Backyard Birding II – 10,000 Birds


Final week I wrote concerning the birds that fly over my Suffolk backyard (in japanese England), this time it’s the flip of the true backyard birds, people who not solely land within the backyard, but in addition feed in it. I’ve solely lived in my present home for 5 years: the earlier house owners weren’t thinking about both birds or gardening, so I’ve to work onerous to make the half-acre property extra enticing to birds. I’ve planted a local hedge with elder, hawthorn, yew and wild roses, created a small orchard and dug a pond. As well as I present loads of feeders, stocked with blended seed and husked sunflowers, plus fats balls. I used to supply each peanuts and niger seed, however intriguingly the birds now not appear thinking about both.

A Woodpigeon contemplates a shower on a moist day

Most conspicuous of the every-day birds are the Woodpigeons (above). Not a day goes by with out woodies within the backyard for this is likely one of the most ample of native birds. Curiously, although these pigeons are quite a few on the native farmland, my observations recommend that my backyard birds hardly ever enterprise far into the encompassing countryside. They clearly know the place they’re effectively off.

Inventory Doves hardly ever land within the backyard. This chicken did so on 21 June this yr

Collared Doves are additionally every day guests, although not fairly so frequent as their bigger cousins. These doves are comparatively latest colonists, as the primary pair recorded nesting within the county in 1959. Although Inventory Doves can typically be seen flying over, they hardly ever land within the backyard. They do sometimes: my {photograph} was taken within the backyard this yr, on 21 June.

This Inexperienced Woodpecker ignored the steel Nice Noticed Woodpecker

It’s all the time a deal with when a Inexperienced Woodpecker arrives within the backyard: they normally spend time hoping round on the garden, feasting on ants. Nice Noticed Woodpeckers are solely occasional guests, which is stunning as these good-looking birds are readily interested in chicken tables. At my final backyard they have been every day guests.

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Blackbirds (above) are conspicuous residents and may be seen all yr, although there are occasions within the autumn after they grow to be much less apparent. Considered one of my favorite indications of the altering yr is once I hear a cock blackbird uttering his first tentative notes of music at nightfall on a gentle February day. It’s the younger birds that sing first, with the older males not becoming a member of in till March. I can then look ahead to listening to these melodious songsters every single day till mid July.

Music Thrushes are keen on ivy berries rising in my hedge

A Redwing feeding on ivy berries in March

Whereas Mistle Thrushes fly over commonly, they hardly ever land. Music Thrushes seem rather more incessantly, and from late winter there’s normally one singing at daybreak and nightfall. These thrushes have been as soon as rather more frequent that they’re at the moment, so I’m all the time delighted once I both see or hear one. It takes chilly climate to push Redwings into the backyard. These migratory thrushes are shy birds, however they’re interested in the ivy berries in my hedge. Fieldfares, the Redwing’s bigger cousin, additionally come into the backyard sometimes, however are extra typically seen flying over. I took the {photograph} (beneath) on 24 January 2023, my birthday.

Robins are acquainted year-round residents, and one which sometimes nests within the backyard – I present a few appropriate open-fronted nest bins. Wrens additionally happen all year long, however they’re unbiased birds, not thinking about my feeders. That is in distinction to the Dunnocks (beneath), although they arrive low within the pecking order, so typically scavenge for crumbs underneath the feeders. They’ve a fairly and slightly under-rated music that may be heard from early spring proper by means of to the tip of the breeding season. It’s all the time a delight to discover a Dunnock’s nest, for they lay essentially the most stunning sky-blue eggs, easy and shiny with no markings.

Dunnock: a standard however unobtrusive resident

Starlings having fun with a communal bathtub on a December day

Starlings are periodic guests. Within the spring they’re every day guests, raiding my feeders for fats to feed to their rising kids. In late Might, when the younger birds depart the nest, there may be as many as 40 or 50 within the backyard without delay. Starlings are superb at synchronising their hatching, so all of the birds within the space fledge inside a couple of days of one another. This, little doubt, helps total survival. They’re very dapper birds and clearly prefer to look sensible, for they bathe incessantly, typically in firm. The {photograph} above was taken from my research window on 29 December 2021.

A wintering Blackcap, photographed in December 2023

There’s a tall, thick hedge bordering the japanese facet of the backyard, and each spring this holds a singing Blackcap. These warblers have a refined however enticing music which is all the time a delight to take heed to. Blackcaps are largely summer time customer to this a part of England, however growing numbers of people now over-winter. Final winter I noticed a male Blackcap on a number of events in December, however solely as soon as in January. Ringing information present that our nesting Blackcaps go south within the winter to the Mediterranean, whereas the wintering birds come from Germany and japanese Europe.

A Blue Tit in early spring

4 species of tits are common guests – Nice, Blue (above), Coal and Lengthy-tailed. The latter all the time seem in roving flocks, and by no means keep for lengthy, however in passing they’ll cluster onto one of many feeders, with as many as 9 or ten birds competing for a perch. Goldcrests (beneath), the smallest of my backyard birds, are periodic guests: they will typically be heard singing in late winter and early spring, however recognizing the singer is usually a problem.

The smallest of my backyard guests: a Goldcrest

Goldfinches add a contact of color all year long

A misplaced backyard chicken? No Bullfinches have been seen for 3 years: I’m nonetheless hoping to enhance on this image, taken quickly after transferring to my present home

Whereas Greenfinches are every day guests in various numbers all year long, Chaffinches have grow to be fairly scarce. In my first winter right here I used to be delighted to see Bullfinches on a lot of events. The {photograph} (above) was taken on 6 January 2020, a month after I had moved right here. The next winter I had one sighting, however none since. Hopefully they could re-appear sooner or later. Goldfinches happen all year long, whereas Siskins are every day winter guests to gardens only a quick flight away, however they’re uncommon birds right here, although I anticipate to see a couple of every winter. To this point I’ve solely recorded a Brambling as soon as, a cock (beneath) on 21 April 2021. He should have been heading again to Scandinavia.

This cock Brambling paused within the backyard briefly one April

Amongst my favorite common guests are Reed Buntings (beneath). They invariably seem in late winter and thru into the spring – my earliest dates are at first of February, the most recent on the finish of April. My most rely is six, nevertheless it’s extra typically one or two, and nearly all the time cocks. They’re attracted by the feeders stuffed with husked sunflowers. 

A February Reed Bunting feeding in considered one of my raised beds

Two cock Reed Buntings photographed on the finish of April

A cock Home Sparrow

Home Sparrows (above) deserve a point out, for at my final home these have been rarities, however right here, dwelling in a village, they’re much extra frequent guests. They normally come to feed in small flocks, normally not more than a dozen birds, however in winter there may be 30 or extra. My most rely is 49 – I couldn’t discover a fiftieth.

A cock Gray Partridge on a mole hill in my orchard. The mole is an unwelcome customer

Considered one of my finest backyard information is a Quail, heard from the kitchen, however calling from a barley subject simply over my hedge. I commonly see Gray Partridges on the fields past the backyard, and sometimes they enterprise into the backyard. The sumptuous cock (above) was one other chicken photographed from my research window, this time on a uninteresting January day.

On one other event a covey of six spent a while foraging within the backyard (above). Pheasants are frequent regionally, however solely sometimes come into the backyard. The chicken in my {photograph} (beneath) was a daily customer for a number of weeks earlier this yr. Curiously, I’ve by no means seen a hen Pheasant within the backyard.

Backyard birding is enjoyable, as you by no means know what would possibly flip up. I report my birds for the British Belief for Ornithology’s Backyard BirdWatch, a long-running research with a number of thousand members submitting weekly counts of the birds they report. It’s a traditional instance of citizen science, as the info it produces permits the BTO to observe how our backyard birds are faring. 

(Photographer’s notice: all the images illustrating this piece have been taken in my backyard. Most have been taken by means of double-glazed home windows, which does detract from their high quality.)



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