What's New?

Friday, February 12

The quick response to the title is... nothing. On reflection,  two Fieldfare made a 2021 garden visit. A loud Chack to each other and they flew away. Maybe apples, sunflower hearts, suet pellets, meal worms, seedy fat balls and no mess seed mix was not to their liking. A Redwing did enter one of the ground cages to feed in safety.

At last, I managed some sort of photograph of the male Blackcap. He hides in a Bottlebrush bush before darting out for a mealworm or a mouthful of fat ball, then hides again.

 

We also have a pretty constant Pied Wagtail lurking under the feeders

 

I counted 15 Blackbirds simultaneously feeding this morning, Pam's record is 19. The Wilemans have had 47 in their north Norfolk, Langham,  garden. They do spread a large number of sultanas and apples daily.

There are always Blue Tits feeding, squabbling, rarely still. Delightful little birds. The orange glow is the coppery peeling bark of the Acer Griseum, sun shining through.

 

My re-scheduled eye clinic visit was due this morning. Pam took one look at the temperature, and at the icy road, before phoning to make another appointment for next week. Very understandable. Rai and Barbara only walked as far as the end of our road before turning for home. Another neighbour fell whilst out walking yesterday, somehow got home helped by his wife, and is now at the NNUH with a fractured pelvis.

It's now a couple of days over the 22 necessary for the formation of anti bodies after a Covid injection. I still wouldn't want a hospital admission.

Yet another of our neighbours have had a Woodcock in their garden. I was given some good advice by Mike as to when to watch the wood for outflyers at dusk. Maybe to-night. When we first moved here, around June/July, Woodcock would rode around the wood at the bottom of the garden. Birding friends would join us in standing on the dyke bank to watch them and to hear their call. We've also had them in the garden during previous snow falls. There are frequent Tweets of sightings elsewhere in the county.