Weather Stats

Max Temp =  12.3               Min Temp =   -1.8            

 Max Wind  25.9 mph

Max Rain Fall =   157.5mm     Max Rain in 24 hr Period =  25.9mm     Max Rain in 1 hr Period =  8.2mm  

  Diary

12th  The garden has undergone some changes in the last few weeks as the weather has finally snatched all the colour. There are still plenty of the plants with leaves still present but I think in a short while this will change too. I amas like last year, not going to cut down the old stems and plants as my idea is leaving the plants should give homes to insects to overwinter and provide seeds for the finches. I have already spotted a Goldfinch feeding on the seed heads of the Meadowsweet plant.

As I got home on the 11th I went out to the garden to check food levels only to be confronted with the inevitable...a dead Goldfinch that had come to rest on one of the trays at the bottom of the Nyger feeder. I had noticed a few other birds inc a Greenfinch and Chaffinch that were showing classic diseseased signs some of which are a puffing up of the bird, lethargy leading to sitting for long periods either near food or water without moving. It can also be noted that they may try to sleep whilst on the feeder and your presence close up sometimes can go undetected. There are several diseseases that can affect birds and if you would like to find out what they are or how you can limit them at your feeding station please click HERE

I immediately cremated the Goldfinch, cleaned all the trays and sprayed with a known cleaning fluid to kill bacteria. Disease from time to time is pretty common at the table and if hygiene is adhered to it posses no risk to humans. My feeders will again get another thourough clean in the next few days and I really would admonish anybody feeding the birds give all their feeders a good cleaning regime at the moment as it is an important part of the feeding program.

As I can monitor the nestboxes I have scattered in the garden by use of internal cameras coupled up to the computer I have been looking forward to seeing either a Blue or Great Tit take up residence in a nestbox as a winter roosting spot. Sadly this is not the case this year as non of the monitored boxes are being used but what i have noted is the interest shown during the day of the boxes as some of the Tit family hang around the entrance looking in. This morning I noted a Blue tit go inside a box that i do not have a camera in but it may lead to a roosting bird in that box.

Time off from work allowed me to spend the afternoon birding round Cowm res. It was a little breezy and cloudy when I started out but this soon gave way to a calm cloudless end to my jaunt. A couple of pics which i took whilst walking show why i do like the place so much.

   This image is looking North East toward Whitworth Quarry        A favourite spot midway between Res and the quarry basin

I was again in search of a better photo of Fieldfares and it was not long before I had connected with them as their rather raucous calls rang out. They were on the east bank of the res so I quickened the pace to reach a spot I felt sure they may well visit. As I started the walk round to this spot I had in mind I could not let a chance to photo another bird pass, so I slowly got closer and then perched my body on a wall that was a couple of feet taller than I.  A Male Stonechat posed just long enough to get this picture

As I moved toward my target spot, a mistle Thrush lifted from the ground in front of me and flew to a tall windswept hawthorn tree where it seemed to be rather annoyed at it's disturbance. When i had reached the spot I felt might give me a chance of the pictures I wedged myself behind a wall and the side of a large Beech tree. I waited with my camera on standby and kept the movement to a minimum. After about 20mins i noted a single Fieldfare in a Hawthorn in the middle of an adjoining field, i set off trying to keep quiet which was nigh on impossible due to the field being exposed with little cover. A wall 10 yard away from the tree helped me hide and would act as an improvised tripod. Sadly when close enough I lost sight of the Fieldfare and after some time I thought it had flown, but as I stood above the wall it flew from the tree....damn! I stuck around in the hope I might get another chance so again I kept well hidden, quiet and motionless. I was to be rewarded as 30mins later approx 200 Fieldfares started to feed from the Hawthorn. It was fantastic as the tree was alive with these winter migrants, their very subtle contact calls which were very wimpish seemed very endearing considering they are large and hard looking birds.

The only downside was the fact that by the time I was in a good spot to take pictures the light had decreased dramatically. I took about 80 pics but only a few have survived the computer cull.They really are a "toff" type bird with their top hat and tails colouring. truly beautiful birds that I always lokk forward to seeing.

As you can see in these images they were aware of my presence but yet they chose to accept me...to a point..... as they chose to feed mainly on the backside of the tree with only an odd bird venturing to the side I was looking at.

They took it in turns to feed as 5 or 6 came in to the tree it seemed to signal that others should leave. I left them be after about 30mins and headed home but not before i had taken a few images which brought a fitting end to the day.