Final week I wrote in regards to the birds that fly over my Suffolk backyard (in jap England), this time it’s the flip of the true backyard birds, those who not solely land within the backyard, but in addition feed in it. I’ve solely lived in my present home for 5 years: the earlier house owners weren’t all for both birds or gardening, so I’ve to work arduous to make the half-acre property extra enticing to birds. I’ve planted a local hedge with elder, hawthorn, yew and wild roses, created a small orchard and dug a pond. As well as I present loads of feeders, stocked with combined seed and husked sunflowers, plus fats balls. I used to supply each peanuts and niger seed, however intriguingly the birds now not appear all for both.
A Woodpigeon contemplates a shower on a moist day
Most conspicuous of the every-day birds are the Woodpigeons (above). Not a day goes by with out woodies within the backyard for this is likely one of the most considerable of native birds. Curiously, although these pigeons are quite a few on the native farmland, my observations recommend that my backyard birds hardly ever enterprise far into the encompassing countryside. They clearly know the place they’re properly off.
Inventory Doves hardly ever land within the backyard. This chook did so on 21 June this yr
Collared Doves are additionally every day guests, although not fairly so frequent as their bigger cousins. These doves are comparatively current colonists, as the primary pair recorded nesting within the county in 1959. Although Inventory Doves can usually be seen flying over, they hardly ever land within the backyard. They do often: my {photograph} was taken within the backyard this yr, on 21 June.
This Inexperienced Woodpecker ignored the metallic Nice Noticed Woodpecker
It’s at all times a deal with when a Inexperienced Woodpecker arrives within the backyard: they often spend time hoping round on the garden, feasting on ants. Nice Noticed Woodpeckers are solely occasional guests, which is shocking as these good-looking birds are readily interested in chook tables. At my final backyard they had been every day guests.
Blackbirds (above) are conspicuous residents and could be seen all yr, although there are occasions within the autumn once they change into much less apparent. One in every of my favorite indications of the altering yr is once I hear a cock blackbird uttering his first tentative notes of track at nightfall on a light February day. It’s the younger birds that sing first, with the older males not becoming a member of in till March. I can then stay up for listening to these melodious songsters day-after-day till mid July.
Track Thrushes are keen on ivy berries rising in my hedge
A Redwing feeding on ivy berries in March
Whereas Mistle Thrushes fly over recurrently, they hardly ever land. Track Thrushes seem way more continuously, and from late winter there’s often one singing at daybreak and nightfall. These thrushes had been as soon as way more widespread that they’re right now, so I’m at all times delighted once I both see or hear one. It takes chilly climate to push Redwings into the backyard. These migratory thrushes are shy birds, however they’re interested in the ivy berries in my hedge. Fieldfares, the Redwing’s bigger cousin, additionally come into the backyard often, however are extra usually seen flying over. I took the {photograph} (under) on 24 January 2023, my birthday.
Robins are acquainted year-round residents, and one which often nests within the backyard – I present a few appropriate open-fronted nest packing containers. Wrens additionally happen all year long, however they’re unbiased birds, not all for my feeders. That is in distinction to the Dunnocks (under), although they arrive low within the pecking order, so typically scavenge for crumbs beneath the feeders. They’ve a fairly and moderately under-rated track that may be heard from early spring proper by way of to the tip of the breeding season. It’s at all times a delight to discover a Dunnock’s nest, for they lay essentially the most stunning sky-blue eggs, clean and shiny with no markings.
Dunnock: a standard however unobtrusive resident
Starlings having fun with a communal bathtub on a December day
Starlings are periodic guests. Within the spring they’re every day guests, raiding my feeders for fats to feed to their rising kids. In late Could, when the younger birds depart the nest, there could be as many as 40 or 50 within the backyard directly. Starlings are superb at synchronising their hatching, so all of the birds within the space fledge inside a number of days of one another. This, little question, helps total survival. They’re very dapper birds and clearly prefer to look good, for they bathe continuously, usually in firm. The {photograph} above was taken from my examine window on 29 December 2021.
A wintering Blackcap, photographed in December 2023
There’s a tall, thick hedge bordering the jap facet of the backyard, and each spring this holds a singing Blackcap. These warblers have a delicate however enticing track which is at all times a delight to take heed to. Blackcaps are largely summer time customer to this a part of England, however rising numbers of people now over-winter. Final winter I noticed a male Blackcap on a number of events in December, however solely as soon as in January. Ringing data present that our nesting Blackcaps go south within the winter to the Mediterranean, whereas the wintering birds come from Germany and jap Europe.
A Blue Tit in early spring
4 species of tits are common guests – Nice, Blue (above), Coal and Lengthy-tailed. The latter at all times seem in roving flocks, and by no means keep for lengthy, however in passing they’ll cluster onto one of many feeders, with as many as 9 or ten birds competing for a perch. Goldcrests (under), the smallest of my backyard birds, are periodic guests: they will usually be heard singing in late winter and early spring, however recognizing the singer could be a problem.
The smallest of my backyard guests: a Goldcrest
Goldfinches add a contact of color all year long
A misplaced backyard chook? No Bullfinches have been seen for 3 years: I’m nonetheless hoping to enhance on this image, taken quickly after shifting to my present home
Whereas Greenfinches are every day guests in various numbers all year long, Chaffinches have change into fairly scarce. In my first winter right here I used to be delighted to see Bullfinches on various events. The {photograph} (above) was taken on 6 January 2020, a month after I had moved right here. The next winter I had one sighting, however none since. Hopefully they could re-appear someday. Goldfinches happen all year long, whereas Siskins are every day winter guests to gardens only a brief flight away, however they’re uncommon birds right here, although I anticipate to see a number of every winter. To this point I’ve solely recorded a Brambling as soon as, a cock (under) on 21 April 2021. He will need to have been heading again to Scandinavia.
This cock Brambling paused within the backyard briefly one April
Amongst my favorite common guests are Reed Buntings (under). They invariably seem in late winter and thru into the spring – my earliest dates are at first of February, the newest on the finish of April. My most depend is six, however it’s extra usually one or two, and virtually at all times cocks. They’re attracted by the feeders full of husked sunflowers.
A February Reed Bunting feeding in one in all my raised beds
Two cock Reed Buntings photographed on the finish of April
A cock Home Sparrow
Home Sparrows (above) deserve a point out, for at my final home these had been rarities, however right here, residing in a village, they’re much extra frequent guests. They often come to feed in small flocks, often not more than a dozen birds, however in winter there is likely to be 30 or extra. My most depend is 49 – I couldn’t discover a fiftieth.
A cock Gray Partridge on a mole hill in my orchard. The mole is an unwelcome customer
One in every of my finest backyard data is a Quail, heard from the kitchen, however calling from a barley subject simply over my hedge. I recurrently see Gray Partridges on the fields past the backyard, and infrequently they enterprise into the backyard. The luxurious cock (above) was one other chook photographed from my examine window, this time on a boring January day.
On one other event a covey of six spent a while foraging within the backyard (above). Pheasants are widespread regionally, however solely often come into the backyard. The chook in my {photograph} (under) was an everyday customer for a number of weeks earlier this yr. Curiously, I’ve by no means seen a hen Pheasant within the backyard.
Backyard birding is enjoyable, as you by no means know what would possibly flip up. I document my birds for the British Belief for Ornithology’s Backyard BirdWatch, a long-running examine with a number of thousand individuals submitting weekly counts of the birds they document. It’s a traditional instance of citizen science, as the information it produces permits the BTO to watch how our backyard birds are faring.
(Photographer’s be aware: all the images illustrating this piece had been taken in my backyard. Most had been taken by way of double-glazed home windows, which does detract from their high quality.)
