BIRDING FROM THE GARDEN AND MY WINDOW
WEATHER: wet and windy, windy and wet and wet!
It has been very hard these last couple of weeks to raise enough enthusiasm to actually get out of the house! Let alone to go standing in the wind and rain watching wind-swept birds trying to eke out a living in these difficult weather conditions.
However, I have kept my bird feeders topped up and the flood-meadow outside my garden has had some interesting visitors in recent times.
Last week a single Little Egret appeared in the meadow, it was picking up worms from the flooded grass alongside a few Herring Gulls. The next day there were two Egrets, yesterday they were up to five and this morning there are nine!! They are all Little Egrets, I was hoping for a Great White or a Cattle Egret, but none has turned up yet, so watch this space.
the meadow with the first Little Egret (Dec 5th)
Little Egret in the flood meadow at Stoford
A Redwing with an out of focus Little Egret
three of the five Egrets seen yesterday ( Dec 9th )
zoom in to see eight of the nine Egrets present today (Dec 10th) with a Crow and a Herring Gull and below all nine came a little closer.
P.S. another Little Egret just dropped in whilst I was writing this so now we have 10.
A large flock of Redwings (50+) visit the meadow most days but I can only see two Fieldfares with them! Blackbird numbers have suddenly increased too, there are 14 in the meadow and at least three in my garden. I have four regular species of 'Tit' visiting my feeder, Blue, Great, Coal and Long-tailed are the regulars, but last week I saw a Marsh Tit for two days running. Other species include. Goldfinch, Goldcrest, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Dunnock, Robin, Wren, Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Green Woodpecker (only seen once recently).
Maybe next week when the wind dies down and the sun comes out I will get out to the 'Levels' or down to Weymouth again.
In the meantime Fez, my tame local Fezant, has returned after his usual summer absence. He sits on the fenze and calls for breakfast. A second male Pheasant has started to join him but is very timid at the moment.
Fez my friendly Fezant sitting on my fenze, a Great Spotted Woodpecker is on the feeder to the left of Fez
Fez still to comes to me to be fed
