BIRD NEWS:147

Pidge continued to observe Ditty, but also to preen, just keeping one eye on proceedings to ensure there would be some seeds left when he got hungry later - or at least to ensure I was still around to offer more, if not.

The following day, Ditty rested from nesting on my sill and meditated for around 2 hours... I took several photos, moved around the room a little, but she did not budge from her newly found preferred spot.

Spring has definitely arrived, but no-one has as yet moved into the nesting box, alas. (Since originally writing this post, they have!!) Several times I have spotted blue-tits investigating - but none have stayed longer than 5-10 minutes. Maybe later on, or maybe next year, or maybe some other species...

I wonder if you can guess why Pidge is looking so anxious and surprised in this final photo for today's posting?

BIRD NEWS:146

Here is the last shot taken of the jackdaws. I will now go onto the next bunch of photos which were taken thru the bedroom window looking toward the tree.

Firstly, here is Ditty sitting on a tree branch preening. She then settled down to rest before continuing.

April began and the next time I used my camera, Ditty was on the sill munching seed and peeping in at me, while in the tree behind her was Pidge. It was not long before Pidge was the one looking - both at Ditty and the depleting seed supply and myself.

Finally for today - HERE is a video of some peacocks wandering through a garden...

BIRD NEWS:145

Here is the last shot of the pair of wagtails spotted on my way home from the late March 700-run. It is now time to catch up on life back home, as March turned into April.

In the tree outside my bedroom window, Ditty and partner have been busy nest-building, as have Mr Black and Curio. Around the yard, the wrens, starlings, sparrows, robins, and blue-tits have all been fairly active, while I have seen and heard little of the magpie, sparrowhawk, black caps, thrush and gold finches that sometimes visit. The wood pigeons of course are often around...

Yes, this year we have a pair of jackdaws nesting in the chimney again, too - and my next few photographs show them busy eating fallen crumbs underneath the bird feeder. In addition to this, they often perch on top of it, then fly into the table to fly away with a chunk of homemade bread.

BIRD NEWS:144

The next shot from my latest 700-run is of one of those 'big black birds' walking along the bridge railing at Shoreham. I only hopped off the bus long enough to buy and consume a quick regular coffee and was back on board as the next slightly delayed bus approached 15 minutes afterwards. This allowed me to be in Brighton not long after I would have arrived on a normal 700-run, when stopping off to visit friends in Lancing rather than working then rushing along later on.

As in my last trip, I went upstairs on the double decker bus to take some pictures on my way home after a brief half hour shopping spree to 3 stores. Here we have the bus shelter roof - once again, pigeon poop but no pigeons - or is there....? Perhaps you can spot one...

There it is! Wandering about the mass of fast-stepping feet munching crumbs nearby the janitor trolley. This was the last bird I managed to photograph from my bus trip home, however I did capture a few shots while walking across the PYO fields on my way home from the bus stop. As I walked across the dry early-spring fields, I spotted a pair of wagtails in the mud ruts behind the pile of discarded crops.

You may need to view a close up shot to spot them -

BIRD NEWS:143

Let us start today with Ditty resting upon the bird feeder pole before leaping off into more pigeons taken in the last half of March 2016. I was waiting for the clock to tell me it was time to go to walk a friend, when I spotted some camera-fodder. There were two wood pigeons sitting in the tree outside my bedroom window just waiting for me to pick up my camera.

One perched on the upper branch and looked down at the lower branch. The one perched on the lower branch looked up at the higher bird. They eyes one another for some time allowing this pair of shots before one flew away and the other strolled about the tree a little.

My next shots are from my next 700-run excursion, taken in late March. It was a late start, as I had to walk a friend in the morning so did not leave home til around 10-30am instead of my usual 7-7.30am departure.

What the shots are of is a mass of starlings resting on telephone or electricity wires between Lancing and Shoreham. You can see Lancing's famed college in the background.

The bus was stuck in heavy traffic for a few minutes as it trundled along the road, continually stopping in the backlog from the upcoming roundabout. I managed to observe and photograph the starlings for around 3-4 minutes, therefore. Basically they stayed put - but twice they flew up in formation and resettled - somewhat akin to a mini murmuration.

BIRD NEWS:142

Here is the last shot of the pigeon and doves sharing the sill that I took during the second half of March. It was almost the close of March when I took the next picture - can you spot the pigeon?

Well, in case you failed - here it is:

In case you are getting bored with pigeon pictures - here is a sparrow! All of them have managed to get seed from the top two holes with pegs - but as the bottom two holes pegs have dropped off, only the clever sparrows can get seeds out the lower two holes. This one is doing it easy...

The jackdaws are enjoying next doors' yard - as you can see in todays' penultimate picture. There were 4 of them down pecking at something in the soil - not sure what...

Finally for this post, Ditty sits resting upon the bird feeder pole. She cannot access the food inside - until somebody munches and drops crumbs, but it still makes a great perch.

BIRD NEWS:141 & baby pies

Finally, the wren turned up while I had my camera handy! Here she is pecking about below the bird feeders - both munching crumbs or grubs of some description and also selecting nesting material. As you can see, she did not take much notice of Mr Black strolling by on a worm hunt...

March continued into the second half and much activity is going on in our yard. Multiple birds are nesting and flurrying about grabbing everything they can find for these nests. In the pittisporum and laurel trees outside my bedroom window, we have a pair of doves and a pair of blackbirds nesting - hopefully.

Here we see a pair of doves trying to share the windowsill peckings with a pigeon. They were not too certain as to whether both would fit on the sill as well as the pigeon, but kept trying to eat seed also. One decided eventually to just sit in the tree and watch.

Finally for today, HERE is a video of some baby Australian black backed magpies at play.

BIRD NEWS:140

I never did find out what happened to this little fellow. I did notice him sitting on the ground under the feeders and not seeming to wish to move, though. The starlings dropped crumbs on top of him, and he just shook the crumbs off, or tried to munch a few. I am uncertain if it was a too-young nest leaver, a sick adult, or been attacked/bumped into a window. It was there for around 30-40 minutes - but when I left the room and returned 10-20 minutes later was gone.

Next up, we have arrived in mid-March 2016 and here are two shots of Beatie the blue-tit. Neither are very clear, but she was quite active in the tree for some time. Also in the tree a lot recently, has been Ditty - who may actually have moved in to next in the tree as well as Mr Black and Curio who have a nest somewhere in the pittisporum or laurel trees.

As you can see in these next couple of shots, Ditty has been collecting nesting material. I have seen her fly into those trees at least 3 times with it, so am hopeful the doves have moved from next doors' holly tree that was cut down to just a stump to my trees.

Talking of Beatie, I have noticed activity at the nesting box twice this past week. On the first occasion, a blue-tit flew nearby, then perched on the hole, then flew in - each thing 2-3 times. I had my hopes up - but saw no more activity until 3 days later when a blue-tit did much the same. I hope one of them will choose the new box as their home.