Small Bird News

It's some time since I wrote about the small birds in the garden because there really oughtn't to be any. The one-time hockey pitch next door is being turned into a housing estate and we've had heavy machinery and human noise for weeks - yet many of our birds have stuck with us and, to put it mildly, I'm very grateful to them because living right next to a building site isn't much fun - the arrow points to a surprisingly well-frequented peanut feeder - and they have been an endless source of interest.

If any bird was going to survive the proximity of a building site it was the house sparrows, and they have not disappointed, nor....

....has the noise deterred the tit family - great, blue and coal. In fact, I think there are more coal tits than ever but that may be something to do with the amount of sunflower seeds they're being given.

It's more of a surprise that one of our most self-effacing birds, the dunnock, is another that hasn't been bothered. In fact, there appear to be more of them around than in previous years which, since they are one of my favourite birds, makes me very happy.

I don't know whether the building site has discouraged robins but, in contrast to previous years where there was stiff competition for the territory of our garden, this year only one robin is in evidence. He's pictured here in a surprising setting for so late in he year - beside a tomato plant.

There are blackbirds in the garden but this is a transitory time of year for them as the residents have to put up with various Scandinavian incomers, usually with black plumage and black beaks, passing through. This is a local male.

Song thrushes are a not uncommon sight in the garden and they don't seem to be fewer this year than before, which bodes well for their singing on summer evenings.

Well, that's the good news. The less good is that some species which were regulars have disappeared, in particular....

....the greenfinches. Since there were plenty coming into the garden just before the diggers arrived I can only assume that they don't like the disturbance.

Finally, there are several species which we used to see but don't any more, like the siskins, the red polls, the woodpeckers, the bullfinches, the blackcaps and the long-tailed tits. This may be nothing to do with the disturbance but I can only hope that they return once the houses are built and, with a bit of luck, full of people who like to feed the birds.