Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

Arctic Blast

Late on Thursday evening the snow arrived, it began failing lightly at first but in time became whipped up to a flurry as strong winds blew across the landscape, large snowflakes began to fall in blizzard fashion and soon covered the ground as far as it was possible to see. It continued on into the early hours when it was possible to watch through the window due to the bright white snow lighting the surface outside, once the eyes had adjusted to the dark almost everything could be seen.

By morning the snow had covered everything in it's path and the sun which was now just warming up shone down on the transformed landscape lighting it perfectly, the trees and shrubs glistened with trails of snow across their bows and branches and the once green lawns and fields were now covered with a good 5-6 inches of snow. The world seemed a very quiet and different place indeed, the usual hustle and bustle of passing motorists had fallen silent leaving the cold crisp but sunny morning to the birds and I.

Robin

My gardening friend suddenly appeared from nowhere as I cleared some of the more delicate shrubs of snow, sat on a branch next to me it puffed up it's red chest and ruffled it's feathers as if to say "bit chilly this morning isn't it". There was little chance I was going to unearth any worms for it but it didn't deter it from following me all around the garden for at least an hour, it's impossible to imagine what birds have to go through during these cold spells and just a small offering to our feathered friends can go a long way.

Blackbird

Redwing

A frenetic energy seemed to building up amongst the Winter Thrushes until it consumed them and the berry frenzy began. Redwing, Blackbird and Mistle Thrush were soon busily flying to the Cotoneasters in sorties, they were joined by a few Fieldfare which in truth didn't hang around long and had departed by mid-morning. The majority of the Rowan trees have few berries left and it certainly seems that these have been targeted first, most of the Thrushes have now turned their attention to the Cotoneaster's which have grown so large they are no longer bush size but full grown trees which hold thousands of berries from almost every branch, I had hoped that they would remain for a longer period just in case we had a waxwing invasion but no such luck! A Red Kite was circling the fields and a rufous underwinged Buzzard flew over North and an hour later flew back over heading south, I've had good views of the local Buzzards and this is not an individual I recognise. Common Pheasant, Green Woodpecker, Blue, Great & a single Coal Tit, Nuthatch, Jay & Magpie all in the garden.

Redwing

By lunchtime a few snow flurries had passed through and the sun was now shining brightly across snow covered roof tops and fields, the wind had dropped completely and although it was still chilly the sun brought life back to what looked like a stark white wilderness. I'd learnt from my earlier photo attempts of the Redwing that I needed a bit of light on them and the sun behind me so I wandered off to find a decent position, I found a spot and after clearing some snow from around my feet I positioned myself in good view. The Redwings took a bit of time getting used to me nearby but after a number of Blackbirds flew in and started feeding it was too much for them and they soon joined in the melee, 2 Fieldfare returned and a Mistle Thrush soon followed and entered the feast. It was incredible to see this activity up close and with little time to loose they devoured berry after berry in front of me, a few squabbles in-between mouthfuls from the Blackbirds seemed the only interruptions as they gorged themselves as quickly as possible.

Redwing

I got some really good views of them feeding and in turn managed a few good photos, I usually find them quite a wary bird and often difficult to photograph due to the fact they fly off at the slightest movement. With the snow, blue sky, red berries and of course the Redwings themselves it all came together quite nicely and I was really pleased with the results. The Thrushes continued to feed long after my feet went numb and my camera batteries went dead, the cold was too much for both us and the camera and I went off to recharge.

Redwing

Mid-afternoon the skies became overcast with a slight pink glow and I was sure we were in for more snow, a walk across the footpath and out in to the fields founds areas much deeper with almost 8 inches of snow. There was little sign of life and apart from a few small Tit flocks and a couple of Bullfinches calling from the hedgerows it was extremely quiet. The snow didn't return and as night fell temperatures plummeted leaving a very cold night indeed.

Saturday was similar but without snowfall, blue skies and sunny spells highlighting the surrounding countryside but the cold temperatures now leaving hidden icy patches that became treacherous underfoot. The Thrushes remained busy in the Cotoneasters all day and the majority of the garden birds were present, I am concerned however by the fact that I haven't heard a Goldcrest in the garden for the last couple of days as we usually have 2 that are always present, these cold spells can have devastating effects on this species and many succumb to the cold weather. A Red Kite that drifted over was the only other bird of note. By the end of MOTD on Saturday evening snow was beginning to fall again, a light flurry continued into the early hours adding to the covering that was already present.

Recent Garden Sightings.

Redwing

At present we still have about 25+ Redwing that are in or around the garden on a daily basis, a varied selection of berries seems to attract them from garden to garden whilst trying to avoid 2 very protective Mistle Thrushes that are always guarding their territory. The Mistle Thrushes don't pay much attention to any of the Blackbirds but as soon as a Redwing appears they do their best to chase it off, the Redwings out-number the Mistle Thrushes so they do seem to get at the berries while the Mistle Thrushes are busy elsewhere.

Mistle Thrush

A flock of approx 9 Goldfinch and 8 Greenfinch are still feeding on the Rose hips and can be found together most mornings busily feeding on the seeds inside the hips, in the evenings they can often be seen washing in the large puddles accumulating outside. Despite the abundance of food about Chaffinch numbers seem to be very low, whether they are getting their pickings elsewhere is a mystery and over the last month I have only seen 4 in the garden. A small flock of Starlings can often be found and heard on the nearby TV aerials and tree tops with numbers fluctuating between 5 and 9 birds, certainly an added extra to the morning chorus of bird song. 2 Robins continue to follow me round the garden whilst I'm gardening and while they won't feed from my hand they are very happy sitting on the floor next to me waiting for me to uncover the odd earthworm, with the odd muttered warble when I uncover something interesting they quickly devour whatever's on offer. I think there must be a saying in Robin dialect that's says "if it wriggles I'm eating it" as there is little that escapes the attention of an on-looking Robin, the wet weather will obviously be bringing a few worms to the surface and aid their feeding at the moment and under the leaf litter hides an array of creepy-crawlies. 2 Goldcrests continue to feed around the Holly bushes and a pair of Nuthatches are regular visitors as is a Green Woodpecker and 2 Pied Wagtails. When then rain has held off during the evenings both male and female Tawny Owls have been calling to each other from the garden, I guess their finding it a little difficult to hunt at night with the weather being so bad. I haven't found anymore Owl pellets recently and after finding a helpful skeleton guide on the internet will soon dissect the ones I have found.

Robin

The nearby fields have been dredged of the stubble that Larks and Buntings rely on so much and have reduced bird activity hugely, a few months ago I was watching large numbers of Linnet, Skylark and the odd Yellowhammer in these very fields, now I'm lucky to see a few Skylark since they have been lightly ploughed, even the Corvids seem to be avoiding them with the exception of a few Jackdaws. Apart from 2 Little Owls, Bullfinches and Tit flocks the only other activity are the spread out flocks of Redwing, still no Fieldfare in the area although a flock of 26 flew over this morning heading south-east.

Jackdaw

A sad find this afternoon was a dead Common Buzzard, it looks to have been dead for a couple of weeks as the carcass is bare but the wing feathers remain in place. It's entire skeleton is still attached and the yellowish legs and talons are still visible but it's so wet that it's difficult to look at without the feathers falling out, if the weather improves and it dries out the head might be a worthy edition to the collection of bird anatomy!

Blast From The Past - Robin, Bluethroat & Black Redstart.

Robin.

Bluethroat.

Black Redstart.

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) - Old Winchester Hill, Hants. 19/04/09

White-throated Sparrow.

I couldn't resist the lure of going to see the White-throated Sparrow at Old Winchester Hill in Hampshire, having seen an array of superb photos on Birdguides I decided that as soon as the weather improved I would take a visit to see it. Sunday brought fine weather and with the sun high in the sky I headed off to Hampshire in search of the White-throated Sparrow.

We arrived at Old Winchester Hill and after finding a space in the car park we headed off to see the Sparrow, a dozen or so birders were standing just inside the gate to the reserve viewing the pathway to our right as we entered the reserve.

Chiffchaff.

I set my scope up and got talking to an nice old chap who told me he had originally found the bird in November and had been feeding it from his car. We were talking for a couple of minutes and then the bird appeared briefly on the pathway in front of us, I struggled to see it a first and was kindly put on to it as it hid behind a dock leaf on the side of the path. It continued to eat seeds from behind the dock leaf only briefly popping it's head up and then flew back in to the bushes. I hardly had time to see the bird and after learning that it disappeared for an hour at a time and then returned I decided to wait for another view, I certainly didn't want my first ever sighting to be a brief view and quick tick. I waited patiently for the Sparrow to return getting the chance to digiscope Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Chaffinch and Robin while I waited. A Marsh Tit appeared in the bushes next to the pathway and not being able to resist free sunflower hearts it dropped to the ground to feed. True to fashion it didn't hang around long and as I went to take a photo it flew off.

Willow Warbler.

Chaffinch.

Robin.

For about an hour I scanned the bushes watching everything that moved, Blue & Great Tit, Dunnock, Chaffinch and Robin all coming to feed on the seed and raising everybody's hopes when they did so. Suddenly the White-throated Sparrow appeared on the pathway and it quickly began feeding on the seed, I was desperate to get some decent photos and didn't know whether to digiscope or view the bird through the scope, whatever I was going to do I had to do quick as I was advised that the bird can often stay for a couple of minutes before disappearing. I decide to get as many photos as I could and having the camera set up on continuous shoot I placed it against the scope eyepiece and snapped away, after taking 50 or so photos I viewed the Sparrow through the scope getting some fantastic views as it fed in front of us. After being on view for a couple of minutes it disappeared back in to the undergrowth and out of sight. A very enjoyable day to say the least.

White-throated Sparrow.

The Viewing Area.

Old Winchester Hill.

Awaiting The White-throated Sparrow.