Flying a Kite

Flying a Kite

The Red Kite is becoming quite a common bird nowadays, but it is still a rare pleasure to see one right over the house, we think it is because they a using the up draught from edge of the cliff  that they seem to hover just over the house before drifting off on the light breeze. We do not know for certain but suspect the at least one pair has taken up residence in the nearby woods, we have certainly been seeing the more often in the last year or so.

All That Glitters is not Gold

All That Glitters is not Gold

What sort of birds do you find using you bird table? the lady guest inquired as I carried her bags through the sunroom which  overlooks the bird table. After running though the various types of tits, finches, bigamy birds, nut hatches hedge sparrows etc. I said my greatest disappointment is that we never get the goldfinch, although several pairs can often be seen like erratic sudden beams of sunlight glittering through the trees, they never visit the bird table. Oh she said airily we get them all the time, you need to put our Niger seeds for them.

Isn’t is amazing how coincidences mingle to make a fool of you, it was the very next morning whilst serving breakfast to the same lady, that I casually remarked on a bird pecking merrily away at the peanuts. I have not seen one of those before, do you know what it is? Oh yes she said airily it’s a gold finch! Honestly in the six years we have been here I have never known the gold finch to use the bird table, but since that morning we get them all the time now and you do not need Niger seeds, peanuts will do, but just in case I am of to the pet shop tomorrow to get in a small store of the goldfinches favourite.

We Wuz er Fust me Old China

We Wuz er Fust me Old China

Two years ago a lovely little river warbler used the swallows nest in the garage to rear its two chicks, luckily they fledged on exactly the same day that the swallows returned, so no harm came to them,  but there was a bit of a karpuffle initially as the swallows realised that they had a squatter. That was nothing compared to the argument that ensued last week when the House Martins returned to find that their nest had been taken over by a family of House Sparrows, what and noise the Martins made but it would seem the Sparrows hung on in there, because the Martins started building just round the corner of the house.

Pam Nicks the best Birds

Pam Nicks the best Birds

Whilst Pam’s lodge is being prepared she has moved in  the house with us, she has also commandeered the large cherry tree which is now festooned with her various bird feeders,, We have two sorts of woodpecker in the vicinity and it is the Greater Spotted Woodpecker which  has been visiting her feeders, but ignoring ours. It’s a very wary bird and always approaches the feeder by an indirect route, landing initially on one part of the cherry tree it gradually makes its approach by climbing along the back of the branches with occasional quick little peeks around until it is finally ready to commit its self.

Rejected By Swallows

Rejected By Swallows:

It was only after we had begun to demolish the old garage that Isabel remembered the Swallows which always nested in the rafters. What are they going to do this year?  just imagine how disappointed they are going to be after flying all those thousands of miles only to find that their homes has been destroyed, she said, as she headed out the door to ask Rob to please take the nests down with care. The intention being to put the nests back on the side of the lodge in the hope that the swallows would be prepared to accept the alternative accommodation.

When the lodge was in place Isabel made it one of her first jobs to cement the nests on a little ledge under the eves, but unfortunately her thoughtfulness was to no avail, when the birds did return they obviously did not consider the offered accommodation was acceptable, Isabel was quite concerned for a few days until I spotted the two pairs flitting in and out of Roberts nice new five bedroomed house which is being built just next door and had just had a new slate roof put on, as Robert has almost single handed been building the house for the past eleven to twelve years we felt that there was plenty of time for them to raise their respective families without any immediate fear of eviction.