LOVE IS IN THE AIR

After getting back from a couple of weeks away I was looking forward to seeing some changes in the gaden. We arrived back on friday 18th March and were met by cold wind and rain. It was all change on Saturday though and warmer conditions bought the first butterfly of the year, a Peacock, into the garden.

A quick look at the pond revealed a couple of good clumps of Frog spawn, despite the water having taken on a distinctly green tinge, presumably due to algae growing in the warmth. It was nice to hear increased birdsong as well, not least from the Dunnocks, a threesome of whom were chasing each other around the garden absolutely shamelessly.

Disappointingly there was no evidence of occupation in the Blue Tit camera box. There was plenty of activity in the one down the bottom of the garden and I felt sad that I would have to wait a whole year for another chance to be a fly on the wall of a Blue Tit family. However, last night I switched on the TV and flicked over to the 'Blue Channel' and was amazed to see a Blue Tit roosting in the box (below), fluffed up to the size of a tennis ball and sitting on a bed of moss. Carol and I were absolutely delighted and continued to watch it as it occasionally woke up and moved around the box. Absolutely mesmerising!

Today we have watched both birds toing and froing, gradually building the nest and Carol has just told me that a single bird is in situ as I write this at 7pm.

Because the images are taken at night they are infra red and therefore black and white. Hopefully i'll be able to get some daytime pictures in colour as things (hopefully) progress.

NEST BOX 'BLUES' AND SISKIN CITY

It's been a quiet week in the garden, not helped by cold rain and never ending grey skies, so no Bumble Bees seen this week! However, despite the weather a pair of 'Blues' have been visiting the old nest box at the bottom of the garden on a regular basis and will no doubt put it to good use soon. Unfortunately my new, all singing, all dancing, state of the art camera box has been studiously ignored after a flurry of interest when I first put it up. Just goes to show that shiny, new and modern doesn't necessarily cut the mustard with our feathered friends, they have other criteria in mind when choosing a nest site, which we possibly don't even recognise, unless of course they're just camera shy. The thing is, should I relocate it further down the garden in the hope of attracting new interest, or should I leave it where it is and keep my fingers crossed for a bit of late interest........?

I've had a few nice sightings over the garden since my last post, notably a Little Egret which flew over low, late one afternoon and seemed to land on the island on Ford lake where the Cormorants roost. Maybe it's roosting there itself, I know they used to but I haven't seen one for a while and since the fishermen fenced the lake off I can't access it from the garden anymore. Other birds seen included a Green Woodpecker and two Mistle Thrushes and this morning I watched a flock of about one hundred or so Siskins fly over the garden and land in a large Alder tree along the side of 'our' lake. They didn't stop long but the sound of their excited chattering could be heard plainly from the patio before they lifted off again. I've heard reports of an even bigger flock in the area recently but this one was still pretty impressive.

Nothing new to report on the surface of the lake but a pair of Swans have been seen gliding past the fence most days, it would be nice if they decide to stay and nest here. Apart from them the entertainment has been down to the usual Tufties, Coots, Mallards, Gt Crested Grebe and a Grey Heron. No sign now of the Red-head Smew but it was nice while it lasted.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A RAY MAKES

Today's sun, although fairly weak and intermittent, still managed to wake this humble bumble from it's slumber. It's the first one i've seen in the garden this year but I did see a couple down New Hythe lakes last tuesday when the sun all too briefly brightened our lives.

It's also been a while since the Starlings looked like this. Under overcast skies they're uninspiringly dark speckled birds. But shine a light and this is how they really look. What a difference a ray makes!

MONDAY 14TH FEB 2011

As usual my day started with a look down the garden and lake from the comfort of the dining room. The garden was quiet on the bird front but I noticed a different looking bird on our corner of the lake alongside the usual Tufties and Grebes. A quick look through the binoculars confirmed that it was a Red-head Smew. What a great bird to get from inside the house! Thankfully it was a rare sunny morning so I grabbed the camera, went through the back garden gate and managed to get a picture of sorts. Typically, the bird had drifted over to the far side of the lake, so it's a long distance shot as usual, but never mind, i'm well pleased, this is only the second record of this species for me on the lake. Just waiting for the Goosander now!

Other garden visitors this week included a Goldcrest, four Greenfinches who looked at the new feeders in disgust and flew off without trying the contents, two Long-tailed Tits, I think the larger flocks are breaking up as I only seem to get pairs now, and two Great Spotted Woodpeckers. I always look forward to them bringing their youngsters round later on and teaching them to feed from the feeders.

In the pond we have the arrival of the first frogs of the year, no doubt spurred into action by the milder, wetter weather, hopefully the spawn will arrive soon. I also noticed our Fox eyeing them up the other evening. He shouldn't need to add them to his regular diet of chicken legs, leftovers and eggs that we supply him with.

As for the camera nest box, good news and bad news. The good news is that I managed to get the TV on quick enough the other morning to watch a Blue Tit checking out the inside of the box. The bad news is I haven't seen it back again recently. Still, I think there's time yet, it's only mid February after all.

WEEK ENDING SUNDAY 6TH FEB 2011

Carol gave me a bird box for christmas. It's got a built in full colour camera with infra red for night visibility and a microphone. It's a really good design because the camera captures the base of the box where the nest would be and also the entrance hole to see the birds coming in and out.

About three weeks ago I installed it on the side of the shed and connected it to our main TV in the lounge. It generated some Blue Tit interest almost straight away, probably because there had been a box there for a couple of years previously which had been used successfully. We've got our fingers crossed that this superb new modern one bedroomed apartment will attract some tenants in the near future. I'll keep you informed of progress if and when it happens.

The picture below is one of the new 'squirrel proof' feeders I recently purchased. It came with a cage of tough steel that sits over it and allows the birds in and keeps the squirrels out. As you can see it didn't last long. Another couple of weeks and they would have chewed the port off completely on both sides and gained access to the sunflower hearts again. I've now replaced the feeder with one that has steel ports. I don't see the point in making and selling a squirrel proof feeder that is only slightly squirrel proof, or maybe ours are just super strong squirrels due to the vast quantities of peanuts and sunflower seeds they've been eating in my garden in the last few years. Talking of bird food has anyone noticed how the price has rocketed recently? I usually buy three kilos of sunflower hearts and six kilos of peanuts at a time for about £10.50. I bought the same quantities from the same supplier this week and it came to £16.45! Another reason to stop fattening up the local squirrels.

It's been fairly quiet in the garden this last couple of week but I've been pleased to see two Gt Spotted Woodpeckers every day on the new feeders, I was worried they might be put off by them. There have been two new garden birds for the year as well, with two visits from a single Lesser Redpoll on sunday morning, the first for a few years and also a Pied Wagtail this morning, again the first for some time. This brings the year list to 26 species recorded actually in the garden so far.

The corner of the lake has been quiet too with just the usual species drifting by in the shape of Gt Crested Grebe, half a dozen Tufted Ducks, a few pairs of Mallards, some Canada Geese and the usual gang of Coots. I've also seen the Heron fishing in his usual spot on the far bank a couple of times but there have been a few more human fishermen about recently so it hasn't visited so often.

WINNERS AND LOSERS 25TH JANUARY 2011

The introduction of the squirrel proof feeders looks like a success in the main. They still come into the garden, there were three here at one time today, and they still visit the feeders, but they are gradually learning I think that there is no way in for them. I realise that this is a loss of an abundant food supply so i'm buying them their own dedicated squirrel feeder, which i'll site further down the garden away from the bird ones.

The winners from the new feeder set up are undoubtedly the Great, Blue and Long tailed Tits, who seem to have no fear of them and are happy to go inside the cages for the peanuts, or to lean in and pick out the seeds one at a time. They also have almost uninterrupted access now that the Greys aren't hogging them. The Robins also like them, they seem to be able to perch better on the cage and i've even seen Dunnocks clamber in which I never saw before. The losers at the moment seem to be the Goldfinches and House Sparrows who don't seem over happy about it, but maybe they just need a bit of practice.

On our corner of the lake there have been an abundance of Coots which seem to be getting more territorial now, there's lots of chasing about and aggressive splashing, all in preparation no doubt, for the breeding season in April. Mallards and Tufted Duck have also been noted, the former gliding serenely past and the latter constantly diving in the shallow water at this end of the lake, sometimes accompanied by a Gt Crested Grebe. From the patio on sunday I noticed a Heron on the other side of the lake and as I watched it, a Kingfisher whizzed across, just above the surface. Such a contrast between the two in size and appearance, yet both birds are master fishermen and could certainly teach me a few lessons. The Heron gave up on the fishing soon after, it climbed out of the water and bizarrely, walked off into the woods beyond. Who knows what it may have found to eat in there.

There have been two new garden year ticks since my last post, a Jay first of all which we do occasionally get, mostly juvenile birds in early summer. And also a Jackdaw, pictured above from the patio doors. We have a small colony of these handsome grey eyed crows close by and i'm always surprised at how shy they are, even though they often choose to live alongside humans. This brings the garden year list to 24 species, many more to come yet hopefully.

GARDEN BLUE TIT

NO MORE MISTER NICE GUY!

I've been having a spot of bother with some squirrels in the garden. It was quite nice when the first one turned up some years ago, a bit of a novelty really. I was happy to see it swinging upside down on the bird feeder and scampering around the garden, I didn't even mind it making holes in the lawn to bury (or dig up) conkers from next door's tree. It's just wildlife I thought.

Now though, there are up to five in the garden at any one time and they drive me mad! They monopolise the feeders from morning till night, sometimes one on every feeder and they manage to chew through the wire mesh of even the most heavy duty models. My theory is that the more food available to them, the more successfully they breed and the more their numbers increase. I tried shooing them away from the feeders but they are fast learners and they very soon realised that I was all bark and no bite, eventually just ignoring me. Then of course they dicovered the sunflower hearts in the seed feeders, they just wrap themselves around the plastic tube like a grey fur stole and munch the seeds from the open ports until they can't eat any more. Meanwhile the birds go hungry and I stand at the patio doors cursing and tearing my hair out.

Squirrel proof feeder cages are not the greatest looking things but something had to give. So last week I went down to Dungeness RSPB and bought some. I didn't want to, they drove me to it. I was concerned that the birds wouldn't use them, especially the likes of great spotted woodpeckers, but it doesn't seem to have put them off, they still visit quite happily. The squirrels too are still visiting but not so happily, although you have to give them respect for their persistence. They try everything, even attacking them from the bottom where the locking screw holds the cage on. It would never surprise me to see one of them casually unscrewing it and gaining entry, while staring at me and wearing a sinister little smile.

If they do, i'm afraid it will be no more mister nice guy...........!