Ha, that’s the first photo of an actual baby robin I’ve ever seen on STW!

Here in east Shropshire, we’ve had 3 Mistle Thrushes (1st time ever in the garden), a couple of Fieldfares and 4 or 5 Redwings over the last couple of days. All were digging the last of the berries off some cotoneaster bushes and a small holly. This did not go down well with the local blackbirds, but they’ve been completely outgunned.

Im having to refill the sunflower heart feeder twice a day and the dunnocks and robins are getting through mealworms at a silly pace. Helping them feels just brilliant.

My mate had a snow bunting turn up the other day, and a goldcrest as well!

I’ve had a goldcrest in my garden before, but not in recent years, and the starlings I used to get are no longer coming into the garden, sadly.

some “proper” bird photography

cold weather brings the oddities 🙂

reed bunting

We have a wren. Also have a wren box that needs installing, hope it’s not too late. Also titw tomos las have appeared where we had none before.

I saw a song thrush in our garden yesterday and we have sparrows in the ivy and blue tits in Doreen’s bird box.:-)

Happy to see the other day ,that the red kite has now reached Mill Hill ( outskirts of London)! There’ll be some unhappy cockney rabbits!

We have a wren. Also have a wren box that needs installing, hope it’s not too late.

It won’t matter if Mrs Wren doesn’t like it. Jonny Wren builds several nests & Jenny picks one she likes.

cold weather brings the oddities

Quite a few Reed Buntings down a farm lane near us, theyr’e mixing with lots of Yellowhammers down there.

We’ve got a pair of long tailed tits building their nest in the bamboo behind our garage – fortunately the bamboo is growing outside the garage window so you can stand inside the garage and watch them hopping through the culms to the nest. It’s awful tricky to get a decent photo though.

A pair of nuthatches have been putting mud around the hole in our bird box for weeks now.

Today’s snow means they haven’t shown. But even in the blizzards there were 5 dunnocks doing their mating dance.

Spotted redwings for the first time this year in Edinburgh and Paisley. Didn’t have a clue what they were initially.

Also realised today that I’d never seen a raven before, as the sight of my first one stopped me dead in my tracks. It was like a **** emu!

Aside from the usual dunnocks, blue/great tits, robins, goldfinches, doves, blackbirds and blasted ring necked parakeets, We’ve had a large gang of long tailed tits arrive along with some coal tits, and for the first time a group of redwings in south west London. Had a few red kites circling the area.

No sign of fieldfares yet like in previous years with snow.

Just seen a Black Cap near the feeders. I hope it doesn’t take up residence in the garden, as the previous one a couple of years ago fought everything off of the feeders. Everything.

(Except the cat. 😺)

“My” Goldies returned a couple of weeks ago after the last snow, they haven’t been scoffing the sunflower hearts as heartily as they used to do.. but the flock does look a bit depleted 😳

So I’m hoping this season brings new births, and lots of them.

Mr and Mrs Blackbird have been consistent in the garden all winter, the Wren I haven’t seen for some time, the sparrows still flutter in then disappear for a few days only to return en masse. The Doves I’ve not seen for about a month or so, the local pigeon fraternity are active though.

The feeders have been full pretty much all winter, I’ve not needed to fill them every 4-5  days like all of last year, I think this winter has been particularly hard on my little flock, and I’m hoping they all flew somewhere warm and sunny.. to return soon I hope.