nesting gulls and crows

Herring gulls that are nesting nearby are collecting nesting materials from the track that runs past our house. 

There are at least two, possibly three different gulls that fly off in different directions with their nesting materials.

Some collect the twigs and similar debris, while one in particular has been actually pulling up grass and moss. The key seems to be to collect as much as they can.

There is the inevitable squabble with a pair of crows who are also collecting nesting materials.

However, unlike the herring gulls, they seem to be a lot more choosy with the materials they gather. possibly because a crows nest is a more substantial affair - the seagulls is just a pile of debris to cushion the eggs and stop them rolling away.

Black Redstart

While I was working at the computer I noticed a bird out the window. It was on the gate post. I snapped a picture.

Then I returned back to the computer.

I noticed a bird at the feeder, which turned out to be a gold finch

Later in the day, while in  the garden I saw the original bird again. First it was doing a lot of head bobbing on the wall and then flew down into the road where I got a better look at it.

I think it is a female black redstart, (rather than a redstart) the first I had seen in Portslade and the first in the Twitten and our garden. I did not get clear views of the entire bird and the pictures also show the same kind of profile.

It is an attractive bird about the size of a robin.

I saw the blackredstart again a bit later in our neighbours tree.

I will keep an eye out to see if it stays around.

Honey bees, Fox and Goldfinch

I was out doing some gardening and noticed this honey bee visiting the dandelions. I try to dissuade dandelions but once the are there and flowering.

I wait until the flower turns to seed and remove it. After it has flowered completely I dig it up. Dandelions can be a very useful nectar source in spring (and often see goldfinches feeding on the seeds in autumn).

Infact I attracted by the calling of a goldfinch on a tree across the garden in the twitten. Portslade seems to be quite a good place for goldfinches and are seen most days.

As I looked up the twitten a fox suddenly appeared from a garden on the left and trotted up the twitten.

It heard me (probably my camera) and stopped and turned around

Then a dog appeared from a near garden on the left. The fox noticed the dog and froze. The dog did not notice the fox, it seemed more interested in what I was doing.

Then the fox carried on up the track and disappeared into a garden to the right.

The fox was a beauty

More snow

Another heavy bout of snow.

Somewhere under here is the pond. I did manage to cover the spawn up with a sheet and protect it against the worst - particularly the pond freezing

Frogs return

A rainy morning and we awoke to find that the frogs had returned to our garden pond and had started to spawn. A solitary frog had  been seen in the pond a few days ago - maybe one that had hibernated in thebottom of the pond.

Goldfinches and blue tits

Today two goldfinches were foraging in the old flowers of the buddleia.

Yesterday, two blue tits were foraging in the old grasses beneath the buddleia.

It is a good idea not to tidy your garden up too much in the autumn as seeds and hibernating insects can be a good source of food for birds.

 

First queen bee

I have just seen the first queen bumble bee in my garden this year. Bumble bee queens hibernate over winter and usually come out of hibernation in March when the spring flowers provide an early nectar source.

The bee was sunning itself on our wall.