Buzzard – Donich Website

Shy denizens of the Woodlands….

donich_admin — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 12:20:27 +0000

My bird book describes the Jay as a ‘shy woodland bird’. I just went into the kitchen and there were six immature but large jays around the feeding area; two were clinging to the fat balls we put out for the tits, and one was hanging from the bottom of the peanut feeder. Last year one worked out how to get the bottom off and extract all the contents in a oner – thank goodness they haven’t done that this year (yet).

Anyway there is going to be a big territorial battle soon I think because this lot are the second batch this summer and they surely all can’t stay in the one area. I only managed to get three of them in the picture (you have to click on it to see the other two).

Also on the bird front, in one of the strange shifts which seem to occur for no particular reason, the siskins have suddenly vanished but we seem to have a lot more assorted tits than a few weeks ago.

We also saw a buzzard being chased by a crow today, and the heron was back on the pond.

A new friend

donich_admin — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 19:28:11 +0000

A new member seems to have joined Team Donich today. Off and on since we have lived here, we have seen a great spotted woodpecker on the nuts, but they have always been very shy and elusive. Now over the last few days, a juvenile has started joining us, not feeding off the nuts, but off the fat balls which are (supposed to be) for the tits. He wasn’t scared at all, and seemed to be thinking that he had found an extra special tree which is squishy and absolutely full of grubs.

That was not all on the wildlife front today. There were four baby squirrels and about 30 assorted small birds in the feeding area this morning. Then when we opened the front door, R thought for a moment he had squished a frog which had been hiding under the sill. But in fact it was fine and very lively and I had to pick it up to stop it going to have an investigate of the hall. A very handsome chap all in green and gold and obviously hiding from our next visitor who was a heron back on the pond.

Then most of this afternoon there were two buzzards circling the house and ‘ki ki’ng at each other. I hope they are thinking of mating; which reminds me that we need to put a bird of prey box up, as there used to be owls and buzzards nested here before the old box fell to pieces

Mobbed

marionmccune — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 11:02:41 +0000

There is a huge buzzard lives in the vicinity – we often see it swoop over the path when we are walking around the Donich circular. I always remember the old adage that if you are not sure whether you have seen a buzzard or an eagle – you have seen a buzzard. Today it came over the garden flying very low, but it was quickly chased away by four crows which pursued it relentlessly until it gave up and flew off. They obviously want to stop it staying in the vicinity where they are going to nest. I suppose that unfortunately having one sort of wildlife sometimes predicates against seeing other sorts in the same area.