Sunday 14 February 2010

Blackbirds and Jackdaws

I am still getting anything up to 18 Blackbirds visiting each day, especially at daybreak. This female was waiting patiently for the squabblers to move out of the way so she could nip down for a quick meal.

Female Blackbird

I wonder how long it will be before the winter visitors return to their native land.

Also becoming regular are short visits by up to 6 Jackdaws. They are very cautious and disappear rapidly when they spot me looking through the kitchen window. This individual is easy to pick out as it has an unusual amount of white feathers showing amongst the normal dark grey and black. I wonder if it is the same one I photographed last February.

Jackdaw

Weather is a mixture of short sunny intervals combined with long dull cloudy periods coupled with drizzle and the occasional snow shower. Next task, a quick visit to the local Focus store for another large bag of high energy no mess bird seed. The birds are getting through seed even faster than they did in the colder weather. The small feeder was half empty by 8.30 this morning. By now the supply of hedgerow berries must be pretty well depleted and with the constant damp, cold days insects must also be in short supply.

11 comments:

  1. Good job there are folk like you John. They must be struggling and the long range forecast is no better.

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  2. The dusting of snow we had here has been gone for some days but yours seems to be hanging around, let's hope it isn't waiting for some more as my parents used to say.

    Great photos again, the Jackdaw seems to have very piercing eyes! They never visit my garden at all.

    The seed doesn't last long here either!

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  3. Hello Adrian. I did notice a weather advisory for Tuesday - Winter isn't ready to let go yet.

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  4. Hello Jan. The snowy photo was taken a few days ago. Thankfully we don't have any at the moment though it did try during our afternoon walk yesterday when we both got soaked through!

    Those Jackdaws don't miss a thing and investigate everything. I'm sure I saw one the other day looking closely trying to solve a problem.

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  5. Lovely shot of the female Blackbird John.
    I've had half a dozen regulars in the garden for a while now. They're enjoying the apple cores I throw out for them.

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  6. ...sounds like you might be getting a little winter weary. I'm starting to, but 6-8 inches of snow are on the way tonight, so I guess I better stay happy with Old Man Winter for a while longer!

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  7. Thank you Keith. They certainly do enjoy the odd apple but I have run out of windfalls now.

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  8. Hello Kelly. I am sure you are correct. As each year goes by I find I get more impatient for Winter to be over and done with. This one had been so dull and dreary. I don't mind the cold so much when there is sunlight to go with it.

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  9. The Jackdaw could be the same on John, they do live a fairly long life and don't travel that far from their normal haunts.

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  10. Hello Roy. You are probably right. It looked a skinny juvenile last year but has filled out well on the free food here!

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  11. Hi there John, hope you’ve had a good week. See today’s weather map shows snow down your way. Hope it doesn’t last :-)

    Love that partial albino Jackdaw shot! Very nice. As you say these birds are easy to spot. We have a number of partial albino blackbirds that visit. They all have a slightly different pattern of white feathers. They nest nearby as I see the young birds visit the feeders and can watch theses white feathers emerge.

    The Jackdaws are also fascinating to watch too. Very smart birds. I have one come looking for nesting material every year. It takes too much away and I can see it stuffing into a neighbour’s chimney! I move the basket of material around so it lasts for the blue tits and its fun to see it search it out ;-)

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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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