Comings and goings
I have seen at least three blackbirds in the garden this past week, a male, female and possibly an adolescent.
They are coming in the morning and as I’ve been putting out more suet pellets scattered by the bird table, they have been enjoying those and any scraps of cooked meat, which I put out very sparingly and ensure it is all used up before nightfall to deter rats. The meat scraps are also being taken either by the crows or the jackdaws, one or two of whom have been coming on occasions to the bird table. Talking of the crows, two have been visiting generally in the latter part of the afternoon or early evening. Feral pigeon numbers have been slightly down this week but as my roof is exposed to the north or northeast wind that we’ve had over recent days and there has been some sunshine, they have probably gone elsewhere. I have seen quite a few of the regular group though. They have also been one or two wood pigeons around and about and they tend to stay until an hour before dusk, which is coming noticeably sooner now.
I have seen one of the woodpeckers in recent days but they’re certainly not coming as frequently as they were, or they are not coming when I happen to be looking out of my windows. A couple of collared doves are here regularly and they usually sit in the feeder tray under the main seed feeder eating softbill food or they help themselves from the feeder ports and they return an hour or so before dusk when the pigeons have left, for a feed at the bird table. The antics at the feeder are amusing to watch as they peck at one of the ports and then go round to the other side of the feeder, so I don’t know whether that means that by pecking they’re pushing seed out from the other port or think more seed may be available there.
The starlings are putting in more of a show again and I’ve seen at least a dozen in a group at a time. They are certainly eating through the mealworms readily and from the suet of various sorts. The mealworms and seed feeder are also being enjoyed by the sparrows and dunnocks. The blue tits and great tits are coming on the suet logs at quieter times.
Squirrel activity has continued apace this week and I have seen at least two taking nuts and moving them to various places in the garden and also occasionally eating nuts as they are selected. One this morning was dangling down from a branch, took a nut and ate it upside down in effect. Watching their athletics is certainly entertaining. My picture this week shows a squirrel under my patio table burying nuts in the flowerbed. You can just see its tail and body sticking out of the undergrowth. Insect activity also remains high with a number of bees of various types and hoverflies on the wildflowers and the other flowering plants in the garden. I haven’t seen many wasps, I’m not too sorry about that, but I’m sure as the apples on my two trees ripen, they’ll be turning up.
Written by Margaret Emerson
