Woodpecker

As I walked past Easthill Park (Portslade, East Sussex) I heard a woodpecker drumming for the first time this year. I did not see the woodpecker this time, but it is probably the great spotted woodpecker that I saw on numerous occasions last year.

Park birds

On Saturday I was running a course at the Booth museum in Hove. I got there early so I had a walk around the park across the road. There was a lot of bird activity and many birds could be heard calling especially robin, blue tit and great tit. The park has some nicely planted areas that provide thick cover and it was here that a lot of the bird activity centred. These included robin, blue tits, great tits, dunnock and blackbirds.

There was also a very busy bumble bee visiting what I think was the flowers of a Eucalyptus tree.

Fox courship

Late last night a courting fox came calling several times. It seemed to be doing a circuit as it could be heard first in te front garden, then the back garden and then it would trail of to the south. About half an hour later it was back again. I did not get to see it properly this time, justa shape. Last year we have three foxes that kept disappearing down the track next to our house see blog entry for 22nd January 2008.

A few days earlier I had thrown an old roll into the garden for the birds. It was still there before it got dark, in the morning it had gone. Possibly the fox stopped off for a snack.

A light dusting of snow

A light dusting of snow during the night. It tried again a few times during the day but nothing else settled. The cold weather has meant the pond is frozen.

Wren

First entry for 2009. While making a cup of tea in the kitchen I caught a movement through the kitchen window from the corner of my eye.

It was a small brown bird hopping around in the foliage on the side of the shed. It took a while before I got a clear view and was pleased to see a little wren.

The wren foraged for about 5 minutes before moving up into the branches of the tree that overhangs the shed.

A pair of blackbirds was also very active in the bear apple tree in the garden behind ours. They were around late morning and returned at dusk with lots of warning calls. A chaffinch also passed by very quickly and a robin also flew across the garden.