COAL TITMOUSE

Yet another new bird to the feeders. This time it is a Coal Tit. They are small, the same size as the Blue Tits.

Unfortunately, as we discovered yesterday, they are also VERY nervous little birds. The day before one was startled by a Blue Tit landing behind it and it jumped forward into the house through the open window. Unlike the Robin and Blue Tits, which calmly flit around checking things out before they go back outside, the Coal Tits go into an utter panic inside. They fling themselves around the room, bashing into other, closed, windows and totally

exhausting themselves. On that day Steve managed to catch the little bird and set it in the window box where it sat for a good ten minutes recovering. I took photos of it, through the glass (having closed the window to prevent further incident) until it finally flew away. We're fairly certain this one was fledgling.. but not 100% sure.

Now comes the unfortunate part. Yesterday another Coal Tit flew in the window, straight across the room and, crash, into the houseplants in the opposite window... then bang up onto the ceiling fan (not running). As Steve moved towards it to try and shoo it back towards the open window it darted back into the houseplants, fell out and down behind a book case. Silence.. utter silence... we got down and peered in from either side. There it lay, on it's back, little feet in the air, stone cold dead. Talk about feeling guilty! Now the policy is, window closed, or opened just a few inches, when we aren't in the room. Open further when we are in the room watching the birds, but as soon as the Coal Tits arrive we close the window again. We're taking no more chances.
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Cheers, Finny

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I was sorry to read about the accident. Your 'new policy' sounds like a good one. I also want to add that these photos don't do justice to what Finny sends. Because of size limits on the blog, I have to make them smaller. But when she sends them they fill up my screen (and as a combo Mother's day/birthday I got a new flat panel widescreen!). They are absolutely gorgeous!

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So take a peek out your window and see WHAT'S IN YOUR BACKYARD ??

GREAT TITS ARRIVE !

I finally found the right combination of foods to attract the Great Tit to the feeders. I think that seeing the Blue Tits and Robins coming and going has also made it less skittish. It sat here this morning 'pigging out' on the nestling food mix, refusing to budge even when one of the Blues landed next to it.

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As you can see, it is another very pretty little bird. At 14 cm (5 1/2 inches) it's larger than the Blue Tit which is 11-12 cm (4 1/2 inches)... and the same size as a Robin .. English Robin, that is.




I've heard this is a good place to do breakfast....







Fancy that, they chop the peanuts up for you...

... and I like the view, too...

.. but the other customers, that Blue Tit in particular, are a bit pushy !

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Cheers,

Finny

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So take a peek out your window and see WHAT'S IN YOUR BACKYARD ??

FROM FINNY

Well, the Blue Tit finally decided to land on the window box, instead of the window feeders. That meant I could get a few relatively decent shots without the interference of glass. She also was not so skittish and stayed put for a while gobbling up live mealworms and peanut bits. I feed live mealworms as they are more nutritional than dried and better for the babies because of their moisture content. In addition, I buy a special 'fledgling mix' that has small pieces of peanut, dried mini mealworms and an assortment of small seeds. I'm fairly certain this bird IS a she because of the subdued colors. The only difference between the sexes is that the male has brighter colors. She is also looking a bit disheveled; Blue Tits have been known to lay up to 18 eggs in a single clutch... though 7 - 8 is the norm. Either way you look at it, the parents have a lot of mouths to feed. They soon look like parents everywhere these days... harried and frayed around the edges... lol


Are you looking at me? I said... are you looking at me?

She has to find the largest of the 'small peanut bits'

And of course there are still my robins... I just love these cheeky little things. They make exceptional subjects to photograph as they are relatively unafraid of people.

I see you in there...

Oh.. is that a mealworm down there?

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Last but not least... the other day I glanced out the front window and spotted this Wood Pigeon in a tree on the other side of The High Street. It was having a feast on the flower buds and young blossoms. I'm still trying to identify the tree... I've got it narrowed down to either a locust, ash or rowan... back to the internet for research. I knew the trees in my woods in Pennsylvania .. they were like old friends... a whole new ball game here in the UK, lol

Why are the best ones always so high up?

Cheers, Finny

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Finny always send lovely treats. Thanks Finny

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So take a peek out your window and see WHAT'S IN YOUR BACKYARD ??

SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT

Was out fishing yesterday and took a photo of a pair of Canada Geese that I am really pleased with... not really a "backyard" photo, but if you'd like to see it, it's on Flickr at this address:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/finland_in_eton/

Feel free to look at any of the others posted there... some of them I've sent to you for "backyard"... You can scroll down through the images on this initial page, they are displayed in the order they were posted, newest to oldest, or you can click on one of the "sets" (albums) on the right side to see them separated by category. You can click on any image to see it full size, and you can also click the "slideshow" option if you want to see them that way.

Cheers, Finny...

SOME MORE BIRDS

My feeder has attracted yet another species... I'm up to a whopping four... count them, four... sigh.... ROFL... not to worry, I am happy with those four species... they are a real treat. Unfortunately, my newest visitors, who are very skittish and elusive, are a pair of ... don't laugh... I didn't make up the name... Great Tits. They flee at even the hint of a motion from inside the house... so taking their picture is difficult, to say the least. To date, this is the best I've been able to manage and it is not very good. I WILL keep trying, though.

The little robins, on the other hand, could not care less about what's going on in the house. Just yesterday I was standing at the window checking to see if I needed to refill the mealworm feeder when the robin landed on the window box, no more than a foot from me. I do think it was a bit startled; it stood there looking up at me, or in at me, while I literally held my breath. After a moment or two it decided that I was ok... had a peck around and then flew off.

The life of an urban bird is full of so many choices... sigh... this little robin has had a dig around in the window box for escaped mealworms and now is looking up at the window feeder... 'Should I go up there, or not?... Maybe I should stay here and have some suet cake... oh dear... decisions, decisions !'

Hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoy taking them... I envy Davekay the vast variety of birds he has coming to his feeders...

Cheers, Finny

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Don't know if I can speak for anyone else, but I enjoy them. While you may not have the vast variety (yet) you have birds those of us in the States don't get to see here. And I think DaveKay has the magic touch when it comes to attracting birds because I surely don't get that many kinds around my house!

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So take a peek out your window and see WHAT'S IN YOUR BACKYARD ??

ROBINS

Finally have the robins coming regularly to the feeder. There is a pair, male and female, though I cannot tell them apart unless they are together, lol, and even then I have to rely on their behavior to tell which is which. The reason I know they are a pair is that, with the European Robin, during the breeding season the female engages in 'begging' food from the male when she is most fertile. It looks exactly like the 'begging' that fledglings do just after they leave the nest. You've all seen it, mouth open, wings half spread and shaking. She also makes a distinctive call to attract him. Being territorial the male feeds the female; from what I've read it's literally to shut her up so that other males will not be attracted and attempt to breed her. That being said, lone males apparently 'eavesdrop' at the edge of other, mated, males territories, listening to determine where the female might be. If she's near the edge of the territory or if the resident male isn't around he might try his luck, lol.

These really are bold little birds. Since the weather has turned unseasonably warm I've had the window where the feeders are wide open. A few days ago as I sat here at the pc I kept hearing soft noises from the living room, behind me. Finally I got up to have a look, thinking there might be somebody at the feeder. What I found was a robin having a gay old time investigating the living room, flitting casually from one large house plant to another or perching on the banister railing. I called Steve and we watched him/her for a few more minutes and then went in and herded it back towards the open window. It went out without a fuss leaving me to clean up it's numerous 'calling cards' which were liberally scattered and splattered all over.

They are wee little birds... about 5 1/2 inches long from beak tip to tail tip, and not a whole lot to them, as you can see.

Cheers, Finny

Images courtesy of Finny

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So take a peek out your window and see WHAT'S IN YOUR BACKYARD ??

A COUPLE MORE BIRDS

A couple of more birds, a Collared Dove, seen up in Lincolnshire at my Mum-in-Law's. He/she looked funny in this photo, strutting its stuff like a drum major.

And today a first at my poor window box, which looks a mess with last year's crop of parsley drooping out of it. I haven't removed it as the birds seem to like the bit of 'green cover' that it provides. I'm debating whether to try planting anything new this year as the bird seed is sprouting up... I've now got grass in my window box... hmmmm... Oh yes, the 'first' that I mentioned... I've finally attracted a Robin. Of course I was playing with the camera settings and didn't get the best possible exposure, but thought I would share it anyway, they are such cute, cheeky little birds.

This one isn't really in my back yard, but it is a photo I am very chuffed to have taken. Was strolling in the college fields (so it is sort of my backyard, lol, by a stretch of the imagination), near the cricket pitch, and spotted this Grey Heron. The pond, which is almost as old as the college, (I've seen it on old maps dating back quite a few centuries) is about three feet below ground level; so, I had to sneak up on the heron, keeping a tree between myself and the bird until I was close enough. Holding the camera above my head and around the side of the tree I snapped off a few shots. Was pleased with the results. Just wish I was taller so that I could have avoided the foreground blurring of the near side of the pond bank.

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Images courtesy of Finny

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I wish my photos looked like this when they didn't turn out! LOL Finny, you take better bad photos then I've ever taken good. Your robins are a bit different then what we're used to here in the States. I've never seen ones like that. Very pretty little things. And the Heron is awesome. Thanks for sharing.

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So take a peek out your window and see WHAT'S IN YOUR BACKYARD ??

EASTER WITH FINNY

Was up in Lincolnshire over the Easter weekend and got some pics at my Mum-in-Law's feeders, she has a nice variety of feathered friends visiting there.





Another photo of the acrobatic little Blue Tit.





The European Blackbird (Turdus merula) is really a Thrush, very much like our American Robin (Turdus migratorius). This is a male in black, the female is a very thrush like brown with a bit of speckling on the breast. I didn't see the Mrs. anywhere this weekend.



And then there are House Sparrows, everywhere like feathered mice, lol. This is not a good photo, really, just an interesting one with the female in flight. She's well out of focus in motion, but it is her pose that draws the eye.

Here is a Green Finch, a beautiful little bird of mottled greens and greys with a dash of vibrant yellow.

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Cheers, Finny

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Images courtesy of Finny

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So take a peek out your window and see WHAT'S IN YOUR BACKYARD ??

SOMETHING NEW

Mostly been up on the river taking pics of swans, geese, coots and ducks... waiting to see if I can attract something to my windowbox & feeders. So far the only success I've had are a pair of magpies and various blue-tits.

I'm one of those sad people who likes to name critters once they become identifiable... so...
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This is Fatty Lumpkin (the name came to me because of his ... I'm pretty sure he is a he... size) Those who've READ Lord of the Rings will recognize the name.

These two photos are of Swish-tail, another name from Lord of the Rings, and who, I am fairly certain, is Fatty Lumpkin's lady friend. He is much bigger than she and they seem to be a couple, always around here together.

And last is a blue-tit... they DON'T have names as they all look alike, and are so skittish that it's hard to see if there are any differences to their markings, size, etc. But they are lovely little birds.
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Cheers, Finny

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Thanks for sending these Finny. Since your all the way across the "Big Pond" you probably have birds that are different from what we see here in the states. Even if they are the same bird, sometimes they are marked different. And it's not sad that you name them. I think anyone who cares enough to name a repeat visitor to their yard is someone with a very good heart!

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So take a peek out your window ans see WHAT'S IN YOUR BACKYARD ??