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Sunday 25 February 2024

Soggy Situations - 15th to 21st February, 2024

It has not just been Lindsay's lack of mobility that has limited my time out in the last few weeks, but an unprecedented amount of rainfall has been a major factor too. This has rendered most of the local wildlife spots to be unpleasantly muddy and waterlogged and, in some cases, impassable. Once again, therefore, this blog post will be mainly concerned with observations from the windows of my study (which now doubles as Lindsay's bedroom, where she has an adjustable hospital bed) and our conservatory.

Thursday, 15th February          Garden

In the afternoon, I collected Lindsay from hospital, two days after her knee replacement. In the morning, however, I did note a good number of birds in the garden, including two female Siskins - we'd previously only seen one visiting this winter, although we'd seen singles of both male and female.

Siskin (Spinus spinus) (female x 2) + House Sparrow & Greenfinch - our garden
The female Blackcap was still visiting occasionally, and she showed up on this day. 

Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) (female) - our garden
Friday, 16th  February          Garden

The only bird I photographed this day was a Great Tit. Great Tit is a very common bird, but an irregular visitor to the garden. Of late, however, I am frequently hearing its distinctive calls.

Great Tit (Parus major) - our garden
Saturday, 17th February          Garden

The male Brambling returned on this day. It continues to avoid posing nicely for me.

Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) (male) - our garden
Sunday, 18th February          Garden

It's a poor shot, I know, but I include it as it does show the exquisite markings on the back of a male Brambling.

Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) (male) - our garden
I have recently become conscious of the fact that I tend to overlook the most common birds that visit our garden when it comes to photography. With this in mind, I took some shots of the very common Chaffinch. They are rather beautiful birds.

Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) (female) - our garden

Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) (male) - our garden

Monday, 19th February          Garden  :  Kelham Bridge Nature Reserve

On this day, in the morning, we were visited by both male and female Siskin, and I managed to get a record shot of the male up in the Rowan, outside my study window.

Siskin (Spinus spinus) (male) - our garden

That afternoon, Lindsay stated that she was feeling very confident about her situation, and encouraged me to go out. I settled on a short visit to Kelham Bridge Nature Reserve as I hadn't been there for a while. I expected it to be very muddy, and so took my wellington boots. However, it was far more muddy than I anticipated. The paths were treacherous and I could see where people had skidded on the mud. In places the water on the path was quite deep and in othe places I found that the mud was deep and strong enough that, on a few occasions, I nearly lost a wellie.

I spent some time at the first hide which was devoid of people and nothing interesting was observed in the twenty minutes that I was there. The only thing I photographed was a squirrel.

Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) - Kelham Bridge NR
I then made my way, gingerly, to the second hide which was busy with people and no window seats available. However, I didn't have to wait long. There was little to see on this occasion, but it was good to chat with people. Initially, I just had distant views of Coot and Little Grebe.

Coot (Fulica atra) - Kelham Bridge NR
Eventually, one of the Little Grebes came very much closer. I do have a soft spot for this species.



Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) - Kelham Bridge NR
A Coot also came a little closer.

Coot (Fulica atra) - Kelham Bridge NR
Shortly before I left, a Kingfisher flashed through. I reckon that it was in view for less than two seconds. The consensus was that it had probably gone to the pool where the first hide is, but there was a less muddy route to the entrance gate available, and none of us wished to check out that possibility. It was time for me to get back to Lindsay and cook tea, so I took the less muddy route which turned out to be much quicker and safer.

Tuesday, 20th February          Garden

I was greatly excited this day as, for the first time in many years, we had two Brambling visit the garden, as can be seen in the image below, with them high up in our nut tree.

Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) - our garden
Sadly, one soon departed and only one came down to feed. I did not get to see whether the one on the right was male or female. The male that came to feed was a little more obliging.


Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) (male) - our garden

I usually find it impossible to determine the sex of a Stock Dove but, for the first time ever, on this occasion I saw the puffing up of the neck on this bird, which surely suggests that this was a displaying male.


Stock Dove (Columba oenas) (male?) - our garden

Wednesday, 21st February          Garden

It's always good to see a Bullfinch and even better to see a Brambling, but to get two together is a real treat - even if they were on a feeder.

Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) (male) + Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) (male) - our garden
- - and I'll end with a Bullfinch.

Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) (male) - our garden
With luck, my next blog post will be in about a week's time but, at the current rate of progress, it might be a bit thin on material! In the meantime, please take good care of yourselves and Nature. Thank you for dropping by - - - Richard

26 comments:

  1. Good to hear Lindsey is back home, and I have to say, it was also good to hear there's a ringside seat in the form of a hospital bed in the conservatory, in the hope there is some welcome therapy for her in the garden wildlife which visits regularly, of which I am personally once again rendered envious of Richard.

    Kind Regards....Pete.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lindsay's hospital bed is in my study, Pete, not the conservatory, but it still has a view of the garden. However, she has now decided that she will be able to use a bed upstairs, thanks to the stairlift.

      I'm currently having to contemplate cutting down on the food I'm feeding the birds as it's costing a small fortune - I estimate it at about £600 a year. However, I'm not wanting to risk losing the birds.

      Best wishes to you and KT - - - Richard

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  2. Beautiful photos of the birds. Get well soon Lindsay.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Caroline, I will pass your kind wishes on to Lindsay. Take good care - - - Richard

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  3. Hello Richard, no comment so far I see. How is that possible with such great photos of your gardenbirds.
    Good to read that Lindsay is back home after her operation. I do hope they did a better job than before with her first knee. Soon Spring will be knocking at our doors and I do hope Lindsay will have made great progress so you both can enjoy nature together. Wishing you all the best and speedy recouvery for Lindsay.
    Warm regards,
    Roos

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    Replies
    1. Hello Roos. As you can see now, there were some comments before you visited, but I only put up this blog post this morning, and I hadn't had time to moderate the previous comments!

      Lindsay's operation was a totally different experience this time - to use an English expression, 'like the difference between chalk and cheese'. Everyone was careful and considerate, the food in the hospital was wonderful, and the after care, so far, has been excellent. I suspect that it will not be very long before we enjoy a trip out into the countryside together - if the weather is favourable.

      Thank you for your kind words - take good care - - - Richard

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    2. Hello Richard, Ah so good to read that the operation on Lindsay's knee was a great succes with great difference from the first one. I am glad for Lindsay and for you. Now some sunshine and less rain and things will turn out just fine.
      Warm regards,
      Roos

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  4. I know what you mean about the rain. When will it ever stop! A superb set of shots and I see you got your Brambling in the garden and the male Bullfinch again, lovely. Could I just ask you now to capture it on a frosty perch, that would be nice. Take care.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Marc - yes, on a frosty perch, or even in snow, would be a bonus. However, sitting in a puddle is a more likely scenario! Best wishes - stay safe - - - Richard

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  5. Hello Richard,
    The good news is that Lindsay is back home and the aftercare is going very well, so nothing will stand in the way of your first trip to your garden. You captured the birds beautifully again, the little grebe and the coot also came towards you... great post
    all the best
    Greetings Frank

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Frank. I am pleased to report that Lindsay is continuing to make good progress - she even had a very short walk in the garden this morning.

      Best wishes - - - Richard

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  6. Hello Richard :=)
    It's good news about Lindsay and I wish her a continued good recovery. We are having the same kind of weather as you, and the bird food gets soggy and on some days swamped. The poor birds that have been pairing up in warm weather must be in a confused state. Richard I think your close up photo of the Brambling in photo number 5 is brilliant.The feathers are so beautiful, and I'm so pleased you decided to share it along with the other Brambling photos. It is a lovely bird, and I enjoyed all your great photos both in your garden and Nature Reserve.
    All the best
    Sonjia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I too am having problems with the bird food getting soggy, Sonjia, and having to be thrown away. The main problem is with the sunflower hearts that the Goldfinches love. They do not eat the whole seed but bite it into pieces which settle to the bottom of the tray and absorb the rain, turning it into an unhealthy mush. It is also difficult to keep the area under the trays clean when it is wet.

      Lindsay is doing really well after her knee replacement which was just under two weeks ago. I'm looking forward to the time when she and I can go out together, other than to a medical appointment!

      Best wishes - take good care - - - - Richard

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  7. Hello Richard, Lovely close-ups of the small birds. My regards to Lindsey. take care yourself.
    Mike.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Mike. I'm hoping for news of your Fox friends soon as you have been quiet about them for a while. Best wishes - take good care - - - Richard

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  8. Good evening, always extraordinary birds! very beautiful these bullfinch ! A bientôt !

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  9. Gini and I are pleased to hear about Lindsay's progress and hope the news continues to be positive. We know it puts a strain on you, but we also know how much Lindsay appreciates your love and support.

    Perhaps with all of your wet weather, the Spring is gearing up to present you with lovely dry days as the birds begin their breeding season. Yes, I know. I am one of those eternal optimists.

    Your collection of photographs today is certainly wonderful to enjoy! I'm not positive, but it seems a visit by Bramblings might be a bit special. The Bullfinch's bold plumage makes for a handsome bird.

    All here is quite good. Lots of trips and lots of images to process.

    We wish you both good health!

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    Replies
    1. We get a visit from a Brambling or two most winters, Wally, but they don't tend to hang around for long and I don't always get the chance to photograph them. We have this one individual that seems to have taken a shine to our garden and we have been seeing it on most days for a while now.

      It's now official - we have just had the wettest February on record. I am not in the least bit surprised!

      My very best wishes to you and Gini - - - Richard

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  10. Me alegra que Lindsay esté mejor de su rodilla. Hiciste un precioso reportaje, con pájaros preciosos ¡ me encantó ! Abrazos.

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    Replies
    1. Gracias, Teresa. Lindsay está progresando muy bien e incluso ayer dio un breve paseo por un hermoso lugar local. Mis mejores deseos - - - Richard

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  11. Espectacular sesión de tus vecinos alados, y especies tan especiales como los Fringilla montifringilla. Enhorabuena Richard y gracias por compartir. Un fuerte abrazo desde el norte de España.

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    Replies
    1. Gracias Germán, me alegro que lo hayas disfrutado. Mis mejores deseos desde el centro de Inglaterra, donde acabamos de tener el febrero más lluvioso jamás registrado.

      Cuídense mucho y manténganse a salvo - - - Richard

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  12. You have a lovely selection of birds in your garden. How I wish our "Office" had a window to the garden but they are both upstairs with only Velux windows, useless for bird watching!

    We have just returned from Walvis Bay and Flamingo watching :-) I will answer your note after I have cooked dinner. Self catering is wonderful but I miss all my implements and spices.

    Best wishes to you both, Diane

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    Replies
    1. I think that I'd find it too frustrating to spend time in a room without a view, Diane. Since there are now just two of us in the house, Lindsay and I have our own spaces. LIndsay's 'rumpus room' is what was the large bedroom upstairs at the front of the house, and my study is half of the ground-level extension that used to be the office (for three people) when I ran a tour business from home. When we closed the business, we split the office in two, and I chose the rear half which affords a view to one side of the back garden. The front half doesn't have much of a view, and is now used a a 'snug' in winter.

      Before reading this comment from you, I had looked up Walvis Bay and guessed that you'd gone there for the flamingos - did you see both species? It looks as if the nature reserve there is spectacular - said to be one of the finest bird reserves in southern Africa.

      Best wishes to you both - - - Richard

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