Quiet over the last few days apart from a pair of Blackbirds which seem to have nested somewhere near the back of our garden.

Yesterday a Herring Gull was perched on the chimney of a house visible from the lounge window, usually Lesser Black-backed Gulls land on there. Also a large female Sparrowhawk landed briefly on next door's roof early evening.

Otherwise I caught sight of a Bat flying around a couple of times in the evening, likely to be a Pipistrelle, but it did seem quite big. I didn't see it again despite an extended vigil.

A short break from work this afternoon

10 Swift hawking over the garden

Not much else going on in the bird world over the garden

Other wildlife

The tadpoles probably won't be too long before they leave the pond as most seem to have developed one pair of legs now

Also some tiny orange fungi on the lawn.

There were also some small field mushrooms on the lawn earlier in the week

A bit quiet over the last few days

A young Jackdaw has been a frequent visitor to the garden today. Amazing to see how quickly its learnt how to get food from the fatball feeder.

A Greenfinch was wheezing at the front of the house and Scratchy the Dunnock has been singing.

One thing I have noticed is the dawn chorus is still alive consisting mainly of Blackbirds, but there a Wren also joined in one morning. One of the local Blackbirds is still singing during the day too.

A Large White was flying around the ivy on the patio in the brighter periods this afternoon.

Feeding has definitely been stepped up at the Blackbird nest today. Both male and female are arriving frequently at the nest, almost bumping into one another at times.

Scratchy the Dunnock is still singing although less frequently now.

Otherwise the usual birds have been in the garden This afternoon a Small Tortoiseshell

-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Thursday 11th of June 2020 02:31:12 PM

The local Blackcap was singing again yesterday evening and this morning.

I just went outside to identify a butterfly I could see from the kitchen. It was a Green-veined White, the first time I recall seeing this species in the garden.

A Jay flew over too.

Yesterday the first juvenile Goldfinch of the year was in the garden. It has visited again this morning too.

The Bullfinch pair seem to be visiting on a daily basis again.

Jackdaw and 2 Magpie have visited the garden in the last 24 hours.

The only birds singing around the garden seem to be Blackbird, Dunnock and Wren

Yesterday the Bullfinch pair returned to the garden, the first time I've seen them for a while.

Otherwise windy conditions have kept any wildlife down to a minimum.

"Scratchy the Dunnock" ...... Not very P.C that Mz Foulkes, rather derogatory in fact .... Beauty is in the eye (or ear) of the beholder !

Yours Faithfully

Roger Baker.
Chairman of the "Prunella Modularis Song Appreciation Society" Tameside branch.

All busy at Jackdaw Central this morning. It's looking as if birds are fledging and at least ten birds surrounding the nest hole. A Magpie has been keeping a close eye on proceedings.

A male Blackbird is trying to get food from the fatball feeder and the Coal Tit has been visiting the feeders again.

A Blackcap was still singing yesterday.

On Friday I was looking out from the front of the house when I saw a Goosander following the river direction of the river downstream.

Other than that, there has been nothing new over the last few days. The usual birds continue to sing and yesterday two Blackbirds were singing against one another.

This morning a Blackcap was singing despite the windy conditions.

Blue and Great Tits have been seen regularly on the patio searching through the ivy.

A Magpie decided to raid the pond on Friday after some protein.

No new species of butterfly, but Large White and Speckled Wood were still daily visitors and the last Orange Tip I saw was on Thursday.

It's been fairly quiet the last few days. I've been spending a lot of time staring at the screen working, but in the times I've managed to get out into the garden, I've stared at the sky a fair amount, particularly late afternoon yesterday when I thought I heard a House Martin. I searched the sky for a few minutes but there was no sign of any House Martins.

Also a butterfly I caught only a brief glimpse of looked like a Red Admiral.

Otherwise nothing new.

I filled the feeders today and put some snacks out on the ground.

Long-tailed Tits and Blue Tits soon appeared.

The local Starling population are more than likely in full feeding mode and a posse of four arrived and made several return visits until one of the local Magpies arrived. Once the Magpie had left ten Starling visited the garden. It's great to see so many visiting our garden at once. A female Blackbird was also present.

Yesterday two Mallard flew across the front of the house.

Yesterday the Coal Tit was a frequent visitor to the garden using the feeders throughout the afternoon sometimes within a few feet of where I was standing. A female Blackbird was eating some berries from the creepers where I think she is nesting, one of two pairs around the garden. Scratchy the Dunnock and the Blackcap continue to have sing offs against one another, particularly in the afternoon and three Goldfinch were on the feeders at the same time. One of the Robins visited and a Collared Dove flew through.

I forgot to mention that there was a young Woodpigeon at the front of the house on Thursday.

Also present in the garden yesterday, male Orange Tip, Large White and Speckled Wood butterflies and late last night I could hear a Fox barking towards the end of the street.

Like most on here, it's been quiet in the garden.

Fewer visitors to the feeders, although a Long-tailed Tit bravely looked me in the eye as I was lying on the lawn with the ants!

After I'd been there over an hour, a few species came down, including Dunnock, House Sparrow, Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Goldfinch and Robin, although I didn't like the wicked look in the Jackdaw's eye!

The sky was cloudless as well as pretty much birdless, with just Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Lesser Black-backed Gull and a superb displaying Goldfinch overhead.

Dunnock, Blackcap, Goldfinch, Blackbird and Robin were still singing, although I'm sure there'd be a little more earlier in the day.

Large White was the only butterfly seen.

Sightings from the first part of the day.

A somewhat scruffy female Blackbird has been visiting the thick ivy on the wall between our back garden and our neighbours, possibly feeding young.

Also in the garden Jay and Magpie collecting food from the lawn. A Coal Tit visited the feeders, a bird that doesn't visit the garden frequently at this time of year.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was calling from the trees at the front of the house, but I couldn't locate it.

Blackcap and Dunnock are both still singing, but a nice addition to the lockdown list was two Swallow which flew over the garden.

A pair of Long-tailed Tit appears to be building a nest around the beech hedge. I spent some time watching them this afternoon.

Five Canada Geese flew across the front of the house this morning.

I started cleared some of the mess out of the pond. The petals from the magnolia flowers are blowing into the pond and the beech hedge is now losing its brown leaves which also blow into our pond. The pond is alive with tadpoles which are growing larger by the day.

Three species of butterfly in the garden today. Apart from the daily Orange Tip and Large White, Speckled Wood was an additional species.

The Blackcap was singing throughout the day and the Goldfinches seemed far from happy that I was doing work out in the garden. A Woodpigeon is nest building somewhere. One flew over the garden with a huge twig and made a further journey with some smaller twigs.

Another hour or so in the garden and a singing Mistle Thrush on a nearby tree, no doubt warning of the impending bad weather, was added to the list.

I think the birds were fed up with me being out in the garden as a Wren sang from next to me and a Dunnock just above me.

A pair of House Sparrow visited and a Sparrowhawk again drifted over.

Several Gulls, mainly Black-headed flew over.

I finally saw lockdown Bullfinch in the garden, when a pair visited the feeders. Admittedly they are always shy birds, but it is good to see them. Four Goldfinch were fighting about one feeder, there's three for them to go at! A Dunnock was on the fatball feeder. Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock, Blackcap and Wren have all been singing around the garden today. Unfortunately in a couple of hours watching the sky only a Lesser Black-backed Gull flew over, other than several Woodpigeons.

This morning was a good time for seeing butterflies as when I went out to check that the butterfly I had seen was a Peacock, a male Orange Tip and a Small Tortoiseshell also came into the garden and a Large White was also present for a short time.

The Blackcap was singing again just after my previous post. It sounded quite close at first, but then appeared to have moved a couple of gardens along.

After my post yesterday, I saw a Peacock butterfly!

A Wren was also in the beech hedge, perhaps they might nest there this year.

The four regular Woodpigeon are also spending most of their time chasing each other around, perhaps two pairs are involved here.

A Feral Pigeon actually came into the garden this morning, the first I have seen in the garden for a while.

A Collared Dove also came in for some seed, which is the first actually in the back garden since lockdown, although I am seeing them more frequently from the front of the house.

Dunnock and Blackbird are both heard singing on a daily basis.

The usual species are still occasionally on the feeders although I suspect they may be finding natural food sources too.

I flushed a Wren from the cotoneaster as I went outside this morning. They have nested in there a couple of times.

One of the regular Goldfinches has polished off a feeder full of seed this week. I haven't seen another bird apart from Goldfinch using the feeder in question and I presume it is the same bird each time.

Two Magpie were in the garden earlier and the Jackdaw nest site seemed very busy.

I am currently being serenaded by a Blackbird, a wonderful song.