Hungry Winter Wildlife

The leafless trees are a great boon and how pretty they have looked, decked first with snow and then with frost. The boon is of course the ease with which we are able to spot birds. During the last week I have seen all three woodpeckers; the striking black, white and red great and lesser; the pretty green and yellow green; the mouse like treecreeper as he repeatedly darts up and flies down the trunk of the silver birch tree; charms of goldfinches and flocks of long tailed tits and of course all of the usual birds.

The food put out for the wildlife disappears rapidly and I entreat you all not to throw scraps away, those crumbs or that piece of fat destined for the bin may be the difference between life and death for some of our feathered friends this weather.

I always boil chicken carcasses down to make soup, during this process the bones become softened and then make fillings for the fox sandwiches, if for some reason I am unable to do this, then I hang the carcass from a tree and the tits cling all over it, gradually picking it clean.

The squirrels seem ravenous, but on watching them one morning, I discovered a fair bit of what they take is not consumed but buried! However, later that evening I watched a fox, who after finishing his food went back and forth across the lawn digging up the food stashed away by the squirrels -- so it is interesting to watch the squirrels carefully bury their food then magpies and jays gather it in the day and foxes do so at night.

New Animal Behaviours

Intrigued, I watched a new behavior by the jay today. He stood on a rotten branch and pecked at it breaking pieces off and dropping them to the ground. I have not seen this before and wondered if he was looking for grubs or insects to supplement his winter diet.

I was amused by a squirrel who when I opened the window stood underneath and watched me. I reached for a biscuit, broke off a piece and tossed it toward him. Quick as a flash he stepped forward, his arms shot out and he caught it. I would have liked to see if he would repeat this new behavior, but as soon as he had the biscuit piece it was in his mouth and he was off.

With much pleasure today, I watched a treecreeper on the birch tree making his way from the bottom upward, then flying down to near the base of the tree and starting again.

I also saw a ten-strong charm of pretty red-faced goldfinches in the birch tree this morning.

Dunnocks Mating

There are fieldfares in the cotoneaster and holly. They are such large and pretty members of the thrush family, and so welcome in my garden.

A surprising sight this late morning was dunnocks mating. Later, I was drawn to the window by the insistent one note call of a dunnock, and looking out I saw a flighty female performing for three males, who in their ardour were caught between paying court to her and chasing off their rivals.

After a few minutes it all died down and the young (three years old) pheasant came to feed. He came alone and it is a couple of days since I have seen his father, whom I call the emperor, on account of his regal attitude and beautiful colouring. There has been the sound of shooting in the nearby fields and I hope he is safe. He has been with us for so many years I would hate for him to end up on someone’s plate. He looks glorious wandering around outside.

The fox has been coming very late, my fault because I have been slow to get his food ready. I must make a greater effort in future. We rarely have more than one at a time now,although we are still visited by at least two. The bright white of the snow makes them easier to watch during these dark nights.

Young Squirrel

The squirrels are very lively today. There are four of them: two fully grown fat ones who climb on to the kitchen window ledge and bang on the window; and two smaller thin ones. At first, I thought the thin squirrels were a pair that had happened upon the garden by chance and found the feeding station, but now I think they are the youngsters of the older, fatter pair.

The young ones stir up the older squirrels, quite literally running rings around them. The younger pair have been nervous of people, but they clear food from the bird tables and the ground, and from a distance, they beg for more. Today, however, saw a change in their behavior when one of them jumped on the window ledge and sat there watching me. I waved to him and picked up some food, gently opening the window so as not to alarm him. I expected him to leap away, but instead he snatched the food and then fled. I hope, in time, he will learn to take food as gently as the older pair do.