REDSTART RINGING

The number of Redstarts that have taken up residency to breed in our nest box colony have been a bit disappointing this year with only two pair compared to last year when we had four. We've also put up extra boxes to encourage more to breed in them but they remain unused, for some reason it just hasn't happened. I don't think it's the lack of numbers as there seem to be singing Redstarts everywhere I think that there must be a good number of natural sites and this year the birds have chosen to use them.

Anyway the chicks in two that they have used are now big enough to ring so Stephen the conservationist Carter came over to do just that.

redstart chicks

Here's the adult male and female that have both been working hard feeding their hungry brood.

male

female

Below is a video of Steve ringing the chicks in both boxes.

Here's a couple of pic's of some nice birds at my feeders.

pair of Siskins

lesser redpole

who doesn't love a Robin

Hard to believe that them tiny Redstart chicks will be making their way to Africa in a few months time, bonvoyage!! 

GOS

I was lucky enough to be taken to a Goshawk nest site today at a secret location under schedule 1 licence.
It was very hard going to reach the nest site but when we finally got there were rewarded with tremendous views of two Goshawk chicks, the adult birds must have been out hunting and even though we were in full camo gear more than likely they would have spotted us and stayed away.
It was pretty misty and dark in the forest so we had to use a very high iso setting and as wide an aperture setting as possible. So although not perfect the pic's are not to bad considering the conditions, we only stayed at the site for a few minutes to keep disturbance to a minimum.

Goshawk chicks

Although this next pic is not one of mine it shows what these two chicks will eventually turn out like when they reach adulthood, they really are awesome birds.

adult Goshawk 

A brilliant morning and thanks to everyone involved.

YOU CANT BEAT A BIT OF BULLY!

It'll be five years this October since we moved up here on the mountain and since the setting up of my two feeding stations I have never recorded a Bullfinch. I thought that perhaps we were to far up and as there's no hedges or thick vegetation that they seem to like as an habitat they would never show up. We have every other finch up here chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, linnet, siskin, even yellow hammer and reed bunting but never a Bully, until this morning! to my utter amazement and joy these two beauties flew in this morning and were feeding away quite happily allowing me to take a few snap shots.

male bullfinch

female bullfinch

I don't know if they're breeding close by because the habitat isn't that suitable for them but it's great to have them drop in.

GOOD START!

After a slow beginning the redstarts are taking up residents in some of the boxes we've put out for them.
I recently set up my camcorder near one of the boxes to see if I could capture any redstart action. I left it there for about an hour and managed to record this short clip of a pair that has chosen a round hole box on my shed (they usually prefere one's with a square hole). 

inside the redstart nesting box

Most of the boxes are occupied by either blue or great tits, the information I have off my fellow birder Steve Carter is that their last few breeding seasons have been a bit of a disaster so it's good to see them hopefully bounce back.

blue tit sitting on her eggs

When the females leave their nests to feed they cover their eggs over as this picture clearly shows.

blue tit nest with eggs covered over

We've only got one pair nuthatch breeding in our nest box colony this year and they're busy feeding this little lot.

nuthatch chicks

On the subject of chicks this little chaffinch chick been hanging around the feeders for last day or so. It is being fed by it's mother but it looks so vulnerable just perched there chirping away I fear it's only a matter of time before it's spotted by a predator lets hope not!

chaffy chick

  Well into the breeding season now and Springwatch is back on Monday HOOOORAAAY!!! I hear you shout lets hope its a good one and I'll catch you all soon.

milvus milvus

I saw this beauty near my home a few days ago it came in very close to the house and seemed to dive down at something on the ground. By the time I managed to get my camera it had flown further away but I managed to get these record shots, fantastic bird and for me to see one that close was a real treat.

Steve came over at the beginning of this week on the hunt for some nests, he found this song thrush nest with four eggs.

This meadow pipit nest which also had four eggs and was Steve's first of this year so far.

We also found a Stonechat with chicks, we couldn't really tell how many as the nest was deep under a gorse bush so we left nearly straight away as the parent birds were alarming at us near by. Steve is hoping to ring these chicks sometime this week.

Here's a couple of pic's that I've taken recently.

This pair of Green woodpeckers were clinging on to a concrete post.

Here's a nice female yellowhammer taken by my feeders.

The weather is finally getting warmer and as we enter the month of May the breeding season should be by now, in full swing, so lets hope for a good season.

HELLO!!

Forgive me bloggers for I have sinned no blog for almost a year and nearly bottom of some of my fellow bloggers members list oh dear!!, What's he been doing? the answer is not a lot, and not that much been happening bird wise but I should have made more of an effort to get out there.

The spring so far has been very cold and could be the reason why the breeding season hasn't really taken off yet. Having said that some of the early breeders have already got chicks birds like dipper, mistle thrush and a lot of the water bird species will be feeding young by now. Stephen Carter has been on his annual nesting pilgrimage and has informed me that things have been pretty slow but are starting to pick up. He's found this Stonechat nest this weekend.

Here's a male Stonechat that I took this week.

Redstarts have started to arrive in good numbers Steve and myself have made and erected seven new boxes this year to hopefully get more to stay in the area to nest.

                                  This is the female

                                 and the male

I'll finish with a couple of pics of our more commoner birds.

Goldfinch

Great tit

Jay

Blue tit

Reed bunting

Coal Tit

Linnet

Nuthatch

Siskin

Promise not to leave it for another year let's hope something interesting turns up.

RINGING

Below are two video's showing Stephen Carter ringing Meadow pipits and then Redstarts. The Meadow Pipits were ringed last weekend and the Redstarts this weekend. 
I edited out the background sound in the first video as I think Steve and his nesting buddy Anthony forgot that I was recording them and were effing and jeffing away so not to offend anyone I've muted their voices. The meadow pipits have now fledged so if they survive and come back up here to nest next year we might see them with their rings attached.

Also the Buzzard's are doing well with three chicks still in the nest with a half eaten rabbit. Although we think the smallest Buzzard is struggling a bit as it seemed to be either sleeping or it has died, we'll find out if it's okay the next time we check on them.

the three buzzard chicks

Here's also a photo of a Woodpigeon chick in a nest that Steve has found.

woodpigeon chick

Still a while to go until the end of the nesting season so who knows what will turn up.