We tell ourselves Spring is here but even with the sun up it was a cold start out on the moss, iced up ropes with a second layer of ice on the bamboo poles, so three nets went up slowly, with swigs of coffee in between. First bird out was a Linnet, giving me high hopes that more of the 120 strong flock might find the net from their forays into the alders. It wasn’t to be as thick mist rolled in from the west, and apart from Goldfinches on the feeders the birds stopped moving around much. I caught just 9 birds, 7 Goldfinch, 1 Linnet and I Chaffinch, until packing up early due to the lingering mist leaving dew on the nets.
The Yellowhammers were still about the spilt wheat this morning, at least 15 birds, with Chaffinches coming for a look also.
The “other” sightings are pretty thin today, the mist preventing me seeing anything of note except 1 Kestrel, a singing Corn Bunting, 2 Reed Bunting, 2 drumming Great-spotted Woodpeckers and a Little Owl at the entrance to a nest box. They do that every year, fool someone into thinking they are about to use a box, then go and nest elsewhere.
Just the other day I found this freshly dead but very wet mouse on the morning grass. I think it may be a house mouse Mus musculus, but I stand to be corrected by someone with knowledge of small mammals.
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16 comments:
The linnet looks very much like a local bird in the Philippines, which we call a maya bird. It is a wild bird, so it was quite thrilling to see the linnet standing comfortably on your hand:)
The linnet and the chaffinch sure look perky, but I know even less about dead-mouse identification than I do about birds. For a while there was a disease of some time being carried by the deer mouse, so I learned to identify them by their big ears, but never saw one.
The little owl looks like she's giving you the eye. "Ha, figure out where I'm nesting, will you? I don't think so."
K
Hi Phil
Cracking Little Owl portrait.
Grat day and wonderful photos. That Little owl is my favorite. What a cutie. Happy Birding or should I say Happy Banding.
Hey Phil, the birds feathers - especially the Linnnet - do look moist. Or is it just my eyes playing tricks? Lovely picture of the Misty Moss and of course, the Little Owl.
Que bellas poses te han ofrecido el pinzón yel mochuelo, me gusta mucho el primer plano del pinzón para observar toda su belleza, a pesar de la niebla conseguistes un buen trabajo Phil, un abrazo para ti
Una maravilla de fotografías,, es un placer ver tan de cerca aves tan bellas. Saludos desde Madrid
Hi Phil: Atmospheric shot of the moss All the best JWB.
Hi Phil: Atmospheric shot of the moss All the best JWB.
Poor little mouse.... Nice photo of the Little Owl as usual and the Yellowhammer is stunning!
what a busy day you had
Thanks for sharing some wonderful birds..
The Little Owl... love those birds and this is another great one Phil! Now then...that does look like a dead, soaken wet little field mouse, but, I do not know my mouse species...what big ears it had...hmmm, a missed meal for something to~
It is a good work you do, inspirational!
Beautiful shots of the birds Phil. Too bad the weather didn't cooperate but you still got some nice birds! I love those Little Owls, especially because they remind me of their cousins over here, Athene cunicularia, the Burrowing Owl!
Hi there - I like the owl looking over the branch. Very good shot.
Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne.
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