One Triumph and One Failure

From time to time the Blackbirds have attempted to collect seed from the feeders but  they had found it too difficult balancing on the ring perches. A short wile ago I attached a 'saucer' to the bottom of the feeder to catch some of the seed scattered by the Starlings. One female Blackbird found it made just the ledge she needed to join the smaller birds which she did without bothering the other birds already feeding.

Female Blackbird, House Sparrow, female Chaffinch:


On our way back from walkies yesterday I stood for a while under a tree watching the courtship attempts by a male Chaffinch. He was singing and bowing from side to side. Every so often he would fly to a branch a bit closer to the female. This went on for about a minute as he gradually closed the gap. She was listening and watching his every move. Eventually he landed on a twig a few inches away from his intended. I could just imagine the look of frustration and disappointment on his face as she promptly flew away just as he was about to hop on to her branch. Oh well. If at first you don't succeed ..........

Wrong nestbox Sunshine.

Looking through the video captures from yesterday I spotted that a Great Tit had made a very brief visit to inspect the Robin nestbox. It was so brief I just took a still snapshot from the video.



I saw the same thing happen last year. Just one very brief inspection. Now I am wondering whether to put a different front on the box so it would be suitable for Great Tits.  Yesterday I fixed my old Robin nestbox on a fence hidden behind a bush. There is no camera in that one but I can just see it and would be able to take photographs if it were to be used by a Robin.

Friday at the Flicks (A bit of Spring Cleaning)

Some video clips from this morning's activity in and around the Blue Tit nestbox. A thorough investigation of the surrounding area followed by the removal of some of the dried grass stalks I put in last Autum when I cleaned the box. Sound Track - Rumores, a MIDI file played on a Roland keyboard.



This is just the sort of activity observed last year a few weeks before an attempt was made to build a nest so things are looking up.

What a kerfuffle trying to upload the file. I have had nothing but problems with failed uploads ever since FireFox was upgraded to v 3.6. Google Gears no longer works with Firefox so bulk uploading is out and normal single uploads often fail. The last few times I have had to resort to using IE.

Four Pigeons and a Stock Dove

There have been anything up to six Wood Pigeons in the garden each morning picking up the spilt seed. Especially since the local farmers activated their gas 'cannons' to scare them off the crops. This morning it was a plasant surprise to see the Stock Dove timidly joining them.



There are still a good number of Blackbirds visiting each day. It was amusing to watch a confrontation between a pigeon and a Blackbird. Neither was going to give way. The Blackbird crouched down, beak open and the Wood Pigeon was gently flapping its wings together in front of it as if to try to box the Blackbird's ears. In the end it was the pigeon which had to retreat.

When I first looked out of the window there were six Jackdaws on the lawn which scattered as soon as they spotted me. At the same time a lone Rook sat in a tree checking whether it was safe to join the others for breakfast.



But as soon as it spotted me watching it took off.



This has been our third sunny morning in a row and a certain hairy monster misses no opportunity to soak up the warmth. Bobby grabs a suitable morsel and rushes outdoors to find the right place to enjoy breakfast.



Yesterday we went for an amble through the only wild area left in the centre of the village. There were lots of birds about, Wood Pigeons, Magpies, Great Tits and several I couldn't identify so it looks a good place to go by myself and spend an hour or two with camera in hand. The only things which would stay still long enough to be photographed were a few Rabbits in a meadow.



As usual there were a few House Sparrows sat in my thorn hedge soaking up the warmth from the sunlight.



The Blue Tits continue to make occasional brief visits to the nestbox so there is still hope they may eventually make up their minds and choose my box this year.

Regarding the mystery bird song my thanks to those who suggested Mistle or Song Thrush as being a possible contender. I  found a couple of reports, from 2008 on the Manchester Birding Forum, of Mistle Thrushes singing in flight so I may be getting nearer to a solution.

http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=96752&p=3&topicID=15192795

One refers to it being mentioned in BWP which I take to be Birds of the Western Palearctic. (outside my price range) One description I saw likened the Mistle Thrush flight song to the sound made by the sort of rattle people used to (still do?) take to football matches. That seems to be a fairly reasonable interpretation of the sound I hear quite frequently round the village.

Unknown birdsong + Where to store sound files?

I managed to get a short recording of the bird I have been hearing on many early morning walks. This morning I saw it, in fact a pair flying together. It was definitely singing whilst in flight and is about Blackbird size. Unfortunately it was too fast and too far away to see as anything more than a greyish bird shape in the early morning light.

I tried uploading my audio file to eSnips where I have stored the odd one in the past only for the site to keep rejecting it as a possible infringement of copyright. Goodness know what sort of stupid algorithm they use for checking when a personal file is rejected. So far I haven't found a replacement free storage site to move my files and make them easily accessible in Blogger. Any suggestions?

I have created a video file and added the bird song clip to a still photo so it can be stored and viewed on YouTube. The song I can't identify is in the distance behind the chatter of the local House Sparrows.



It is probably a very common bird but as yet I haven't found an example audio file on the net which comes near this song.

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.