a day of aggression ; the robin is attacking the dunnock, the starlings are fighting each other, and 3 blackbirds are also fighting.
23rd  My first walk by the river for a long time  a blackbird is singing and a moorhen swims on the river itself, a white butterfly flits about in the distance, a magpie flies across from one bank to the other and at last the kingfisher flies on through. It was nice to see him after so long.
25th Rain all day but the plants and soil need it. The birds are still visiting; 2 blue tits, 2 great tits, 4 goldfinch, pigeon, magpies, 2 robins, and 4 house sparrows.

April 2012 part 2

1st sunny but colder than of late. Two hedgehogs in the garden. They breed in April not long after coming out of hibernation.
3rd Only one hedgehog tonight.
4th After some beautiful sunny days snow has returned today mixed with rain. I watched a heron by the river standing on the grass trying to catch the frogs I think.
5th Two hedgehogs again .

12th Four goldfinch in the garden regularly now. It hailed today. A small bird of prey flies quickly through.

April part 1

I blogged theses pictures last year but have since read that during the bluetits mating display the male will make a simple flight of a few metre's from one perch to another as in the pictures. Courtship is a long process and is repeated each spring even by birds that have been paired for a long time.I hpe you dont mind the repeat.

March 2012 part 4

24th In the afternoon we went back to the kite feeding station we visited in the summer. They tell us that they feed different birds on different days and there is a pecking order with different birds arriving at different times, a 'blond' kite arribed in a later batch of feeders. They feed them in the afternoon so they still hunt in the mornings.
 A crowd of crows and rooks linned upon the fence to wait their turn.

25th We walk along the river to the bridge we see chaffinch chasing around, blue tuts, a wren, a robin, blackbirds,, rooks gathering mud from the river banks and 2 cole tits collecting moss and grass then dissapearing into a crevise  onbetween two stones at the top of the bank. A pellet lies under  a tree the locals tell us it belongs to a tawny owl.

As we pack up 3 buzzards soar overhead causing a panic in the rookery.
26th Back home and the first sighting this year of a hedgehog.
29th 4 goldfinch and 2 longtailed tits in the garden.
31st After a week of record highs March ends with a frost.

March 2012 part2

20th Visitors in the garden. blue tits, great tits, cole tits, sparrows,starlings, blackbirds. pigeons, collered doves, robins,2 dunnocks and 2 goldfinch. They are already talking about a drought.
21st A beautiful sunny day and a greenfinch is in the garden.
23rd Riverbend Caravan Park nr Welshpool.
After setting up camp we revisited the RSPB hide at lake Vyrnwy to get beautiful close up views of male and female chaffinch,

blue tits,

great  tits, greenfinch, cole tits,

dunnocks, greater spotted woodpecker,

siskin,

female and male pheasants,

nuthatch,

and a squirrel,

If your ever in this area I recommend comong here.