Utter madness!

Sunday 4 April
Just crazy......Easter Day and not one, not two, but THREE Green Sandpipers on the field behind the garden. What next ? Wood Sand ?

Easter eggs

Saturday 3 April
Up early and hiding the first few Easter eggs for Tom's special saturday warm up hunt before the big day tomorrow. It was turning out to be a lovely day and the Jays had already started taking an interest in the garden, hunting out their own easter goodies in the form of peanuts.

We can get up to five of these great birds in the garden at once and if they put their minds to it, reduce the peanut feeders very quickly, so I have taken to putting peanuts on the ground now, as they do tend to scare off the other birds when they come swooping in.

Every time I see these birds I remember making fishing flies as a youngster and sometimes using the blue feathers from the wings of Jays. That in turn reminds me how long ago that was , so moving on....
General stuff in the garden followed, and then, a flash of white by the feeders caught my eye - it couldn't be the Bullfinch could it ? I've been waiting so long for an opportunity to see these clearly in the garden but they are always so jumpy. I crouched down by the garden table and raised the camera to see if I could actually find the bird....... and there it was looking like a Zebra on the feeder !

a white rump yes, but white rump and up the back combined with the exquisite mottled mantle, black wing coverts and a blast of orange, no Bullfinch here, rather a stunning male Brambling, still in winter plumage but looking great.

a there he was, head coming into summer plumage a bit, give it a handfull of weeks and this bird's head and bill will be all black.

it was actually quite confiding, which was just as well as by now Tom had emerged, the dog was running about looking like a fox, and generally the disturbance level had risen significantly.

and finally here you can see the white on it's rump and lower back. Eventually it flew off but revisited the garden a few times. Called Emma (next door) round to see it but unfortunately it was not playing ball, probably something to do with Emma, Rob, Jasmine, Lilly and Tom all hovering around in baited anticipation. So let's hope it's back tomorrow so they can see it.

Quick trip up to the farm to dump some clippings and stopped briefly by the lakes. It was a day for surprises ! as on arrival saw some Geese that were not Greylags, not Egyptian and were grey not black and white, with heart pounding I leapt out of the car and had a Pentney tick - eleven Pink-footed Geese, awesome. Now I know these things are all over Norfolk but, it's late in the year for them still to be around and in over ten years of living here I have never seen one in the village. A quick record shot was all I could manage as they quickly flew off.

and nearly all eleven on the pic. Back to the house via a Pheasant just opposite the drive.

  

I'll be back....

18 March 2010
Eagerly awaited and it's the return of the Marsh Tit, back at the feeders. Also the Green Sandpiper has been present on and off for the last couple of days. It is incredibly flighty and any movement in the garden by me or next door and it's off. But it does return so I suspect it has a series of flooded fields that it visits.

Two much

16 March 2010 8am (again)
This is almost too much, Two Green Sandpipers now on the waterlogged field behind the garden and then a third wader which was chased off by one of the Green Sands, but not enough time to get on it! Birds a bit flighty this morning and flew off as I ventured into the garden. I think they'll be back.

Here a couple of rubbish flights shots. White rump and dark underwing.

Now I wonder what that other wader was???.... Solitary Sand ? ..... Spotted....... Hmmm off to work.

Evening surprise

15 March 2010
The Green Sandpiper still present this evening.

And then some sort of blob resembling a duck also on the waterlogged field, of course it had to be a Mallard, but wait a minute, it looks a bit small, quick check through the scope and there it was a Teal ! I couldn't believe it, just the other side of the fence.

......and then to round the day off, one of the local Muntjacs popped in to have a look (obiously needed Teal on it's list) .

Ok none of these pics will win any awards, but it's a way off and most importantly it's just behind the house. I'm made up !

It's back

Monday 15 March - 8am
I said it was eagerly awaited and it didn't disappoint. A check of the field out back while readying Tom for school and there was a small wader on the waterlogged field. The Green Sandpiper had returned, or at least I presume it's the same bird and not an early Spring migrant. Clearly seen here !

and with the wonders of cropping....

one Green Sandpiper. Other birds present were two Moorhens, five Woodpigeons and two Mallards. All happily feeding away. The Green Sandpiper stayed for about an hour before this (below) great gullumphing thing wandered over. Strange to think that just under forty years ago I used to hitch up to Norfolk from Kent to twitch these, and now, not only Norfolk but Pentney is full of them - Egyptian Goose.

Subtle they are not!

Blasted Barn Owls

Saturday 13 March

The forecast said a sunny day, but in reality it was grey skies early on. Given the dull conditions I quickly put the camera on the back seat and set off to work. Just outside Grimston and suddenly at the side of the road a Barn Owl sat on a post. I drove past slowly, pulled in and grabbed the camera - Hmmm the dull conditions had relaxed my preparations so when I got hold of the camera I found there was no card in it ! Grasping around the car I found a 4MB card - excellent - put it in, and it said card Full ! crisis now as I could still see the Barn Owl. Found another card and turned the car round. Slowed down as I approached it and of course it was looking away !

and then it saw something in the grass......

the shutter clicked and it heard, looked at me and flew off. It's still not the great shot of Barn Owl I have set my heart on this year, but for a dull day and with just a couple of seconds, it's acceptable.