Rabbit-friendly Buzzard

For the last few mornings, there has been a buzzard on the edge of the wood. The first morning it appeared, the rabbits which would normally be in the field beyond the wood, were all taking shelter beneath the trees. But on the following mornings, it was noticeable that the rabbits had resumed their normal grazing behaviours. This morning, the buzzard was perched on a fallen tree in the field. Within twenty yards of it, rabbits could be seen happily grazing. They moved around in their normal fashion and the buzzard appeared to completely ignore them.
My interpretation of this is that perhaps the fully grown rabbits were too large a prey for the buzzard who was looking for smaller rodents and perhaps even worms on the damp field. Over just a few days, the rabbits had presumably become habituated to the presence of the buzzard and no longer recognised it as a threat.

Singing Skylark

Spent this morning walking the shoreline at Graveney overlooking the Isle of Sheppey. No Brent Geese, but lots of wading birds, most of them too far out on the mud flats to identify. On the marshes, besides the lapwings, there were skylarks and one rose in the cold wind to sing an early season song.

Chaffinches singing

The true sound of spring. Chaffinches have been in song for the last few days. The first ones I heard were only singing a partial version of their full song, but yesterday, I heard the full version sung.
This is considerably earlier than when I would expect to hear this glorious sound.

Drumming Woodpeckers

I always find that one of the first sounds of spring is the drumming of the greater spotted woodpecker. I heard my first one on Tuesday and then I heard them in every woodland. I wonder if it is the change in weather and light that stimulates them all to begin at the same time, or, is it that one male starts to establish a territory and so others have to respond. Whichever is the answer, it is a marvel that we can go from almost silence at midday to almost constant drumming in the space of just a couple of days.

Birds feeding for colour

I have often considered the feeding preferences of certain birds and wondered whether or not this related to the colour of the birds. Recently I saw for the first time, bullfinches feeding upon the seeds of Buddleia. I have previously seen them feeding upon the seeds of Buttercups, could the flower colour be passed on to enhance the feather colour of the birds? It is well known that canaries kept in captivity can be turned to a red feathered variation through the means of colour feeding. Redpolls, siskins and goldfinches all commonly feed upon the sees of alder trees, these are noted for their redness.

Disappearing Wren

Walking through the wood, a tiny speck of brown flew past low to the ground. About ten meters away it disappeared into a clump of ferns. It struck me that I had seen a lot of wrens of late and decided to investigate this one further. Slowly and quietly approaching the clump, I saw no sign whatsoever of fleeing bird. Puzzled, I began to doubt what I had seen wondering if it had actually been a mouse skipping across the surface. I called over my dog (Dylan) as he has a nose that he readily pokes into grassy tufts sniffing out voles. As anticipated, he need little encouragement to thrust his snout deep into the ferns. Three times he did this, and I thought the bird must have flown unseen, when suddenly out and away it flew. That a wren should hide so tenaciously in such a small bit of cover really surprised me.
The abundance of wrens is no doubt a consequence of our mild winters. The morning I saw the wren, also saw the first settling snow I had seen here for two years. It barely covered and ground and disappeared in very short time.

Mixed bag of wildfowl

The small lake was partially covered by ice today which meant that the wildfowl were concnetrated in one area. This was a first sighting here of Gadwall of which there were several. Shovellers, Pochard, tufted duck and usual crowd of coots. A kingfisher flashed past and then returned giving me a great viewing as it sped across the lake.

Nesting Magpies

Although it is bitterly cold with a continuous threat of snow (none yet); a magpie was observed pulling sticks out of the tall shrubs in the garden. Otherwise, the early flowering plants are taking a bit of a battering from the elements, but no other signs of spring.