Garden Bird Watch

Today I did the Garden Watch for the RSPB (Royal Society for Protection of Birds).
I sat in the hide for the hour from 0945am and here are some of the birds I saw.

The complete list was:
Robin – 2
Dunnocks – 4
Blackbird – 2 (Male and Female)
Blue Tit – 2
Great Tit – 2
Chaffinch -2 (Male and Female)
House Sparrow – 2 (Male and Female)
Long Tail Tit – 2

Only the birds seen in your own garden can be counted so I missed out on LongTail Tits and Chaffinchs in our neighbour’s garden.

The (our) Robin was the first visitor when the clock started but later in the hour a second Robin appeared and although very wary on the approach and while on the feeder tray did manage to eat until he was chased away by ‘our’ Robin although he was cheeky enough to return.

A bit disappointing considering that when I looked out of the window at 8.30am this morning (didn’t get the best night’s sleep so I was a bit later rising than I wanted to be) the garden was buzzing. Yesterday there were two Jays and what I think were FieldFare.

I was lucky to be allowed out at all as I have been under ‘forced convalescence’ (I say house arrest!) after a chest complaint returned mid-week. (I am okay now – and our girls have been told about it!!).

Now the weather seems to be brightening up I hope to go out and get photographs from further afield as this blog is in danger of becoming an ornithological diary!

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More Images from the Hide

Another Sunday when the grey skies lifted for a while. So, what else was there to do but get into the hide and see what activity was occuring in the garden.

Click on an image to see it full size.
It was fairly busy.

This last week has seen grey, dull days and, as the Sunday Telegraph reports, the sun has shone for barely ten hours since January 9th and light levels have been abnormally low.
I have not taken any other photographs. My camera has been with me but dull monotone images are not very interesting.

Next weekend (30th- 31st January) the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is having it’s Big Garden Birdwatch so I will definitely be out in the hide keeping a count on the type of birds and their numbers that are visiting our garden.

I’ll let you know how I get on – after I have told the RSPB of course!

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Blue Sky

Enough blue to make a pair of sailor’s trousers!

That was a saying when I was a boy. There was not a cloud in the sky. What a nice day.

We had anticipated that we would visit our Janet and family today but with Mae and me still coughing and not feeling 100% we decided it was not fair on them or us to travel. So, we went for a walk round the block. It is the first time I had been out, apart from visiting the Doctors, since before Christmas. Why is it that we didn’t cough while out but as soon as we were back indoors we were both coughing like mad? – maybe it’s the change from cold to warm air.

By this afternoon I was anxious to do some bird watching. The hide was up, so, with a pocket full of Mentho-Lyptus sweets to stave off the coughing and wrapped up to the nines out I went.

Here are some of the photographs from the hour or so I was out there. Click on them to see a full size version.

It is nice and cosy in the hide and I can get really close to the birds. The Robin and the Blackbird seemed to be aware of my presence as both looked in my direction but they then carried on as normal.

I was surprised to see a lone Longtail Tit as they are usually in a flock. I had hoped to see some Chaffinches that were in the garden this morning but there was no sign of them this afternoon.

The Mentho-Lyptus sweets helped to keep me quiet but I am sick of the taste of them. Unfortunately I have to keep sucking them this evening as I am disturbing Mae’s enjoyment of ‘Dancing on Ice’!

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Snow on a Squirrel’s Tail

A sure sign that it is thawing is a squirrel being out and about. They have been scarce since this cold and snow set in but I saw two of them yesterday and today, having put some peanuts out for them, I watched and photographed one as he fed to his tummy’s content.
A light snow was falling and settling on his tail.

I watched through the patio doors as, again, there was no chance of getting the hide out.

The sky is still very grey as it seems to have been for weeks now.
I did glimpse the sun trying to break through the clouds this afternoon without much success but wouldn’t it be nice to see a patch of blue sky.

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No Place To Hide

Guess what should be here?

I had a rude awakening this morning.
Mae woke me from my slumbers (she had been up half the night coughing) to tell me the Bird Hide was being blown around the garden. I had to jump out of bed, retrieve and collapse it. The blustery wind had loosened it from it’s tent hooks. It wasn’t in danger of being blown over Ramsgate as it is too heavy for that but it couldn’t stay out in the garden.
So that put paid to my wishful thinking yesterday of bird watching today.
It was very active in the garden as well (Chaffinches are numerous at the moment) but I didn’t miss out entirely though as I watched this Robin through the patio doors.

This image was taken through double glazed patio doors and poor lighting. With a bit of help from Photoshop I was able to create a usable image.

I haven’t been out of the house, apart from into the garden, since before the New Year and with this blustery, snowy weather set to continue I don’t know when I will get out again.

Oh well. I am in the warm, the freezer is well stocked and with the course of anti-biotics over I might even treat myself to a glass of my favourite tipple this evening.

And with that thought I will close the curtains on the outside world and see what we open them to tomorrow.

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Nethercourt Snow Scenes

I went to bed last night after wistfully looking outside at the winter wonderland that was the Nethercourt Estate. I am recovering from a chest infection so really have only been able to look out of the window all week. I haven’t mentioned it earlier as my daughters have told me that the only way they hear about ‘things’ was through my blog. So, they were told first. I am now getting over it (oops – I haven’t told them that!). Mae is suffering now.
I wanted to go out and take some photographs of the snow at night, hence my ‘wistful looking’, as the night took on an eerie glow and the street lighting created a yellow glow all around. Mae told me I would be ‘mad’ to go out (there would be no sympathy should I do so).

This morning was different. I made the excuse of having to feed the birds and wrapped up warm out I went and, of course, my camera ‘happened’ to be with me.
Here are some of the photographs I took.

Bird Bath with snow piled on top creating a crown.

The branches of the trees were heavily laden with snow.

I sneaked out to the front of the house and took these photographs of Nethercourt Estate.
Windermere Avenue in the snow.

Thirlmere Avenue in monochrome.

I also wanted to sit in the bird hide as the garden was busy (Bluetits, Chaffinches, Black Birds, Sparrow, Dunnocks and the Robin) but I knew I would be pushing my luck should I do so. I have promised myself that over the weekend I will observe from my hide and hopefully get my shot of a Robin in the snow.

I am sucking Menthol-lyptus sweets by the packet to stave off the coughing in an effort to show that I am fit and well.

I’ll let you know how I get on.

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Face in the Mirror Cracked

In my last post I mentioned the face that appeared in our bathroom mirror when it got steamed up after christmas.

I have been using my knowledge of Facial Recognition, Scene of Crime Forensics and Photoshop to solve the riddle of whose face it is.
Here are my findings:

It is not Henry

It is not Joseph.

Is it Callum?

A perfect fit I think you will agree. We have found the artist – Callum!
My forensic abilities have solved the riddle. My extensive investigations and hours spent manipulating collating the evidence has at last solved the riddle of The Face In The Mirror. (CSI New York – watch and learn!!)

This could never have been proven in court – No evidence you see. Mae made me clean the mirror!

I wonder if the Police will have me back though?

I have to add though that as I was putting this post together Callum had already ‘owned up’
Thanks Callum – it gave Nana and Gramps a laugh when we saw it.

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