Tag: Dorset Birds

HOUSE SPARROW CHICKS IN THE NEST IN A HOUSE…

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The gable end wall of our house is very old thick stone, and full of holes. Some are deep enough for sparrows to nest in, which they do every year. Mrs RH is quite keen to fill the holes; I enjoy the annual sparrow nesting routines in the holes, and in the gaps under the gable eaves. Last year I recorded the sounds emerging from the largest hole as the chicks grew. This year, I tried photography. The problems, without special equipment, were lighting and focus. I wasted a vast number of shots on useless photos before realising that I only had to wait until the evening sun was full on the wall. Here are some resulting photos. A few days later, they had flown!

Apart from the noise of the chicks awaiting food, nothing much to see here…Sparrow Nest Totnell 1

Half an hour later the sun has helpfully moved roundSparrow Nest Totnell 2 Sparrow Nest Totnell 3 Sparrow Nest Totnell 5

The ‘money shot’!Sparrow Nest Totnell 7Sparrow Nest Totnell 8

SPRING IN THE AIR IN DORSET THIS WEEK

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The sun is shining, the birds are twitterpating (©Disney), the trout season has opened. Also, the first swallows arrived on Tuesday, followed by the martins on Wednesday. These birds are already checking out the mud nests under the eaves that remain from last year.Martins' Nest Totnell 4.14

The hedges are suddenly greening up and the grass is beginning to grow fast. The Alpacas, formerly the official lawnmowers for the paddock, have been banished to another field to give the ground a rest. That means resorting to the mechanical method for the first cut of the year.Alpaca Totnell 4.14Paddock Totnell 2014

Some creatures appear to have got Spring fever. The rabbits for a start, who are clearly ‘going at it’ for all they are worth. And the sheep over the road surprised me one evening when I opened the kitchen door (the notice on the gate is good for their self-esteem). Sheep climbing bales Totnell 14

My first fishing of the season yesterday, on the River Piddle (as in Tolpuddle) – very pretty, pretty unproductive…  Today on the River Frome, the swallows were skimming insects off the surface of the water. There were heron and egrets, and a pair of common sandpipers clearly looking for a suitable nesting site. It’s been a great Spring week.Piddle 1 Dorset 4.14 Piddle 2 Dorset 4.14 Piddle 3 Dorset 4.14

The moon and stars have been wonderful all week. There have been plenty of moon photos around, pink or otherwise, but one evening Mars was gleaming brightly too. Only one shot was steady enough to use – at maximum zoom most of the images looked like squiggles.

Full Moon Totnell 14Mars Totnell 14

KESTREL STUDIES, DORSET

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Kestrel Study, Dorset 1 Kestrel Study, Dorset 2 Kestrel Study, Dorset 3 Kestrel Study, Dorset 4

EAGLE OWL: STOCK OAK FAIR, DORSET

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Eagle Owl 7Eagle Owl 6Eagle Owl 5Eagle Owl 4Eagle Owl 3Eagle Owl 2Eagle Owl 1

This fine bird was part of a display at an Oak Fair in Dorset (see also BARN OWL). I only had a ‘family day out snapping camera’ with me, so the close-ups are a little ‘soft’. Never mind, the feather patterns have come out reasonably well…

THE HOUSE MARTINS… BUILD (A NEST)

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Spring is making up for lost time in Dorset, as everywhere else. The blackbirds are nesting again, the partridges have been joined by a cock pheasant in full, shiny breeding plumage. We heard our first cuckoo on March 5th, a couple of fields away. Sparrows are nesting in cavities in the old walls of the house. Strictly we ought to plug them with something, but it seems a shame, and the walls are thick enough. And so, on to…

…the decade that music forgot. I watched a pair of house martins building a nest under the eaves, taking it in turns to collect small balls of mud to add to the structure, and carefully fitting the nest together. I decided to video them. Suddenly I had a vague recollection of The Housemartins and a song called ‘Build’ (it reached #41 in NZ in 1987… rather higher in the UK). So I put video and song together, only to realise that the song is actually quite irritating – especially the papapapapa bits. Too late. Here it is, with advice to mute the sound if you don’t want to be transported back to a bad place musically… 

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/65641512]