Following the last post published to Monsta Wild, here's a few more birds spotted in a South east England countryside garden . . .
1. Garden warbler (Sylvia borin)
Image from rspb.org.uk
I spotted one of these nondescript little birds flitting from the hawthorn to the budleia, where it skulked behind the leaves and stems awhile.
It's a plain little bird which, for me, made identification a tad more difficult – so much easier when the bird has an obvious and distinctive feature, and binoculars would help too. Thankfully, I had my pocket guide with me, and the way that the bird reacted to a Garden warbler call when i played it on my phone confirmed it for me. And gave me a better view.
It was my first time seeing this bird in the garden.
2. Long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
In my experience, more likely to spot this bird in woodland, or in the hedgerows that line a field. But they do visit garden birdfeeders. And, oh, there's just something charming about these little birds!
The long-tailed tit is one of Britain's smallest birds, weighing 7-9kg.
Look out for the long tail after which they are named on your feeders. Otherwise they are little balls of fluff, black and white with peachy colouring on the back, rump, and around the eye.
3. Great tit (Parus major)
The biggest tit and a regular visitor to birdfeeders.
At a glance, in its colouring, quite similar to the Blue tit, but the Great tit is quite a bit larger. And look for its solid black cap and the black stripe down its chest and belly.
4. Blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
One of the more familiar and frequent visitors to the feeders. A national favourite.
Much more likely to visit hanging feeders and raised tables, and rarely visits the ground.
An always welcome little splash of colour and song in the garden.
5. Magpie (Pica pica)
Image from rspb.org.uk
Often vilified for it's natural practice of taking eggs from the nests of songbirds when the opportunity presents itself. However, a study undertaken by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), commissioned by the RSPB, in which 35 years worth of data was poured over, suggests this vilification is unfair.
The study found that, throughout Britain, the number of songbirds was no different in those areas where there were more magpies to those areas where there were few magpies.
Magpies and small birds have existed side-by-side for the entirety of their existence on the planet, occupying the niches that they do and achieving balance.
To help songbirds, we might achieve more by planting more shrubs in our gardens, rethinking the intensity of farming practices, and being inclusive of nature as we plan and build our infrastructure.
6. Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
Like all corvids, an intelligent and adaptable bird. Also, like other corvids, a target of dislike from some garden birdwatchers.
If Jackdaws visit your garden, and you want to keep them from birdfeeders intended for songbirds, simply offer these corvids a space on the ground to feed. They will probably prefer this to trying to navigate hanging feeders.
Also, consider that jackdaws will eat things smaller birds will ignore – pieces of meat, egg, windfall fruit, and scraps. Of course, only put out as much as you expect the birds will eat, and clean and tidy the area regularly. This ought to be standard practice with birdfeeders though.
7. Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
From a distance, might appear uniformly black, but on closer inspection, this bird is iridescent. White feather tips also give it a speckled appearance.
In colder months, their murmurations are a spectacular natural sight. However, their numbers have declined rapidly in recent years and they now hold a place on the conservation Red List.
I have never seen a spectacular murmuration, and I hope that I, and future generations, don't miss that sight forever.
8. House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Another resident that has found it's way onto the conservation Red List.
The male has a black mask and a grey cap, while the females and juveniles are little more drab.
A quarrel of sparrows in the garden isn't hard to miss; probably heard, if not seen, as they chirp and chatter from shrubs and thickets.
I hope you enjoyed this little snapshot of a birdwatch in an English country garden. And, thank you for reading. You can find the previous list of feathered visitors here.
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Thank you again!
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