I had seen a dunnock, a wren and a robin in the back garden in quick succession so I rather tentitavely put out some feed on Tuesday with a few sunflower seeds in a hanging feeder, some fat bites on the ground feeder and a fat bar in a feeder on a tree in the front.
There was no sign of anything yesterday but this morning the ground feeder had been cleared so I wondered if the badgers had been in the garden. A camera trap a few days ago had shown nothing. This afternoon I noticed that some of the seed had been taken and kept watching. Soon I saw goldfinch, blue tit and great tit on the seed feeder and a robin on the ground feeder, which I had topped up. I hadn't expected any take up for a few weeks yet so I am pleased at the result and will have to order by full winter stock of feed soon.
I haven't been posting much due personal matters but still have my eyes open. One thing that has struck me is the eastward spread of birds of prey. I have seen buzzards over Havering-atte-Bower but the big suprise in the past month as been a red kite over the M25 near Stapleford Abbotts in Essex. The skys still look empty by Chiltern standards though. A nice little spot last week was a goldcrest during a visit to Kew Gardens. I have downloaded the Merlin app which supposedly identifies birdsong. I have had little opportunity to try it out but a quck test in the garden showd that it correctly told me that I could hear jackdaws and a robin. I look forward to using it on the coast to see if it can distinguish the various waders for me.
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