A few Feathered Visitors

I was fortunate to spot a couple of Long Tailed Tits visit the bird feeders. It is quite a while since I last saw any visit my feeders. Unfortunately they didn't stay long as there were scared away by the noisy arrival of a Wood Pigeon. When I checked the automatic camera recordings I saw that Great and Blue Tits are also visiting. Not recorded by the camera was a brief visit by a Coal Tit.



You may have noticed some late Sunflower plants growing near the feeders. In the late Spring I tried twice to get some seeds started in pots for planting in the front garden. They all failed to germinate! These plants are the result of randomly scattered seeds dropped when the birds drop them whilst feeding.

LTT Visit

On a murky day a short while ago I spotted a small group of Long Tailed Tits busy around the trees and feeders. As ever they didn't stay still in one place for very long so out of a dozen shots these were the least grotty:

Spot the Birds

There are three in this photo:



A couple of days ago I spotted a small group of Long-tailed Tits flitting about a tree in the garden behind me. I tried several times to photograph them but, true to type, they didn't stay in one place for very long.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

In case you are struggling - start with the central one which is in flight. Another is almost hidden a short distance away at 4 o'clock. The third is standing on its head with tail straight up in the air further away at 10 o'clock

LTT

Managed to spot one of the occasional fleeting visits by a couple of Long-tailed Tits:

 

 

 

Friday at the Flicks - Long-tailed Tits

It has been an ambition for a long time to video visiting Long-tailed Tits. It's not often they stay in one place for more than a few seconds. Usually by the time I get the camera pointing at the right feeder they have flown away. These clips were shot over several days:

An Extended Visit

Recently there have been brief visits by a small flock of Long Tailed Tits but a couple of days ago a group of about five stayed in and around the garden for about three hours making occasional sorties to the bird feeders:













They were most interested in the various fat based treats so I've made sure there are plenty to choose from.

A Great Hour Garden Bird Watching

Friday: When I went to put some bits in the recycle bin I thought I could hear the unmistakable twittering of Long-tailed Tits. Sure enough within a short while there were 8 to 10 of them in next door's Christmas Tree. It started life many years ago as a 2m Christmas Tree which Joan, who lived there then, planted out and it has grown, and grown.



There must have been plenty of food as they stayed, unusually, for about an hour as did a similar number of Blue Tits, mainly juveniles:



What made the hour even better for me was a couple of other birds flitting about the same tree. I am pretty certain one was a Chiffchaff:



If I am correct then it's my first sighting of a Chiffchaff.

It didn't end there.
Among the branches I spotted a Goldcrest rapidly darting about:



Altogether it was a very enjoyable morning's garden bird watching.
One unusual thing. All the time I was watching these visitors I didn't see one of the usual large group of House Sparrows.

Mac app 'Picture Collage Maker 3' was used this time.

A Surprise Visit

Not long ago I was bemoaning the lack of visits by Long Tailed Tits so it was a really pleasant surprise when a small group suddenly appeared at the feeders. For once the camera was already set up:

 



 I think this is the first time I have seen them mix with other birds and the Blue Tits seemed to keep staring at them as if they couldn't work out what these Humpty Dumpties with long tails were:



Even the House Sparrow seemed to be saying, 'Who invited you to tea?":



As usual they only stayed a short while before moving on as a group.



I hope they don't leave it so long before their next visit.

Humpty Dumpty With Feathers

The rotund shape of Long Tailed Tits always makes me think of Humpty Dumpty:







We were just getting ready for our afternoon walk when I spotted a LTT on one of the home made log peanut butter feeders. It flew off before I could get a camera ready but fortunately a few could be seen in the branches of a tree just past the end of my garden. Consequently, even with a 400mm lens, these were small crops. That is only the second time in over 12 months I have seen a LTT sample the peanut butter.

Friday at the Flicks - Rook, Long Tailed Tit, Hedgehog

Once again the Rooks invaded the bird feeders. They particularly like the suet food and this one was having a great time attacking one feeder. Not shown are two other Rooks which were on the ground grabbing all the bits which were falling down. (No sound track)



A rare, fleeting visitor to my garden is the Long Tailed Tit. Though they normally move around in groups only one or two occasionally visit my feeders.



Once again the Hedgehog visited last night. Though this is about the time for them to wake from their Winter hibernation the weather this year is against them. Where the temperature would normally be in double figures, recently it has rarely reached 5C and this week it is struggling to get much above 0C and is likely to stay that way until next month. It will be difficult for them to find enough of their natural food which includes slugs and beetles.



I am putting out crushed, unsalted peanuts as a source of protein. The hogs need to find a reasonable amount of food quickly to make up for the weight lost while they were hibernating. Also available is a saucer of water - no milk as that is bad for Hedgehogs. I could put out tinned cat or dog food but that gets stolen by the roaming cats which are prowling around every night. I am not in to feeding other people's cats which kill birds, dig up my flowers and leave their mess for me to find when I am weeding. I might try putting a bit of tinned meat in the Hedgehog house where cats can't get at it.

Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you and do give it a helping hand when needed.

Friday at the Flicks - Those LTTs Again

During the week I made another log feeder for the peanut butter. Also I now have two varieties of the butter. A few days ago Shirl (of Shirl's Gardenwatch ) mentioned the variety she uses so I had a look on the net to see if it was available mail order. Not only did I find several places where it could be ordered but it was better value, money wise, than that sold specifically for birds.





On the left is the 330g jar of peanut butter for birds at £2.99

On the right a 1Kg tub of pure unsalted peanut butter at £5.49












The new peanut butter feeder. Made with smalller holes, half inch diameter instead of one inch. It is taking a while for the birds to get used to the new peanut butter but, like most new foods, it is slowly catching on.







A quick capture of a few Long Tailed Tits sampling the new stuff.




Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you.

Friday at the Flicks - Blue Tit, Long Tailed Tits

A few birds have now started to use the peanut butter feeder I bought from CJ Wildlife - Starlings and House Sparrows have to hover as they can't get a grip on the metal. Blue Tits do manage to stand on the lip:



Long Tailed Tits are rare visitors to my garden so I was very lucky to get these shots a few days ago. It was a pity they used the peanut feeder which was hidden behind the log feeder but they can still be see. As usual they move around in groups and are the only birds I have never seen squabble as they cluster together. Yes, that is the first of the snow you can see falling:



Most amusing to watch, but too short to be filmed, have been attempts made by a couple of Magpies trying to get at the log peanut butter feeder. The fly at it and try to snatch a beak full before they fall back down to earth. As the morning started with a temperature of -2.5C and a layer of snow all the feeders were in great demand. The Winter gathering of Blackbirds in the garden has started which is guaranteed to spark of squabbles when one invades another's private space. Spotted yesterday was a Mistle Thrush which was too timid to stay very long.

Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you.

Friday at the Flicks - LTTs

Another brief visit from the Long Tailed Tits this morning. Unfortunately most of the feeders needed topping up and when they settled on the peanut feeder they were soon barged out of the way by a gang of Starlings. I did manage a few photos:



A few of the LTTs then investigated the ground feeder and gave an opportunity for my first ever short video clip of them though it is so short I slowed it down to half speed:



Soundtrack made with NodeBeat on the iPad.

Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you wherever you are.

An LTT in the Garden - at last

It was starting to rain, nothing new there then, and the feeders needed topping up. Once that task was completed various finches and other birds started to arrive. The first visitor to the fat ball feeder was a lone Long Tailed Tit. It must be about two years since the last time I saw any at the Birdy Bistro. Stood well back in the kitchen and managed a few hurried shots before it left.

All these are taken with the 50D at 400mm zoom, cropped and then tweaked in Photoshop Elements 10 using the Guide, Saturated Slide Film Effect.








Great Tit Nest:
Mrs GT continues to incubate her seven eggs with occasional excursions out of the nest box and Mr GT makes occasional visits with food for her.

Long Tailed Tits Return

What a lovely surprise this morning. I was putting some rubbish in the wheelie bin when I heard quiet chattering in the bushes next door and out popped a Long Tailed Tit not six feet from me, settled on the cables briefly and then descended to the fat ball feeder. I nipped indoors smartly, grabbed the camera and managed a few hurried shots before the group disappeared again.





Hopefully this means they will become regular brief visitors again during the Winter.

I may well upload my 'Friday at the Flix' video this evening as tomorrow my broadband is being migrated from Tiscali to Zen - just in case I hit any snags setting things up.

Another Winter Garden Visitor Returns.

Such a kerfuffle this morning in the bushes just over the fence near the feeders. At first I thought it was just the House Sparrows catching up on the morning gossip. A short while later I spied a couple of Long Tailed Tits flitting near one of the feeders apparently having an argument with the Goldfinches. For quite a while after that I could see a group of about six LTTs dashing about the branches. Never staying in one place for more than a couple of seconds. All the time they were there the other small birds had to keep shuffling about to get out of the way. The Goldies sat on the highest branches keeping well out of it. While the LTTs were there not one bird came down to the feeders though there were many hanging about waiting for their breakfast.



This time I only managed a few grainy shots of the LTTs but now they have returned there should be more opportunities in the future and hopefully some video of them later in the year.

I don't know whether the Heron still visits the pond but I have set up a wildlife camera which I hope will capture a shot of anything which does. The pond is hard to see from the kitchen and the few visitors I have seen are away as soon as they spot any movement. The camera works on movement detection day or night and uses IR flash at night to take b/w photos.

Here the camera is temporarily set up while I find the best position for it and work out how to make it secure enough to leave out all the time. It is battery operated and should run for 30 days before they need changing.



It does detect movement, even some distance away as this capture of Bobby shows. Also interesting are the reflections in the windows. Now I understand why so many birds fly into them at certain times of day.



No doubt it will capture some strange creatures but hopefully not too many like this. ;)

More Garden Blooms and Birds

It was so windy this morning I just had a quick look around the garden. The Snakes Head Fritillary has been opening its flower heads and I was determined to get a photograph before the wind wrecked them.



The only other new colour in the garden so far was the blue of some rather skimpy Hyacinths but at least it is some extra colour.



On the birding front there have been the usual regular visitors like this male Chaffinch taking a Sunflower seed from the lawn. He had better make off with what he can as I will want some of his Sunflower seeds soon to get plants started. I just adore their cheerful yellow faces in the Summer and he can have some extra home grown seeds in the Autumn.



My favourites - Blue and Long Tailed Tits


Yesterday there was a visiting Jackdaw glimpsed briefly through a rain splattered kitchen window.


A few days ago I loosened the horizontal sections so that they would move round with the weight of a large bird on them. The idea being to make it more awkward for them to take too much food. It makes no difference. They are too intelligent and persistent to be put off by simple ruses like that.

Always a cheerful sight - a container with a line of miniature Daffodils. The miniature varieties always seem to last longer in poor weather conditions and stand up to March winds much better than their full size cousins.

Long Tailed Tits - Groups or Pairs

A while ago I said I was worried that I was only seeing two LTTs at at time where I had been seeing groups of six or seven at a time on the feeders. Well, I should not have worried. Having had a search round the net I found that this is normal. They tend to group together in the Winter months but in the Spring they tend to move around in pairs.

Can you spot all six Long Tailed Tits here?
You may have to click on it and look at a larger version on Flickr to spot them all.



Another interesting fact about my favourite bird visitors:
Single LTTs have been known to help out mated pairs feeding their young. Not only that but they have been seen helping with the feeding of the offspring of other species. I read about one LTT observed helping out a pair of Wrens by bring food to the nestlings.

They really are the gentlest of the birds I have visiting. They have never squabbled amongst themselves or bothered any of the other birds. They swoop in, have a quick feed and then go on their way.



Blue Tit Nest Box
Both birds visited the box briefly a couple of times today.
No more nesting material as yet though.

Little and Large

I went through to the kitchen and glanced out of the window to see if there was anything interesting in the back garden. There, feeding on the lawn was a group of birds - the usual - Collared Doves, Pigeons and Chaffinches. In the middle of the group was a Pheasant. The last time I saw a pheasant in the garden was in November last year and I was beginning to think it had ended up as part of some ones Christmas dinner. I dashed through to get the camera and hurriedly took a few hand held shots which, considering the poor lighting conditions, ended up better than I expected.

A lot of the time it was a picture of Little and Large as the Pheasant and a Chaffinch were feeding so close together. Every now and then the breeze would get under the feathers of the Pheasant.





I was hoping to get a shot of the Pheasant taking off but had to make do with this shot of it stretching a wing.



Also visiting were a couple of Long Tailed Tits. I only ever see two together these days. Before the snowy and frosty days there were always six or seven together. I hope the reduced number means that they are a mated pair and not that we lost some in the bad weather.



Yesterday I went to visit a friend and only managed a couple of photo opportunities - one of the five sailed windmill in Alford, Lincolnshire. At least it can be seen while the tree branches are bare. This is a working mill and is open to the public for much of the year.



The other stop was to photo some rain clouds over the Lincolnshire Wolds. Here there are three photos, taken freehand looking through the open car window, which have been stitched together using the demo version of Autostitch. As usual a larger version can be seen on Flickr by clicking on this picture.