A bit of a Panic and a Nocturnal Visitor

Yesterday Bobby went for his early morning walk as usual and seemed fine. Later in the morning he was having real problems with his back legs which kept giving way. I was more than a bit worried so I phoned the vet's emergency number. That goes to a paging centre where you explain what the problem is and they page the vet on duty and he then phones me. This he did within ten minutes. Fortunately Mike, the vet, was at the surgery so I was able to take Bobby straight there. On examination it turned out that he has arthritis in one hip joint which had flared up. After a quick injection, some tablets and an empty wallet we were on our way home. It took a while for the injection to work. Bobby could walk OK but was obviously uncomfortable though he does seem to have had a good nights rest. This morning he is a lot better. We see the vet again in about ten days time to see how the old fellow is progressing.



Zipping through the overnight recording from the video camera I was pleased and surprised that it had at last captured a visit from one of the animals I had been hoping to see. A little mouse was helping itself to the seeds under the bird ground feeder. All the action occurs near the bottom of the screen where the recorder puts its information. I think I will have to lower the view a bit more.



Now I know why the cats visit that area at night.

The Blackbird and the Berries (video clip)

A couple of days ago I had been admiring the excellent series of photographs Roy had taken of a Blackbird eating haw berries which can be seen on The Fenlandwalker Birding and Countryside Blog.

Yesterday as I was setting up the camcorder I spotted a Blackbird helping himself to the berries on one of the trees down the end of the garden. I only managed a short clip as Mr Blackbird had probably been eating for a while and decided to have a rest.



As it is a good twenty years since I planted that tree I have forgotten what it is. In the spring it is a mass of pink blossom and cheers up a fairly dull corner of the garden. It is a pity that the surrounding evergreens have just about blocked it out but the odd branch keeps poking out so I leave it well alone.

30-11-09
After a bit if research I think the tree is a cotoneaster.

Rainbows and Rain

Early yesterday morning I could see a faint rainbow from the kitchen window. It must be about a year since I last saw one. Out of curiosity I took a few photographs, some with the Canon and a couple with the mobile phone. The first is with the Canon and the second with the phone:





As I said the rainbow was very faint and the Sun was just above the horizon so I was interested to see how both cameras would cope. The lens on the Canon was set to its widest at 70mm and the phone has a fixed 5.2 mm. They both coped pretty well.

While I see a couple of Coal Tits visit on and off all day snatching the black Sunflower seeds it was a rarity to see one visit the bird bath.





This morning it was raining gently when we started our morning walk but the rain gradually increased and by the time we got back it was a deluge. That didn't stop the birds coming for their breakfasts. In fact there were more than usual, the first being a couple of Goldfinches soon to be joined by more plus Sparrows, Starlings, Greenfinches, Chaffinches and a Robin.



This is the first time I have seen so many Goldfinches together since the outbreak of Finch disease earlier in the year. It was so dark with the thick grey rain clouds I had to set the Canon to its maximum 3200 ISO but with a little help from Paint Shop Pro I was fairly pleased with the result.

Friday at the (Silent) Flicks

Until recently I had always seen Blackbirds around in the gloom before Sunrise. When checking the recordings from the video camera which monitors the ground feeder it was quite a surprise to find the earliest and latest visitor was in fact a Robin.



Now is the time of year when some windfalls from one of next doors apple trees fall in my garden. I decided to slice one up and put the pieces on the ground feeder to see which birds would be interested. There was only one taker. A Blackbird sampled them on several occasions.



Normally the Collared Doves are quite timid and don't bother the other birds but this one was quite different. There was no way any other bird was going to share its breakfast for very long..




Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you. Take care - I heard several reports of accidents on black ice on the roads in Lincolnshire this morning.

Silly Walks and Hunt the Mealworm

When I was watching a Magpie strutting round the lawn it reminded me of John Cleese's Ministry of Silly Walks sketch in Monty Python's Flying Circus.



For those who have never seen the sketch it can be found HERE on YouTube.

As the Starlings had emptied the Coconut of its contents I put a fat ball inside it but there were no takers. Today I thought I would put some dried mealworms in to see who would be first to find them. I hardly needed one guess!





There is a cold wind blowing but 5/10 pale blue sky and constant sunshine has really brightened the morning up.

Some of The Usual Visitors

It is so hard to find a time when there are birds flocking to the feeders which coincides with reasonable photographic weather conditions. Over the past few days the largest flocks have been of Sparrows, both House and Tree. As there are only a few perches on the seed feeder they normally wait either on the cables above the feeders or in the safety of the dead brambles next door until they spot an opening. There can be up to two dozen of them milling around at the same time.



At one stage I though the Tree Sparrows had stopped visiting but closer observation usually shows two or three mixed in with the House Sparrows. The Tree Sparrows have a distinctive large black spot on each side of the head and smooth chestnut coloured feathers on top of the head.



Constant visitors include the Greenfinches and the Goldfinches.



First thing this morning I was watching a Magpie. It was bouncing across to the ground feeder, choosing a seed, bouncing to the edge of the lawn and part burying the seed. Then it would repeat the process. It was only making a half hearted attempt at burying the seeds and I think the other birds will soon find them. Normally all the other birds keep well out of the way while the Magpie is feeding but today a Blackbird decided to stand on the weather cover above the video camera and out stare the Magpie - which it succeeded in doing.



A rarer visitor is this Carrion Crow which glided in to see if it was safe to find a bite to eat but in the end decided to try somewhere else.

Watch Where You Are Treading at Night

When Bobby goes for a wander round the front garden at night I always carry a torch. There are a few areas round the building where there is no light. I am mainly on the lookout for slugs and snails so I can avoid treading on them. Last night as we approached the side gate to the front garden I spotted a dim shape on the path which on investigation turned out to be a Common Newt. I had stopped carrying a camera with me since the Hedgehogs stopped visiting so dashed inside to grab one.

I expected the little fellow would have vanished by the time I got back but my luck was in. There it was in exactly the same position and it stayed there while I took a few photos.





I think a combination of the mild weather recently and the heavy rain earlier in the evening meant that this Newt had decided to see what food might be available. It was a fairly young one measuring about 7cm. A bit under 3 inches long. Even with the flash it was fairly well camouflaged, blending in well on the concrete slabs.

When we went out for a final look round about an hour later there was no sign of the Newt anywhere. Maybe it was on its way to the pond in the back garden. That was the direction it was facing when I first saw it.