Chiltern Birder

 I had been wondering over the last couple of days if the redpolls would return after last year's visit. Luckily today I saw two on the feeders. As they did seem to prefer ground feeding last year maybe they will clean up some of the mess the goldfinches and bullfinches leave. The finches tend to bite sunflower seeds so that they eat the middle section while the two ends fall to the ground.  The only other sighting of note in the garden has been a collared dove. Not unusual in itself and they are common at the other end of the village but it is the first time that I have seen one in the garden for several years. I paid a brief visit to the Upper Ray Meadows between Aykesbury and Bicester on Wednesday. I picked the wrong shoes and ended up with the half melted frost soaking my socks. With the dampness on the uppers refreezing I decided to call it a day before noon but still managed to see a flock of redwing, four lapwing, a snipe and an unidentified wader that flew across too q...

Settling in to the breeding season we are seeing some changes in the garden. The redpolls seem to have moved on while the goldfinches are appearing in far smaller numbers. Rather than all feeder ports in use with birds waiting we now see one or two at a time although the pair of bullfinches are still around. Numbers of tits seem to be down but we did get our first long tailed tits for some time this morning. They ignored the seed feeders but took fat pellets from the ground feeder. With fewer birds around the dunnock has become less shy and is now regularly seen taking food scattered on the lawn.

It was a fine spring like day today with the lesser celendines under the front hedge finally starting to flower which attracted a buff tailed bumblebee. In the back a siskin was sampling the sunflower hearts. He posed for some time as I stood at the bedroom window and studied him carefully through glasses. I think that this is only the second time that I have seen one in the garden. The lesser redpolls are still regular visitors clearing up the pieces of sunflower seed that the goldfinches drop. Between them and the pigeons that patch of lawn is getting pecked bar. While I was watching the siskin a dunnock turned up as well but not for long as the lack of a red breast didn't stop the robin from seeing him as a threat. I know that robins can be vicious little devils but I thought that the behaviour was triggered by colour.

It was quite an exciting moment this morning when I spotted three redpolls on the lawn. I think they were in the garden yesterday as well but they are quite nervy and fly off at the slightest movement at thew window. Today I managed to see them from upsairs and had the little monocular that I carry when not explictly out birding handy. They were working over the patch under the feeder where the goldfinches drop fragments of sunflower seed. At night the badgers are still cleaning up everything in the ground feeding trays with at least two individuals visiting the garden. I had, legitimately under covid rules, to visit the Rush Green area of Romford at the weekend. What struck me immediately was the sound of ring necked parakeets in the taller trees. The usual blue and great tits were audible as well as house sparrows. I was brought up two or three miles to the north and back then all we saw in the gardens were sparrows and starlings.