Winter Thrushes are not only for Winter sometimes

What I had been hoping for back in February has happened :

Mistle Thrush are breeding in Margravine Cemetery!

I barely saw them in between, which is amazing considering how noisy and bold they can be, so I was thinking that they might have tried outside of the cemetery as I would see them quite often fly North, towards the Tube line.
Then about a week ago I heard their distinctive rattle a few times while walking through. Unfortunately I was so incapacitated at the time that walking on the rough ground looking for them was out of the question but I promised myself that as soon as I could I'd go looking for them. So Saturday morning Operation Mistle Thrush was put into gear and within 5 minutes, with a bit of luck, I located the nest with one of the birds on it. Happy time! Then yesterday I saw one of the birds bring food to 2 chicks.

Other birds not quite so far advanced in the breeding process are our local Peregrines, they started incubating 3 eggs about a week ago. I have started another blog to follow their progress: FaBPeregrines.

Winter thrushes

Yes, I know, it's been a very long time since my last post. Not the best of months those past few ones... So I'm going to try and do a few catch-up posts.
We've never had this winter the numbers of Redwings we had the previous one. I think the most I've seen at once were 30-35, twice, around the new year, whereas we had over 50 well into March last year. And since mid-January we've had about 3 knocking about, feeding on the ground since all the berries were gone a long time ago. Being so few, they are a lot trickier to find...

Not the best of photos, that bird was way too fast and this was the only passable one I managed, but I like how the light is making its legs look almost translucent 

The bonus this year has been a pair of Mistle Thrush since mid January. Mistle Thrushes usually only pass by, are harassed by the local Jays and Magpies, and move on. But, this time, one month on, they're still here, usually to be found together in the same area.  I have seen behaviour that looked like courtship once and another time it looked like they might be building a nest. So I'm crossing all I can, it would be a first...

I never thought of Redwings as being particularly small but this one really does next to a Mistle Thrush...

I am giving flickr a try for my photos, you can see a few more of these birds here.

Kestrel among the tombstones

On my way to the shops via Margravine Cemetery 2 afternoons ago, I was walking via the grass as mostly usual when I noticed at the edge of, but slightly out, a big group of pigeons another bird which I took initially for one of those weird colour pigeons. We don't have many in the cemetery, most are fairly classic, but we still have a few like this one:



But something did not feel quite right so I put my bins onto it: a Kestrel! on the ground in the cemetery! never happened to me before... I do see them from time to time hover around or passing by, but this, never.





It initially flew to the cut down tree of paradise but didn't stay there long as it was chased away by one of the Jays. I had actually wondered about the Jays earlier that day thinking that I had not seen them for a while, so now I have a hint as to where they may be nesting. It then went on to sit on a tombstone.




then another:




where it proceeded to scratch an itch:





It then flew back on various trees above the pigeon flock. A few times it flew into the pigeon flock who took barely any notice of it. Following some suggestion of weird matings on the Londonbirders mailing list my mind wondered for a nanosecond whether it was after that afore featured pigeon which was in the middle of it...

It then flew from tree to tree, panicking some small birds on the way, but, unfortunately, I had to leave and leave it to it. I'll never know but the next day I found a dead young black bird missing its head...

For more photos, go to my album or click on any of the photos.

of birds and bees

I have finally processed some of the photos of Redwings in Margravine Cemetery I took on a sunny 17th January.









After 2 months 1/2, nearly 3 now, of their presence, I shall miss the little fellows when they leave. It's been difficult to find them the past 2 days. I would initially find a few up in a tree, sometime singing, then a few more, and then they would finally end up on the ground looking for worms. That part they prefer, between Barons Court and Queens Club, will seem empty.



I felt very much under the weather today, but it looked so nice that I went and spent an hour in Margravine Cemetery. Primarily to check on the Redwings, then on the Great Spotted Woodpeckers. I haven't found yet if and where they've decided to nest this year, but they gave me fantastic views today. I even had them both in the same tree for a few minutes. First the male:


Then the female. First in a fairly classic pose:

Then a more unusual angle:


Then, I think I have been spotted:

That didn't distract her from finding food:

Even trying her best Blue Tit impression:


Lastly, the sunshine on the crocuses, now in full bloom:


And on one of those crocuses, a bumblebee, covered in pollen! I actually saw 2 today.

first signs of spring for 2010

The almost obligatory snowdrop photos... I went into Margravine Cemetery yesterday afternoon to photograph flowers. After all, I started this blog 3 years ago initially to record the passing of seasons. I noticed the first snowdrops about to flower on 25th January, which is 12 days later than last year.

Somehow the carpet doesn't seem as thick as in years past.

A few crocuses have also started flowering, and I managed to find some that were not damaged by the squirrels, who seem to be very fond of them. Unfortunately, I didn't note when I started seeing them appear last year, but I have an entry for 19th January 2008 reading " I also noticed that more crocus flowers had opened" which means that they are also slightly late.

We'll see if I get violets (one of my favourite flowers) on my birthday this year. I could just about guess buds on the ones most likely to flower first.

I had not gone into the cemetery to see the Redwings but I just couldn't miss them. For the second day running, they were at top of trees and very vocal. I managed to count 59 then. Then, on my way out I noticed that most had flown to the ground to feed. They were everywhere! I then managed to count 63, but I probably missed a few hidden behind gravestones and trees or still in trees, so I'd estimate them to be around 80.


They've been around since 12 December, only a few days and it'll be 2 months, numbers fluctuating but with a minimum of 20 every time I checked up on them. They're still as skittish as when they first arrived, but hiding behind a grave stone I managed to take some closer photos of this one by the old chapel of rest.



They've been a welcome addition to the cemetery this winter, especially as I never managed to find any goldcrests which is a shame after the 3 we had last winter.

Interlude

Exotic bird in exotic tree...



I have been meaning to take one such photo for a long time, but whenever I see one in this tree I don't have my camera with me. I have never seen any other bird eating those seed pods from the Indian Bean Tree in Margravine Cemetery, but the Parakeets appear to really like them. I love watching them grabbing then opening the pods, then systematically extracting the seeds.
The photo is unfortunately a bit washed out as I was still fine tuning the settings when it got spooked by a passing pigeon...


But I was so happy I'd finally got a photo, I thought I'd share it anyway, as an interlude from all these snow pictures. But don't worry, more of these to come at some point later (hopefully).

Has anyone else seen any other bird eating these? If not, at least it's one food source they're not in competition with our native birds.

Patch tick!

Sorry I have neglected this blog once again, but it's been a tad mad around here. I also, foolishly, decided to have a 'net detox over Christmas, which meant it took me ages to catch up afterwards. I have been out lots however, in part to just escape it all, and from 1st January to kick start my patch list. I started with a 2 hour walk in Margravine Cemetery where I managed to find all residents apart from Wren and Greenfinch. I did see a Greenfinch later that day but it took a few more days before I managed to find a Wren. I also managed to find the Coal Tit which was nice as I had not seen it for a while, and I found it in the exact conifer I'd been hoping to find it. And the Redwings were still there, or at least some were, as on New Year's Eve I saw at least 80 of them advancing on the grass like an army, which was quite impressive as the cemetery is not that big!
An unexpected tick by the cemetery that day was a Common Gull, standing on the Woodpecker's aerial on the estate, i.e. the one the Great Spotted Woodpecker drums on in the Spring becoming the talk of the neighbourhood.
The female Peregrine made an appearance around lunchtime, sunning herself, making it 21 for that day. Until the Greenfinch which made it 22 for the first day, on a par with last year albeit with a few different birds.

The next day, being a Saturday morning, I did my usual Thames Path walk and added a few more birds to make it 35 with most of the usual suspects. The most notable thing was that I saw a third adult Great Black-Backed Gull as well as the usual pair, which are currently very busy courting, or at least I assume that's what all this 'barking' is about. A few days previously I could hear them, but just couldn't locate them, until I looked on top of Harrods Depository: they were on top of the flagpoles!

On Sunday 3rd, I was checking if Redwings were still around in the cemetery, and they were making it the start of their 4th week, when 2 Egyptian Geese flew over, a first for me in Margravine, & making it #36.

An early morning visit to the Thames on Tuesday morning allowed me to add Shelduck with one feeding by Crabtree Wharf, not unusual at this time of year, but not that frequent either. Nothing else out of the ordinary, except maybe a few more Gadwalls than previously this winter. I have unfortunately not been able to go and check again since then, but I'm hoping to early tomorrow. We'll see. I finally added Wren for this year as I was almost home, making it #41.

Then yesterday, we were promised some more snow, so I thought I'd go and get some milk before then, and check Margravine Cemetery at the same time. Got to Barons Court having found a few Redwings. I was trying to check them from a distance so as not to disturb them, I shouldn't have bothered, dog walkers do it anyway. The corner shop didn't have any milk so I backtracked and crossed the cemetery again to go to Fulham Palace Road. As I was about half way through, I heard an unusual sound high above in a tree: a Fieldfare! At long last! A patch tick! Grabbed my camera, tried some record shots, but conditions were appalling, and it was just starting to snow quite heavily. Thankfully, it flew over to another tree closer to me, where I managed some slightly better shots.



I also decided to take a record-video. Pretty crappy quality and I wouldn't have bothered putting it up if it wasn't for the goldfinch behind:

Fieldfare & goldfinch in the snow from Nathalie Mahieu on Vimeo.

I have seen them do it between themselves too, is it threat or courtship? But, in this case, it made me think of these passers by in the background who make faces at the camera when someone is interviewed or talking in the foreground. Might be just me, but I find it funny...

That was #42, and #43 came today in the shape of a Kestrel hovering over the hospital.
A pity the Skylark I saw on the foreshore by the supermarket this afternoon wasn't on my patch, but it was nice nevertheless...

Redwings again

8 days on and the redwings are still in Margravine Cemetery. I estimated at least 25 of them yesterday afternoon, but I had a definite 19 on the ground in my bins at one point. And having watched them fly around the cemetery for a few days, I am now pretty convinced that I had caught a glimpse of some of them on the Saturday on my way to the shops before they'd disappear behind buildings.
A combination of the fact that there are not quite as many berries at the top now, them maybe getting a little bit more used to passers by, some sunshine, and I finally managed some much nicer photos of 1 of them:


For more photos of this bird, click on the photo above, or here.

I have also tried to take photos of them amongst the graves, as I try with any bird in the cemetery as much as possible, as this makes it more location-specific. Unfortunately, more often than not, this is all I get, if I get anything:


I did manage however to get a few with graves in the background.



Redwing trying to blend in by doing a robin impersonation...



To finish, one of our near-obese squirrels, but even with their extra fat they appear to be feeling the cold too, I spotted one taking bark off branches to add to its nest:

Redwings!

It may not be that big a deal elsewhere, but I've seen Redwings in Margravine Cemetery for 4 days now. Considering I'd never seen more than 1 individual at a time before, and that I'd never found them again the next day, it is a big deal to me.
I was busy on Sunday with cooking and baking and didn't intend to go out check the birds. But I needed more baking supplies and a quick trip to Chiswick had to be done. On my way to the tube, I thought I'd check the shrubs I'd been keeping an eye on the past few weeks as it was totally covered with berries. So far all I'd seen there were woodpigeons, blackbirds and chaffinches but this time there were this shapes in the foliage at the top, too big for chaffinch, too small for blackbird, so I got my small bins out: redwings, 2, maybe 3 of them! And they were still there when I came back an hour or so later, but by then the light was pretty bad and the cemetery was going to close.
So, bright and early on Monday morning, I was out in the cemetery. It wasn't too bright yet, hence the photos below are not the best quality, especially as they're flighty little buggers and I couldn't get too close. I initially spotted 1 or 2 on the shrub and then turned left: there were at least a dozen on the ground by the memorial wall!






Yum, juicy earthworm! If there is one thing Margravine Cemetery is rich of, it is earthworms, which is probably why there are always lots of blackbirds around, but also why there is a lot of this pretty much every where:


I wish the redwings were a bit less shy, more like this individual, which, even though it wouldn't let me get too close, at least it is in the middle outer reaches, which give much nicer photos

than this, high up in the canopy against a white sky...



But beggars can't be choosers I guess...
On Tuesday, I didn't have much time, but managed to spot 7 of them around the shrub. Today, however, I took a bit more time at the beginning of the afternoon, in the 'snowstorm'. No sooner had I spotted a few on the ground that they took off, leaf-blowing was starting and the guy was getting close. I followed them from tree to tree and counted up to 19 in 1 and 2 in another at one end of the cemetery. Got my camera out of my bag, but by the time I had it out, a small tractor was entering the cemetery and they took flight, back to where we came. So I followed, spotting 22 Goldfinch in a birch (I think) on the way. Relocated a few in the shrub, but then the leaf-blower arrived under there and they took off again... This time, I went back home.