Big garden birdwatch

The weekend of 26/27th January was the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, when everyone is encouraged to sit down for an hour and count the birds in their garden. Although the snow lingered, it was not quite as cold as the week before and there weren't so many birds about. I counted 14 species- including a small group of

Long-tailed tits and a pair of Robins, all of which came to the various feeders dotted around the garden. The information that the RSPB collects from this exercise is very helpful in providing trends on what is happening to various species.

Robin

Long-tailed tits

 

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Big freeze!

With temperatures dropping to at least -2.5C, the roads were very icy this morning and there was adefinite crunch underfoot.

Many of the bushes and trees are bowed under with the weight of the remaining snow and branches are in danger of snapping off, so beware if you walking underneath!

 

 

 

The views are all still mostly monochrome, except for a few places where unexpected colour, like this red fencing, adds some relief.

Remember to keep putting out food for the birds as they struggle in the cold temperatures. Things with high fat content like suet are welcome and birds like blackbirds and thrushes love fruit, bruised apples, sultanas etc will be gobbled up, if you can keep the wood pigeons, rooks and jackdaws off

 

Another important thing to provide is a supply of ice free water. You can get some ideas of how to do this on the RSPB website here . I use the first method with a tea light under the bowl. Remember to empty the bowl at night though or you will end up with solid ice in the bowl in the morning!

Next weekend, 26/27th January, is the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, so keep topping up your feeders all week to ensure you get some good birds in the garden for the count.

 

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What a difference a week makes!

The contrast in the weather between last weekend and this one is really marked.

Last week the squirrel in the garden was happily feeding on the bird feeder.
Then the snow, which was correctly forecast, fell over Thursday night, so that by Friday morning the world had turned black and white and the squirrel was nowhere to be seen and the view looked very different indeed.

The views of the village from Stony Down (below) on Saturday were picturesque, but still black and white.

The birds were flocking to the garden feeders or, in the case of the song thrush, was taking advantage of any berries still left on the yew trees in the churchyard.

The churchyard in the snow.

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Sunny morning walk in Combe

Last Sunday we went for a walk around the village and the sun shone for change! We were not the only ones about though and as we walked along the gated part of the lane at Woolhayes we watched a fox as it crossed the boggy field of sedge and reeds.

It was clearly hunting as it regularly paused and listened to any movement in the undergrowth. It pounced a couple of times but didn't catch anything but it put up about a dozen snipe which were sheltering in the long grass.

 

Continuing on to the sewage works is always worth a scan for something unusual. (last spring there was a yellow-browed warbler from Siberia that attracted many birdwatchers).

We were rewarded by a lovely grey wagtail, a species that likes running water and often hangs around here, probably because of the insect life.

 

Along the lane we heard a bird singing what at first sounded like a song thrush, but without the repeat phrases. It was high up in a tree and the picture is not great but I am pretty sure it was a mistle thrush.

All in all a great walk, how lucky we are to have such a variety of wildlife in our parish.

 

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White headed blackbird

There is always something interesting to see when out walking in Combe and on Friday, whilst scanning the blackbirds feeding on the school playing field which had just been cut, I saw this bird with a white patch on its head. This is known as leucistic a is quite common, especially with blackbirds.

 

 

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Early flowers in SSW

A lonely primrose made an appearance in the SSW this week but it may be sorry if the promised snow arrives next week.

Snowdrops are also appearing on the bank between the graveyard and the wood. They are noticeably smaller than the ones in my earlier post this month of the flowers at the CME entrance area.

I

The CME snowdrops are probably cultivated, hence the larger and earlier blooms.

 

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Mystery print?

While walking along the path between Stantway and Combe Wood Lane earlier this week I noticed a number of odd prints in the mud. As it is not a bridle way and there is no gate only a stile at the end there is no easy way out of the path for large animals.

I tried googling some images of animal prints and thought it might have been from a cow but this seemed very odd as recently there had only been sheep in the fields.and there was no sign of any cattle.
The next morning was a bit misty as as usual I had my binoculars with me and was scanning around for any wildlife when. I saw , emerging from the gateway across the field this cow, happily consorting with the sheep!

I watched it walk across the field and then squeeze through the hedge into the next field, so I guess that is how it got into the field in the first place. No doubt it escaped from the field it was usually in and having walked along the path decided this field was as good as any to stay. It stayed for a couple of days before disappearing again, so presumably the farmer who owned it either reclaimed it, or it just went wandering off again! I suppose it was a case of, it always seems greener on the other side!

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