The Blue Tits fledged from the nestbox in our garden last week – I miss watching the adults them rushing in and out. It was partly watching the adults take feathers into the nest that made me think about feathers (see here and here). For a few days I could occasionally see the face of a soon-to-be-fledged nestling at the nestbox entrance but I haven’t seen any of the young birds in the garden since. I wonder where they are now (and they probably aren’t all in the local cats).
Other young birds which are in the garden are Blackbirds, Starlings, Goldfinches, Greenfinches and for a short while, a young Carrion Crow.
We are now not in lockdown but since the last update I have added a mere two species to the list of birds seen in or from my garden since lockdown did start; Mistle Thrush and Grey Wagtail bring the total (since 23 March) to 55 species. I see Grey Wagtails quite oft4n, though mostly in Autumn but Mistle Thrush is the first record since April 2014! I was standing in the garden one morning and heard a Mistle thrush call (like a machine gun), looked up, and two birds flew over and kept on going. Birds are fascinating. Am I missing lots of Mistle Thrushes – I somehow doubt it? What were these two birds ‘doing’? Where were they going? Where had they come from? Where are they now?
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Three nest boxes: one occupied by great tits, two explored by blue tits. One blue tit box taken over by tree bees; the other, no sign of further activity. We saw the great tits fledge on camera but have seen no young birds since. However, the garden is well-populated with baby blue tits. Birds move in mysterious ways.
Slightly different in that we have lots of boxes in the garden and on the small holding (33) including an Owl box which has only ever been used by one of our female Muscovy Ducks.
This year 1pair of Nuthatches Fledged 7 from 7 eggs,
3 nests of Blue Tit, 1 failed completely other two fledged broods of 7 and 6.
4 nests of Great Tits 1 failed completely other 3 fledged 7,4,&5
6 nests of Pied Flycatcher 2 failed completely none yet fledged last check 6 eggs, 6 young (tiny),4 young (ringed) and 7 Young (ringed).
Last year there were 4 Blue Tit nests and all fledged something, as did 3 Great Tits, there were no Nuthatches in a box but we did have a Redstart which fledged 6 and 6 nests of PFCs which fledged only about half of what they hatched and we had Treecreepers in a wedge box they fledged 5. Our Carrion Crows fledged 4 last year and 3 this and no I don’t go up the 45ft Alder to ring them. Following and watching nest boxes is fascinating.
Currently there are lots of birds on our feeders including some ringed young Great Tits and Blue Tits, with lots of young and adult Siskins but as yet only adult Redpolls and Goldfinches, at least one adult Marsh Tit but no Coal Tits.
Young blue tits, great tits; unusual number of goldfinches. Mr & Mrs Bullfinch; spotty flycatchers sitting.
I’m pleased to say great tits have stopped nesting under the roof felt in the porch. It was a daily task in previous years to remove the pitiful daily corpse from the paving before Mrs C discovered it and got very upset. The cuckoo in the garden that woke her up the other morning about 5am appears to have been a one-off.
I think we have a Bullfinch nest is some Ivy on a tree. They are very secretive. I don’t think you covered Bull Finches in your songs
This year for the first time I heard the loud almost strident cheep call that is on all the Xeno recordings, actually they made it where the nest now is.
For years now we have had them around but they mainly produce a sort of low melodious subsong contact call. Which is in the first few phrasaes on the 2020 05 25 recording from Escautpont, Nord, Hauts-de-France. There is a cheep then the one we hear a lot of is the second phrase “chip cheou” (well sort of) it sounds almost like an response to a thinner tseep version of the Cheep that they produce. They just keep churning the two out quietly and friendly like as they go around the blackthorn round the garden. It seems like they keep in contact this way. I have listened to a few of the Xeno recordings but none would make the think the Bullfinches are around.
Does one make one call and the other the reply? They are really hard to see to be sure who is making the call.
https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Pyrrhula-pyrrhula
Andrew – well, you’re way ahead of me in your knowledge and personal observations of Bullfinches.