Chiltern Birder

 After a couple of days of frost the garden looks more like a typical winter's day with birds visiting throughout the day. Blue tits are the main visitor plus one or two marsh (or possibly willow) tits and the occasional great tit. A flock of long tailed tits paid a fairly brief visit. Robins in the back garden have paired, seemingly a little later than the ones in the front.  Due to ill health the ivy on my back fence hasn't been trimmed and has developed a good crop of berries. The only bird that I have seen showing interest has been a wood pigeon which spent some time yesterday feasting on them. In the front I put out a fat block yesterday afternoon which, so far, has attracted a grey squirrel. The pair of robins and the occasional blackbird are active on the hanging table.

 The lack of finches in the garden is disturbing. I am seeing blue tits and great tits coming to the feeders for sunflower seeds but the boards of goldfinches seem to have vanished.. In the front garden we now have a pair of robins which come to a small hanging table which gets a mix of fat pellets, dried mealworms and pinhead oatmeal. This mix also attracts wood pigeons and blackbirds although the latter seem to prefer the fallen quinces. Over the bank holiday I was staying in Romford, where I was brought up. On a visit to Bedfords Park I came across two species that would have been unheard of when I was brought up there. There was a flock of parakeets in the woods at the north end of the park while a pair of buzzards were circling between the park and Havering-atte-Bower.

 I have been seeing reports online of waxwings and redwings in good number. At home the blackbirds have long since stripped the rowan of berries and I don't hold out hope of anything exciting. The back garden has been very quiet, not helped by neighbours having an extension built. Recently a flock of blue tits invaded the garden going, I think, for insects sheltering in battening attached to the back wall. I disinfected one my my feeders and put out a small quantity of sunflower hearts. The flock, including a few great tits, reappeared and had me thinking that it was time to put out the other feeders. However they left without finishing what was there and the garden has been devoid of birds ever since. The front garden has been a different matter although all birds have been commonplace. I have a small hanging table on which I put a mix of fat pellets, dried mealworms and pinhead oatmeal. The robin isn't tame but he is usually sitting in a tree complaining about my presence by

 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

 During September and October the garden normally seems to be devoid of birds. For the last few days there has been a flock of tits on the feeder. At least 5 blues at a time plus two or three long tailed as well as the occasional great and coal. This only takes place later in the afternoon, usually at around 5.

 I was quite excited this morning when I disturbed two house sparrows on the fat feeder in the front garden. Luckily they did return later. I didn't get a chance to look out of the window but I also heard a great spotted woodpecker call in the front garden. In the back garden we had our first nuthatch sighting of the year which makes three garden firsts for 2022. The redpolls didn't linger this year and I haven't seen the coal tits for a while but we have had the usual regular selection including blackbird, robin, blue tit, great tit, long tailed tit, chaffinch, goldfinch and bullfinch. Out and about sightings have included red legged partridge alongside the A418 near Tiddington, skylark on the fields behind the house and a trip to the Forest of Dean with a far too brief glimpse of a dipper but consolation from a pair of kingfishers along the Cannop Brook.