Holiday birdwatching

Looooooooooook I got a photo of a female Black Cap, yipeeeeeeeee!

*Ahem* Yes, last week i went on holiday to Burnham-on-sea in Somerset. The lodge that we stayed in backed on to a hedge so there was plenty of birds about.

Long tailed tits.

 Blue tits

and Great tits. Also spotted but not photographed: Dunnock, Wren, Robin, male Black cap, Redwings, Heron, and a Buzzard in the trees next to our hedge, was very exciting. Heard a Green woodpecker a few times and there was a glimpse of either a greater or lesser spotted woodpecker too.

Goldfinch

Happy days! A Goldfinch has been spotted eating from my feeders:

I have been trying to encourage more finches onto the feeders with sunflower hearts, and there is a pair of Chaffinches that love it and now on two different days the Goldfinch has been having noms, i am very happy!

Also a new bird has been spotted on the feeders, a Coal tit! spotted whilst watching the birds for the RSPB birdwatch :)

Snow!

Yesterday we had our first snowfall this year and it did not disapoint! I went for a little walk with my other half and our cameras

 Some Holly

Fluffed up Robin, didn't see many other bird out and about but my bird feeders are a different matter! A very territorial Black cap, Robins, Blue tits, Great Tits, Wood Pigeons, Blackbirds, Dunnocks are all taking advantage of the free food in this snow.

Poultry cross in the snow

Salisbury Cathedral

And my bunny in the snow :)

Success!

Today i have finally managed to get a photo of the illusive Black cap!!

See! i waited for 45mins out in -2 for this little chap to land on the magnolia.

Even the female Black cap visited but she spotted me and flew off so i was only able to get this photo.

Whilst i was out in the cold some other birds were frequenting the feeders (freshly topped up) Here's one of the two Blue tits that took advantage of the noms.

Robin making off with a bit of fat

Female Chaffinch, also the male came for some noms, 3 Dunnocks, 2 Great tits, a blackbird, a starling and then Great spotted Woodpecker, who is becoming a very frequent (and noisy) visitor. Saw the Long tailed tits flying but they didn't visit whist i was sat outside.

I'm looking forward to the Rspb Big garden birdwatch, and hoping that all these birds (and more) will visit then :)

Robin

Not much has been happening wildlife-wise here apart from frequent visits from the Greater Spotted Woodpeckers and the Black caps (male and female) but they are tricky to photograph and theres no point having blog entries without photos.

Went to my mothers allotment to see this very friendly Robin that keeps my mum company, and by friendly i mean picking at the mud on her boots whilst she is wearing them, going into the open car picking at crumbs! So i went over with my camera hoping the Robin would be about and i wasn't disappointed:

He/She was amused by the shutter noise from my camera but that didn't stop it from being around us. I do love Robins, they are such characters.

Whilst we were over the allotment I spotted the Kestrel, female I think not a juvenile.

And another piccy, judging by the poop on this shed i think this is one of its favourite perches.

Mushrooms

Went for a walk to collect leaves and came across some Shaggy ink cap mushrooms!

There were at least 10, some had been crushed but these were tucked under a bench.

Hedgehog

Saw this little fella a couple of days ago eating the bread my neighbour puts out for the birds, at first glance i though it was the squirrel that frequents the gardens but then i realised it was a hedgehog out in the day! om nom nom bread