The Milk Thieves!

Spring is well advanced in our garden now, and there are baby birds all over the place.

This morning I watched three young Blackbirds following their parents around the front garden. One of them stuck to the male's side, never letting him get more than six inches away. The male was put under constant pressure to continually find food for the youngster.

Food, of course, is the main driving force for birds at any time of the year, but it reaches a peak in the breeding season.

I always feed guilty when Ruth and I go away at this time of the year, because, temporarily, once source of food - that which we put out for the birds - dries up.

Last weekend, we were away for three days. We'd put out extra titbits, such as fat balls but they are never enough. One fat ball was "stolen" by a Grey Squirrel before we'd even left.

However, the Blue Tits got their revenge on us. On the day that we were due back home, we'd arranged to have four pints of milk delivered. But when we arrived him in the early evening, every single bottle had had its top pecked off. We were milkless!

I think that the local Blue Tits were making a point! (or should that be pint?).

Check out my website, Birds In Your Garden for a growing list of articles on garden and backyard birdwatching.

The Blackbird Fight

Now is the time of year when I start to see duelling Blackbirds.

When two males encounter one another, they frequently start to fight - fluttering up and down, apparently trying to peck each other.

This morning I saw something unusual. Two Blackbirds were having a go at each other in my back yard. Suddenly, one of them fell to the ground, lying between a car and an outbuilding.

I walked over to it and could see that it was conscious; its eyes were open and it was looking at me. But it didn't move. My neighbour, who also saw this event, said that her cat was nearby and expressed concern in case the cat found the bird.

I knew that I'd have to do something, so I approached the bird from behind, prepared to pick it up, if necessary. But suddenly, it sprang to life, and fluttered up into a nearby bush. It had merely been a bit stunned and shocked.

Another little backyard birding drama!

Check out my website, Birds In Your Garden for a growing list of articles on garden and backyard birdwatching.

Gooseberry Mallards?

Heavy rain recently meant that the playing fields over the road from my house got a bit flooded.

Invariably, the local mallards found the pools - two drakes and one duck. Before long, they had waddled over the road and into my garden. They were aiming for the spilt seed under my bird table.

I've noticed quite a lot recently that the mallards are going round in threes - always two drakes and a duck. Is one of the drakes playing "goosberry" - or do both the males end up fertilising the female? I haven't found an aswer to this anywhere.

Check out my website, Birds In Your Garden for a growing list of articles on garden and backyard birdwatching.

Kingfisher Delight

Outside my backyard is a private lane serving the backs of the houses, and immediately on the other side is a small stream, Osbaldwick Beck.

I don't spend much time watching it but, this morning, before breakfast, I stood by the beck, smoking my pipe. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, something flew rapidly upstream. I saw no colour on it, so thought it might be a Wren.

But, two minutes later, back it flew, the brilliant blue flashing in the early morning light. A Kingfisher!

To my delight, it alighted on a branch over the beck and stayed there for about half a minute watching the water before continuing its flight upstream.


I've lived in my present house for 18 years, and this is only the third Kingfisher I've seen on Osbaldwick Beck.

What a great way to start the day!

Check out my website, Birds In Your Garden for a growing list of articles on garden and backyard birdwatching.

The Start Of A New Diary!

I've been watching birds in my garden for many years now, but I've never thought to record what I've seen.

And yet, you can sometimes see some fascinating events, quite trivial, perhaps, in our eyes, but significant in the lives of birds.

Only this morning, for example, I saw a male House Sparrow trying to defend "his" seed feeder against all comers - other House Sparrows, Greenfinches, Great Tits and others. Fortunately, he wasn't successful, so the other birds did get to feed!

It may have been a tiny event for me, but for the birds it was a serious matter.

I'll try to post to this blog as regularly as possible.

Check out my website, Birds In Your Garden for a growing list of articles on garden and backyard birdwatching.