The Meadow Hide 06-01-2022
What a difference a day makes , twenty four hours ago I was enjoying a glorious winters day walk to Mouldon Hill. Reasonable warm for January with a lovely clear blue sky and no wind. Fast forward to today and it’s overcast ,grey and cold , the sort of cold that gets right into your bones. Anyway this is my first day this year at the hide and at least there’s no wind ! So the feeders are full and the ice has been broken on the paddling pool , it’s time to settle down wrapped in a blanket and wait to see who’s visiting the hide today.
The first visitor is a real surprise , the Jay. The Jay has been one of those birds I have never managed to get a good image of . They always seem very timid and the slightest movement or noise spooks them and they are off. Not today ! I’m not 100% sure if it’s one or two Jays who are flying into the feeders at the paddling pool from the far end of the meadow but there is definitely a pattern. Fly in , feed , fly out and repeat. It’s such a beautiful bird and a relief it’s finally hanging around long enough to have its photo taken !
The Robins are here and in good numbers , at least six individuals. For me no other bird symbolises cold winter days more than the humble Robin. Despite last year being a bad year for breeding we still seem to have a healthy population here at the hide. Keep an eye out for the Big Garden Birdwatch which takes place later this month from the 28th to 30th January, the RSPB annual garden bird counting event. All the data gathered helps build up a picture of just how healthy or not our is our native bird population .
So who else has been visiting the feeders today. Blackbirds , lots of blackbirds . Once again we seem to have a healthy population of blackbirds here with at least 10 individuals. And it seems to be a pretty equal mix of male and female birds. They are joined by their cousin the Song Thrush , another beautiful bird and always a pleasure to see.
The Long tailed tits are here in good numbers . Together with Blue tits , Great tits and the ground feeding Dunnock’s. Completing the list of today’s visitors we have in no particular order , Pheasants , Great spotted woodpecker, Wood pigeon , Crow , Chaffinch , Wren , Bullfinch , Red kite and a fly past by some Canadian geese. The mammals , Grey squirrel and Ane.
Stay safe , stay warm !
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Such fun and beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing.