Returning Birds

During the arctic conditions experienced last week with snow covering the ground, many of the birds deserted us for places unknown. What was remarkable was that their return was as quick as the thaw. No sooner had most of the snow disappeared than the skylarks returned and almost immediately began singing. Similarly the flock of linnets was back along with pairs of yellow hammers.
there do appear to be fewer song thrushes singing and they, it seems were particularly hard hit. I did attempt to rescue one cold and hungry individual but sadly it only lasted half an hour in a heated room.

Merlin

Walking along the North Downs, I raised my binoculars to identify a fast flying bird. Turned out to be a starling. As I lowered my bins, my eye was drawn to a small bird giving chase. It was clearly a Merlin. The only other possibility would be a hobby and it too early in the year for that to have been the case and a starling would probably have been too large a prey item. The Merlin continued to fly westwards and I suspect it is migrating back to the western hills where it still breeds. Having said that, the flock of linnets is still around and may tempt the merlin to stay around.

Arctic Conditions

Unusually for this time of year, or for any time for that matter, we have experienced a week of arctic conditions with snow, ice, freezing rain and bitter easterly winds. The birds that appear to have suffered the most have been the thrushes. Song thrushes in particular look to be in a very weakened state. I observed one taking the dried up berries off my olive trees yesterday. It is unlikely that they would have offered much sustenance. Redwings and fieldfares have been coming into the garden looking for food.
The flock of linnets has vanished from the fields has have the skylarks. The questions is: where have they gone to?

Goldfinches and greenfinches are still flocking to the feeders in the garden along with the usual variety if tits.

Wild Boar

Have just returned form the Forest of Dean, a well known haunt of the wild boar. Many of the verges are turned up by the foraging boar so evidence of their presence is clear to see. This morning I took the dog for a walk across some fields close to my home in Kent. The nearest reports of wild boar are from several miles away so, when I came across some hoofed tracks I initially assumed them to be of deer. Even then, as I had only ever seen a single muntjac in this area and these were clearly of a larger creature, I began to wonder whether what I was actually seeing were merely sheep tracks. However, there were no sign of any sheep droppings which I would certainly expect to see. Crossing another field I then saw clear evidence of he foraging of wild boar.
These fields lie between two motorways, mostly owned by the National Trust, yet are rarely visited. The last time I was there was some months ago and so the boar must have moved in since then.

Birds singing

The weather has been very inconsistent, but the raised temperatures appear to have led to a sudden increase in the amount of bird song. Greenfinches, yellow hammers, and a full chaffinch song and even the skylarks are now singing to establish territories. These are complements to the robins, wrens, hedge accentors, and thrushes who also join in the dawn chorus.

The other day, a tree in a neighbour's garden was full of twittering birds. On closer inspection they revealed themselves as fifty or more linnets with about twelve goldfinches. This somewhat strange behavior was explained when I saw a sparrow hawk gliding above the field where the linnets normally are to be found feeding.

Goldfinches feeding on moss or lichen?

There has regularly been twelve or more goldfinches at my feeders. This morning the number increased to twenty five and many of them spent much of their time on the roof of my neighbour's garage. The tiles on this roof are largely covered in what is either moss or lichen and these birds spent much of their time apparently eating the lichen. This is not the first time that I have witnessed this. If this is moss, there may be seeding heads that the birds are eating. Owing to the position of the roof it is difficult for me to get close enough to definitely ascertain what the plant is.

Returning Birds

A spell of relatively mild weather brought back some birds not seen for several months. Most noticeable has been the skylarks which are occupying the lower fields and even engaging in snatches of song. A pair of yellow hammers spent a few days back along the hedgerow where a pair nested last summer. The flock of linnets, although much reduced, is once again feeding on the winter wheat fields.
Sounds of early spring continue to increase in range, with chaffinches joining the song thrushes and hedge sparrows. The chaffinch song is not the full song to be heard in a month or two's time, but it is a sure sign that spring is on the way.

Last night's snow must have come as quite a shock to some of these birds, particularly the blue tits that have been displaying around a nest box and the early building of a nest by magpies. Goldfinches and green finches descended upon my feeders in good numbers today.