Birds of a feather Class of 24….all change for this years fledgings

One of the benefits of living in the countryside and having a wildlife friendly garden is that, even on rainy days, I can follow the daily habits, progress and transitions of the birds through my window throughout the year. I have captured their first tentative outing after leaving the nest. watched the squabbling as they become more confident juveniles. Watching without disturbing their routines I can capture the subtle changes in their feathers as they transition into adulthood.

I spotted the first fledgling Blackbird on May 23rd.  Pictured below are just some of the transitions of the Blackbirds and those highly aggressive Starlings.

The kinds of  birds you attract to feeding stations depends entirely on the type of birdfood you put out. The birds that visit my garden all year round are Blue Tits, Blackbirds, Chaffinch, Sparrows, Robin, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Coal Tit Collared Doves, Wood Pigeons and a very illusive Wren with an annual return in the Spring of Siskin, Jay and Woodpecker. I have seen one Greenfinch on the feeder this year.

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North Devon Wildlife through the window. Seasonal photos of the birds in my garden

Well what a year. Stormy times, supermoons, lockdowns and Covid19 restrictions meant that I didn’t get to visit some of our favourite locations and all the events were cancelled for the year. Luckily for me I love my small messy garden and the bees, birds and butterflies love it too. 

The natural world did not take a break and continued as usual with the regular birds on and below the feeder. For the first time I enjoyed watching a couple of Siskins which stayed in the garden for a couple of months, I do hope they return and nest here. January 20/21 2020 a fleeting visit from some Long Tail Tits and wonder of wonders they returned with a flurry of snow on 23^rd January 2021. 

I had started putting out Niger Seed for the Goldfinches, which they enjoyed, I then added Sunflower Hearts to the menu, they loved those even more and continue to devour messily on a daily basis.  They have dominated the feeders throughout the year and it looks as though this year will be the same, I counted 11 yesterday, I am hoping they stay around for the Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend. The Sunflower Hearts are popular with most of the birds and probably why the Siskins visited. 

As usual the Swifts and Swallows arrived in the Spring, spotted the first Swallow flying aloft 17^th April, watched them gather on the wire above the garden on the 17^th September, the next day they were gone. Finally snatched a shot of the elusive Great Spotted Woodpecker in June, they are regulars in the garden but pretty much peck and go a bit like the Wrens. Sadly I only saw one Greenfinch a juvenile, I miss the House Martins that once used to build their nests in the corners of the windows beneath the roof.

I have watched as usual as the birds sing out, nest and raise their fledglings. Here are just some of the photos from 2020.

Great Spotted Woodpecker Photo credit Pat Adams

 Sparrow Fledglings - Photo credit Pat Adams

Male and Female Siskin. Photo credit Pat Adams

North Devon Birdwatching through the window. Photo credit Pat Adams

Birds in my garden 2020

Blackbird

Blue Tit

Chaffinch

Coal Tit

Dove

Dunnock

Goldfinch

Great Tit

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Robin

Sparrow

Starling

Wood Pigeon

Wren

The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch is from 29th-31st January 2021. They are counting on you to count the birds in your garden Click here to find out more

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Pat Adams' North Devon Focus. A North Devon Coast & Country Chronical

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North Devon Focus Website

North Devon Focus. Looking back on a colourful 2018

NORTH DEVON COAST AND COUNTRY CHRONICLE 2018.
A colourful reminder of the year around the Bideford Bay area and Exmoor.
Looking forward to a bright and beautiful 2019 on the North Devon Coast. Thanks for visiting and following.

Spring Song - 1st April 2018

Nothing says Spring like a Robin when it sings.

Counting Butterflies “Fleeting encounters, lasting memories”

I read the news today - over ten million Painted Lady butterflies are winging their way to the UK. Until the Buddleia starts flowering in my garden I’m happy watching the Speckled Wood as they dart and dance together over the garden before separating and settling momentarily. My first butterfly sighting in January was a Tortoiseshell which I disturbed when cleaning the downstairs loo. It settled on the window sill and remained dormant until late April, which I am sad to say was when it died. To date in my garden or on my walks I have seen ten Speckled Wood, ten White, three Orange Tip, four Common Blue, one Peacock, five Brimstone and a Small Heath plus a Silver Line Moth, Speckled Yellow Moth and finally a huge Drinker Moth caterpillar. When my Buddleia and Hydrangea are in full bloom in July, they are normally covered in Red Admiral, Peacock and Tortoiseshell but I will be watching out for those Painted Ladies and hope for the return of a seldom seen Clouded Yellow or Fritillary. Spotting them is easy, photographing them, however, is quite different. Get too close and your shadow and the lens scares them away, annoyingly not too far away, normally on the next flower. I now use a long lens with an extension tube so they don’t know I’m there. Here is a photo of a Speckled Wood taken a couple of days ago. It rested for quite a time on the fresh new leaves of the Rhododendron, conveniently opening and closing its wings as if posing for the shot. I wish they were all so accommodating. “Fleeting encounters, lasting memories” was just one of the aptly descriptive quotes on a wonderful Radio 4 programme presented by Brett Westwood, who you may have just seen on BBC Springwatch Extra. The programme, Natural Histories, Butterflies, depicts how butterflies have enthralled and influenced people throughout history. 

 

Speckled Wood Photo Pat Adams (All rights reserved)

Drinker Moth Caterpillar Photo copyright Pat Adams (All rights reserved)
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•  Brett Westwood is a radio presenter and author, specialising in natural history.  
• Wikipedia Stub https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brett_WestwoodI
• Butterflies Natural Histories http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05w99rp

• Butterfly enthusiasts should also visit The ButterflyConservation UK website for information or help with identifying species.
• Read all about it  http://www.northdevonjournal.co.uk/11-million-painted-lady-butterflies-set-UK/story-26705200-detail/story.html
• North Devon AONB News 

UPDATE. About 20 Painted Lady butterflies spotted on the Hartland Heritage Coast 21st June 2015

S is for SNAKE. Watch where you're walking on hot balmy days.

Found this little critter taking a sunny wander on the busy coast road at the Valley of Rocks, Lynton & Lynmouth on Sunday 7th June. Thanks to watching the feature on Adders on  BBC Springwatch recently I recognised it as a female Adder. I have never seen one before as they tend to hunker down in the undergrowth. We moved it back to the safety of the bracken, which is probably wrong but it was about to get squashed by a car! If you are a walker, explorer or dog walker you might want to read this Safety Note from Devon Wildlife Trust http://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/species/Adder/

 

Adder bites are rarely fatal to a healthy adult human but medical attention should be sought as soon as possible. If you are concerned about the safety of your dog, please refer to this ARC leaflet: http://www.arc-trust.org/…/Docume…/Dogs-n-Adders-leaflet.pdf

 

Female Adder

 

Female Adder 

Coast Road below at Valley of Rocks

Photos Pat Adams North Devon Focus (All rights reserved)