Tittivating

My wife Gail reckons I spend too much time 'tittivating the garden'. She's probably right (she normally is) but the local wildlife seems pleased.

The colony of Tree Sparrows in my garden, which was just one pair in a hole in the house wall two years ago, is now, with the addition of a few nest boxes,  seven pairs producing at least sixty young!

Taking a break from raising a third brood!

Another 10 boxes have gone up on my neighbour's stable wall, and another 10 will go here and there ready for next spring. Maybe 20 :)

The right plants in the right places have also brought an abundance of invertebrates, especially in my 'untidy' garden. Gives the Tree Sparrows plenty of food for their young.

Yarrow Plume moth, likes the Yarrow :)

And the butterflies are loving the nectar bar in the front garden.

Small Tortoiseshell

Wall

Time for some more gardening....

Hopping along...

According to the national news, frogs have been in a spawning frenzy for the last week, everywhere, except here!

Not a single sighting of a frog or toad in mine or my neighbours pond.

Conspiracy theories began to be concocted; a mystery disease, maybe some nasty spray used by the farmer....but then today, while doing a spot of gardening........

Meanwhile, the Blue Tits have some competition for their nest box...

And in the moth trap, a new species for the garden....

Oak Beauty

Treemendous

Tree Sparrows

This afternoon, I set-up my camera trap to check on visiting rats to my feeding station. Their numbers have been dwindling thanks to my aim improving of late :). 

Clearly my vermin eradication is succeeding as the only creatures were a good number of Tree Sparrows.

Home is where the hole is...

Tree Sparrow feeding young

Everywhere there's a hole, be it in the stone walls of our house, or our nest boxes, there's one creature or another making their home. That's why when the walls of our house were pointed last week, we ensured there was no over zealous application of mortar!

Blue Tit about to meet the world

Jackdaws have young in the gable end of our house, and in one of the nest boxes.

Red-tailed Bumble Bees nesting in the wall

Zebra Spiders hunt amongst the cracks

Red Mason Bee in the wall

Wasp nest in a bird box. Wasps are excellent pest controllers, eating aphids,
 caterpillars etc, so never need to use any chemicals in our garden.

Wor Jackie

Wor Jackie

Jackdaws are putting the finishing touches to their nest, in the box that was supposedly for Little Owls. Not sure where they are nesting, but we hear them calling every night at the moment. Wor Jackie watched me checking the moth trap - best catch so far this year, not difficult considering the long winter and recent gales. 10 Hebrew Characters, 2 Common Quakers and this handsome Early Grey.

Early Grey

Meanwhile, in the rest of the garden, a Wren is nesting in my compost heap, a Woodpigeon is nesting behind the Gazebo, Blue Tits and Tree Sparrows are in nest boxes, and Swallows are swooping into the barn. Oh, and the wind is still and the sun is shining!!!!

Common Quaker

Baltic

A trip to Maud Terrace in West Allotment, to photograph Waxwings, was a chilling experience. I arrived to find 25 birds in a ringer's mist net. After assisting in extracting and bagging them, I stood with a couple of photographers waiting for the birds to return to feed on the Rowan berries. It was a fruitless wait, and only prolonged by a kind resident who popped out with a much needed cup of coffee.

The birds kept promising to land but a Mistle Thrush was on guard, and after two hours I was  hypothermic.

As a consolation I snapped a few garden visitors before beelining for a hot lamb casserole.

Garden Cam

Had a play with my Go Pro camera in the garden feeding station today.

Bay Watch 28/01 - Tree Spuggies Galore!

Waggonway Today

A lovely sunny day with hints of Spring; Skylark singing, Willow catkins bursting forth, and Great Tits calling from all angles. Underfoot, plenty of ice, and according to the met office there's the possibility that the mild winter may have a sting in it's tail - hopefully while I'm filling my bins with new species in The Gambia :)

Willow Catkins

Blackbird

In the fields between Holywell Dene and the Obelisk were unusually large numbers of Tree Sparrows 100+, along with Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings. I've never seen such numbers.

Hedge full of finches and Tree Spuggies

A frosty Holywell Dene

Black-headed Gull - taking a drink from the Brierdene as it flows
down the beach at Whitley Bay

Big Waters

Took a trip out with my mate Mick to photograph a couple of target species today, namely Dunnock and Tree Sparrow. Despite a sortie from the local Spuggiehawk, all went well.

Shrike Out

A reported Red-backed Shrike near Shilbottle was gone by the time I arrived. There were a few birders present but no-one could find the bird. Not a bad place to spend an hour in the warm summer sunshine though.

I visited Hauxley NR on the way back and spent another hour trying to photograph an elusive Lesser Whitethroat without success. Plenty of other subjects to point a lens at.....

A family of Great Spotted Woodpeckers at

 the farm next to where the Shrike was last reported.

Tree Sparrow

Orange Tip

Longhorn Moth - 148 Nemophora degeerella