Wednesday 12 October 2011

Still the wet stuff falls

The Safari is getting pig-sick of the wet stuff despite not being able to get out in it! Makes even simple thigs like lookin ou of the window hard work.
Yesterday arvo we heard a bit of Blackbird commotion and saw a bit of mobbing behaviour from them. At first glance we thought they might have found a Sparrowhawk but close inspection saw them defending 'their' Rowan berries against a marauding Mistle Thrush...fierce they were and it eventually moved on without getting any where near the booty.
A Red Admiral was also seen yesterday in one of the brief interludes in the rain.
Today our bro-in-law came round to have a look at the Safari's defunct PC can be brought back to life...hope so cos there's a lot of records on there which could be lost for ever - shoulda made back-ups of EVERYTHING - and proper good old fashioned paper copies too...and it's got better photo-processing software so if the pics have been abit iffy recently (excluding the ones through dirty windows) that's the reason why - Wifey's rinky-dinky laptop's screen isn't ideal for seeing how a pic actually looks.

Early morning gave us just one wet Perergrine sitting on the ledge and the number of Blackbirds around the Rowan was a little down on yesterday.

By late morning the buff-fronted bruiser of a juvenile Peregrine had joined the first and once the rain had eased we took some sunny hearts up to the feeder...spilt half of them but they soon brought in a stonking male Greenfinch and a flock of four Goldfinches. The spilt seeds attracted a real rarity - two Collared Doves; not seen the in the garden for months!

Another 'first for alkong time' was this rather soggy looking Grey Squirrel - always nice to see but boy we we so much rather have the Reds of our youth in the garden. Luckily it passed through without finding our feeder and went for next door's (other side to the Rowan) bumper Pear crop - just hope it saves some for the thrushes as the neighbours just let them fall.


Shortly after the Grey Squirrel had left a lone and totally solitary Long Tailed Tit passed through the garden and like the squirrel successfully avoided the feeder.

The Mistle Thrush returned to the tree-top where was sat yesterday and again was immediately mobbed by a Blackbird, but this could have been a decoy ploy as there was second already in the Rowan scoffing berries like there was no tomorrow.

It saw us and was off in a flash leaving the way clear for the Blackbirds to reclaim their stash.


Cor blimey...it was all app'nin at Base Camp today!!!
Where to next? Same place but who knows what'll be out there...less berries for sure but better weather is a distinc possibilty at long last...may some vis...or Redwings over in the

darkness
In the meantime let us know who's acting as the decoy in your outback.

2 comments:

Warren Baker said...

More going on in that Rowan than on my entire patch Dave :-)

No appreciable rain here for weeks!

Lancashire and Lakeland Outback Adventure Wildlife Safaris said...

Your welcome to some of our rain...not stopped for weeks...feels like that at least!

Cheers
D