Rodents

In the hide today spotted a shrew coming out of the hedge to get some dropped seeds from below the feeder. It would run out really fast and then dash back with a seed. Later in the day I found a whole that looks like it would belong to a shrew however it is at the other end of the garden so I think that it might be from another shrew.

There were also two squirrels at the feeders today, luckily for me they stayed on the ground so the birds still came. I am going to have to make something to stop them from being able to get up onto he feeders though so as they do not eat all of the bird seed.

Location: Walled Garden on Campus.

Time/Date: 26^h January 2011

Weather: Light Cloud

Walled Garden Bird Feeders

I was setting up my camera today in the walled garden to take some photographs of the wild birds in the Walled Garden. Just as I was putting the camera on the lens a Spotted woodpecker landed on the tree right by the hide. When it spotted me it flew away very quickly.

I was in the hide for a lot of the afternoon, in that time there was a lot of activity around the bird feeders. I was very happy to see a Goldfinch enjoying the Niger seed. Lots of Great Tits and a little group of Blue Tits. Another regular visitor was a Coal Tit, I think that there was only one of these. Another bird that I have not come into contact with that much was a Nuthatch that was eating the sunflower heats. A very fast bird always moving its head making it very hard to focus.

I spent a lot of time trying to photograph Chaffinches in flight. I only managed to get one shot that I was happy with. To get this shot I pre focussed on a point where I had observed them fly. I chose a spot in there flight path that they stalled in the air so as to achieve as much sharpness as possible. I then waited till a bird flew in front of the camera. There were a lot of Chaffinches but there was only one male bird to about 6 females.

Location: Walled Garden on Campus.

Time/Date: 24^th January 2011

Weather: Light Cloud Cold

Frogmoor Estuary

Some people on the course and I decided to go away for the weekend to a house near Frogmoor. The location was situated very close to some very wild areas of estuary. To my surprise there was not as much wildlife as one would have thought.

Wildlife of interest included a couple of Egrets flying around as the tide came in. some Mute Swans Cormorants and some Shags. We also observed from a distance a Crow and a Buzzard having a little fight.

Location: Frogmoor Estuary.

Time/Date: Weekend of the 21^st Jan 2011

Weather: Overcast very cold wind.

Penryn Estuary

It was an early start for me this morning, leaving at dawn to explore some more of the Cornish country side. Today I went to a new stretch of the Penryn estuary. It was here that I spotted a roosting point for Grey Herons. Unfortunately I did not have a long lens with me as I was travelling light (steal tripod and a D200) I watched them for a while before they decided that I was too much of a threat and slowly one by one by took flight.

10 mins later or so I was walking up through a field and spotted a fox trotting a long a short distance away. It was not afraid of me or had just not noticed me either way it was very intent on tracking a sent that it had found.

Location: Penryn Estuary

Time/Date: Sunrise, 20^th Jan 2011

Weather: Sunny no Clouds. Frost

Trebah

Yesterday we went on a field trip with the uni to Trebah Gardens, an incredible place because of how the gardens are not overgrown but somehow still maintain a degree of the wild woodland feel. The place is teaming with wild life that is very used to the presence of humans. I saw lots of birds there but there were two moments that stand out for me.

The first of these was spotting a Buzzard in a tree a distance away. While trying to indicate its location to the rest of the group it took off and dived to the ground. Having caught something it flapped around before taking off again and landing on a dead stump low to the ground. It shortly took off again and flew up into a tree. An incredible bird, it was almost invisible against the bark of the tree.

The second was an encounter with a very tame Robin. We were collecting samples to photograph under a microscope and one of the many Robins around the garden was once again distracting us. I thought I would see if it would land on my hand, without food in it was not having anyting of it. However it did show a lot of interest. I found a worm placed it in my hand and held it out. Almost immediately it approached my hand and took the worm.

Location: Trebah Gardens

Time/ Date: 11^th Jan 10an-3pm

Weather: overcast with sunny intervals. Strong westerly wind but sheltered in garden.

Garden Up Date

I decided that I would move the peanut feeder further away from the house due to the fact that not that many birds were coming to this feeder, choosing to go for the feeders further away. This proved to be a great success; the Blue Tits became a lot less nervous sitting on the feeder for longer periods and today another bird has joined the pair making three Blue Tits. The Great Tits are now coming to the garden regularly and displaying less fear. The flock of Sparrows is growing fast which I am very pleased to see.

When I was watching today there was a new visitor; a Pied Wagtail was wagging around below the feeders picking up the dropped seed with the Thrush and the Robin.

With the warmer weather the Redwings have left the garden, they can still be spotted in large flocks out in the fields along with Field-fairs and Lapwings a bird I haven't ever seen around here before.

Location: Garden

Time/Date: 3pm 3^rd January 2011

Weather: chilly but a lot warmer than previously. Overcast, northerly wind.