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Another Birding Winter 2000-2001

By Jackie Creswick, a Friend

I wrote an article for a newsletter last year about the birds in my garden that winter and I was really pleased to read about Ian Harding's birds (and hedgehog) in Adder Hill. I hope that other members enjoyed the articles too.

Last winter has, on balance, been even better. I had about 10 feeders in use, of one sort or another, during the coldest spells. The fat blocks go down best with a wide range of birds and the finches adored the sunflower seed hearts that I bought for the first time this year. They are expensive but leave no messy husks to clear up. The cold spell over the New Year provided views of large numbers of goldfinches (up to 14 at a time) and we had a visiting female bullfinch and my first wren for a number of years. One of the highlights was a goldcrest that arrived in the front garden as I was out there filling up a feeder. I dared not move for fear of frightening it as it searched for insects on a small conifer within feet of me - it was a magical experience to be so near such a beautiful and unusual (for me) bird. They are normally so cautious that I can only assume that it had not noticed me.

A female blackcap was a regular visitor but no male - we had both last year. This year the pair of reed buntings visited but not on a daily basis. In line with the national trends we had more long - tailed tit visitors - on one occasion 5 birds feeding together on the same nut feeder.

I think most of the birds from the valley must have joined the early morning queue for sultanas during the period of severe frosts - I had 13 on a number of occasions and a regular thrush together with a flock of starlings. One of the starlings had only 1 leg, the other was either entirely missing or so badly injured that the bird never attempted to put it down. I did not think it would survive long - healthy birds seem to pick on a injured one but I watched it over a period of weeks learn to adapt to its disability and to balance by using its wings. It even seemed to know which perches to use i.e. those that did not require 2 legs to grip such as branches in exposed places. Sadly I have not seen it for some weeks now but I have had the pleasure of seeing all the juvenile starlings arrive over the last week or so, squawking loudly for food. I would love to know where our birds roost - I remember as a child seeing flocks of starlings swirl about at dusk but not nowadays (unless a trip is made to Runcorn Bridge).

I missed the jackdaw pair this year and I did not see any siskins or bramblings but we have had a pair of bullfinches as regular visitors and fortunately they appeared to have preferred the seed I provided to our plum blossom. At the time of writing we have a few juvenile blackbirds, a number of fledgling sparrows, a thrush collecting food for the young still in the nest and a family of newly fledged coal tits being fed. The shrubbery provides them with ideal places to wait for the return of the parent birds with food. The seasons move on and the next winter will be here all too soon!

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