We Are Still Thinking About It

The Blue Tits are still making occasional visits to the nest box. Once again I took the camera down the garden and waited at my favourite spot where I could just see the entrance to the box. After some time I was ready to give up and was slowly making my way back when I spotted one bird at the entrance.



Not a brilliant view through the cables from the camera which watches the outside of the box but at last a shot of a Blue Tit making a visit.

Near the start of the video clip both birds can be seen, one at the box entrance, the other further away on the guy rope.



The video was made before I went out to photograph the birds. After I had seen one bird at the box entrance I went back to my chosen observation point and waited for any more opportunities for photographs. I didn't have to wait for very long.







After the birds had finished their investigations I had a look round for a better place to observe them and to get a cleared view. I found just the spot so the next time I will take the DSLR and the camcorder as I will be pretty well hidden from view.

I heard my 'mystery' bird again this morning. The short repeated piece of song I have been listening to for over a week is starting to change. It is becoming more varied and beginning to sound more like a Blackbird.

Is it Spring Yet?

Listening to the radio this morning I heard that some take the 1st of March as the beginning of Spring but others say it doesn't start until the Vernal Equinox on the 20th. Either way it feels more like it this morning with the Sun streaming through the window behind me even if the temperature is only just above 1C.

Yesterday was a complete washout with steady rain most of the day but the water which had started to flood the back lawn has mostly disappeared already. Just a few icy patches left. I didn't even get the cameras out yesterday as the rain running down the windows and the dull lighting would have made it impossible to get anything other than very arty blurred photos.

Another of my windowsill orchids is cheering me up. An Oncidium which has produced a small spike of flowers this year.



Outdoors some heather in a hanging basket is doing its best to brighten up a dull time of year.



The other day I took some better photographs of the fungi I had spotted on the tall stump of an Ash Tree.

  

Now my Colllins Complete Guide to British Mushrooms & Toadstools has arrived I must make another effort to identify it. Goodness me - I didn't realise there were so many different fungi growing in the country.

Another unidentified 'object' is a duck. Not very far away is a house with a large plot of land which includes a decent sized natural pond. On the pond are a group of ducks. I assume these are not a native breed, possibly imported or specially bred. In the photo they seem to have a lot of brown colour but when you look at them the first impression is they are black with dark blue and purple.



At the same house they have quite a variety of different types of chickens and there are always a few taking advantage of any warmth from the Sun.



One local bird is really annoying me at the moment. It sings very loudly most mornings. It is not the volume of the song which is annoying me. I just cannot get a glimpse of the bird to identify it and nor can I find the song in the examples on the British Garden Birds web site.  When I take a recorder with me on the early morning walk it doesn't sing. When I forget, like this morning, it deafens me! Also some times I could swear the sound is moving as though it is one which sings in flight. The song never varies and warbles quite a bit but I couldn't find it among the warbler songs I listened to. I will keep trying to capture it and post a sample here, eventually.

Heavy Rain is Good News for Some

A regular occurrence here. Heavy rain starts to flood the back lawn. This forces many worms to the surface. Once the water starts to drain or evaporate the Blackbirds go foraging as this one did for breakfast this morning. A quick paddle, grab a worm and take it somewhere drier to wipe it clean. Another silent video.

Bathing in the Rain

It may have been raining for hours but a back garden slowly disappearing under water was just the place for a quick wash and brush up for the Starlings.



 No sound as I forgot to switch the external microphone on. It took a while to persuade the camcorder to focus on the birds as it preferred to record the rain running down the window.

Friday at the Flicks (More Blue Tit Visits)

Sheesh! Talk about a senior moment, more like a senior day. Until I saw a mention on Adrian's comments I had forgotten all about the videos. Only one as YouTube seems to have thrown a wobbly and has stopped uploading.

A couple of days ago there was another short session of nest box viewing. It took a lot of visits to the entrance before one went in to be joined very briefly by its mate.

Walking on Water

It isn't just Adrian's Molly who can walk on water. Checking through the captures made by the ProStalk wildlife camera it caught this midnight prowling moggy on the middle of my frozen pond.



 

Although there were 90+ captures on the SD card most of the time it is impossible to see what triggered the camera. The most probable explanation is a bird flying through the detection area which was out of sight by the time the camera reacted. Those which do have something to see usually contain Bobby or myself as in this one of me planting my Winter Aconite corms.



No sign of the Heron which was my main reason for positioning the camera next to the pond. I will have to try a few different locations around the garden to see what else it can spot.

Watching the Watcher

After noticing a lot of outside activity at the Blue Tit nestbox yesterday morning I once again took the camera and positioned myself about 40 feet away from the box in the hopes of capturing any action. Once again there was not a Blue Tit in sight. That was until I turned round and spotted one sat on a dwarf tree about 20 feet away. It was sat there watching me.



I had been rumbled! There was no way this little bird was going to have its house hunting recorded on film if it could help it.