Food for Young

Song Thrush with food for young (c.OOS)

There's an urgency about the garden now: Blackbirds, Robins, Dunnocks and Song Thrushes are feeding with intent, usually retiring quickly once a beak full of worms or similar is amassed.  The brood of Robins in our open fronted nest box have departed, and I have had  a few juvenile Song thrushes around the house: one unfortunately collided with a window, same thing happened last year too.  No Swallows returned to nest, so far anyway, though two or three occasionally fly by.  The word in the office here is that numbers of migrant birds appear to be down, though there's time yet.  I hope to cover a couple of CBS squares this week, late visits, a chance to test the theories, first hand. Early visits done five weeks ago, when it was, well, cold and quiet!

Red Kite patrols after the plough (c.OOS)

Its great to report that while watching all those garden birds raiding the worms and invertebrates from the lawn and borders, out just beyond in the field currently being ploughed for late crop potatoes.. a Red Kite, at least three times the body size of a Song Thrush, and a wing span off that scale, it is basically pursuing the same prey with great agility and presents a few close views.. this bird is 'labelled' 12, 12 on blue and white wing tags..

Just clears the garden shed ! (c.OOS)

We still have activity around the bird feeders: Amazingly, after a winter when I couldn't attract a Redpoll to the feeders,  a couple turned up in early May.. very welcome visitors, along with Goldfinches and Siskins, they are from the more nomadic end of the spectrum and I suspect the natural food supply in the birch and conifer woods is late in coming, though they undoubtedly will breed there.  The nice bonus of late Redpolls is that they are in bright summer dress: rosy pink fronts and rump, to complement the red 'poll' or crown!

Redpoll (c.OOS)