I’m now working from home, and I’m lucky enough to have my desk overlooking the front garden where the bird feeder is, it’s given me the opportunity to really get to know the birds that visit, they all have their own personalities, and really make me chuckle.
The Goldfinches, with their striking black, red and yellow, come en mass and their heads go straight into the feeder, their beaks are full of sunflower hearts, which they can’t gulp down quick enough, so most end up on the ground. Here the Blackbirds rush out of the hedge, grab what they can and then head back again into the lush greenery, it’s all very SAS style!
The Sparrows meek and brown are very community spirited- they are not in a hurry, they take their time unperturbed by the blackbird sprints, the more they hang around the more food they get, and they like to hang about at the foot of the Elm tree or hop about in the flowering currant.
Now most excitingly we had four Greenfinches on the feeder, my tea almost went everywhere in the rush to check with the binoculars. I think they have boxer looking faces, and are well camouflaged against the moss of the Elm tree. I keep seeing them come back, which is a really great thing.
I noticed the Robins have been brave and doing a kind of flutter/hover to get at the fat balls, not an easy manoeuvre to do, but he does it none the less. He then takes his time cleaning his beak on the mossy branches, I’ve seen a lot of Robins fighting too, pecking at each other in flight just above the ground.
The Chaffinches come in large numbers too but politely take their turn at the feeder, they don’t share the feeder with the Greenfinches, but take off at the sight of them. I wonder if it’s a finch gang thing!
The Wood Pigeon struts around like lord of the manor, gulping all he can get off the floor, but when the Crows and Magpies come down there are feathers flying everywhere, and off he flies up into the tree to watch with his fellow Wood Pigeon.
The Starlings are noisy, the Wren secretive and quiet, unless you are near her nest. The Great Tits are bold and the Blue Tits are feisty, and then when it couldn’t be busier (It’s a little like Heathrow) along comes another interesting visitor a Blackcap! Out came the book, with much deliberation of whether it was a Blackcap or a Marsh Tit, and the nodding of heads when we narrowed it down, it was good to have a name for the mystery visitor.
So whilst we all going through this unusual period in our lives, I’m finding great happiness from the birds, I’m joyful they have their freedom, the ability to mix with other birds, to sing loudly, to fight, to find a mate and build their nests and to drop sunflower hearts all over the ground, and most of all they make me smile, their antics make my day a little easier in difficult circumstances.
