Naturewatch update.... just had this chappy come to see us !

Is it a Kestrel?

 

No. But close.

 

Really happy with my garden visitors. I have made big efforts to keep cats away over last few years and I think my work is paying off. Every type of tit you can name, finches galore and my favourites of all, the humble Blackbird. One family is so tame now that mother Blackbird came and sat on my foot on Sunday whilst I was digging the old patio up. Not thick, she just new there were woodlice and bugs galore from the fruits of my labour. Although the cats have stayed away, the downside is that the local population of Maggies seem to know my garden is a bird haven. I would fully support a controlled mini-cull; not cos I'm soft or can't bare nature; but the imbalance between these predators and garden birds is a man-made problem. Balance needs restoring.

On Sunday - there were a couple of young Jays at the base of the feeder. I got a couple of grainy pics through the blind. Beauties, but again, similar in behaviour to the Magpie. My garden issue now is my nemesis Squirrel, who takes great delight in my efforts to deter him. I swear he laughs at me. By the looks of the stuff he is carrying, I guess he is planning on nesting in the tall tree in the corner. I need to take action.

Will try upload the Jays (am sure someone will correct me if they are not Jays).

 

Get a slug gun.

 

Jays

 

Yes they are jays. Haven't had them in our garden, in fact I don't think I've ever seen one in the wild.

 

We've not had a Jay in the garden before (yes that's what they are), but see quite a lot in London parks.

Probably rarest thing I've seen in the garden (twice) was a sparrowhawk. One sat on a tree branch just resting. The other, unbelievably, attacking into a shrub which had a small bird. I was decorating in the back bedroom, just so happened to look up at the exact moment of the strike, legs outstretched, wings open, then it grabbed its prey, turned and flew back over the house. Amazing moment.

And I do quite like the fox that often suns itself on the back wall now and then. Not bad for a small patch in fairly central London (give or take 4 miles!).

 

This little chap has just flown into the window so rescued it off the floor and onto our perching log....photo taken on phone

 

Treecreeper, if you're lucky to see them with young, you sometimes see them huddled under their wing on the tree.

 

We haven't room for a tree but live next to a canal....not had one in the garden for a few years !

 

Extremely lucky then. Only ever seen one once at Scotney Castle in Kent. Often hard to spot too.

 

Im really lucky too. Im exactly a mile from Barnsley tarn centre but also a mile from the Worsbrough countryside. My list of species currently stands at 27 including a pheasant, a grey heron, a tawny owl and even a small flock of Waxwings (during the 2012 irruption). Also a whole family of great spotted woodpeckers.

I too have a resident squirrel, and I share my home with 2 cats a dog and small grandchildren among others. But the birds keep coming and everyone mucks along together.

 

On my recent 500 mile walk (www.wildyorkshireway.co.uk) I made a list of the different bird species I saw. It's amazing how many you see when you spend 6 solid weeks out in countryside of all types. Here's my list: -

Blackbird
Robin
Crow
Jackdaw
Blue tit
Great tit
Linnett
Black headed gull
Kestrel
Buzzard
Heron
Mallard
Moorhen
Coot
Cormorant
Lapwing
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Meadow pipit
Pied wagtail
Pigeon
Wren
Chiff chaff
Canada goose
Jay
Hedge sparrow
Magpie
Cuckoo
Fieldfare
Swallow
Yellowhammer
Pheasant
Partridge
Grey lag goose
House sparrow
Sand martin
Song thrush
Tree sparrow
Snipe
Tawny owl
House martin
Rook
Sky lark
Blackcap
Hen
Great spotted woodpecker
Curlew
Herring gull
Wheatear
Bullfinch
Kittiwake
Guillemot
Reed bunting
Shag
Coal tit
Siskin
Brambling
Perigrine falcon
Red grouse
Stonechat
Grey wagtail
Tree creeper
Guinea fowl
Swan
Starling
Shelduck
Kingfisher
Collared dove
Oyster catcher
Golden plover
Willow warbler + nest
Swift
Dipper
Hen harrier
Peacock
Dunlin

 

Very impressive

 

I was on my own so I needed something to do at times. Most of them I knew but for some of them I had to use the internet to identify. The stunning blue and gold kingfisher was about the best, closely followed by the peregrine which scared me to death on the cliffs near Ravenscar, as it dived past me at about 200mph in search of some snap. Nature is so good at times, and to think there are some t***s out there with guns attempting to have "fun" with it.

 

We have a few sparrowhawks around here. Very impressive in the strike, even though it is sad to watch. You always know when one has struck around here, cos the local magpies and crows go bonkers, waiting for the scraps.

A sparrowhawk got a pigeon in our garden last summer. I missed the strike but watched the aftermath and filmed it. Landed on the side road and spend a good few minutes biting lumps out an de-feathering it. A car passed slowly a good few minutes later - Sparrowhawk flew to the fence, then lo and behold the pigeon sat up, dusted itself down and flew off to the horizon. Am guessing the sparrowhawk was a juvenile.

And front-garden Mr and Mrs Blackbird's 3rd clutch of the season have just fledged this morning!! Happy days

 

Yep definitely a Jay
We get a fair few here.
They have no love of small birds, we try to deter them along with magpies

 

The natural world around us is so amazing, I love nothing better these days than spending a few hours out and about conversing with nature doing a bit of birdwatching, actually so much so I've taken to doing this to going to matches, far more enjoyable not to mention less stressful lol.