Sunday 29 March 2009

This and That plus a Couple of Redheads

Very cold (-1) on the morning walkies but the day improved with lovely sunshine and beautiful blue skies. On the way back from a quick shopping expedition I called in at the local garden centre and bought a new bird feeder. I like the ones with a cover - helps to keep larger birds and the rain away from the food. This feeder I will use for mealworms and suet treats. I wondered how long it would be before the first brave bird gave it a try. It didn't take long before a Blue Tit gave it the once over.

Blue Tit

After lunch we went for a short walk round the village. It took us about an hour to cover not much more than half a mile. Me stopping to photograph and Bobby to investigate all the interesting smells. Even though the temperature was not very high it was really nice to be out without having to wear a heavy winter coat. There was a gentle breeze so the warmth of the Sun wasn't being spoilt by an icy blast.

Bobby

One reason I went out was to get a new set of photos for the panorama at the top of this blog. It was hazier than I expected but I got a new set anyway.

Looking in peoples gardens to see what was blooming it was nice to see a clump of Fritillary.
Fritillary

A Prunus (possibly cerasifera Nigra) tree in blossom
Flowering Tree

and some lovely red tulips along with pansies in a wall basket.
Red Tulips

Along Old Mill Lane the lichen on the Ash Tree was illuminated by the bright sunlight
Lichen

Finally, on the homeward leg, I spotted the two redheads.....
Cockerel
Cockerel
... which were taking advantage of the brilliant sunshine.

Nestboxes Update (Monday)

More moss is appearing in the Blue Tit box. There are times when it looks as though the bird is thinking of building a nest on top of the camera. It keeps going to the top of the box and I sometimes see bits of nest material fall down.

More flutter activity in the Blue Tit box



Today is the first time I have seen a bird in the Robin box. Not a Robin but a Great Tit which spent a while investigating every corner. Maybe it was just looking for insects to eat.

2 comments:

  1. I do like your new feeder John, I have one with a cover like yours but the base is made of the same material and although I have had it for over 12 months it is not very popular. I wonder if this could be due to it's being 'see-through' and if it somehow puts the birds off. I shall definitely hunt for one like yours.
    The photo of Bobby is lovely, I feel I could almost reach in to it to give him a pat!
    The floral pics are lovely too and I really love your redheads, especially the first one which looked like it was doing a little jig!

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  2. ShySongbird: Normally new feeders here put off the birds for quite a while. Maybe it was accepted so quickly as it is the same type of mesh dish I have on the bird table so they are used to it. Unfortunately the Starlings love it though they find it difficult to hang on for long since I lowered the cover a bit more. The mealworm feeder was in a box so hard to spot in the garden centre. It is made to add to one of the fancy feeder poles but also has a hook so it can be put up anywhere. Look for Gardman feeders.
    I don't know about giving Bobby a pat but if you tickle his chin he will be your friend for life.

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Thank you for visiting. Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Any comment, or correction to any information or identification I get wrong, is most welcome. John

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