Final week I wrote concerning the birds that fly over my Suffolk backyard (in japanese England), this time it’s the flip of the actual backyard birds, those who not solely land within the backyard, but in addition feed in it. I’ve solely lived in my present home for 5 years: the earlier house owners weren’t considering both birds or gardening, so I’ve to work arduous to make the half-acre property extra engaging to birds. I’ve planted a local hedge with elder, hawthorn, yew and wild roses, created a small orchard and dug a pond. As well as I present loads of feeders, stocked with blended seed and husked sunflowers, plus fats balls. I used to supply each peanuts and niger seed, however intriguingly the birds now not appear considering both.
A Woodpigeon contemplates a shower on a moist day
Most conspicuous of the every-day birds are the Woodpigeons (above). Not a day goes by with out woodies within the backyard for this is among the most considerable of native birds. Curiously, although these pigeons are quite a few on the native farmland, my observations counsel that my backyard birds not often enterprise far into the encircling countryside. They clearly know the place they’re nicely off.
Inventory Doves not often land within the backyard. This chook did so on 21 June this 12 months
Collared Doves are additionally each day guests, although not fairly so frequent as their bigger cousins. These doves are comparatively current colonists, as the primary pair recorded nesting within the county in 1959. Although Inventory Doves can usually be seen flying over, they not often land within the backyard. They do sometimes: my {photograph} was taken within the backyard this 12 months, on 21 June.
This Inexperienced Woodpecker ignored the steel Nice Noticed Woodpecker
It’s all the time a deal with when a Inexperienced Woodpecker arrives within the backyard: they often spend time hoping round on the garden, feasting on ants. Nice Noticed Woodpeckers are solely occasional guests, which is stunning as these good-looking birds are readily interested in chook tables. At my final backyard they had been each day guests.
Blackbirds (above) are conspicuous residents and will be seen all 12 months, although there are occasions within the autumn once they grow to be much less apparent. Certainly one of my favorite indications of the altering 12 months is after I hear a cock blackbird uttering his first tentative notes of track at nightfall on a light February day. It’s the younger birds that sing first, with the older males not becoming a member of in till March. I can then stay up for listening to these melodious songsters each day till mid July.
Music Thrushes are keen on ivy berries rising in my hedge
A Redwing feeding on ivy berries in March
Whereas Mistle Thrushes fly over often, they not often land. Music Thrushes seem way more continuously, and from late winter there’s often one singing at daybreak and nightfall. These thrushes had been as soon as way more widespread that they’re at the moment, so I’m all the time delighted after I both see or hear one. It takes chilly climate to push Redwings into the backyard. These migratory thrushes are shy birds, however they’re interested in the ivy berries in my hedge. Fieldfares, the Redwing’s bigger cousin, additionally come into the backyard sometimes, however are extra usually seen flying over. I took the {photograph} (beneath) on 24 January 2023, my birthday.
Robins are acquainted year-round residents, and one which sometimes nests within the backyard – I present a few appropriate open-fronted nest containers. Wrens additionally happen all year long, however they’re impartial birds, not considering my feeders. That is in distinction to the Dunnocks (beneath), although they arrive low within the pecking order, so typically scavenge for crumbs below the feeders. They’ve a reasonably and somewhat under-rated track that may be heard from early spring proper by way of to the top of the breeding season. It’s all the time a delight to discover a Dunnock’s nest, for they lay probably the most lovely sky-blue eggs, clean and shiny with no markings.
Dunnock: a standard however unobtrusive resident
Starlings having fun with a communal tub on a December day
Starlings are periodic guests. Within the spring they’re each day guests, raiding my feeders for fats to feed to their rising children. In late Could, when the younger birds go away the nest, there will be as many as 40 or 50 within the backyard directly. Starlings are excellent at synchronising their hatching, so all of the birds within the space fledge inside a number of days of one another. This, little question, helps total survival. They’re very dapper birds and clearly prefer to look sensible, for they bathe continuously, usually in firm. The {photograph} above was taken from my examine window on 29 December 2021.
A wintering Blackcap, photographed in December 2023
There’s a tall, thick hedge bordering the japanese aspect of the backyard, and each spring this holds a singing Blackcap. These warblers have a delicate however engaging track which is all the time a delight to take heed to. Blackcaps are principally summer time customer to this a part of England, however rising numbers of people now over-winter. Final winter I noticed a male Blackcap on a number of events in December, however solely as soon as in January. Ringing information present that our nesting Blackcaps go south within the winter to the Mediterranean, whereas the wintering birds come from Germany and japanese Europe.
A Blue Tit in early spring
4 species of tits are common guests – Nice, Blue (above), Coal and Lengthy-tailed. The latter all the time seem in roving flocks, and by no means keep for lengthy, however in passing they are going to cluster onto one of many feeders, with as many as 9 or ten birds competing for a perch. Goldcrests (beneath), the smallest of my backyard birds, are periodic guests: they’ll usually be heard singing in late winter and early spring, however recognizing the singer could be a problem.
The smallest of my backyard guests: a Goldcrest
Goldfinches add a contact of color all year long
A misplaced backyard chook? No Bullfinches have been seen for 3 years: I’m nonetheless hoping to enhance on this image, taken quickly after shifting to my present home
Whereas Greenfinches are each day guests in various numbers all year long, Chaffinches have grow to be fairly scarce. In my first winter right here I used to be delighted to see Bullfinches on numerous events. The {photograph} (above) was taken on 6 January 2020, a month after I had moved right here. The next winter I had one sighting, however none since. Hopefully they may re-appear at some point. Goldfinches happen all year long, whereas Siskins are each day winter guests to gardens only a brief flight away, however they’re uncommon birds right here, although I anticipate to see a number of every winter. To this point I’ve solely recorded a Brambling as soon as, a cock (beneath) on 21 April 2021. He will need to have been heading again to Scandinavia.
This cock Brambling paused within the backyard briefly one April
Amongst my favorite common guests are Reed Buntings (beneath). They invariably seem in late winter and thru into the spring – my earliest dates are initially of February, the most recent on the finish of April. My most depend is six, nevertheless it’s extra usually one or two, and nearly all the time cocks. They’re attracted by the feeders stuffed with husked sunflowers.
A February Reed Bunting feeding in certainly one of my raised beds
Two cock Reed Buntings photographed on the finish of April
A cock Home Sparrow
Home Sparrows (above) deserve a point out, for at my final home these had been rarities, however right here, residing in a village, they’re much extra frequent guests. They often come to feed in small flocks, often not more than a dozen birds, however in winter there may be 30 or extra. My most depend is 49 – I couldn’t discover a fiftieth.
A cock Gray Partridge on a mole hill in my orchard. The mole is an unwelcome customer
Certainly one of my finest backyard information is a Quail, heard from the kitchen, however calling from a barley discipline simply over my hedge. I often see Gray Partridges on the fields past the backyard, and infrequently they enterprise into the backyard. The luxurious cock (above) was one other chook photographed from my examine window, this time on a boring January day.
On one other event a covey of six spent a while foraging within the backyard (above). Pheasants are widespread domestically, however solely sometimes come into the backyard. The chook in my {photograph} (beneath) was an everyday customer for a number of weeks earlier this 12 months. Curiously, I’ve by no means seen a hen Pheasant within the backyard.
Backyard birding is enjoyable, as you by no means know what may flip up. I file my birds for the British Belief for Ornithology’s Backyard BirdWatch, a long-running examine with a number of thousand contributors submitting weekly counts of the birds they file. It’s a traditional instance of citizen science, as the info it produces permits the BTO to watch how our backyard birds are faring.
(Photographer’s be aware: all the images illustrating this piece had been taken in my backyard. Most had been taken by way of double-glazed home windows, which does detract from their high quality.)
