WHERE'S OUR GREENFINCHES GONE?

Reading the BTO Garden Bird Survey 2016 it states on there that Greenfinch numbers have plummeted dramatically.
The main reason behind this is Trichomonosis  a parasite disease and one of the main causes of this (according to the experts) is our dirty feeders.
I've always had really good numbers of Greenfinches at my feeders but this year I haven't had any which is a bit of a worry. I do clean my feeders perhaps not as often as I should but not to have a single Greenfinch visit my feeders must show that the BTO survey is pretty accurate.

I don't know what the answer is to stop the Greenfinch decline but it would be a massive shame to lose one of our charismatic and beautiful garden visitors.

male greenfinch

female greenfinch

close up

male and juvenile Greenfinch on my clean feeder

Lets hope that the experts can find a cure for this Trichomonosis  and our Greenfinches can bounce back.  

TRICKY WILLOW

Willow Warbler came back to the farm today but stayed quite high up in the trees and was tricky to photograph.

willow warbler

Very busy amongst the branches the little bleeders don't stay still for very long.

Also photographed this Nuthatch at my feeders.

nuthatch

Very busy now with the resident birds already well into their breeding programmes and our summer migrants arriving daily, who knows what will turn up.

ONE SWALLOW AND ALL THAT!

This Swallow was the first one back on territory yesterday. I had a fly by on Thursday but this one is the first to arrive out of the couple of pairs we have nesting every year in our sheds and a very welcome sight it was as well and it also brought with it some beautiful sunny weather.

first one back

swallow

swallow

Meadow pipits are also now everywhere and have been displaying over the last couple of weeks and possibly could already be on eggs.

meadow pipit

We also get Tree pipits up here but with its bold stripes on it's flanks and very long hind claw on it's foot this clearly is a Meadow.

HOUSE BUILDING

Went to a local water body this afternoon hoping to photograph Dippers, none showed but I did notice these Coot who are well on their way to completing their nest. Just hope they don't get to much disturbance off the local dog-walkers.

carrying some material

getting ready to put it in place

off to get a bit more

coot

Amongst the other birds were Canada Goose and the local Mallards.

canada goose

female mallard

 Mmmmmm pity about them Dippers.

Bold Buzzard

Whilst driving down the Lane which leads to our house this Buzzard was sitting on a fence post I stopped the car and watched it for a good few minutes it didn't seem at all bothered by my presence. I got home grabbed my camera and drove back up to where it was perched it still sat there bold as brass just looking around it's surroundings. I managed to grab some nice shots of it before it finally decided it had enough of me a took off.

buzzard

buzzard

take off

This was a bit of a lucky encounter but it made my day.

THE TAWNY'S ARE BACK

With the end March now upon us the new breeding season is beginning to happen with birds starting to display, pair up and some are already nest building with some already on eggs.

We checked the three owl boxes a few weeks ago and all that were in them were Grey Squirrels which gave us a bit of a fright as they dart out of the boxes.

The squirrel squatter 

This week though after checking them again I was delighted to find the female in there and hopefully sitting on eggs. 
This short clip shows her sitting in the box.

These owls have been in this box for a few years now and the female has always been a great parent and as the clip shows she is not easily spooked.

The Owls must have thrown the Squirrels out and I was delighted to see them back again.

KITE CHICKS

The spread of the Red Kite from it's only breeding sites in Mid-Wales is at least one conservation success story.
I live right on the border of two county's in South Wales Blainau Gwent and Torfaen where there has been regular sightings of Kites during the last few years. A nest was found four years ago in  Blainau Gwent one chick was ringed and a picture taken by Mr. Steve Roberts under schedule 1 licence. It was the first Red Kite chick to be ringed in the county but sadly the chick didn't make it the nest failed due to heavy rain that spring. It's nesting tree was badly damaged in the autumn storms we think by a lightening strike and so the birds deserted the site altogether.

the first red kite chick to be ringed in blainau gwent

A bit of good news though is that another Kite nest has been found in the county and they have bred successfully over the last couple of years.
And there's more great news a pair have now bred successfully in Torfaen for the first time, where one chick was ringed and picture taken by Kim Kirkbride under schedule 1 licence.

 This is fantastic news for the area but also shows that the Red Kite's are expanding their range, lets hope that they become a common sight in the years to come.

A big thanks to my buddy Stephen Carter for the information and the pictures "cheers mate".