In The Stump Of The Old Tree......: Rat

August Nature Notes

It has been another quiet month concerning bird numbers and species variety. There has still been a number of sparrows, blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) and great tits (Parus major) visiting the bird feeders.

However some of the other species to visit have been a an early morning visit from a juvenile moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), a bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) on the fat balls and a juvenile goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) being fed by a parent.

Young goldfinch

I have only seen one great spotted woodpecker in the garden this month and that was a male feeding on the fat balls.

Other sightings have been three jays (Garrulus glandarius) in the trees near B wood.

In Scotland I saw a few snipe (Gallinago gallinago) in the potato field after the harvest. Nice to see this species as they have undergone a decline in the numbers in recent years.

Scottish snipe

Buzzards (Buteo buteo) could also be heard calling and I managed to capture this image of one far off in the distance.

Mammals

The usual rabbits and the odd hare come into the garden. There has also been an increase in the rat population. This is perhaps connected to the harvest clearing the fields of any cover and probably making a few rats homeless.

However the most interesting visitor to the garden this month was a stoat (Mustela erminea). I saw it on a couple of occasions hunting through the garden.

The need for water for the birds to drink and bathe in became more important as the days grew warmer.

Great spotted woodpecker having a drink to wash down all the suet

Early in the month the GSWs were arriving thick and fast at the bird feeders, sometimes up to four at a time then a lot of chasing and calling would ensue.

There was a lot of birds visiting the garden at the beginning of the month, some of which rarely if ever came into the garden in the winter time such as magpies, crows and even a jay. The jay was chased off from the birch tree by a blackbird.

The blackbirds are the most industrious of birds. They really burn the candle at both ends. Evidence of their productivity was evident when the first of their offspring could be seen begging for food from the male. It was always the male that fed the young.

Feeding time....

....and a drink to follow.

On Sunday 13th at 18:00 a flock of about 12 goldfinches came to feed. They show the usual pecking order of the top two sitting on the niger seed feeder and the others squabbling about the places on the other seed feeder.

I spotted two bullfinches on the Roman Road. I also noticed a rather large greenfinch which looked old or ill. I though the birds may be getting some sort of disease but he still visits weeks later and still looks the same.

He may look ill but he has no loss of appetite

There has definitely been a reduction in the number of tits visiting although two long tailed tits have been spotted flitting from feeder to feeder. One of them rather bravely pecked at the GSW which was feeding on the suet block.

On Tuesday 15th I saw the first (rather distant) swallow of the year.

Two yellowhammer females often visit the garden at the same time. However, I have not seen the male as much as of old. I suppose birds are busier at this time of year with mating and rearing young than the single mindedness of feeding that occupies them in the winter.

On Sunday 13th at 09:45 I spotted four buzzards flying over Junk woods.

I watched gannets diving in the Firth of Forth.

I also caught this thrush singing on a branch near the buckthorn.

By the 25th the U lake had many ducklings, goslings, baby coots and probably some young great crested grebes.

Mammals

The mice were still out and about picking up seed etc at the bird table. Unfortunately so was the larger more unwelcome rodent the rat. I suppose seed always attracts rats.