BIRD NEWS:126

Above, the last shot, a starling and pigeon were munching away at the fallen crumbs. Of course, food is not the only concern for our backyard birds, housing is another major need.

Recently, luckily not in breeding season/use, the blue-tit nesting box on next doors' laundry post was dismantled prior to new tenants. I made sure Beatie had sufficient food and she has stayed in the area as I have spotted her a few times on the tree or at the bird feeders, munching on a nut or snacking at the suet balls and seeds.

A friend of mine suggested that I put up a bird house to replace the one taken down next door - and thinking this a great idea I plodded off to purchase one at Wyevale Garden Center. Although I have yet to put it up, I now have a lovely brand new home for Beatie, should she choose to move in, once it is attached to one of the trees at the bottom of our yard. I am just waiting on the weather to stop being frosty, wet, or misty, so I can attach the nesting box properly and securely.

Due to discount and voucher, I manged to get the box and two bags of suet pellets as well for the cost of 2p less than the box alone - so I am quite happy with my purchase and eager to see if Beatie will like the new house too - otherwise, to see who does move in!

As I think I mentioned before - I was on the computer last week and heard a flapping bumping noise. When I turned to see which bird was flying up to catch bugs on the window pane, I discovered Beatie had flown inside and was actually trying to get out. After a bit more fluttering, she managed to find the hastily opened window.

The frosty mornings took a run of 3-4 in a row and the birds got super hungry over this period. The thrush, Plate-face was sighted for the first time since last winter and above you can see Curio and a starling munching fallen pieces of homemade bread which have fallen out the suet ball feeder.

BIRD NEWS:125

Here, you can see that the refill of the feeders did not last 'filled' for long - no sooner had I gotten indoors, than sparrows and starlings landed and munched! January progressed and the third week brought a few frosty mornings. Here are a pair of ravenous starlings munching on the sill...

In the above shot you might be able to see that starlings 'pick up' food pieces by opening their beaks very widely and whipping the morsel into their beak with a long pink tongue - a bit like a frog catches a fly. Oh, OK then - bye...lol.

Back to the feeder, and here is a pigeon eating dropped out pieces on the lawn below, while above the starlings create more crumbs for the pigeon to munch.

The third week of January was mostly wet followed by an icy, bitterly cold spell, then wet with damp mists. This gave me some terrible photography weather - but I managed a few good shots amongst the blurs. Here is one of a gang of starving starlings, happily munching from the food options on the feeder.

BIRD NEWS:124

Bubster Pidge wanted seed - so stood on the branch and stared in at me til I noticed and provided seed! January is a lot colder than October thru December has been this season, and the birds really began to get stuck into the food requests by the time the frosts came at the end of the second week. Bubster Pidge, Mr Bob, Mr Black and a couple of sparrows have all queued up on the tree or sill in hope.

Curio is the tamest of the birds when I go outside as a rule - often looking on without flying away if I hang laundry on the line while she pecks in the bird table nearby. Mr Bob or his wife has also gotten tame again now the icy weather is hitting hard. This morning as I went out to refill the suet ball and pastry feeders, one of the pair stood on the feeder until I was almost right up to it.

As you can see, the starlings are munching away merrily at the feeder - although I have also spotted sparrows and Beatie munching away. The pigeons, doves, robins and blackbirds all munch the dropped crumbs below.

BIRD NEWS:123

One moment, there were a trio of wood pigeons, a blackbird, and a jackdaw - the next, one pigeon with 3 doves... That is how varied and popular the feeder pole has become. I only have to dip my head towards my cooking - to stir the saucepan contents or check the progress of something roasting in the stove, and the birds have changed.

I did not get photos on the above occasion, but as January arrived in its first week, I did get a few shots of the three wood pigeons hanging out together eating crumbs the smaller birds such as the messy starlings had let fall. Alas, our almost-resident wind made for my now regular blurry shots on the first couple of pictures.

January 2016 seems much the same as the last year temperature wise - warmer than usual for a British winter, but throwing out the odd day of extra chilly weather to cause chilblains for humans and hunger for birds.

One incident worthy of note from the month is when I was busy sipping a glass of ginger wine and computing and heard a fluttery bumping noise. I thought a bird was trying to get in the window at first - but then realized it was inside and was trying to get out again. Beatie had flown through the open window and was attempting escape...

BIRD NEWS:122

Here we see it did not pretend to be a flying saucer for long - the bread piece soon found its way back into a pigeon's mouth! Let's see a close-up of that happy bird...

No, that is neither pigeon nor bread scrap - that is a long-tailed tit that I found a group of in a tree when walking into the village from Angmering station area, past the high school. I managed to get a couple more shots - which came out pretty well considering it was then lit only by fading signs of daylight.

Boxing day was done. December was not quite over with, however. Although I do not have photos to prove it, I had a rather enjoyable if uncomfortable experience a few days before the year closed that involved a pigeon amongst other birds.

I had just scooped out a tub of seed and suet to place on the sill for the birds, and was in the process of pulling my window shut, twisting the catch and removing my hand and self, when Curio landed PLONK on the sill. She glanced at me cautiously, but did not leave, and started to tuck in to a few suet lumps. I managed to close the window, and was about to take my hand off the latch and withdraw to leave the birds in peace, when 4-5 starlings landed.

Whereas with Curio I would be sure she would be back if startled by my moving too fast, I was no longer able to move fast without the fear of upsetting the birds. By the time I had decided to make minute partial withdrawal steps, 3-4 sparrows had appeared and began to tuck in. Once again, I prepared to withdraw exceedingly slowly, but Bubster Pidge plonked down on the sill, warily, but defiantly - and with one eye remaining on me proceded to devour seeds gulp, gulp, gulp...

Now, for a pigeon to eat seed with me standing right next to it with my hand outstretched is not new for me - but it is new for me in this country. I no longer wished to withdraw until the pigeon had finished eating. I figured that if it was brave enough to come down while I was still right there in front of it to eat, then I could at least stay put without movement to allow it to feel secure and not scared. I thought that if I did it just this once, in the future it might get to know I was harmless - even close up.

Oh, and then I might have a pigeon friend that was tame, once more!!!!

BIRD NEWS:121

Bluey rarely minds having his photo taken, as regular readers may have gathered from the abundance of pictures with him looking at the camera, rather than dancing about hiding from it - as Naboo purposefully does.

I did not really manage to get any more clear shots of Naboo...but at least I had that one, this trip.

After coffee in Lancing, I went to Worthing intending to watch the new Star Wars movie - but the wind was so strong, my sinuses were not feeling good and I did not fancy sitting without sipping water for 2 hours, which would make them worse. I therefore took the bus back east to Brighton. I wandered along for a while looking for shops that would sell ladies cloth hankies - and found some pigeons enjoying a snack on the sidewalk. No, the bread was not really flying as the photo makes it seem - a pigeon had tried to eat it and tossed it upwards...

 

BIRD NEWS:120

There it stood, drinking from a puddle - but keeping an eye on me once I was spotted. Further along, there was a whole group of these guys - though I really do not know if they are jackdaws with funny colored eyes, rooks, ravens, crows, or what...

In my last post I mentioned Lancing, and my regular readers know what that usually means - a visit to Naboo and Bluey! Today, Naboo had plenty of grapes and a large piece of cardboard - the latter occupied him predominantly, for he kept going to rip shreds off. Another of today's antics, was Naboo standing on the bottom of his cage shuffling backwards - and yet another was Naboo on the bottom of his cage, beak into the wood chips, shoving his beak forward making a path in the chips.

But there he is on the cage front giving me a photo to start with - and not many more to follow! Bluey was far more obliging, however.

BIRD NEWS:119

I took a few more shots of the feeder pole being used by starlings - and caught Pidge munching the dropped crumbs below! This is not the first time; there is often a blackbird or pigeon or dove below eating the messy starling's dropped peckings.

These next two shots were taken on Christmas day 2015. Pidge is back below the starlings eating crumbs - but this time it is not suet ball or homemade bread - but Christmas pudding with seed. I purchased a mini pudding, cut it into quarters, and rolled it in bird seed...

Boxing day took me further afield. I took a 700 run for the second time in December. This time, I arrived in Worthing and slowly dawdled along the gale swept coast towards Lancing. I spotted one of those big black birds on the wall...

BIRD NEWS:118

I have a couple more sad pictures to share concerning the garden wipeout next door. These are the before and after on a very tall tree which was used as a nesting site by the local goldfinches - who will now need to locate a new home. You might also see a slab of wood on the washing line post - where Beatie's nesting box used to sit.

December continued...

Here is a shot of Pidge staring into the bird table below, about to fly in. He actually did so and was busy eating seed for a while. He was shortly joined by two doves, whom he did not object to.

Meanwhile, as we entered the weekend prior to Christmas, here is a shot of the starlings busily enjoying their feast. Behind you can see my newly reclaimed poly tunnel - due to the removal of next doors' trees and shrubs, there is now enough light to use it again. I have decided to do so - half as a potting shed and half as a poly tunnel.

Oh look! Chackie came to investigate the feeder pole!

BIRD NEWS:117

Here are two rather good shots of a young gull and a curious pigeon taken in the park mentioned in my previous post. My next shot looks like a pigeon about to take a jump - which indeed it did shortly after I shot the picture. It's partner had already dived down to the water below and it chose to follow. Winter is rather warmer than most years, and even in December the pigeons are amorous rather than shivering this year.

Taking a glance further across the water, you can see where the gulls are hanging out on a sand bank. Back on the concrete park path, a pigeon was finding it suitable to fluff up as it strolled along in my direction - it must have felt the cold more than its brothers and sisters.

Regular readers may recall that on my last trip to Shoreham I encountered a group of pigeons in a side alley on my way to the toilets. Sure enough, they were there again on this trip.

I was on the bus traveling homewards, riding in the top deck for a change to get a better view. As I left Shoreham and progressed towards Lancing (sorry - no Naboo or Bluey shots taken on this trip!!) I was just quick enough to catch this group of - yes folks, more pigeons - seemingly attacking a door handle on an upstairs balcony. You can also see those horrid wire spikes, which are used on building when people do not want pigeons on them - hee hee.