At this time of year there are always fewer birds in the garden and those that are seen are often taking food away for their chicks. Even the badgers seem to have stopped visiting, I went into the garden last night and disturbed a rat on the ground feeder. This wasn't helped by the fact that hardly anything had been touched during the day. I will be cutting back on what I put in the ground feeder for a while.
Despite the lack of large flocks or anything unusual it has been a pleasant time for birds. I am not sure where the robins in the front garden nested but they raised a brood as I have seen juveniles in the front garden and also had a family of dunnocks on the back fence. A wren has been very vocal near my kitchen window which does make the washing up a little more pleasant.
Sparrows seem to have nested nearby as I have heard them when outside and have seen one or two individuals in my rowan tree. Starlings will probably be absent from the garden fgor at least another week but they were being very noisy yesterday in a garden a few doors away.
Out and about the bluebells have eventually put on a good show although not as impressive as last year. With lockdown easing there are far fewer dog walkers around which has made deer a little easier to see.
The garden has been disturbingly quiet this month when traditionally the feeders will be continously active. I am seeing a handful of blue and great tits on the feeders but no finches and only the occasional long tailed tit. Normally I woukld expect goldfinches and a few bullfinches on the feeders and chaffinches and redpolls on the ground at this time of year. It has been a strange winter, very mild apart from one cold snap so I hope that they are simply don't need to come into the gardens. On a better note I saw a pair of sparrows in the front hedge this morning so, hopefully, they might be spreading from their stronghold in privet hedges at the other end of the village. Away from home a family trip to Yorkshire netted three pairs of goosander on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal between Shipley and Saltaire. I think this is the first time that I have been close enough to get a good naked eye view. I have been neglecting this blog, probably because most web browsing is now done on t
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