Wednesday 20 January 2016

Yellowhammer! Yes!

Contrary to my assertion in the last blog that the chance of seeing a Yellowhammer in or around the garden was close to nil, this week one turned up and we even got a naff photo of it sitting on the wires over the field.

Our first Yellowhammer.

Despite several Reed Buntings coming to the bird table the Yellowhammer has yet to be tempted within the sacred walls of the cottage garden,

Female Reed Bunting

Two male Reed Buntings.



Both our regular woodpeckers were here this week, the Green Woodpecker was ant hunting in the snow and the Great Spotted Woodpecker contented himself with the peanuts.

Male Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Ant hunting Green Woodpecker

Green Woodpecker and Chaffinch



The Robin seems to have gained a friend, or perhaps a future adversary. There is an uneasy truce between them but occasionally they explode into violence albeit  short lived.

Robin on the budding Ribes bush.
 The number of Chaffinches has not abated with a dozen or so around the feeders and under them most of the day. The majority are females, but there are one or two splendid males among them.

Male Chaffinch
The garden list now stands at 84 and the year garden list 47, that's more than half the species total expected in the first month!

Time for something else to turn up then... Brambling or Siskin perhaps? Or maybe I should say there's no chance of either EVER turning up here!