Tuesday 12 March 2013

Spring certainly hasn't sprung!

Well it seems that winter is hanging on just a little longer than everyone hoped, and freezing cold north-easterly winds and snow flurries have kept me very much confined to my house! I really wish that spring would hurry up! 
 
Lone cloud
Beautiful daffies
 
Even though it has been mighty chilly I have still been bird watching... just from the back door! I noticed the blue tits have been investigating the bird box which we put up again after its winter clean out. I am quite content watching the chaffinches while they barge each other off the feeders and the long tailed tits flitting around the garden like little mice with wings! 
 
Blue tit on the bird box
 
LTT


How many long tailed tits can fit on one bird feeder?!

LTT in flight
 

I often ponder whether there is a kind of hierarchy in the garden bird world, I think there probably is! The GSW is definitely top bird, probably followed by the starling then the great tit. Followed by the chaffinch and the house sparrow, the greenfinch, the goldfinch and then the blue tit and the long tailed tit. The little wren doesn't really fit in this category, but I definitely think it would give some of these birds a run for their money! Another thing I wondered was if there was some way I could work out how loud us humans would have to shout, to match how loud the wrens sing with regards to body size?! Any ideas?!
 
Chaffinch, house sparrow, great tit and goldfinch!

The back of a greenfinch

and.. it from the front

LTT and blue tit sharing the remaining fat ball
 
While I was watching the birdies, Bracken was sitting back, relaxing...with his legs crossed!



Hopefully spring will have sprung before I post again and there will have been some nice still days so I can go and find the bearded tits which have been seen/heard down the road from me!


6 comments:

  1. Some cracking back garden birding right there!

    The noise levels is really interesting... reminded me of this article from a few years ago: http://www.livescience.com/14870-infographic-loudest-animals-decibels.html

    Hope that helps a bit !

    Tom :)

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    1. Ah thanks Tom, just had a gander at that article! Fascinating really!

      Lou :)

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  2. Hi Lou Mary, Lovely to see your garden visitors both here and on the previous post. It looks like you make them very welcome with all the different feeders. Great to see the LTTs, I haven't seen them in my garden recently but they do tend to flit in and out again very quickly. The mystery on the previous post does seem to me like the work of a Squirrel, perhaps one has been visiting early in the morning. Alternatively. I know Rooks and Crows also behave like that.

    Great selection of photos. I love the Daffs and your gorgeous Bracken :-) Thank you very much for visiting me recently...I also love the blog title, I will hear the cheery song every time I visit now :-)

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    1. Hello :)

      Thank you for your lovely comments! Our pup may be gorgeous but he is certainly a bit of a terror!! Our mystery fat ball feeder stealer didn't make any more attempts at pilfering it again, so it will always be a mystery! Good suggestions though, we do have quite a lot of corvids around here!

      I'm glad you like the title :) That was the effect I hoped it would have!

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  3. Good question about the Wren's song Lou Mary. I reckon it would have to be someone with a megaphone.Good selection of birds in your garden too, and good luck in Montana - I'm jealous.

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    1. Thank you Phil, unfortunately we won't be there long, but hopefully a couple of days in Yellowstone NP should yield a few fab birds!

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