Ladybird visitors.

There seem to have been more ladybirds around the garden this year than for many years. Here I only see the seven spot variety so they still have a good stronghold in this part of Lincolnshire. In spite of the chilly weather, as soon as the Sun warms up the air many come out from their hiding places and go in search of a few juicy aphids.

Ladybug

by Maria Fleming

Ladybugs all dressed in red
Strolling through the flowerbed.
If I were tiny just like you
I'd creep among the flowers too!



Five Little Ladybugs
(unknown author)

Five little ladybugs, climbing on some plants,
Eating the aphids, but not the ants!
The first one said: "Save some aphids for me!"
The second one said: "These are tasty as can be!"
The third one said: "Oh, they're almost gone!"
The fourth one said: "Then it's time to move on!
The fifth one said: "Come on, let's fly!"
So they opened their wings and flew through the sky.

Ladybird, Ladybird 

(traditional nursery rhyme)

Ladybird, Ladybird, fly away home.
Your house is on fire and your children all gone;
All except one, and that's little Ann.
And she has crept under the warming pan.




 A while ago Glo of Porcelain Rose left me a lovely ladybird poem which can be seen here.

A Frog and No Cats

Raining again last night. I don't mind when the rain arrives overnight and leaves the day free to observe the garden wildlife. When Bobby went out for the last patrol of his estate before bedtime I spotted a shape on the concrete path. Closer examination showed it was a frog just sitting there. It even waited patiently while I fetched a camera to take a few shots.



This is the UK's Common Frog easily identified by the dark coloured stripes on the hind legs. Main diet is insects which it catches with its long sticky tongue, snails, slugs and worms. During the Winter it will hibernate under mud and decaying layers of leaves at the bottom of ponds. As well as lungs it has the ability to breathe through its skin so can stay submerged for long periods during the cold months. This one was about 2 inches (5cm) big so had been around for a few years.

Cats and Birds Don't Mix

There is at least one killer cat which is more than a little nuisance around my bird feeders. To keep it off the top of my fence I have added some modern plastic anti-vandal spikes. The type with blunt points which are uncomfortable but do not pierce the skin. As well as that I needed some way to keep them from skulking behind various objects on the ground. For quite a while I have looked into the possibility of using one of the electronic cat deterrents.  Looking closely at the description of many they deter all sorts of mammals but I needed something more specific.

After quite a bit of research I spotted this - the Cat Gard - which says it does not affect other mammals or birds so I invested in one.

  

Many of the ultrasonic deterrents are battery operated, needing two 9V batteries. This one is mains operated via a transformer and comes with a generous 10m of cable. It is installed 3 to 6 feet above ground so I mounted it on the shed wall facing along the fence. As it is not 100 percent weather proof I fixed it in an old nut feeder to keep the worst of the rain and snow from the plastic case.

When it first arrived I plugged it indoors. Bobby definitely knew it was working although I could hear nothing. In fact it was too much for him and he dashed out to escape being deafened. Once installed outside he took no notice of it at all. Would the birds be affected by it? Well - within 15 minutes of putting it up a Greenfinch flew up to it and gave it the once over. About half an hour later a Blue Tit landed in the box and had a quick look for any food! All the birds have carried on feeding as normal. So far I have not seen any evidence of cats since it was installed though the instructions do say it can take a while to achieve 100 percent success.

Out of interest I used my bat detector to find out what the Cat Gard was doing and here is a short snippet of the sort of thing a cat would have to endure.

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Friday at the Flicks

Weather has been pretty dull for photography and filming this past week but here are a couple of snippets. The first is one of a visiting Tree Sparrow. They are much more timid than the House Sparrows and are easily bullied. This one was having a real problem trying to find a spare perch at the feeders.



After the last Goldfinch was caught by an unknown predator out in the open I moved the ground feeder nearer the fence and shed so it would be more hazardous for the local Sparrow Hawk to swoop down on it. Also it is now stood on a small metal table to make it more difficult for the local killer black cat to creep up on it. Here a Goldfinch and Greenfinch are helping themselves to some of the seed spillage from the feeders which I tipped on the table.



I have added some other measures to help keep the cats away. More of that another day.

Yesterday I said I should have the photo of the crossed Starlings on my Coat of Arms. Well - in an idle moment I had a play with my old copy of PaintShop Pro and came up with this piece of nonsense. Shield outline found on the net and then a bit of resizing, cutting and pasting.



Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you.

Lights, Camera, Action.

Today it is the turn of the House Sparrows. It is not only the Goldfinches which squabble for a place on the feeders. Lighting very variable so high ISO.

Even this Starling found squabbling Sparrows too much to bear!


Try the basement, there's space there.


 If you don't move I'll smother you.


 Give us a kiss and stop moaning.


 I'm telling you - I booked this seat yesterday.


 I'm pleased to see that I still get visits from Tree Sparrows.


Not forgetting a pair of crossed Starlings. Maybe this should be on my Coat of Arms.

Goldies Galore -- Honey A.W.O.L.

I think the numbers of Goldfinches is still increasing here. Yesterday I gave up counting at thirty as they spend so much time squabbling and dashing about. The feeders were fully occupied with some on the lawn and more gathering the spillage under the feeders plus others queueing on the wires above.







This one was a definite case of:
"Hey! You! Get back in the queue and wait your turn!"


Accompanying  the flapping and fluttering was plenty of cursing. Not just Goldfinches anxious for their breakfast but Greenfinches bemused at what all the fuss was about..




I haven't seen Honey the Hedgehog for three nights now. Not one visit. I was not surprised last night as there was heavy rain until 4 a.m. but the previous two nights were dry though cool. Maybe she is not straying very far from wherever her nest is.

Tree Sparrows Visit the Feeders

I didn't think there would be anything worth mentioning today. Hedge trimming, weeding, generally pottering about. I have lost one Goldfinch to some predator or other. I didn't see what but saw the evidence. Whether the local killer black cat or a raptor I am not sure but I incline to the cat at the moment.

Just went through to make a cup of coffee when I saw what at first I thought was a House Sparrow with different markings. Grabbing the camera I took a few shots before it disappeared as all the birds are very skittish at the moment. It wasn't until I examined the photos and had a look in my books that I found out what I had seen was a Tree Sparrow. In fact there had been two but I was concentrating so hard on the first one I saw I missed seeing the other.







 What had caught my eye was the black cheek spot and the brown head. The slight yellow on the beak was only noticeable on the photographs.

Just checked again and they are back. There were at least three and possibly four. Two stayed long enough to capture a piece of video - with plenty of Goldfinch squabbling in the background!



According to my trusty 'Collins Complete Guide to British Birds' the Tree Sparrow has a restricted and shrinking range which seems to be mainly down the east side of the UK. It is occasionally found on the outskirts of villages  but is more commonly associated with untidy arable farms. The population has suffered a catastrophic decline of more than 90 percent in recent decades. Lack of winter stubble fields and reduced numbers of weeds in crops have reduced its food stocks.

Honey Continues to Visit

Honey the Hedgehog continues her nightly visits. Last night she only showed a couple of times before midnight. One thing I have noticed the past few nights - where she used to make a bee line for the food first, now she heads straight for the water bowl. As her first visit is later than it used to be maybe she is finding food in more than one garden.

Any sudden jumps in the video are caused by the recorder as it is set to start recording when it detects movement. If Honey stays in one place for a while it will stop recording until she moves again.



When I made my last order of bird seed from CJ Wildlife I spotted this so I couldn't resist treating myself to a new coffee mug.



Couldn't resist this either:

"I don't care how acrobatic you are I keep telling you they won't taste any different upside down."