Porkers and bird visitors

6 September 2012

It's been ages yet again since I posted in here.  The simple reason for it is that we haven't been out birding.  Jan had was in hospital for an operation and just after that we moved home.  Now we are in a ground floor flat and felling very happy about it.  We're hoping that now we are properly settled in we can get out and do some real birding. 

On Sunday we had a day out to London Zoo and then into town to have a look at the South Bank.  Bird-wise it was a so-so trip.  We had around 10 birds on the drive down but none on the drive back seeing as it was fully dark as we came back we didn't see anything at all.  We were rather pleased though to see a small flock of ring neck parakeets flying around the zoo grounds.  There was also a fair number of grey herons on the zoo grounds too.

Back here in Dorktown now then ... for many years we have fed the local birds.  That hasn't changed since we moved here.  At the rear of the block is a self contained little community of mainly disabled or elderly residents.  It's a very friendly little area indeed and one we are really happy to be part of and accepted by.  Bird wise it's not quite so good however. 

Right from the first day Jan has been feeding the birds.  Mainly we just get collared doves, wood pigeons, magpies, dunnocks, blackbirds and house sparrows.  But one day last week was a very good day.  Look what Jan snapped ... 

a sparrow hawk!  She did a lot better than I did.  I kept shaking as I tried.  It was sitting about 20 feet away from our back door and stayed there while Jan was shooting for about 10 minutes.  What a treat that was!  On Monday I looked out of the kitchen window and saw two goldfinch on the feeder.  Jan saw them again yesterday.  OK, not a spectacular sighting but a first for us here in our new home.  What we haven't seen though are any of the tit species.  I know they've had a rough breeding year this year but I would have expected to see a few of them, at least great and blue tits.

Oh would you look at that!!!  I've been telling porkies - oh horror.  We did get out one day last month.  We went to Newport Wetlands; not that it was a particularly bird filled day mind.   pleasant day out though, which is always a good thing in itself.  The main problem at the site was that the tide was well out while we were there and we couldn't really hang about waiting for it to come back in.  Next time I will check the tide times before we set out - which reminds me ... I must check them for our next planned trip to - well, I was going to say the RSPB site not far from Southend-on-Sea.  But looking at the RSPB website it's not there now.  It's not even listed in Where to Watch Birds in Britain, strange that.  I remember going there one time some time ago.  Now we will have to look for somewhere else.  Good job I checked!