Dunnock

We very rarely have Sparrows in our garden, but we often see Dunnocks, well, usually two Dunnocks to be precise. I feel they are rather unsung heroes as they keep themselves pretty much to themselves and, like the Wren, are often hidden away in the undergrowth. But they are lovely birds, and it was good to see this one braving the coconut feeder with its fat and sunflower kernels. Perhaps it was the seeds that attracted it.

The last couple of days have seen me log one Small White and one Holly Blue to my Butterfly Conservation Garden Butterfly Survey list. I keep hoping the sunny weather will attract more soon...

Tree Following ~ The Silver Birch in September

This post is the seventh in my Tree Following series, part of a wider project run by Lucy Corrander from the Loose and Leafy blog. I am following a Silver Birch in Suffolk, UK. You will find the other Tree Follower links for September 2014 here ... so do take the chance to go on a virtual exploration of the arboreal world!

 

Welcome 

to my Tree Following post for September. 

I'm sorry it is a bit late but I've been a busy bee recently. As you can see, the Bluetits are still enjoying the coconut feeders that hang from my Silver Birch. I hope to return to my usual posting for October, but meanwhile, here is a round-up of life in, on, under, over and around my chosen tree.  

The Silver Birch itself is showing a few autumnal signs, with small tinges of brown and yellow on the leaves. However, my tree seems to be changing slowly compared with the Horse Chestnuts and Virginia Creeper in the locality.

The usual pair of Dunnocks have continued to rootle around below the branches. They are very elusive most of the time.

The Starlings continue to visit and seem to enjoy the chance of a bit of friendly rivalry. They certainly make their presence felt with displays of wing-flapping and squawking!

The Blue tits hold back a bit when the Starlings are on the rampage. The Blue tit in this photo is dangling from a Silver Birch frond and as you can see if you follow the arrow, the tree is still sporting its catkins.

The Robin, Woodpecker, Great tits, Magpies and Wood Pigeons have continued to visit. The (other) silver birch to the front of the house had a Chaffinch perched in its branches one morning. As you can see in the photo above, there have been at least two female Blackbirds.

The scruffy fellow in the photo above is probably the most regular Blackbird visitor to the Silver Birch. He pecks at the coconut on occasions but is more often to be found underneath the tree. I have been rather concerned about him and began to wonder whether he was showing signs of disease or infestation. However (and this is sad), it seems he may be manifesting an avian form of 'relationship stress' that causes blackbirds to lose their head feathers. If this is the case, at least it means that he is not suffering from an infection or infestation that could spread.

The photo above was taken about a month ago. I think it is the same bird, which suggests that he has become even more bald in recent weeks. I wonder if he will recover now that the 2014 mating season must be drawing to a close. Do let me know in the Comments if you find any more literature on this condition ... or if you have a different diagnosis.

And finally, there have been a few dragonflies swarming around, but few have landed. The Shieldbug below was looking up from a fence post near the Silver Birch. I think it is probably a 4th instar.

MY PREVIOUS TREE FOLLOWING POSTS

• July to August 2014
• June to July 2014 
• May to June 2014
• April to May 2014
• March to April 2014
• February to March 2014

Quiz Time: What breed of Bird is this Baby?

I was delighted when I looked out yesterday through the glass of the patio door and saw this little bundle of feathers - but was it a young Dunnock or a baby Robin? Do let me know your thoughts on this! The fledgling appeared at first to be sunning itself and relaxing (do birds 'relax'?) under its orange Geum parasol.

The bird began to lift a wing, making it look as if it was some effort to do so. At this point I felt a little concerned, knowing that neighbouring cats sometimes pass this way. I wondered if the fledgling had fallen out of its nest or whether it had become exhausted after its first solo flight. 

I became more concerned as it rolled on its side. I continued to watch through the glass, knowing that I should stay put and make as little noise as possible. 

The bird extended its wing a bit further. I have seen adult Blackbirds, doing this, particularly in warm weather.

Some long minutes later, the little chap raised its head and began to look more alert. 

It opened its bill, and if I had been outside, I expect I would have heard a cheep, cheep sound. 

The fledgling turned its head towards the shrubs at the back of the garden ...

... before turning in my direction. Then it took off and flew over the fence as if nothing unusual had occurred.

If the youngster is a Dunnock, it will keep pretty much the same colouring as it grows. If it is a Robin, I hope it will soon look as strong and sleek as the adult bird in the photo below!

• The RSPB has some excellent advice about baby birds on this page.

Home Patch (21): This Morning's Visitors

The Chaffinch was chirping noisily from his branch ...

I don't know if he realised he had an audience!

On the subject of finches, you might enjoy Adam Tilt's Garden Bullfinch post here.

The Grey Squirrel was competing for his perch ...

... keeping an eye on the Chaffinch.

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee was busy in the Escallonia ...

... flitting from flower to flower in the gusty wind.

The Dunnock hasn't appeared today so far, but I'm still hoping he will ...

Home Patch (18): RSPB 'Make Your Nature Count' Survey

I mentioned the RSPB 'Make Your Nature Count' survey some days ago. I took an hour out yesterday morning in order to do the survey in my garden. The weather was quite blustery. The sky was largely grey, but the sun peeped out from the shadows every so often.

Given how many birds I have seen since we moved here some eight weeks ago, the results are perhaps disappointing, but the entertainment provided by the resident Grey Squirrels more than made up for a (temporary) lack of birds. Typically, one of the regular Robins took up his usual position on a high perch minutes after my hour was up!

The results for my edge-of-town garden were (in alphabetical order) ...

• Blackbird - 2
• Dunnock - 1
• Swift - 6 (overhead. N.B. For this survey, these birds - and House Martins - can be counted when seen in flight since they rarely land in gardens)

We have a regular Chaffinch, who deigned to put in an appearance later on, along with the Woodpigeons. Four (?Wood)larks flew overhead, but, like the late Robin below, could not be counted. There was no sign of the Great tits, Blue tits or Greenfinches.

The two Squirrels got a mention, since this survey includes a section on mammals. They will feature in my next post.

An odd photo of the two Blackbirds (in a shady patch of the garden)

The Dunnock

A Swift flying high (picture taken on a previous occasion)

Show-stealer Robin ... who arrived too late to be included!

I hope you have more garden visitors during the course of your 60 minutes of the Survey!

Home Patch (3): Elusive Birds ... and Other Observations

The 'shy' bird was hiding in the budding branches this morning ...

... and I was delighted to catch it on camera, albeit from some distance.

Is it a Dunnock (or here), I wonder?

A Buff-tailed Bumble bee? Possibly a Queen ...

... was enjoying the flowering currant.

Last night I spotted this moth through the window ... just a record shot!

Here is the web, but where is the spider?

There is something exquisite about a drop of water, something akin to 'a world in a grain of sand' ...

These dew drops remind me of a feature on the secret life enclosed in a droplet in a recent WWT Waterlife magazine.

The resident Robin seemed a bit tamer today, and allowed me to take two photos ...

I wonder what my next sighting will be ...

Those who have been reading my recent posts will know that we have recently moved to Suffolk, UK, and that I am exploring the wildlife in our new 'home patch'. I also noticed some (more) 7-spot Ladybirds: these will feature in the next post.