After eighteen months of nothing on Picket Twenty estate, the move to an older, more established estate is obviously paying off.
But it all costs money. This week I've been a little frustrated in the fact that I have now become a corvid restaurant. Rooks, Carrion Crow, Jackdaws along with Magpie, Woodpigeon and Feral Pigeon are seemingly always raiding one feeder or another. It's getting expensive!
I've stopped putting bread out, a) as we seem to be coming out of winter and the frosts, and b) I'd quite like the little fellas to stand more of a chance on the feeders.
But today I broke the 'no bread' rule.
Sat in the conservatory, I had just snapped the occasionly visiting male Blackcap, I was watching three feral pigeon and a couple of woodpigeon in the garden when a pair of Mallard suddenly flew over the fence and in to our garden. We are four hundred metres away (and uphill) from the lakes and nearest river. Surprised? Just a little!
So we grab some bread from the kitchen, not the best food for ducks I know, but this is one exception I'm happy to go with. If you live on a lake or river then this probably doesn't sound so odd, but here!
The ducks flew off after around a quarter of an hour and then zipp! a Sparrowhawk flew through. Everything scattered in alarm and, apart from one woodpigeon who froze, and the garden went quiet for around thirty minutes! I suspect the sprawk didnt go too far but couldn't see it.
Perhaps I will still feed the sky pigs, a sparrowhawk strike would be great to get on camera, and who is gonna miss one feral pigeon or two?
Normal service resumed after a while and the corvids and pigeons returned. C'mon Sparrowhawks!
And the blackcap. Seen it three times so far, luckily this time I had the camera handy.
The ducks returned at 5:30 p.m. looked like they were going to roost for the night but have just flown off somewhere.
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